by Holly Jaymes
“That’s going to be awhile.” Even with Nate’s money, it would take time to get the plans and find a contractor. I reached out and took one of their hands in each of mine, “I love you both, I really do, but I think this will be better.”
My mom nodded. When my father started to protest, she interrupted him, “She’s a grown woman, honey, who needs her space. She’s probably got friends and a man she’s not able to spend time with when she’s here. That’s probably who she was all dressed up for last night.”
That wasn’t quite true, but since she was making a case for me, I went with it.
“But you will come see us sometimes?” she finished.
“Yes, of course. Just like I did before.” Of course, I would because while they got along alright and their minds were good, my mother’s MS was getting progressively worse, and my father was beginning to slow down physically. Even when I lived in my house, I always stopped by a few times a week to check on them. I wouldn’t ever say that to them because they’d balk. They were fiercely independent.
With that taken care of, I went to my room to pack up the few things I had. What didn’t burn in the fire was ruined by smoke or water, so I didn’t have much. Once everything was packed into one suitcase and a duffle bag, I spent the rest of the day with my parents. I gardened with my mother, and when she took a nap, I played rummy with my father. Being with them made me feel better about this arrangement with Nate because I wasn’t sure how much longer my parents could go on living alone, which meant I needed to get my home rebuilt.
When they went to bed that evening, I prepared to head over to Nate’s, and my nerves kicked in. Nate was my boss, but that didn’t mean I really knew him. While I didn’t think he’d do anything nutty, like try to seduce me, it was going to be strange to see him and get to know him in a personal setting. I’d learn things like whether he put the toilet paper roll on with the paper over or under. Was he a morning person or a night owl? Did he wear boxers or briefs? Well, okay, I might not learn that. I should probably ask him though, in case someone at work asked. In fact, I’d need to be prepared for a deluge of questions from people at work. Crap. I hadn’t thought this thing all the way through. Nate and I would need to figure that out. I had to have answers for things like how we got together and when? How did he propose? The wedding. I’d have to make up answers to questions about his sexual prowess, but I figured I probably wouldn’t be lying if I said he rocked my world. Oh, and I could confirm that he looked magnificent in a tux.
As I put my bags in my car and made my way to Nate’s, I couldn’t help the feeling that this was all going to go badly. I should turn around and go home. He needed to find another fake wife.
But I didn’t turn around. It might all go to shit, but I had to do this for my parents’ sake. I parked in Nate’s driveway and prepared to become Mrs. Nathanial Sloane.
Book2: Chapter 5—The Fakery Begins
Chapter Five: The Fakery Begins
Nate
If my family knew of my scheme to pretend to marry Hallie, they’d think I’d lost my mind. I wondered if I had as well. There was so much that could go wrong. In fact, I wondered if maybe we should have a real ceremony just so it was legal, but I was certain that was a step too far for Hallie. The fact that she was willing to go along with this crazy idea showed just how much she needed help on her house. How had I not known her house had burned down?
All this was swirling in my brain as I drove to my mother’s house for Sunday dinner. My brothers and I all did very well in our careers and financially and had offered to buy mom a home in a nicer location, such as along the river. But this was the home she had created her life and family with my father in and she wasn’t going to leave it. In some ways, I was glad. She was right that the home was filled with memories of our lives. Now that my father was gone, it was nice to go back and get wrapped up in those memories.
My brothers and I had Sunday dinner with my mother every week. Growing up, we were expected to be home and with the family on Sundays, but as we got older and into our own lives, that tradition had waned, even though most of us remained in northern Virginia. Only Gabe had left the area - moving to Florida to do a home improvement show for a network located there. But after my father’s unexpected death two years ago, we picked up the tradition again - even Gabe moved back to Virginia. Today, not only did all four of us go to Sunday dinner at my mother’s, but our family had expanded with Gabe’s marriage to Samantha.
I parked in front of the standard brick ranch house by my oldest brother Will’s Audi. I got out of the car and made my way up the freshly trimmed walkway to the front porch.
“Hello?” I opened the door and poked my head in.
“Oh Nate, you’re here,” my mother flowed into the room and gave me a hug. She always embraced us like she hadn't seen us in months instead of just a week. It was like she was savoring our time together, which I supposed she was. She knew from my father’s death how fleeting life could be. “Will is grilling tonight.”
I made a face, “He’s not very good at it.”
“I know it, but you’ll hold your tongue.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said as I kissed her on the cheek. I followed her to the kitchen and got a beer from the fridge and then headed out to the deck. The smell of citronella from candles placed around the deck filled the air to keep the mosquitos away. It was followed by the scent of charred meat.
“Hey, Nate,” Will greeted me with a nod, as he took a sip of his beer and then went back to the burgers.
“Will,” I looked over the grill. “Any chance some of those will be rare?”
He smirked at me.
I patted his shoulder and sat at the table. I’d have offered to help my mom set it, but it was already set.
“How’s the IPO going?” Will asked, flipping a burger.
