Her moans echoed in the empty kitchen as he took her higher and higher until she stilled against him, coming with a cry of pleasure. He licked and stroked lightly until her fingers uncurled from his hair and she sighed.
He stood then, pushing a lock of hair from her flushed face behind her ear.
She gave him a weird look, then hopped off the island and pulling down her skirt and sliding on the bra and blouse he handed her.
Her purse in hand, she smoothed the lines in her skirt. “I’ll accept that as your apology.”
After treating her to a morning delight, he definitely wasn’t going to let her have the last word.
“I’ll see you tonight for our first public date to announce this ill-conceived engagement to the world. Do me a favor and wear a garbage bag or something so we don’t end up on the front of tomorrow’s newspaper, too.”
* * *
Within an hour of leaving his house, Alexa received a flurry of texts from Carter. He’d updated his social media with news of their engagement and sent an email out to all the casino owners on his mailing list, and the homepage of the Las Vegas Gazette now had something else to post along with that incriminating stairwell picture.
Smiling at Carter’s customary diligence, she returned his texts with copious heart emojis, but he didn’t bother to respond. She knew he was still pissed about having to pretend, but she was too relieved that he’d agreed to help her to regret it. This morning had been challenging because of his unanticipated visitor, but it had inadvertently taken out the possibility of the awkward morning-after kind of conversation she’d been anticipating. She loved Carter a lot, and this morning in the kitchen had been another stellar performance, but she wasn’t ready to be in a real relationship with him. There was no “dating” Carter. They were so close it would be like going straight into a marriage when what she needed was dating training wheels.
She picked up her phone to remind him to get an engagement ring for her, but set it back down. Uncle John had given her a diamond ring when she’d graduated from college that would work. It might not be as flashy as some would expect the co-owner of three casinos to wear, but the sentiment of two old friends getting married would probably erase anyone’s suspicions. Besides, an engagement ring, fake or not, felt like too much to ask of a person.
She went back to her house to grab the ring along with a dress for tonight and then drove to Halcyon.
Whatever reception she thought she was prepared for was nothing compared to the excited response to the engagement from everyone in the casino. From the bouncers to the cashiers to her administrative assistant, the congratulations were effusive. It didn’t hurt that everyone knew Carter Hayes was a catch. And not a single person even mentioned the fact that she was half-nude in the news, so mission accomplished.
When she finally made it to her office it was already noon and she vowed to not give Carter another thought. Running three casinos was enough to drive the most organized person crazy and that’s what she needed to focus on. For the rest of the afternoon, she succeeded in getting work done.
She didn’t realize how much time had passed until an alert dinged on her phone, reminding her that Carter was picking her up in just over an hour. She shut her computer down for the day and popped into her office’s en suite bathroom to get ready. Eschewing the requested garbage bag, she’d chosen a sleeveless bloodred sheath with an open back. She slid into a pair of gold peep-toe heels, did a double check of her makeup and grabbed her gold clutch.
By the time she made it down to the front of the casino, Carter was pulling up in his cobalt-blue Bentley convertible with the top down. He hopped out and assisted her into the passenger’s seat.
“Couldn’t find a garbage bag, huh?”
“I wouldn’t even know where to look. My housekeeper is on vacation this week.”
He closed the door. Instead of a hoodie, Carter wore a navy blue suit with a crisp white shirt and shiny tobacco wing tips. Buttoned up and sleek, he looked like a rich designer piece of chocolate.
He settled into the driver’s seat and she looked him over. “So I get the mogul treatment as your fake fiancée?”
“We’re on a date. I wear suits on dates.”
She grabbed his tie, drawing him close. “Can’t you just take a compliment?”
“I didn’t actually hear one in there,” he drawled.
She could smell the mint on his breath. “You look sexy in that suit.”
“I know,” he said. He pulled a small box out of his jacket pocket. “You’ll need this for people to believe we’re engaged.”
Her eyes widened at the HW for Harry Winston emblazoned on the top of a small square black box. Pulling open the two sides, she revealed a huge emerald-cut diamond engagement ring with a platinum band. She didn’t pull the exquisite ring out of the box, marveling at how it glittered under the flashing rainbow lights of the Strip.
“Holy shit, Hayes,” she gasped. “This is insane. Tell me it’s a loaner.”
It was a perfect piece of jewelry and the kind of ring she’d envisioned for herself all her life. Marriage she could be indifferent about, but there was no question about her love of bling. It was a simple ring, just a single diamond on an unadorned band, but it was no less glitzy for it. The diamond was at least six carats, would nearly dwarf her finger, and it came with the kind of unparalleled clarity Harry Winston was known for. It was like some “John Jacob Astor on the Titanic” shit for sure.
Glancing over at her, Carter took the box from her hands and pulled the ring out. “Alexa Marielle Lawson, will you be my fake fiancée?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” she returned cheekily.
