Had I been wrong?
A guy that offered his home to a poor stranger couldn’t be all that bad, could he?
Chapter 7
Jameson
She was not picking up what I was laying down. Maybe I wasn’t explaining things well.
To me, I was offering her a great deal. The damage caused by her negligence would be forgiven, and her medical bills would be taken care of.
The way she was looking at me said she did not appreciate my offer. In fact, it looked like she was considering the quickest, most painful way to kill me.
“I think you should go,” she said in a tight voice.
“Will you please hear me out?”
“No.”
“You aren’t understanding what I’m proposing.”
“Oh, trust me, I understood just fine,” she said. “You want me to be your call girl for three months. A highly paid call girl, but still a call girl. I’m not sure if this is a habit for you, but this is not how you pick up women. I wouldn’t be surprised to discover you purposely caused the accident.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Are you suggesting I wanted you to smash my car? That I somehow put myself in your path with the hopes of you crashing into me?”
“I have no idea. You seem to be a little off. Like crazy. I should have known something was wrong with you the moment I opened my eyes in the hospital. You’re a stalker.”
“Not even close. I need a favor. That’s it. In exchange, I want to help you out.”
She snorted and rolled her eyes in the most unladylike action I had ever seen. It was oddly attractive. I snapped myself back to the problem at hand. She got to her feet and moved to stand in front of the only window in the living-room area, which was also the kitchen and dining room. I waited for her to say something.
“You’re crazy.”
I frowned. “I think you’re reacting to my proposal with emotion instead of common sense. I’m offering you a quick and easy way out of this situation—a situation that was entirely created by you. But I understand it was an accident. I’m not trying to bury you in a financial mess. I can help you, but I want something in return.”
“Tit for tat,” she snapped.
My eyes immediately dropped to her tits. How could I not look when she basically told me to look? I heard her growl and immediately removed my eyes from her breasts.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered. I wasn’t a total pig. I knew better.
“I cannot believe you are here and even suggesting this. What’s worse is the fact you think it’s okay!”
“Let me explain it a little better. I think I might have come off wrong.”
“Oh no,” she said. “You came off very wrong.”
I nodded in agreement. “Okay, let me explain why I am offering this deal.”
“Quit calling it a deal! You sound like you are offering me an apple for my orange! It is not a deal!”
Was orange code for her pussy? It wasn’t a question I could ask, but if that was her concern, I could nip that in the bud. “I’m not asking you for anything physical. Hell, Paislee, if I want a woman to come to bed with me, I don’t have to pay.”
She didn’t look convinced. I had offended her, and now nothing was breaking through the walls she’d thrown up.
Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, but I did believe I was onto something. She was the perfect choice. My mother wouldn’t know her or her family and wouldn’t be able to get any dirt on her. Paislee would know no one in my social circle. Therefore, I wouldn’t need to worry about an awkward encounter.
The perfect woman had fallen right in my lap—or hit me with her car. I needed to convince her to help, so I decided to try a different approach.
I’d make her pity me.
“My mom can be overbearing,” I said. “Not can be. She is. She is a very domineering woman, and she has a lot of opinions about my life. She wants me to settle down.”
She threw up her hands. “Boohoo! Why is this my problem?”
“If I can tell my mother I have a fiancée, she’ll stop setting me up with her terrible friends’ daughters. They’re the absolute worst, so I’m asking you to pretend to be my fiancée. Just for three months. I’ll need you to show up to at least three big events.”
“Big events?”
The fact that she didn’t outright refuse me again felt like progress. “Yes, public events. I need you to go with me. That way, we’ll be seen together, and it will help sell the story. We’ll get our photo taken a few times and it will be published in the social pages. That should save me from blind dates with vapid, useless gold-diggers trying to land a man like me.”
“A man like you?”
I shrugged. “Wealthy. A good family name. They want the doors my name and money can open.”
She snorted again. “It must be such a burden to be wealthy and have a good family name. I understand why you are so upset. What a terrible thing to live with.”
“You’re missing the point.”
“Please, carry on. I’m starting to enjoy this little sales pitch.”
I nodded. “Three events, a few public outings, and in three months, we’ll break up. We’ll make it messy and public. I’ll be damaged goods for a while, so I can turn down dates with the excuse I’m mourning the end of our engagement.”
“Wow, you’re serious? Like, you’ve actually thought this through.”
“Yes, I have. I think it’s a great plan for us both. You won’t have to worry about any debt from the accident. You’ll be free to go back to your life and live it however you please. As will I. I can go where I want and enjoy my bachelorhood without my mother breathing down my neck.”
She was staring at me, her mouth hanging open and her eyes blank. I waited. She said nothing. She didn’t move. If she wasn’t standing, I would be concerned she wasn’t breathing.
I got up from the couch and slowly approached her. “Paislee, are you okay?”
She blinked once but still said nothing. Now I was getting concerned. “Should I get you a paper bag to breathe into?”
“No.”
