by Holly Jaymes
Where the fuck was Hallie? I turned my head and saw her approaching. She was like an angel, an angel who could save me.
I reached out my arm and started to slide it around her waist. I noted the curious expression on her face as I did and had to hope she wouldn’t out me.
“Janine, let me introduce my wife. Hallie, this is Janine Madison. She’s the head of the Madison Fund that does all that wonderful work in Africa.” Please, please, please go along with this, I implored her with my eyes.
Hallie’s eyes widened as they looked up at me, but she didn’t pull away from my arm around her waist. I stared down at her, hoping I was telepathic, and she could read my mind.
Finally, she turned to Janine, “So nice to meet you.” She extended her hand.
“Wife?” Janine shook Hallie’s hand briefly and took a quick step back, “I didn’t realize you were married.”
“Most people don’t,” Hallie said, quirking her brow at me.
I’d have to give her a raise later, but it would be worth it.
Hallie handed me a brochure size folder with Sloane Labs information about the IPO in it. “Here is that information you wanted…honey.”
“Thank you,” I leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. “I’ll make this up to you,” I whispered as I nuzzled her ear. Then I turned to Janine, “You said something about getting a drink and talking. Hallie and I would love to share with you Sloane Lab’s IPO and plans for growth.”
Janine inhaled a breath, “I’d enjoy learning more, but I should probably mingle with the other donors.”
“Yes, of course.” Hallelujah. I didn’t have a commitment for money, but I got out of turning the offer of her body down.
“But I will take your information. I’ll admit, I had some reservations. While your company is known for good work, your reputation…but I see that you’ve settled down and are taking your business seriously.”
She was a piece of work. She was offering herself to me and then was going to use it against me if I accepted? Maybe Dave was right. People’s perception of me was clouding their opinion of my business.
I handed her the information.
“I assure you, Ms. Madison, Nate takes his work very seriously,” Hallie said. “There is nothing he wouldn’t do to make sure it was a success.”
I held back a laugh as I realized she was poking at me. Yes, I would pretend my assistant was my wife for business. Except, in this case, it was to avoid having to tell Janine I didn’t want to fuck her.
“That’s good to hear. Enjoy yourselves,” Janine sauntered off.
“Thank fuck,” I said, blowing out a breath.
“Mr. Sloane?”
“Hmm?” I looked down at Hallie. Good Christ, I’d never realized how green her eyes were.
She looked down at her waist where my hand was still firmly holding her and then back up at me.
“Oh,” I released her and stepped back. “Thank you for going along with that.”
“What was that about?”
“She wanted to take our conversation to a more private place…her hotel room.”
Hallie’s brow furrowed, “And you didn’t want to do that?”
I frowned, “I don’t sleep with every woman I meet. I especially don’t sleep with a woman I’m trying to secure funding from.”
“No, of course not.”
I looked over the sea of people. Did they all think I was a horndog? Was my reputation worse than I’d thought? Was Dave right that it would hurt the IPO? Maybe he was also right that I needed to prove I’d changed my ways.
“Hallie?”
“Yes, sir.”
I leaned closer to her, “Will you be my wife?”
She gaped up at me. I couldn’t blame her. What I was asking was ridiculous.
I held my hand out in the direction of the entry, “Can I talk to you in private?”
Her eyes widened, and I realized she might have thought I was propositioning her. Christ, if she filed a sexual harassment claim, I would be ruining Sloane Labs’ future.
“Just in the hallway. Just to talk.”
She studied me for a moment and then walked toward the door. Once we were in the hallway, I led us to an area that didn’t have any people around.
She stared up at me again like I’d gone nuts. I probably had.
“I’m sorry for putting you on the spot like that, but this incident with Janine and you're confirmation that my rep is worse than I thought, I suddenly realized I needed to do something drastic.”
“Drastic?” There was something in the tone of her voice that suggested my idea that we play husband and wife was more than drastic - it was insulting.
“I need this IPO to go well. To do that I need to change my image, and ward off the Janine’s of the world. A wife would do both.”
She nodded, still looking a little offended.
“I know it’s a lot to ask, and I’m prepared to compensate you for it.” Then, again worrying she’d take my suggestion the wrong way, I added, “What is something you need that I can help with?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if you can pretend to be my wife during the dog and pony shows, I can do something in return for you. A trip to Paris? Pay your student loans?”
“You’re serious?”
I ran my fingers through my hair, “I know it’s crazy, Hallie. I really do.” I decided to change tactics. She might not want to help me, but she’d probably want to help others. “With this IPO, we’ll be able to expand our research. We’ve got a great start on research for treatments for autoimmune diseases such as MS and Guillain-Barre syndrome, but there’s still a long way to go. This IPO will help with that.”
That seemed to have worked as her eyes turned less suspicious, “How would such an...arrangement...work? People at work, our families - they know we’re not married.”
“We don’t announce it officially. We can keep it on the down-low at home. It’s just during the presentations.”
She looked away; I hoped that meant she was thinking about it.