“So far, so good. I’ll be traveling the next few weeks to get initial investors.”
“Any idea how easy or hard that will be?”
I took another swig of my beer and then said, “I’m hoping easy. Many people like to invest in pharmaceuticals.”
“My brother, the drug dealer,” my youngest brother Gabe’s voice came from the screen door.
Not a visit went by that he didn’t call me a drug dealer. I supposed he was right. As wild as I’d been as a teenager, there were probably times my parents worried I might become one. That’s when I’d gotten most of my tattoos and started building my reputation with women, the same reputation that was potentially holding me back now. Even so, I’d always been serious about school, which is probably why my parents didn’t send me off to some military academy.
“Hey Gabe, where’s Sam?” I asked, looking behind him for his wife. None of us were particularly surprised he and Sam got married. While they’d had a serious break up when he’d taken his job to host his home renovation show in Florida, I think we’d all known, even if he didn’t, that she was the one for him. I was happy that they reconnected when he’d returned to Virginia, and now they were happily married. I’d hoped that his marriage would take the pressure off the rest of us, but it didn’t. Mom still frequently asked my other brothers’ and my marital prospects. I wondered what she’d say about my fake marriage.
“She’s helping mom,” Gabe sat next to me, leaned close. “Why is Will grilling?”
“Mitch isn’t here, I guess.” My other brother, Mitch, was between Gabe and me in our line of brothers. He’d made a fortune in a tech business, sold it, and now lived a bit like a recluse out in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Of all of us, he was the one I’d want around in an apocalypse as he knew how to survive in the wild, and he could grill.
“I’m here,” Mitch came through the sliding door. “Need help with that, Will?”
“Yes, please help Will,” Gabe said.
“Har har har,” Will said.
“Some things never change,” my mother said as she came out to the deck carrying fruit salad. Behind her, Samantha appeared with a plat
e full of ears of corn.
A few minutes later, we were all seated around the table, eating charred burgers.
“Where’s the first stop on your dog and pony show?” Mitch asked me. He’d considered taking his company public but, in the end, settled on selling it.
“New York. I went to the Madison event last night and talked with her a bit.”
Will whistled, “Starting at the top, huh? Was she interested?”
“She was interested, alright.” I murmured.
Gabe snorted.
Will smirked, “Poor Nate.”
“What?” my mother asked.
I shook my head, “Nothing. I gave her the information.”
“Just the information?” Gabe asked, with a suggestive waggle of his brows.
“What’s going on?” my mother insisted.
“I believe that Ms. Madison wanted more than Nate’s info,” Gabe explained.
My mother’s brows drew together.
“She was hitting on Nate,” Samantha explained.
“Oh?” my mother’s frown remained. “Is that how business is done?”
I nearly choked on my burger, “No, Mom. I didn’t take her up on her offer.”
“Now there’s a first,” Gabe said.
“Behave, Gabe,” my mother replied.
If only they knew the deal I had made.
“I know it will be a big success. All my boys work hard and reap the rewards. Your father was always so proud of you,” my mother’s eyes watered.
I reached out and put my hand over hers, giving it a squeeze.
The dinner went as every Sunday dinner went. We teased and talked and laughed. It was always the highlight of my week. My family was real and authentic, just like Hallie. It was crazy how I was asking her to trade that in for a fake marriage.
As I drove home, I wondered about the wisdom of this plan, but ultimately, if my reputation was going to hurt me, I needed a drastic measure to help improve it. Hallie and a marriage could do that.
When I got home, I checked that the guest room was ready for her. It was a shame I couldn’t share my room with her, but I pushed that thought aside. I was already stepping over the line, asking her to pretend to be my wife.
I sat out on my back porch with another beer as I waited for her. Of all the space in my house, it was the back that was my favorite. The porch was covered, allowing me to use it year-round. It looked over my pool where I swam laps nearly every morning, and a yard filled with plants, bushes, trees, and flowers. It was an oasis in the middle of suburban, crowded, northern Virginia.
When the knock came on the door, I had a quick flutter of nerves. Hallie and I were about to become more intimately acquainted even though we wouldn’t be getting naked. She and I were always friendly, but the separation of boss and assistant was always there. Now that she was going to pretend to be my wife, we’d have to act differently. But even in my home, I couldn’t expect her to be my assistant. I suspected it would be more difficult for her to treat me like a regular person, that it would be for me. But still, I didn’t want to get too familiar either. We might be having a pretend marriage, but I was still her boss. I blew out a breath as I headed to the door, knowing that this situation had the potential to end colossally bad.
“Hallie, hi,” I said when I opened the door. She stood on my front porch with one large suitcase and smaller duffle bag. She wore khaki shorts and a white t-shirt, and her hair was up in a messy bun. It was a stark contrast to her normal work attire and last night’s formal wear, and yet I found myself equally as captivated. “Do you need help with your things?”
“This is it,” she said, holding her bags out.
I reached for them to carry in for her, “That’s it?” In my experience, women needed several bags, even for just an overnight trip. This fake marriage would be for several weeks if not months and all she had was in two bags?
