Fake Date

by Monica Murphy

  Once we finish dinner, we make our way to the very plaza where Sarah works. All the stores stay open later on Friday and Saturday nights, and it’s busier than normal, thanks to the warmer weather and the slow trickling in of tourists.

  “Maybe we should go in there,” Candice says as we pass by the exterior of Bliss Lingerie. “Though maybe not. I don’t want to go bra shopping with my brother. And it would probably make you guys uncomfortable, going into a lingerie shop so early on in your relationship?”

  Sarah and I send each other a secret look, both of us smiling ever so faintly. My sister doesn’t know the half of it.

  “I don’t need any new underwear,” Sarah says, resting a reassuring hand on Candice’s arm. “But I’m in desperate need of a new dress for your brother’s party, and the stores close in ninety minutes.”

  Yeah, it’s not suspicious that Sarah knows the exact time this place closes down. Though my sister doesn’t even notice. She probably just thinks Sarah’s a major shopper like her.

  “I know just where to go,” Candice says, leading her to the giant store at the back of the shopping plaza.

  I follow them, wishing Candice hadn’t come with us after all. I’d hoped to use this time to try to get to know Sarah a little better. To try to become more comfortable with her, so no one in my family would suspect us of not being a real couple when we go to Kevin and Rachelle’s party.

  Not that anyone is going to be paying any real attention to us. They’re all going to be focused on the bride- and groom-to-be. If I’m lucky, we’ll have to hang out at the party for only a couple of hours, and then we can hightail our asses out of there.

  “This place has such great clothes,” Candice tells Sarah as we wander inside a giant store. Music is playing in the background, people are milling about, and there are clothes everywhere.

  I’m in for the long haul, I know it. And I’m not the most patient person. I can admit that it’s one of my faults. Sitting around while watching women shop is not on my list of enjoyable things to do.

  “Hey, Jared,” my sister says.

  I turn to find Candice and Sarah both watching me. “Yes?”

  “You should sit right over there.” Candice points to a bank of chairs near a doorway that leads, I assume, to the dressing rooms. “And wait for us while we find some outfits for Sarah. Then you’ll be right by the dressing room so she can come out and show you.”

  “I get approval?” I raise my brows, my gaze going to Sarah.

  “Sure,” she says with a little shrug, looking away from me.

  “Aw, look, you two are so shy with each other still! This is soooo cute.” Candice waves a hand at me. “Go on. Give her a kiss and wish her luck. We’ll be on the hunt for at least a half hour, maybe longer.”

  Give her a kiss? The panicked look Sarah and I send each other is almost comical, but I school my features into total neutrality, and she does the same. I take a step forward. So does Sarah. We step toward each other until we’re close enough to touch and I reach out, gently grabbing hold of her wrist so I can hold her still for a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “Make it look more believable than that,” Sarah whispers, her wide-eyed gaze meeting mine.

  Interesting. She wants me to kiss her again. Well, I aim to please. Cupping her face with both hands, I press a soft, lingering kiss on her plush, damp lips. The soft sound of surprise that emits from her at first contact does something to me. Twists my gut. Steals my breath.

  I shouldn’t do this. Sarah’s not mine to do it with. This is all just playacting. We’re putting on a show for my sister. That’s it.

  But I want more. I’m going to take more too.

  Giving in to my urges, I lean in and kiss her again, my lips lingering this time, her mouth clinging to mine before I break the kiss first. “How was that?” I ask.

  Sarah blinks up at me, her tongue sneaking out to lick her upper lip. I bite back the groan that wants to escape. “It was—it was good.”

  Her voice is shaky. I feel shaky.

  “Let’s go.” Candice takes hold of Sarah’s hand and starts leading her away. “Have fun waiting for us!”

  I watch them leave, shoving my trembling hands into my pockets. My mouth still tingles from that deceptively simple kiss. Sarah glances over her shoulder at me as Candice leads her away, her eyes extra wide, those lush lips parted.

  Did she feel that? The electric current that seemed to spark between us at first touch? Or was it all just one-sided?