Carter took her hand in his and removed her uncle’s ring and handed it to her. As he slid the new one onto her finger she thought of anything else besides the fact that he was literally putting an engagement ring on her finger.
“Did you pick this out or did your assistant?”
“How would I have my assistant pick out a ring I was to supposed to have given you last night?” he asked blandly.
Aw, hell. It figured. One fake engagement ring and her critical thinking skills had already deserted her.
“Well, it’s a lovely choice. Were I your real fiancée, I’d be very impressed.”
“I remembered your mom’s ring was an emerald-cut, so I thought you’d like it.”
Just like that, tears pricked at the back of her eyes. Even after all these years, thinking about her parents sometimes caught her wrong. The fact that Carter remembered her mom’s ring at all and had gone so far as to replicate it was the very reason they could never be together. If she lost Carter...well, she couldn’t even contemplate it.
She took his hand and squeezed. “Thank you.”
Their eyes met and his held hers for a moment. “You deserve the best.”
Then he leaned in and kissed her full on the mouth in front of her own casino, treating her valet guys to quite a show. She grasped at the lapels of his jacket to bring him closer, jolts of lust sparking between her thighs. His hands tangled in her loose waves as he angled her head for deeper access, exploring her as if they had all the time in the world. He tasted like mint and citrus and hot-blooded man, and she couldn’t get enough. Pleasure thrummed through her veins as he gently nipped her bottom lip before diving back in for a final taste.
He broke contact and put the car into gear. “That ought to get the rumors going.”
They pulled away from the curb and she fell back into the seat. She was having serious doubts that they could make it through a fake engagement with no sex and both their friendship and sanity intact.
CHAPTER SEVEN
GOING TO THIS fake dinner with Alexa was the last thing Carter wanted to do right now. Seeing her with his ring on her finger was fucking with his head, because while the ring itself was exactly what he would have picked f
or her in reality, everything else was a sham.
“Where are we going?” she asked, oblivious to his disquiet.
“Sinatra,” he replied, naming a favorite tourist spot.
Alexa laughed. “We’re really doing this, I guess.”
“Yep,” Carter said, but he couldn’t keep the tightness out of his voice.
“What else did you do today besides shop for jewelry?”
“I worked out and then launched the full-scale internet rollout of our engagement news, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Of course I did. Maybe you overlooked the twenty heart emojis I sent you.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I mean to say thank you, Carter,” she said, moving her hand to pat his arm but drawing back at the last moment.
That was a good move on her part. Touching was a bad idea at the moment.
“I know you don’t want to do this,” she continued, because that’s how this game had always been played between them—never let on how much you actually wanted your best friend to touch you. “And you have no idea how much it means to me.”
“You’re welcome, but for the record, I’m still in this begrudgingly.”
“Noted,” she said, hiding a small smile.
It only took a minute or so more to arrive at the restaurant, where he handed the car off to the valet.
The host, dressed in formal black tails, showed them to their seats, tucked away in a dark corner of the restaurant. They passed tables with red herringbone tablecloths and red metal lattice chairs, the style quintessentially 1950s Vegas.
Before they sat, Carter took Alexa’s hand and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry I’ve been in a shitty mood. You look absolutely stunning tonight.”
He took her mouth in a showy kiss in front of the entire restaurant. It was to add authenticity to their story, but it didn’t feel fake. Tongues tangled together in an age-old dance of desire as his hand moved from her back to her ass. He wanted so much more of her touch, her soft curves against him, her tongue in his mouth. Everything about her felt like coming home.
That single thought had him releasing her. Those thoughts were dangerous territory considering he was already too close to caving to her wishes and staying in Vegas. That’s what he would do as her friend, which is exactly what he was trying to avoid.
“Well, that got out of hand,” she whispered when he’d taken his seat across from her.
“It needed to be authentic,” he informed her. “I saw at least six people recording it on their phones.”
“Great,” she murmured under her breath.
Carter thought she looked vaguely disappointed and wondered if she had any idea what a dangerous game they were playing. If she thought that either of them was walking away from this without feelings getting engaged, she was delusional.
After the waiter took their orders, Alexa started tapping on her phone.
“I met with a member of my board today for lunch and he expects them to approve the California satellite office,” he blurted, because he needed the distance after that kiss.
Alexa’s water glass made an audible thunk as it hit the table. “What? I thought the meeting wasn’t until next month.”
He shrugged. “Well, they’ve already approved the office, but the final plans are still being reviewed.”
A furrow appeared between Alexa’s eyes and she frowned. “I don’t understand why you’re even doing this. The cost of living and the property rental for the office in San Francisco has to be astronomical compared to Vegas. Plus, those employees could work remotely if you want them.”
He grinned, because those were the exact same considerations he’d gone over in his head as well before making the final decision.
“True, but I’ve already lost some of my best people to Cisco and Symantec, mostly because of the locale. Programmers aren’t huge Vegas people.” That wasn’t entirely true, but he still wanted a presence in the area. More importantly, he needed a change, to take his life and business to the next level. He’d never lived anywhere except for Vegas. He’d gotten accepted other places for college, but Alexa had been staying in town and UNLV was good enough for him. But it was time to move on with or without her.