To help her, I reminded her of my offer, “I can do something for you in return. Name it.”
She blew out a breath, “Well, my house burned down, and insurance isn’t covering everything I need to fix.”
What? Where was she living now? Instead of asking her for the details, I said, “I’ll pay for your rebuild.”
Her eyes widened in surprise like she hadn’t expected my offer. Wasn’t that what she was asking?
“I need to have expensive upgrades put in,” she said.
“Fine. No problem.”
She frowned, “You don’t know how much it will cost.”
“Doesn’t matter.” I felt more than certain I had enough to rebuild her home. Unless she was rebuilding the Taj Mahal, we’d be fine.
“You know this is crazy, right?”
I nodded, “Yep.”
“Who would believe it?”
I frowned, “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m not your type. Who would believe that you’d marry me?”
It was my turn to gape, “Why wouldn’t I marry you?”
She rolled her pretty green eyes. “One,” she held up her index finger, “I’m nothing like your usual woman. Two,” her middle finger joined the first one, “I’m your assistant and, despite your reputation, it’s also known you don’t mix business with pleasure. And three,” she held up a third finger, “I’m not…glamourous. Besides, you said yourself this was drastic.”
Huh? I began to understand why she seemed offended. She thought I meant it was drastic to choose her as a fake wife because she didn’t think she met my standard of woman.
She huffed out an exasperated breath, “I’m not as fancy or pretty as your usual woman.”
“What are you talking about? You’re beautiful.”
She jerked back as if she hadn’t expected that, “I’m...um…bigger.”
I shook my head, “Are you putting yourself down, H
allie? Do you want to know what I see? I see a beautiful woman with sexy curves. If you weren’t my assistant, I’d have definitely hit on you.” That was probably grounds for a sexual harassment suit, but I didn’t know how to dissuade her of the belief I wouldn’t find her attractive. I had found her so since the moment I met her.
She pursed her lips like she didn’t believe me.
“You’re putting me in a difficult situation, Hallie. I can prove to you that I find you attractive, but I’d end up breaking my rule of no seducing women who work for me.”
She studied me, “You will have had to have broken that rule to pull off this ruse.”
Good point. “Remember, you said you wanted proof.”
She nodded.
I grappled with the best way to show her my proof. Instead of pulling her flush against my body, I took her hand and pressed it over my semi-erect cock, “You do that to me.”
Her eyes were full again, but I didn’t sense she was offended.
I released her head and stepped back, “I’m desperate, Hallie. You are the only one that is right for this, for me.”
She laughed, “It’s ridiculous.”
“I know.” I inhaled a deep breath, “Hallie, will you be my wife?”
Book 2: Chapter 4—One Crazy Scheme
Chapter Four: One Crazy Scheme
Hallie
My boss had lost his mind. It had been weird enough when he introduced me as his wife to Janine Madison, but now he wanted me to continue the ruse? It was ridiculous. I couldn’t see how we’d pull it off. Even more so, I didn’t think anyone would buy it. I wasn’t ugly, but I knew I wasn’t his type.
I see a beautiful woman with sexy curves. If you weren’t my assistant, I’d have definitely hit on you.
I wasn’t sure I believed that, but it did make my heart do a little flip to hear it. And then he put my hand on his dick, and two things flashed in my mind; 1) God had been good to him in that department, and 2) Would this fake marriage let me see more? I immediately pushed that second question out of my head. This idea was nuts, and I should have turned him down right then and there.
It was his offer to rebuild my home that had me thinking about agreeing to this nutty idea. When he said he’d do something for me in return, my first thought was to ask for a raise to help me pay for my house. But he said he’d rebuild it, which was even better. It was also crazy expensive. He had to know that and yet didn’t flinch at the potential cost. Yes, he was rich, but still. Paying to rebuild a home? He really was desperate, which proved how much this IPO meant to him. And he was right, more money in the company meant more resources for research into diseases and development of treatments. My mother could benefit from his work.
Even with all that, I was a little stunned when I said, “Yes, Mr. Sloane, I’ll be your wife.”
He let out a relieved breath, “Thank God. You can start by calling me Nate.”
“Yes, sir.”
He laughed, “Christ, Hallie, you kill me with that.”
“I know, sir.”
“Come on, let’s go schmooze for money a little more. We can sort out the details of this marriage later.”
His large warm hand took mine as he led me back to the ballroom. I had definitely entered the Twilight Zone, but if it involved holding hands with Nate Sloane and getting my house prepared for my parents, it wasn’t going to be all that bad.
Later that night, we sat in an all-night diner negotiating our arrangement.
“So, at work, we act the same, but when we travel for the dog and pony show, you’re my wife.”
I nodded.
“You’ll need to move in with me.”
“What?” I stopped mid-bite of a French fry.
“It won’t look right if we live apart.”
“Who will know if we’re only pretending during your presentations?”
“Some of these investors are local, and I might have them for dinner. They might even have me followed.”
“Followed?”