  Taking my hand out of my pocket, I rub my thumb against the edge of my lips, my gaze locked on Sarah’s backside.

  This ought to be interesting.

  Nineteen

  Sarah

  “This is hopeless.” I stare at myself in the mirror, my expression nothing short of pure horror, because the dress I’m currently wearing is hideous. Like, beyond awful. “Do you really think I’m going to find something tonight? The store closes in less than thirty minutes.”

  My urgent tone borderlines on terrified. I need to keep it together. It’s just a dress. I’ll find one eventually. Maybe.

  Maybe not.

  “Shush.” Candice is flipping through the handful of dresses one of the sales associates brought to us only a few moments ago. Most of them are florals, since for some reason I had my heart set on wearing a flowy, ethereal floral print dress.

  Yeah. So far that hasn’t worked out for me so well. For most of them, I’m too short. Even with the Louboutins giving me an extra five inches, a lot of the longer dresses still hit me at a weird spot, and it’s not good.

  Not at all.

  “Are you really shushing me in the final minutes of this failure of a shopping trip?” I clamp my lips shut. I’m whining, and I don’t mean to. Candice is doing her best with the situation at hand, and I can’t blame her. She can’t help it that my legs are unnaturally short and I’m hellbent on wearing a floral print.

  It’s also not her fault that all the flowery dresses in this store look like something from the couches our grandmas owned in the eighties.

  “Calm down.” Candice sets her hands on my shoulders, standing right behind me so our gazes meet in the mirror’s reflection. “There’s one more thing I want you to try on, but I have to sneak out and go grab it from the rack.”

  “It’s not any one of those?” I wave a hand at the pile of dresses hanging on the various hooks.

  “No.” Candice slowly shakes her head. “And it looks nothing like any of the stuff you’ve tried on so far, but I want you to keep an open mind when you see it. Can you promise me you’ll do that?”

  “I don’t really have a choice,” I tell her, sinking my teeth into my lower lip. I give her a nod. “I trust you.”

  Candice straightens her shoulders and actually salutes me. “Aye aye, captain. I’ll be right back.”

  She exits the dressing room and I slump against the wall, annoyed. Frustrated. My original idea isn’t going as planned. I sort of blame Jared, which is ridiculous, but I can’t help it. He should’ve never kissed me like he did before we started shopping. The simple kiss on my cheek? That had been enough to practically melt me into a puddle, but when Candice goaded him into actually kissing me on the lips?

  His mouth on mine had rocked my world and rendered me stupid. His soft, damp lips. His fingers clasped around my wrist, his thumb stroking the sensitive skin there. And that wasn’t even the most overwhelming part. He kissed me again, cupping my cheeks with his big hands, his mouth gentle. Lingering. I could taste him. Was ready to part my lips and let him really kiss me right when he ended it.

  I walked away from him on wobbly legs and with a spinning head, Candice taking my hand and dragging me to the back of the store where all the dresses were. My brain was fuzzy when she asked me if I had anything in mind, and I said I wanted to wear a dress with flowers on it. She made it her mission to run all over that store and grab every floral dress or skirt she found in my size.

  Maybe that wasn’t so much of a good
idea, and I can blame that decision on Jared’s lips, so see how it became his fault?

  My logic is, in a sense, completely illogical.

  But it became too much, too fast, all those dresses Candice brought in for me to try on, especially when none of them were working. There was one I sort of liked. The length wasn’t too bad, though it was navy with red trim, not a flower in sight. Cute enough.

  But it wasn’t bold or sexy. It definitely didn’t make a statement. My heart was set on wearing something that would impress Jared and his whole damn family. I want to put the dress on and feel like a powerful woman who knows what she’s doing.

  So far, not one dress I’ve tried on makes me feel that way.

  “Okay.” Candice slips back into the dressing room clutching something black. God, boring, basic black. I’m already over it. “I can see your lip curling,” she accuses, amusement tingeing her voice.

  “I always wear black for—” I was going to say work, but I’m pretty sure Jared doesn’t want her to know I’m just a measly sales associate at Bliss. Maybe? I’m still not sure. Better to keep quiet than blab all my business. “—every social event I attend, I swear. I’m kind of sick of it.”

