by Kasey Krane
No. Keira would just have to deal with what she got. The unfiltered version of me.
I saw Keira the moment she stepped out of the cab she’d taken to the venue.
I’d ditched my truck for the night and drove my Porsche. From across the street, I saw her high black heels hit the ground and then her silky long legs were revealed through the slit in her dress.
My heart slammed against my chest.
I ran across the street with my hands tucked in the pockets of my pants. I was too late, one of the valets had helped her out of the cab. Cameras clicked around us as I went over to her.
Keira looked like a million dollars tonight. The cameras were drawn to her regardless of the man who approached her now. I was glad she was able to draw the attention away from me. I didn’t care if all the paparazzi were more interested in her than me. That’s exactly what I wanted.
She turned to me with a dazzling smile. She’d never smiled at me like that before and it kind of bothered me she did it only because of the cameras. Just to create an impression that we were an actual couple.
I reached for her and she gave me her hand which I pulled up to my lips. Our eyes were locked while I kissed her fingers. More cameras flashed around us. This was the kind of juicy moment they all waited for, and this was my perfect excuse to get close to her.
She let me gently pull her close to me and we weaved fingers together.
“You’re doing well so far, Baker,” she said in my ear.
“You make it easy.”
We had a red carpet to walk and we did it together. Hands glued together. Arms brushing gently. The cameras blinded us. They all wanted us to stop and pose.
“We need to give them what they’re asking,” Keira said softly, still smiling. She was as good as any paid actor. Never breaking character.
I grumbled under my breath but Keira squeezed my hand, making me stop in my tracks.
She turned with a graceful sway towards the cameras and gave them a short celebrity wave, using just her fingers. I was the sideshow tonight and just followed in her footsteps.
But I was also the one who got to have his hand on the petite small of her back. I was the guy she pressed herself in to. And that was good enough for me.
“Can we go in now?” I growled and she looked up at me with a chuckle.
“You think things are going to be simpler once we go in?”
“I need a drink.”
I led her into the theater while she gave the cameras one last smile.
Keira was a natural. She definitely deserved to be on the front page of a glossy magazine, while I should’ve stayed in the shadows.
Keira was right, the situation inside the venue was almost worse than the mayhem outside.
Just like I predicted, this event was more about rich people showing off their outfits and their wealth, rather than being at all concerned about the charity we were all here in support of. I didn’t even know what the charity was.
I saw heads turning as we walked past people, and it was hard to know if they were interested in my controversial presence there or if they wanted to know who this hot blond with me was.
“First order of business is that you need to pledge a sizable chunk of money to the cause,” she said.
“What is the cause and what is the sizable chunk?”
“It’s the Texas Breast Cancer Society, Everett,” she replied, tilting her head to one side and narrowing her eyes at me. She’d expected me to know.
I shrugged.
“You didn’t tell me why you wanted us to meet here. Anyway, what is a sizable chunk?”
“A donation that will be bigger than everyone else’s donation here tonight. That will get the attention of everyone.”
“So the only reason I’m donating to the Cancer Society is because I want the cameras to notice me?”
“Notice your interest in philanthropy.”
“If I donate money, I’d want to do it silently without drawing attention to myself. I don’t want to do it because you’re telling me to.”
Keira pursed her lips together. Her cheeks looked flushed and it seemed like she was going to blow her top but then a server walked past us with a tray of champagne. We each helped ourselves to a flute.
“You might think I’m being a bitch about this. In fact, I don’t really care what you think of me. I’m just trying to do my job here. And getting you on the philanthropy train is one of my tasks for tonight. Remember, we’re working on a long term image-revamp for you. Making a donation anonymously isn’t going to help this case.”
I shook my head in frustration. Very quickly, this started to feel like a bad idea. I shouldn’t have allowed myself to think with my cock. She seduced me into coming to this event tonight.
“I spoke with your lawyer and your brother, Tate, and we have come up with a figure you can pledge tonight,” she continued.
“Are you listening to me?” I growled.
“All you have to do is sign a ledger with the amount and your name. It’s as easy as that.”
I grabbed her wrist, just to shut her up and to make her hear what I had to say. Keira leaned into me, placing a hand on my chest and smiling at me in the most natural way possible.
“Everett, you can’t make a scene here tonight. Remember, all eyes are on you. Now, just kiss me and let me go,” she whispered.
I peered into her eyes, ready to explode. Ready to leave.
But her big blue eyes made me stay.
So I kissed her instead.
When I pulled away from the kiss, I saw people looking at us.
These were all wealthy people. Celebrities. And yet, they didn’t seem to know how to keep their noses to themselves. Someone even raised their champagne flute in our direction—as if to congratulate us. I didn’t even know who this prick was.
I tightened my grasp on Keira’s back while her hands remained on my chest. She was pinned to me with nowhere to go. And if she wanted to play this game and keep playing it, I knew she wouldn’t be able to pull away.
