I was absolutely certain there was no video of me running away from the wedding I'd really run away from, but…
Why risk the exposure? Jesse could use the fact of me running away to blackmail me. I was in a high-profile fake relationship with a billionaire. There were plenty of women who wanted my guy. The last thing I needed was some video surfacing out of nowhere. Or the press making mincemeat out of my hand-lettering and bridal subscription box business and fake, but definitely real, relationship. I may have a real fear of tying the knot, but I wasn't ready to lose my business, my billionaire fake boyfriend, or Bella.
Pros of this crazy idea—if Jesse turns out to be a reasonable guy, he'll accept some kind of compensation for Bella. And give me her papers, if he has them. And we'll be good. I'd never even have to mention this little incident to Dex. Never have to fess up that we'd met in Vegas. Problem solved.
Cons—and if Jesse isn't reasonable? Oh, boy.
Chapter Five
Don't Go Breaking My Heart
Dex (A man confused. Particularly about women.)
I'll never understand women. In general, I don't like things I don't understand. Things that can't be quantified. Problems that can't be analyzed and solutions found.
I'd asked Shelby to move in with me, given her the perfect in to try it on for size without a lot of commitment, without actually agreeing to more than an extended, easily terminated at any time, visit, and she'd stalled. Looked like a deer in the headlights. Made me give her the "think about it" out.
I was deflated and testy. Not even the thought of sharing a litter of puppies with her lightened my mood. Worse, I couldn't be sure that Charlie had fathered any of the puppies.
I knew the woman had commitment issues. She was the queen of cold feet. She'd dumped her "perfect" fiancé Mitch just weeks before their wedding. She'd nearly hyperventilated and run out of her final fitting for her wedding dress into the street and got some bad viral PR for it.
I get it. I have commitment issues, too. Generally speaking. Since meeting Shelby, though, I'd become a lot more possessive than I thought I'd ever be. A lot more committed to the idea of commitment.
I'd only known her for a little over a month, but I felt like I've known her for years. Like I'd met her before. Like I'd risk life and limb for her. She was the embodiment of the woman I'd always dreamed of. She was smart. She made me laugh. She didn't let me take myself too seriously. She wasn't impressed, or intimidated, by my intelligence or success.
It goes without saying that she was hot. That I wanted her. And that thinking of her with any other guy drove me insane with jealousy.
So what did I do about this? How did I handle the situation? I was worried as hell about Mitch. The guy wasn't stable. Then again, I understood how losing Shelby could throw him over the edge.
It was time for me to up my game. We were pretending this relationship was fake, but we both knew it wasn't, and the stakes were high. I didn't lose my heart to just anybody.
Shelby
I texted Mitch, and his lawyer, the news of Bella's pregnancy. I called my lawyer with the news, too, and asked her to reiterate my offer to help Mitch if he relinquished his right to one of Bella's puppies.
Dealing with Mitch suddenly seemed like low-level child's play compared to wondering what to do about Jesse.
Alexis texted me that Jesse had reached out to her, too. I called her and discussed the call with him.
"I was warned, so I was armed and prepared for his call," Alexis said. "I was ready to read him the riot act. But Shel, seriously, the guy disarmed me with his sexy voice and charm. He seems like a nice guy. You were really, like really, into him in Vegas. He can't be all bad. His timing's just off.
"He really just wants to reconnect with you. You made some impression on him in Vegas. Wish I could remember what he looks like. I picture him as handsome, in a blurry sort of way. I can't get a clear picture of him. Too many chocolate martinis in my past for that. But if he looks like his voice—wow. Smoking."
"Serial killers are often charming, too. Until they start to strangle you."
"Don't be so dramatic," she said.
"It's been two years," I said.
"You're implying what?" Alexis asked. "That he hasn't aged well?"
"Not everyone keeps up."
Alexis laughed. "You're being ridiculous."