  Nice save. If I could pat myself on the back, I would.

  “There’s a reason we always wear black, right? It looks good on everyone. And this isn’t your typical LBD.”

  I’m frowning. “LBD?”

  Candice heaves a tired sigh, like I should know this. “Little black dress?”

  “Oh.” I nod. “Right.”

  “The best part? This isn’t even a dress,” she says with excitement. “And it comes in a petite size! Check it out.”

  She holds the hanger up and I take it in. It’s a jumpsuit, all one piece. Strapless, with a giant bow at the waist on the left side, and a zipper in the back. It’s simply cut, no embellishments beyond the bow.

  “It looks…” I wrinkle my nose as my gaze meets Candice’s. “A little boring?”

  “Try it on.” She sets the hanger on the closest hook and undoes the zipper on the dress I’m currently wearing. “And hurry. I think Jared is getting ready to leave.”

  “Seriously?” Oh, what an asshole. He’d actually leave me when he’s the one who asked me to go shopping in the first place?

  “He’s bored out of his mind, and one of the associates said he actually fell asleep while he’s been waiting for us. She said she even heard him snore.” Candice laughs and I can’t help it. So do I.

  I hurriedly try on the strapless jumpsuit, getting rid of my bra so I can get the full effect. I’m so grateful for Candice when she zips up the back and adjusts the waist and legs so the fabric falls into place properly. I turn and look at myself in the mirror, sucking in a breath when I see the way this deceptively plain jumpsuit fits me.

  “Wow,” Candice says softly as she takes me in. “You look amazing.”

  “Do I really?” I turn this way and that, checking out the jumpsuit from every angle. I have no bra on, so it looks like my boobs are trying their best to make their escape, but otherwise, I do look pretty damn great, if I do say so myself.

  And oh my God, it has pockets! I slip my hands into the pockets and strike a pose, smiling at myself in the mirror.

  Okay. This is it. I could feel powerful in this. I’d keep the jewelry simple, and maybe try a bold lip. Deep red or bright pink.

  “Yes. Get it girl.” Candice nods, unable to contain the smile that stretches across her lips. “It fits you like…wow.”

  She’s repeating herself. I take that as a good sign.

  Bending my head, I grab hold of the tag dangling just below the bow and check the price. My eyes nearly bug out of my head when I see it. “It costs pretty wow too,” I mutter sadly.

  Three hundred and ninety dollars, if we’re being specific. Talk about wow. Jared just dropped almost twice that on me a few nights ago alone. I really don’t want to ask him to pay for it. I already feel like I owe him so much, when he’s insisted that’s not the case.

  But there’s no way I can afford this jumpsuit.

  “Four hundred isn’t so bad,” says the woman who’s never had to worry about money in her life.

  “Sure,” I say weakly. “Maybe I should swing by Target after this. See if they have something similar.”

  “Oh, you’re just being silly.” She tugs on my hand, smiling at me. “Let’s go show Jared what you look like in this.”

  “Um…” I don’t want to. What’s the point? I’m not buying the jumpsuit anyway.

  “Don’t you chicken out on me now, Sarah. We’re going out there.” She pushes open the dressing room door and grabs my hand, pulling me along with her like I don’t have a choice. And I guess I don’t. Jared has waited for us for a long time, so I guess he deserves to see me in my outfit of choice.

  Though it can’t be my outfit of choice. I have no choice but to put it back. I can’t afford it. And I’m not asking him to pay for it, either. I wonder if they have something similar on Amazon? Stella has Prime, I bet she’d order it for me…

  “Oh, Jared,” Candice calls as we draw closer to the open doorway. No one else is around. The store is mostly deserted, except for us and a few employees I see at the sales desk. Even the music has been shut off. I’m guessing they really want us to leave. “Are you ready to see Sarah?”

  “Hell yes,” he growls, and I press my lips together, wanting to laugh.

  Why do I enjoy it so much when he’s grouchy?