We were supposed to be in a legitimate loving relationship.
“You’re going to do just fine,” she whispered, holding her champagne aloft so it wouldn’t spill on us.
I gulped mine down quickly. Champagne wasn’t going to do anything groovy for me. When I looked around thirstily, Keira tapped her fingers on my chest.
“You can’t drink anymore. You should have taken that one slow.”
“You can’t tell me what to do.”
“Yes, I can. That was the agreement, remember? I was willing to be your fake girlfriend, but you have to do what I say. I’m the boss. You agreed to it. In fact, it was your idea.”
She had a point. And the truth was, I didn’t really need to drink more. Keira was all the intoxicant I needed tonight.
“I’m not sure you’re going to enjoy spending the evening with me sober,” I replied.
She narrowed her eyes at me but there was a glimmer of a smile on her face.
“Why do you want people to hate you so bad?”
“What?”
She shrugged and I couldn’t take my eyes off those delicate bare shoulders of hers.
“It’s like you’re constantly trying to jeopardize yourself. You want people to dislike you, when I can clearly see that there is another dimension of you nobody else sees.”
“Another dimension? I don’t know what you’re talking about. What you see me as is what you get.”
“And yet nobody else sees the man who insists on making an anonymous donation because he doesn’t want people to know about his good deeds.”
“I don’t believe in beating my own drum,” I said.
Keira’s lips were perfectly peachy. I’d already kissed her twice tonight, but they were chaste kisses—meant for the public eye. The way I really wanted to kiss her wasn’t appropriate for the cameras.
“But you believe in people misinterpreting you?” she asked.
“I don’t care what people think
of me. I am who I am.”
She leaned away from me a little, like she wanted to get a good long look at me. Top to bottom.
Then her hand traveled down till our fingers were weaved together again.
“I’m hungry, and for the money you’re spending on these tickets, we better get something extraordinary to eat. Let’s go raid the buffet table,” she said.
We filled our plates with minuscule versions of food that weren’t going to do anything for our appetites. It was refreshing to see a girl being seriously interested in food. She popped the food down between her lips and covered her mouth with the back of her hand so nobody would see how she’d just stuffed herself with food. She made me smile.
The anger and frustration I’d felt by my sheer presence here—faded. I enjoyed her company and it wasn’t just because of how hot she was. And thankfully, she was as disinterested in mingling as I was.
We existed in our own little bubble and that’s exactly how I wanted it to stay.
“I have a confession to make,” I said. We stood close together, eating from our plates. Neither of us were drinking anymore, and that was fine. I couldn’t remember the last time I wasn’t already drunk at this hour of the night. “This is my first date, and it’s not even a real one.”
“Are you serious? You’re thirty old and you’ve never asked a girl out on a date?” Keira’s mouth had literally fallen open.
I shrugged. “I guess I was just never into a girl that much and it seemed so awkward and pushy. Asking a girl, getting dressed for it, picking her up, sitting at a restaurant and eating a meal neither of us were really enjoying and putting on a show for the other person. I’ve always thought it was very fake.”
She glared at me. “So you just want to get to the end of the night without having to actually go through the night?”
“I’ve never thought about it like that.”
She rolled her eyes and looked away.
“Well, then I have a confession to make too. I was recently on a blind date with a guy.”
I clenched my jaws, trying not to react. She was a free woman, and she could do whatever she wanted.
“It went really badly. We had nothing in common. I was so bored and relieved when it finally ended. But this guy had already decided we were going to sleep together. According to him, the whole point of a date is for it to end in sex. If not that night, then a few nights down the road. So he didn’t see the point of holding out when we could have slept together that night itself.”
“So did you sleep with him?” I asked. I didn’t really want to know the answer. I felt hot jealousy rising up my neck.
Keira looked away and licked her lips. She was irresistible. She must have driven that poor bastard out of his mind just by sitting there across from him.
“No, of course I didn’t. Going on that date with him was just a waste of my time because I knew instantly I’d never sleep with him. So I guess you’re right in a way, and he was too. Dates mean nothing. You either connect with someone from the get go or you don’t.”
“You mean like we did?” I asked, grinning.
“I want more food,” she replied, walking away from me.
Nineteen
Keira
I’d struggled all evening, trying very hard not to stare at this man who was the sexiest guy at this event. At a charity ball filled with people who had personal stylists and knew how to take care of themselves. Out of all these people, it was still Everett Baker who stood out in the crowd.
He’d really stepped it up tonight in his impeccable suit with a clean shaven face. His sandy blond hair looked stylishly messy, the look suited his tan. His rugged cowboy persona. I sensed there were other women all around us who couldn’t keep their eyes off him. I couldn’t blame them.
I couldn’t help but consider myself lucky he’d even looked at me. That he even wanted to kiss me.