"What do you think I should do?" I regretted asking the question the moment it was out of my mouth.
"Contact him," she said. "Tell him to back off, if that's what you want. But let him down gently. His heart's all wrapped up in you."
I rolled my eyes. None of my friends knew the full story. If they did, they'd be giving me completely different advice.
"Tell the poor guy he's too late. He's been bested by a billionaire."
"You make me sound like a gold digger."
"Sorry. That's not what I meant. Just let him know that you're seeing someone else and very happy. Hearing it from you may be enough. If you can resist that voice. It's like the male version of a siren song. Lead me to the cliffs, baby."
"You're married," I reminded her.
"Doesn't mean I can't love me a hot voice. Every man should sound so good. Anyway, I don't know how you resist a siren voice like that. What kind of a mast can you tie yourself to?"
"You're crazy. Siren song voice." I narrowed my eyes. "All of you are being completely ridiculous about this voice of his. Anyway, I'm surprised none of you have stalked him on social media." My friends were quickly slipping in the polls.
"Oh, we have." Alexis sighed. "It's just—there are a lot of Jesse Parkers out there. He's kind of blurry in everyone's memory. Without more to go on…"
I swore I heard her licking her lips.
"Why don't you give it a try? Then let us know which one is the real guy behind that voice. You might be pleasantly surprised."
What was that supposed to mean? Pleasantly surprised by a dog confiscator? By a jilted groom?
After we hung up, I thought about Alexis's suggestion. She was right. Of course she was. I was going to have to confront him. He'd left me no alternative. None. Zippo. Nada.
If he hadn't confirmed with my friends that I was the person in that viral video, and that I was also the woman he'd been hitting on in Vegas two years ago, I might have been able to claim he'd found the wrong woman. I mean, all I'd done was hang up on a potential crank call—his. I hadn't even admitted that I had "his" dog. And wasn't possession nine-tenths of the law, anyway?
I steeled myself to my lone option. No one likes confronting demons from their past. Jilted demons were even worse. Jilted, dog-claiming demons the very worst.
First I watched that video of Mitch carrying me off again. What had Jesse seen in it? What had given him the courage to seek me out now? Was it just that he'd finally found me? Two years had passed. Did he really think I'd give "his" dog back now? If he did, he really wasn't a good dog daddy. He may as well have asked me to give him an arm. You don't just pull a dog out of a loving home, out of a deep attachment with the woman who has raised it, and give it over to a stranger. What kind of a man would even consider something like that?
He must know how stressful re-homing is to a dog? And their owner! How dare he even think about separating us. Bella comes from a happy, loving home and an owner who couldn't imagine losing her. We'd both go into a depression. What kind of a man would even dream of taking her away? His sexy voice didn't fool me.
Back to the video—me, slung over Mitch's shoulder. An unflattering view of my backside and mounds of fluffy material. Delicate shoes that would have been more effective if they'd had sharper heels. Brief glimpses of my face contorted in anger, and sometimes fear—not really the kind of expression to stir ardor in the average male breast. Not hot. Not even my best side. My fists pounding Mitch. A look of fierce determination on Mitch's face. That was the face of me that sparked recognition in his breast? Hmmm…
Dex and Justin weren't even in the footage. I guess t
hat neither of them had thought it necessary to film themselves as they dive-bombed Mitch with the drone.
So was it the image of a "bride" being carted off that caught Jesse's imagination? Stirred something primal deep in his loins? A caveman instinct to look me up again? He couldn't possibly want Bella that badly. Could he?
I paced my living room. What did Jesse really want? What was I prepared to offer?
I unblocked Jesse's number.
He picked up on the first ring. "Hey."
"Stop harassing my friends."
"I knew you'd call back, sweetheart. Nice to hear from you."
How dare he try to use the male siren voice on me. "I'm not your sweetheart."
"You were once."
I gave the wall a death glare, wishing it were aimed at Jesse. "For less than five seconds. Now, can we get to the heart of the matter—what do you really want?"