  “Here she is.” Candice moves out of the way and I exit the dressing room area, holding my arms out and doing a slow spin before I stop directly in front of him. “Well, what do you think?”

  I’m filled with nervous anticipation as I stand before him, slipping my hands in the pockets, striking a pose similar to the one I made in front of the mirror. He leans back in the chair, contemplating me. His gaze is positively scorching as it drifts down the length of me, and my skin grows hot the longer he studies me.

  “You’re not wearing a bra,” he finally says.

  That would be the first thing he notices.

  “I have a strapless one at home,” I tell him, wishing I could reach over and kick him in the shins. The heels I have on are skinny enough; I could probably do some major damage if I aimed just right.

  “Good. Wouldn’t want you on such public display at a family function,” he mutters, shaking his head like he’s, oh, I don’t know, disappointed in me?

  What a prick.

  “Quit criticizing her and tell her she looks beautiful,” Candice practically hisses, glaring at him.

  “I like it.” He rises to his feet, hiding the sudden yawn behind his hand. “I say get it and let’s go.”

  “But it’s four hundred dollars,” I blurt, unable to contain myself. His behavior tonight proves yet again what a total asshole he is. I shouldn’t like this guy. At all. In fact, I should expose him for what he really is—a total fraud—and run out of here without ever looking back.

  “That’s not a problem,” he says, his voice tight. “I’ll take care of it.”

  I stare at him, words failing me. My chest is heaving, considering I’m out of breath with rage, and his gaze drops to my breasts, lingering there. A disgusted noise leaves me and I run away just as I envisioned, but instead of leaving the store, I head back to the dressing room, slamming the door behind me and collapsing against it. I close my eyes against the sudden swell of emotion that wants to sweep over me.

  I’m this close to crying. And I don’t cry. Not really. Assholes never make me cry, that’s for sure.

  So why is this stupid guy the exception?

  A knock sounds at the door I’m pressed against, making me startle, and I’m about to tell Candice I’m fine when a man’s voice speaks instead.

  “Sarah.” Jared hesitates only for a moment before he demands, “Let me in.”

  “No.” I sound like a child.

  The exasperated breath that escapes him is loud enough for me to hear, and i
n reply I give him the finger. “You’re being ridiculous,” he says.

  “Go away,” I tell him, giving him the double finger now.

  “I want to talk to you.”

  “I said go away, Jared.”

  He tries the handle and pushes the door open with ease, despite me pressing my full body weight against the wood. I stumble away from the door as he enters the tiny dressing room, shutting the door behind him. The space is so tiny, it’s like he eats it all up with just his presence, and that irritates me beyond reason.

  I glare at him the moment our gazes connect and move to the opposite corner of the too-small dressing room, creating as much space between us as I can.

  “I’m sorry,” he says, leaning against the door. He looks exhausted. His tie is long gone, and he’s undone a couple of the top buttons on his shirt, giving me a tantalizing glimpse of the strong column of his throat. His jacket his rumpled and his trousers are wrinkled, and I like seeing him look a mess. Makes him less perfect.

  Makes him more human.

  “Did Candice put you up to this?” I don’t buy his apology for a second.

  He sighs. Runs a hand through his hair, turning it into a delicious mess. He blinks slowly as he contemplates me. “Maybe.”

  “Then your apology means nothing.” I point at the door. “I’d like you to leave now.”

  “Sarah…” He shakes his head. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I’ve been up since six a.m. and my patience has worn thin. I realize my reaction to your outfit wasn’t the best.”

  “It was terrible,” I tell him, crossing my arms. The position makes my boobs plump up above the front of the jumpsuit, but you know what?

  I don’t really care. Let him look at them. Let him lust after me. I don’t care. He’s never going to get to touch them. Like, ever. “You’re a terrible human being, Jared. Do you know how hard it was for us to find this one stupid jumpsuit? How many dresses I tried on before we finally decided on this one? I’m doing this all for you, you know. I come out to show it to you, and it’s as if you don’t even care. You barely looked at me. And when you did, you only worried if my boobs are going to fall out.”