Somehow, I was able to convince Everett to pledge a large sum of money to the Cancer Society. I knew how much he didn’t want the spotlight on him, and when the hosts announced his donation and invited him on stage to give a speech—I knew he wouldn’t do it.
He made excuses to the people who’d insisted on him going on stage, claiming he needed to leave and didn’t have the time.
Everyone wanted to hear from him, because everyone had seen the video of him at his parents’ funeral. Everyone had read what was written about him. They were curious about this new side of Everett Baker being presented to them.
While I stood behind him when he was ambushed by a group of people trying to convince him to say a few words, Everett flipped around and caught my hand.
“We really have to leave,” he almost growled. The tone of his voice was enough to push those people back. None of them wanted the same fate as Samuel Mendez.
“We’re leaving,” he hissed as we rushed out of the theatre together.
“Slow down, Everett. We don’t want to alarm anybody,” I hissed back.
Miraculously, he slowed his pace.
I was amazed he’d even taken my advice. I’d expected him to bulldoze me at every juncture.
Once we stepped outside; all the cameras were on us again. Almost like these people had been waiting for us this whole time.
Everett was about to walk right through them but I held him back. All I had to do was widen my eyes at him and he knew what I was trying to say.
He reached for me, circling my waist with his strong muscular arm. He held me close and paused while the cameras clicked away.
I looked up at him in admiration, and if I was being honest with myself, I had to admit it wasn’t just for show.
I didn’t have to think twice when Everett invited me to go back to his place with him.
I didn’t know why I agreed to do it, but told myself it was because I wanted the cameras to catch us getting into his car together.
I sat beside him in his fancy Porsche, trying to make sure the slit in my dress didn’t reveal too much. The whole time, I couldn’t stop staring at his big hands on the wheel. Hands I knew were capable of making me feel amazing.
My throat felt dry, my hands were clammy, my heart raced—I felt like I’d made a fool of myself.
“We didn’t discuss the rules and boundaries of this fake relationship,” I said abruptly.
Everett stared straight ahead and he didn’t look at me, even now.
“What kind of boundaries do you want to set down?”
“I just want to protect myself,” I replied. As matter-of-factly as I could muster.
“Protect yourself from what? Me?”
“Protect myself from the possibility of this whole thing turning into a horror show.”
“Keira, we’re both adults, right? We both know what we’re doing. You have a goal in mind for me and we’re both working towards it.”
I wanted to point out to him how far we’d already taken it. We hadn’t just flirted a little bit…we made out. We’d touched each other. I had him in my mouth. He made me come with his fingers. We’d already crossed a line.
“I just wanted to put it out there that in a few weeks, hopefully things can go back to normal for both of us.”
“This already feels pretty normal to me,” he said. I saw that handsome smile dancing on the corners of his lips and once again, I felt my knees weakening. If I wasn’t already sitting down, it would’ve caused me to lose my balance.
“Well, it’s not normal. I’m pretending to be your fake girlfriend. We’re posing and kissing for the cameras.”
“We’re not just kissing for the cameras,” he said, finally turning to me. “And that makes it less fake, right?”
“I’m not your girlfriend,” I snapped, maybe a little too harshly.
“Yeah, I know that.”
“Then why am I going back to your place?” I asked.
It was too late. Everett had already pulled into the long leafy driveway leading up to his mansion.
“Because we’ve been having fun together and
now we’ll have fun at my place. I guess. That seems like a plausible explanation, right?”
I said nothing and he didn’t either after that. We sat in silence until we parked outside his front door. Then he came around to hold the car door open for me and I was standing in his driveway, with gravel crunching under my high heels.
I already knew it was too late to turn back. I wanted to go inside his house, even though I knew I’d be completely vulnerable to him if I did.
But tonight, I didn’t want to care.
It was the first time I got to look around Everett’s beautiful mansion. The last time I was here, it was a bit more dramatic and I’d tried to get his attention while he slept. Weird. I had to admit.
Now, just the thought of him lying naked in his bed while wedged between two other beautiful naked women sent electricity buzzing through my body.
Everett led the way to his living room which was beautifully decorated and surprisingly clean. I was aware he had housekeepers who looked after the place, because there was no other way it’d been kept in such good condition.
“No party here tonight?” I asked.
Everett stood at the bar in the corner of the living room, helping himself to a drink.
“We’re having a party right now, aren’t we?” he said with a wink. When he held up a bottle of whiskey, I nodded. Even though I knew I shouldn’t have. I didn’t need anything else to make me feel more slippery than I’d already felt.
He brought over the two crystal glasses of whiskey and we clinked them together.
I perched myself on the arm of one of his elaborate couches.
“You have a very beautiful home,” I said. The look in Everett’s eyes turned stony and he looked away from me.
“Yeah, well, my mom…she did most of it.”
I gulped.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to remind you of her.”
“It’s not your fault. I’m reminded of them all the time. Every day when I wake up.”