"I thought I made that clear—my dog."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't give me that. You ran off with my puppy when you ran out on me and took off with my heart."
Damn, ratcheted up the sexy.
"Oh, please." I rolled my eyes, trying not to be affected by that voice. The girls were right—it was hot. When you weren't in mortal fear of it, that was. I decided it must have been his voice that had overcome my sense of reason in Vegas.
"You broke me, baby." Did his voice actually crack with emotion?
Okay, this guy had to be a voice artist or a radio announcer. He should be narrating audiobooks or doing voice-overs for commercials. I put up my guard.
"Uh-huh. Back to the main topic that interests me—dogs. My dog is mine. I dare anyone to prove otherwise—"
"Don't make dares you can't handle." He laughed softly. "I'm not stupid. You have a two-year-old female Corgi in your possession. So my PI tells me."
"You—"
"And that Corgi matches the papers and pedigree that I have in my possession—"
I laughed. "I don't know how you'd prove that."
"A court-ordered DNA test would do the trick."
I went cold. Could he do that? I swallowed hard. It took me a moment to regain enough control to speak. I shook with rage and fear. Not the sexiest combination. But then, I wasn't trying to compete with him on voice. "You wouldn't dare."
"Desperate times call for desperate measures."
My finger hovered over the red hang-up button. The catch in his voice was the only thing holding me back. "You can talk to my lawyer."
My lawyer would be bound by confidentiality, right? She couldn't tell Dex about this little wrinkle, could she?
"Before you hang up on me, hear me out. There's no need to get lawyers involved. Pet custody cases can get messy. And expensive in a hurry. The two of us should be able to work things out. Let's meet. Talk it over like two reasonable people."
He had me backed against the figurative wall. "That would require that there were already two reasonable people in this conversation."
"Speak for yourself. I'm reasonable. I can be even more reasonable in person. I like personal contact." There was way too much innuendo in his voice.
I shivered. I couldn't actually remember if I'd slept with him.
"Meet? Interesting proposition. I'm pressed for time. Sorry. No time to hop on a plane or train. Certainly no time for a drive across the country. So if you're not here in the Seattle area, I'd say meeting in person is out of the question."
I went cold thinking about him living nearby. In my city. Or the surrounding area. And wouldn't that be ironic?
"No problem. I'm in town on business."
I couldn't breathe. All the air had left my lungs for someplace sunnier. "Someplace public."
He'd left me no choice. That was what I told myself.
"You know the area better than I do. Name your place." He paused. "And wear something stunning." There was almost a laugh. How in the world could he be amused? "You'll want to look hot, believe me."
Chapter Six
Never been afraid of love before…
Shelby
You know what? I wanted nothing more than to fake Bella's death and be done with it. As it turns out, I'm a very good faker. I was already "faking" a relationship with a billionaire, so what was faking a doggie death compared to that?
Oops. Sorry. Really hate to tell you this, Jesse, but Bella met with a tragic accident since we last talked. Great, big, fat, fake crocodile tears on my part. Daintily dab my red eyes. Squirrel Bella away someplace safe until Mr. Sexy Voice left town. Fake a doggie death certificate. You can buy very authentic-looking ones online. I mean, I'm the hand-lettering queen. It would be no problem lettering one if it came to that.
I was not kidding. I was seriously considering it. Dex had a private, gated estate, and Bella loved him to pieces. But how would I broach the subject with him while not letting him on my real motive? How would I explain why I wanted him to keep Bella for, oh, I don't know, months? Out of sight.
Think how happy she'd be living and romping with Charlie. Not that kind of romping, obviously. Dogs aren't like that when out of heat. But, according to my local dog authority—Dex—male and female dogs make the best companions. They really do. Much better than either two males or two females together. Don't ask me why. I'm not a dog biologist. But I was willing to take Dex's word for it. Plus, I may have verified it on the Internet.