She was speaking. That was a good sign. I took it as cue to move forward with my proposal. “If you agree, I will cancel the debt. The accident goes away. You won’t be required to do anything beyond a few events and be seen out with me on occasion. Your life won’t change.”
Her head tilted to the side as she continued to stare at me. What was she thinking?
The entire flight back, I formulated my plan. I thought it was sound. It made sense and it was an easy way out for her. I wasn’t exactly an ogre. She would meet other wealthy men that would be more than happy to pick up what I left behind.
The door opened, drawing my attention. A tiny, blonde burst through the door. The woman was the polar opposite of Paislee. She bounced when she walked.
“Oh my god!” the woman said with her back to us. She was dragging a suitcase that looked like it weighed more than she did. “There is some fancy schmancy car parked out front. I told the dude he better get out before he got jacked but he said his boss told him to wait. Seriously, what jackass parks in this area in that kind of car?”
She turned around and saw me. She looked from me to Paislee and then back at me.
“Hello,” I said and stepped forward to introduce myself. “I’m Jay.”
She looked me up and down. “Fancy schmancy car downstairs?”
I winked. “I’m the jackass that asked my driver to park in this area. I thought it was safer than walking.”
“Oh.”
I turned back to Paislee. She was still standing speechless in front of the window. I had made no progress. I could keep standing in front of her and laying out my plan or I could give her some space and time to think it over. I didn’t think my offer was all that outrageous, but by the way she was acting, it was like I proposed she have my baby.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a business card. “Take this please. Call me after you’ve had some time to think
about it, but don’t take too long. This offer has an expiration date. I can’t wait indefinitely.”
She took the card from my hand and immediately dropped it on a small table. “I don’t need to think about it.”
“Think about what?” her friend asked.
I walked to the door but stopped before leaving. “Trust me, this is an offer you don’t want to at least consider.”
I stepped around the luggage in the doorway and walked out without bothering to close the door. The woman was not acting normal. I really thought my idea was sound.
I hit the bottom floor and walked out of the lobby. I hopped in the backseat and directed the driver to take me home. I was exhausted and it had little to do with the jetlag. The woman wore me out. I wasn’t going to beg her to let me release her from her financial obligations.
“That was interesting,” the driver said from up front.
I met his eyes in the rearview mirror. The guy was old. Probably seventy at least. He’d been my parttime driver for a few months. I struggled to remember his name. Glen. That was it. “I’m sorry if you felt unsafe.”
He laughed before breaking into a coughing fit. “Not at all. I grew up in Brooklyn back in the day. I’m not going to be afraid of a few poor people.”
I smirked. “Good.”
“This is the girl that smashed your car?”
I raised an eyebrow. “You know about that, how?”
He cleared his throat. “Sorry to overstep. I am the one that drove her home the other day. Ashton gave me a brief recap. How is she doing?”
“She seems to have recovered,” I said with a sardonic smile.
“Good, good. She seemed like a nice girl.”
I wasn’t sure about that just yet.
I had just proposed to a stranger. That was the long and short of it. In hindsight, I supposed I could understand her reluctance to jump at my offer.
I might not have posed it in the best way. I should have offered to take her to coffee to discuss the proposal. Instead, I did what I always did. I just steamrolled right over the girl.
It was my way. It was how I did business. It was how my dad did business. It was how my mom handled her relationships. It was impossible not to be overbearing in my family. The quiet ones would get eaten alive in our world.
When he dropped me off at my place, I felt the traveling fatigue. I thanked him and headed inside. I dropped my wallet and keys on the table near the entrance and walked to the wine chiller in the kitchen. I opened a bottle of the good stuff and poured myself a glass. I swirled it around in my mouth and let the flavor wash over my tongue.
If I was being honest, it wasn’t all that different from the box stuff at her place. The fact she drank wine was interesting. I could work with that. It would help me ingrain her into my way of life.
She was beautiful and I knew my mother would not question my interest in her. We were going to have to work on that expression on her face she always seemed to have when she looked at me. It reminded me of someone who stepped in dog shit and wasn’t certain if it was still on their shoe.
I would charm her and she would start looking at me with something other than disgust.
I hoped.
Chapter 8
Paislee
“Uh, hello?” Bella said. “Were we just robbed?”
“What?”
“Was that a detective? FBI?”
“No! Why would you ask that?”
“I have no idea. Why would a man dressed in thousand-dollar shoes and a custom Italian suit be standing in our living room and asking you for a decision?”
“He wasn’t a cop.”
“Obviously, a cop wouldn’t be able to afford that outfit.”
“How do you know how much it cost?”
“Because it’s what I know. You know the price of spaghetti noodles and I know designer duds. Who was he?”
“His name is Jay. Technically Jameson, but he prefers to be called Jay.” I still felt like I was sleepwalking. There was no way I’d heard what I thought I heard.
“Hello?” Bella said and waved her hand in front of my face. “Are you okay? What’s wrong with your head?”
“I’m okay.”
“You’re spacing out. What happened to your head?”