“Well, I don’t want you to go,” Alexa said, displeasure darkening her hazel eyes. “I would think your fiancée should have a say.”
He raised an eyebrow and paused as the waiter appeared with their drinks.
“I promise I won’t be gone forever,” he assured her.
“You’d never leave Vegas forever. It’s in your blood,” she declared, as if trying to convince herself. But then maybe she just assumed it, that he was so far up her ass that he couldn’t possibly make a decision that didn’t involve her. That might have been true before, but the role of dependable best friend wasn’t one he was playing anymore.
He hated what he was about to do, but it needed to be done. Or maybe he was actually looking forward to it. This charade was already torture on his sex life, which was nonexistent now, and if he didn’t carve out some space between them it would be even worse.
“You know,” he said, not denying his affinity for his home in the desert, “I’ve been thinking all day today what I get out of this arrangement.”
“Besides the pleasure of my company and the notoriety that comes along with getting the city’s most un-gettable girl, you mean?”
Grinning at her stunningly deep, yet not unfounded, well of confidence, he drawled, “Yes, besides all that.”
She took a sip of her martini, her plump red lips closing over the rim of her glass and reminding him of how they’d looked wrapped around his dick last night.
“Well, what is it? What can I do for you, Carter?” She licked her lips, completely on purpose to drive him fucking further into insanity.
“When we break up, I want you to set me up with Monroe.”
Nothing had ever pleased him as much as the pure and unadulterated rage that transformed Alexa’s smug face. Monroe was a friend of Alexa’s, one of her best ones, who, on paper, was a perfect match for him. She owned her own successful start-up and was a fellow computer person. And like Alexa, she came from a renowned casino dynasty. Her father was the only man in the history of Vegas with enough balls to build a casino outside the Strip and still make it wildly successful.
He expected her to balk at the request, but she gritted her teeth. “Fine,” she ground out. “But it’s going to be difficult to date her when you’re halfway across the country.”
“Las Vegas to San Francisco is not nearly halfway across the country,” he pointed out.
She glared, if not daggers then certainly a sharp set of kitchen knives, at him.
“I’m not going to let you distract me with pedantry. I’ll set you up with Monroe, but that does bring me to my own agenda. The rules,” she began.
Taking a drink of his whiskey, he waited for her to expound.
“Obviously, this engagement only lasts a month since you’re cutting out on me.”
“I’m not—”
She stilled him with a raised hand, palm out. “Cutting out.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Second,” she said, lowering all except two fingers, “during that month, we can’t see other people publicly. As discussed, you can do whatever you want on your own time as long as you are discreet.”
He nodded, and then she muttered, “Of course, this morning was not discreet enough.”
“For fuck’s sake, Alexa,” he growled quietly, leaning across the table into her space. “I swear to you, nothing happened.”
He didn’t know why he was even saying it since he didn’t care if she believed him or not. Frankly, if he was going to have to be celibate for an entire fucking month, he should have slept with Kelly and not let her out of his damn bed for days. Christ knew he was reg
retting it now.
Alexa met his eyes then, her hazel ones considering whether or not to believe him.
He saved her the worry. “I promise. I’ll be on my best behavior.”
She didn’t look completely convinced, but he also couldn’t bring himself to give a single fuck.
Their food came, her lobster risotto and his filet mignon. Despite Sinatra’s being a shameless tourist trap, the food was pretty good. Plus, since Vegas itself was a shameless tourist trap, it was hard to get around the stigma.
They dug in, setting aside the rules conversation for a moment. Alexa always ordered risotto when she could. He remembered her uncle telling both of them at dinner one night that a good risotto was the mark of an excellent chef, and Alexa was always looking for chefs in the area to poach for her own restaurants.
About seven bites in, she frowned and took a drink of water.
“Not going to steal this guy?”
She shook her head. “Gummy.”
“Ah,” he said, slicing into his perfectly cooked filet mignon like butter. “Mine’s perfect.”
A dark, unamused eyebrow raised as he shoved juicy bite of beef after juicy bite into his mouth. Normally, he would have offered to share his own food with her since she wasn’t going to finish the risotto, but meh, no sex for a month meant he deserved the entire steak.
He pushed the basket of bread her way. Taking a piece, she gave his steak a longing glance she tried to hide.
Finishing her piece of bread, she sat back into the cloth booth. “There are two more rules,” she informed.
“I’m all ears,” he replied around a bite.
She met his eyes again, letting him know she was in on the joke.
“We’re not going to get through this entire month without touching each other,” she said, stating the obvious. “But we both agreed that we can’t blur those lines. So the only time we can be physical is in public, where there’s a clear purpose of convincing people we’re really engaged. Like earlier, with that kiss.”
Friends with Benefits Page 5