Bella would be happy. But I would be lonely. Unless…
Dex had offered to let me stay with him. For as long as I liked. Of course, with a great show of intense willpower, I'd stalled while I figured out what to do about Jesse.
I sat drumming my fingers on my kitchen table, thinking. If I could get rid of Jesse, convince him to leave me alone, I'd be free to move in with Dex.
I sighed. I was really lovesick. Which scared the something out of me. I was good at falling in love, not so good at committing to that love for the long term. Sure, I loved getting engaged and planning weddings. Walking up the actual aisle, not so much.
Which was why Dex and I were keeping it fake. It kept the pressure off. We were just having fun. I couldn't even be sure it was real for him. Maybe I was just a billionaire's fling.
I didn't want to think about that now.
I kept drumming my fingers. Faking a dog's death was extreme. Even for me. Still, I took a minute to check out a few pet cemeteries online. If I were going to go for it, I'd have to go the whole way.
That should only be a last resort, Shel, I told myself. Maybe Jesse is a reasonable man. Offer him a puppy first.
Offer him a puppy! That's the problem you already have with Mitch. You objected enough to Jesse in the first place that you ran off with Bella. You can't offer him a puppy.
Maybe he's changed.
You didn't know him well enough to judge whether he's changed or not.
Offer to buy Bella from him. That should be your first order of business.
Or sweet-talk him into giving Bella to you. Appeal to his sense of reality. Bella has bonded with you. Does he want a depressed dog on his hands?
Or use your sex appeal. He's obviously still interested. He wants you to look nice when you meet. So look nice, by which I mean look hot as sin.
Talking to myself wasn't helping. I wasn't in the mood to dress like "see what you missed out on? If only hadn't you been such an ass…"
Except I'd been the one who ran out. His only real sin had been that he wanted me more than he'd been concerned about Bella. And my beer goggles—or in my case, martini goggles—had fallen off in the nick of time. Or maybe in time for my sense of self-preservation and lack of commitment to kick in. Whatever. Same end result.
What would it hurt to look good when I saw him, though? If I played to his male vanity and flirted, just a little, maybe he'd give me what I wanted—Bella. And if he didn't, then I could fake Bella's death.
I called my friend Nora Nash. She was the best makeup artist on the West Coast, in my opinion. She did a lot of bri
dal makeup, which was how I'd met her. I was fortunate that she could squeeze me in tomorrow before my meeting with Jesse. And maybe I should go see Zander and Staci for a new outfit. See if they had anything that looked powerful and hot, something that would make me look like I was a woman you didn't mess with.
On top of all this, I had a zillion things to do for my actual business, the thing that paid the bills. My June wedding subscription box had just gone out, which you'd think would buy me a little time and a sense of whew, take a few days off for a job well done! The box had been my most successful yet. The reviews were glowing.
But the fall wedding box was my second most successful box. September weddings were big, big, big. And just around the corner. The box would have to go out in time to arrive on the first day of September. And I had all sorts of things to arrange with my suppliers, plus my own hand-lettering art to do. Deadlines to meet. This box was going to be the biggest and best ever. Already the preorders had surpassed any previous box. I already had dollar signs in my eyes.
Dating a billionaire wasn't hurting my reputation any. It had been a big boon to my business. The glamour and fantasy of it.
I headed to my home studio to get to work. Bella curled up at me feet, content to rest. The vet had warned me she might be more tired than usual.
My phone rang. My heart stopped. I blew out a breath. Not Jesse's number. I picked up the call. "Shelby Hudson."
"Shelby! Glad I caught you. Manda Michaels, executive editor—"
For the top wedding blog and website in the country! Yes, I knew who she was. Who didn't?
"—and we want to interview you for a feature story all about your hand-lettering business. We love what you did for the Hudson/Kangley wedding…"
Loves Billionaires and Corgis: A Feel Good Romance Page 5