“Just to see if I’m telling the truth. Investors take risks, but only informed and calculated risks. Besides, you said your house burned down. It will give you a place to stay.”
“I’m living at my parents’ home now.”
“I love my mother to death, but you couldn’t pay me to move back home,” he shivered.
He wasn’t wrong with that sentiment. I loved my parents, but it was weird to be back in my bedroom that was still decorated with rock star posters over pink polka dot wallpaper left over from my childhood. At least when I rebuilt my home, I’d have grown-up space.
“Will you make my lunch? My mother makes my lunch.”
He laughed, “If that’s what it takes, Hallie, I’ll do it.”
I leaned forward, “How far does this go, Mr.---Nate? This is pretend, you know.”
“I won’t touch you if that’s what you’re hinting at. I have a guest room with its own bathroom.”
That’s what I had meant. I was both relieved and disappointed that he wouldn’t touch me.
“You can move in tomorrow night. I’ll have a key for you and if there is something else you need, let me know, I’ll make sure you have it.”
“Where do you live?”
He told me the location, which strangely enough, wasn’t far from my or my parents’ homes. I’d have thought he’d be in a fancy gated community, but he had a house in a regular upper-middle-class neighborhood just outside my own more lower-middle-class one.
“Have you considered the fallout if people find out? I mean, what if they call you at work and ask about your wife, what are they going to say?”
He sat back, and it was clear he hadn’t thought this through, “I’ll figure that out.” After a moment he said, “We’ll tell people at work we’re married.”
I would have done a spit take if I’d been drinking something, “What?”
He nodded, “We’ll tell them we’ve been seeing each other since you started working for me and got married recently. Who’s to say we’re not on a flight to Vegas getting married right now?”
“What about the rule of never having a relationship with someone at work?”
He grinned, “We’ll just say I couldn’t resist you.”
“Who’s going to believe that, Nate?”
He frowned, “Everyone. I thought I proved that.”
I made a ffttt sound, “Maybe that Janine had just gotten you riled up.”
He looked out the window for a moment, and I got the feeling he was trying to decide what to say next. He turned back to me and said, “First of all, that’s not accurate. Janine Madison didn’t rile me up. Second, when you walked into the ballroom tonight, you took my breath away.”
I shook my head, but the fierceness in his eyes had me stopping mid-shake.
“I’m not shitting you, Hallie. And while you might sue me, it’s not the first time I’ve appreciated your assets. Added to that, you’re smart, funny, and…real.”
“Real? Like my assets are real?” Had he really checked out my assets?
He rolled his eyes, “No, like you’re an authentic person. You’re not putting on a façade to try and impress me. You’re not shy about calling me on my bullshit. I like that. If I were ever to really get married, that’s what I’d want in a woman. Not just sex, but a real person.”
“Oh.” It was stupid how warm and gooey his words made me feel. “What about our families? My parents won’t like it that I got married without them.”
“Yeah. My mom and brothers would flog me,” he took a moment to think, “we don’t tell them.”
“You’re not worried about it getting out?”
“I’m not a celebrity. No one is going to report on it. My family doesn’t talk to people in my business, so I don’t think they’d hear about it. What about you?”
“My parents’ world is very small. They won’t hear it unless it’s on the news or something.”
“Unless they watch business news, they probably won’t he
ar it then.”
I nodded, “I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this.”
He reached out across the table and took my hand, “I know it’s nuts, Hallie; I appreciate your willingness to go along with it.”
Distracted by his hand on mine, I simply nodded.
The next morning, I woke thinking the night before had been a dream. I was disappointed that I hadn’t included some sort of sexual interlude because that would have made the dream better. But when I saw Nate’s text on my phone, I was jolted back to the reality that I’d agreed to pretend to be his wife over the next few months. I’d completely lost my mind.
Nate’s text said he’d be out for Sunday dinner with his family tonight, but that he’d be home by nine and ready to move me in. I took a deep breath and went to have breakfast with my parents.
My mother was at the table, while my father busily made pancakes.
“I made you one that looks like Mickey Mouse,” my father said as he put the plate of pancakes on the table.
I laughed, “You know I’m grown up now, right?”
“You’ll always be my princess,” he said as he kissed me on the head.
“It’s hard for parents to see their children all grown up,” my mother added, which was probably why she was making my lunch when I went to work.
I waited until they were both seated before attempting to tell them I was moving out.
“Listen, I want to thank you so much for letting me come home, but I’ve found another place to stay—”
“What? We like having you home, honey,” my mother said.
“I know, mom. I like being here, but this is closer to work and with a colleague. Plus, I don’t want to be a burden—”
“You’re never a burden,” my father grumbled.
But I knew my being home put more stress on them. They couldn’t help themselves when it came to wanting to take care of me. If I wasn’t home, my father wouldn’t be making pancakes. My mother wouldn’t constantly be trying to keep the house pristine, wearing herself down.
“I appreciate that.”
“We thought you’d stay until your house was ready,” my mother said.