Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 106806 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106806 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
In the end, it’s Alec who steps back and breaks the contact. His gaze searches mine for a long breath before he smiles. “Just as sweet as I remember.” I wish I could believe his carefree tone, but there’s pain in his eyes.
I swallow, my cheeks hot. “Thank you—for borrowing this for me, I mean.”
He nods. “It was truly my pleasure.” He points over his shoulder and backs out of the bathroom. “I’ll wait out here and let you finish getting ready.”
“We’re here to meet Mrs. McCoy,” I say, squeezing Alec’s hand tighter.
The host smiles. “Yes. She’s waiting for you. Right this way.”
The restaurant glitters with low light and candles, but I barely process it as I focus on putting one foot in front of the other and heading to the table.
Our hostess doesn’t stand when we arrive, but extends her hand. “Ms. Downing,” she says, and despite her lower position, she manages to look down her nose at me. “Thank you for meeting us.”
I take her hand. “It’s my pleasure.”
“This is my husband, Derek,” she says, motioning to the much older gentleman to her right.
I offer him my hand, and he kisses the back of it instead of offering a handshake. His thumb grazes the underside of my wrist in a suggestive way that makes me feel slimy. I pull my hand away at the first second it wouldn’t appear rude. “So nice to meet you. This is Alec Hayes, my”—I almost choke on the lie but push it out anyway—“fiancé.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Alec says, shaking their hands. He pulls my chair out for me before taking his own seat. He looks so natural in this setting. The money. The glitz. The business meeting. All of it.
“I appreciate you both coming to this meeting,” Mrs. McCoy says. “We realize it’s considered a little old-fashioned, but the beauty of having our own company is in getting to maintain our values.”
Puke. I force a smile. “I’d love to hear more about those values,” I say, and at least that’s not a lie. I’m already uncomfortable with the innate misogyny of how she runs her business. Before I sign over my intellectual property, I want to make sure this compromise is worth it.
“Of course,” Derek says, signaling to the waiter. “But first let’s have some wine and get to know each other.”
Fuck. I was hoping we could skip the elbow rubbing and get right down to business.
“Tell us how you met,” Mrs. McCoy says. “And when is the wedding?”
Derek’s gaze drifts to my hands where they’re folded on the table in front of me. “That’s quite a ring. Please, tell us everything.”
Alec drapes his arm across the back of my chair and leans in with the grin of a man in love. “Believe it or not, we met in Vegas.”
Derek arches a brow and looks me over, reassessing. “You were working there?”
The implication is clear. That I picked up Alec when I was working as a showgirl. Or a sex worker. Nothing is wrong with either of those jobs, but the assumption rankles.
I swallow my annoyance and laugh, hoping they can’t tell how forced it sounds. “No. I was there celebrating my best friend’s birthday, and somehow we found ourselves in the same club as Alec and his business partner Marston, who happens to be my best friend’s first love.”
Derek’s eyes light up. “Oh, the drama!”
“Only in the best way,” I say, sharing a knowing smile with Alec. “Brinley and Marston were meant to be together, and they’re happily married now.”
“What a stunning coincidence that you found them that night!” Mrs. McCoy says.
Alec looks at me, and his eyes soften. “It felt like fate from the very first moment.”
“Icannot thank you enough for doing that,” I tell Alec later that night as his driver opens the back door to a shiny town car.
Dinner was a combination of awkward and exciting. It was easier than I expected to pretend Alec and I were a couple planning their wedding. Although I’m still not sure about the McCoys and whether they’ll be asking for more information about my program, at least I’m walking away knowing I did everything that I could to make the most of this opportunity.
“It was my pleasure.” Alec slides in beside me and pulls the door shut.
“I don’t just mean for the fiancé thing, either.” I pull off my heels and sigh in relief. “It was just good to have you there.”
“What are friends for?”
“Where to?” the driver asks.
Alec studies me for a beat. “One of my favorite martini bars is just down the street. Good drinks, nice atmosphere. Could I talk you into a stop there before I take you back to your hotel?”
I’m simultaneously exhausted and wound up. I know I won’t sleep if I go straight back to my room, and I’m not in any hurry to say goodnight to Alec. For better or worse, I like being around him. I always have. “I would love that.”