This was the conversation I’d expected to have tonight. Not the one I just had with Jay. Although I think he did the conversing and I stared at him like an idiot. It was all so unreal. “Bella, I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Girl, you are acting strange.”
“I’ll get you a glass of wine.”
“Oh, that sounds serious,” she said.
I poured her a glass of wine and refilled my own. She closed the door before we both sat down on the couch. I sipped my wine and tried to find the right way to broach the subject of my accident. I couldn’t tell her about Jay’s proposal until I explained the accident.
“So, there was an accident,” I started.
She pointed a finger at the bandage on my head. I didn’t have bangs and there was no way to hide it. “That is the result of your accident?”
“Yes.”
“How bad is it?”
“A few stitches. And a concussion.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
I bit my lip. “I totaled my car. I’m officially without wheels.”
“You totaled your car!”
“Yeah. Well, it didn’t take much.”
“What happened?”
“You can’t ever repeat this, but it was my fault. I worked a double and was starving. I didn’t get lunch. I reached for my sandwich, and apparently, I ran a red light. I slammed into another car. Jay’s car. A Lamborghini.”
Her mouth dropped open. “There are so many jaw-dropping moments in that tiny little story. I don’t know where to start. Yes, I do. How are you really?”
I touched my head. “I’m good. The first couple of days were rough, but I think I’ve recovered.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t call me.”
“I didn’t want to worry you.”
“I can’t believe all that happened, and I didn’t even know. How does Jay fit in? Besides being the owner of the car you smashed.”
I blew out a breath. “Okay, before I get to that part, I have to tell you about the other half of the accident. He stayed with me at the hospital while I was knocked out. I didn’t have a next of kin for them to contact so he stuck around.”
She popped out her bottom lip. “Wow, that was sweet of him.”
“It was. Then the doctor said I couldn’t be alone and I was going to have to stay in the hospital overnight. I told him I wanted to go home. I didn’t tell him it was because I couldn’t pay the bill. The doctor said the first twenty-four hours could be risky. Jay volunteered to have me stay with him.”
Her eyes damn near popped out of her head. “Are you serious?”
“Yep. He insisted. I thought I could convince him to just let me go home once he got me out of the hospital, but he was serious about me going back to his place. He lives in this massive loft. It isn’t like any loft I have ever seen. It was gorgeous and huge. His guest bedroom had an attached bathroom that was bigger than our apartment. The bed was like sleeping on a cloud.”
She was smiling, her pretty green eyes sparkling. “Was he in this bed?”
“No! Sheesh. No. He was so nice though. He woke me up every couple of hours to make sure I was okay. The next morning, he was gone when I got up, but his assistant, Ashton, helped me get home.”
“Was he here to check on you?” she asked.
“Not exactly. As it turns out, the damage to his car is ridiculously expensive. I doubt my insurance is going to cover all of it, and even if they do, it is going to kill my insurance rate. I’ll probably get dropped. Then again, it doesn’t matter because I will not be able to afford another car. I won’t be driving ever again.”
“Is he asking you to pay him right now? Seriously, he’s got money. I don’t even know h
im, and I could tell he’s got money.”
“He does. Have you heard of the Harrow Hotels and Resorts?”
“Yeah, duh.”
“That’s him. Jay is Jameson Harrow.”
“Holy shit! You sure know how to pick a car to slam into.”
I rolled my eyes. “Trust me, I would have preferred to hit another Kia.”
“What is he waiting for a decision on?”
I was almost embarrassed to tell her what he’d proposed. “I’m not sure he was being serious.”
“About?”
I couldn’t look directly at her when I told her. It made me feel dirty. “He wants me to pretend to be his fiancée for a few months. In exchange, he’ll forgive my debt. I won’t have to pay for the car, and he won’t file a claim against my insurance. And he’d pay for my hospital bills, which I also can’t afford.”
She scowled and shook her head. “That’s a weird deal to offer.”
“I know.”
“Why is he making you this deal?” she asked. “What does he gain?”
“I told you. He needs me to be his fake fiancée.”
She leaned forward and patted my leg. “Sweetie, if that man really is Jameson Harrow, he doesn’t need to fake a fiancée. There are at least a million women who would love to be his fake or real fiancée.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m not insulting you. I’m just saying, I don’t know if I trust him. It seems kind of strange he would come after you to be his fake fiancée. Did he say why he wanted it to be you?”
“No. Yes. He said his mom is hounding him to settle down. And that women are always trying to set him up with their daughters and stuff. It sounded like he just wanted a reprieve from everyone wanting to marry him, which is just a little egotistical.”
She looked pensive. “Then that makes sense. This is why he wants you.”
“Why, because I’m apparently the only woman who doesn’t want to marry him?”
She laughed. “No, because you’re not a part of his world. No one knows you. He can get away with the ruse because no one will know anything about you. He can keep you mysterious and at arm’s length.”
Pay Up Hot Stuff: A Billionaire Fake Fiancée Romance Page 5