“House burned down, remember. That’s about all I have.”
Jesus. I couldn’t imagine losing everything and having to start over, “Let me show you to your room.”
My 1920’s cottage-style home looked small from the outside, but in fact, it was over six-thousand square feet, with five bedrooms. It was more than I needed, but it was a fantastic investment opportunity that Gabe was able to help me renovate. The home sat off the road, making it feel secluded and out of the city.
I showed Hallie to her bedroom, and let her get settled, telling her I’d wait for her on the back porch.
She was tentative as she came out a few minutes later, “Your home is lovely, Mr.—Nate.”
“Thank you,” I motioned for her to sit in a chair. “I brought out some wine. Would you like a glass?”
She nodded and sat in the chair across from me.
“The room is okay?” I asked as I poured her a glass of wine. I poured only half a glass and found myself again second-guessing myself. Should I not be so stingy and pour her more? If I did, would she think I was trying to get her drunk? This was a clusterfuck in my head.
“Yes,” she took the wine and sipped, giving me a tentative smile. She looked like I felt - unsettled.
“You’re nervous.”
She gave a small laugh, “Yes, a little.”
“I won’t try anything, Hallie, I promise.”
“I’m not worried about that. I’m just…what if people don’t buy that we’re married?”
I wondered if people would buy it too, but not for the reasons she’d indicated before. No one would doubt my attraction to her. But I was a man committed to bachelorhood, and who never, ever, not even once, had mixed pleasure and work.
“We’ll just have to convince them otherwise,” I reached into my pocket. “Here’s one thing that will help.” I handed her a diamond ring and matching band that I’d picked up at a jewelry store earlier in the day. Her eyes widened in what appeared to be shock. “You need an engagement ring and wedding band, at least when we’re appearing to be married. Try it on.”
She slipped the rings on, looking a bit stunned. I held another ring up, “This one is mine.” I’d tried it on at the jewelers, and it was so startling and horrifying, I’d immediately taken it off. I hoped that by tomorrow, I’d be able to wear it without feeling totally discombobulated.
“They’re beautiful!” She took the rings off and set them on the table. “You’ve thought that part through.”
“I did,” I murmured, watching her.
There was something in her tone that still sounded uncertain. She looked out over the pool, but I was sure she wasn’t seeing it.
“What is bothering you, specifically?” I asked.
“People at work are going to ask me questions about how we got together, how you proposed, and so on.”
I didn’t think it was anyone business, but I supposed she was right. We needed to get our stories straight. Everyone would need to be in the dark about this arrangement, except my lawyer, Dave. He was savvy enough that he’d figure it out anyway since he was the one that came up with the idea, sort of. But everyone else around us at work would need to believe we were married.
“We got together over the course of working together, I proposed at the diner last night, and we flew to Vegas.”
She still didn’t look convinced, “What about our families? Would we really elope?”
She was right again.
“Okay, new story. We could say we had a small ceremony a week ago or so.”
She shrugged like she wasn’t sure that would work.
“The truth is, you’re more likely to be asked questions, so why don’t you come up with what you’re most comfortable with?” I suggested.
I didn’t like how uncomfortable she seemed, and yet, I understood it. I’d put her in a crazy position.
“Okay. Then I can let you know, so you don’t contradict me.”
“See? It will all work out,” I wanted to reassure her and take her mind off all of this nerve-wracking minutia. “How about a swim?”
She g
ave me a wan smile, “I didn’t bring a swimsuit.”
“You’ve got underwear, right? It’s about the same.”
She snorted, “Not quite.”
“Come on,” I stood and started toward the pool, taking off my shirt. I figured I could swim in my boxer briefs. I took my pants off and then dove into the pool. The water was cool on my skin. When I came up, I flipped to my back, looking up at the stars as I floated. After a few moments, I opened my eyes, wondering if she was going to join me or sue me for harassment.
She was sitting on the pool steps deep enough that that water came up to her chest. The moon cast an ethereal glow over her pale shoulders. She looked like a mermaid or a water goddess.
I swam over to her, “Tell me what I can do to make this easier for you?”
She ran her hand through the water, “I just need time to adjust.”
“Come swim,” I reached out my hand for her. Tentatively she took it, and I pulled her out to the middle of the pool. “Lay back and look up at the stars.”
She inhaled a breath and then did as I said, floating on her back and looking up. It was then I realized that perhaps this wasn’t the best idea. Her pretty lacy bra held magnificent tits. The cool air on the wet fabric made her nipples distend, and my mouth watered to suck those beauties into my mouth. I stifled a groan as my dick responded.
Thankfully, she seemed oblivious, “The ladies at work will ask me about your prowess.”
It took a minute for her question to sift through the fog of desire in my brain, and I realized that maybe she did notice my reaction to her. Then I wanted to tell her I’d be happy to give her personal experience of my abilities in bed, but fortunately, I had enough self-control to hold that back. “What will you tell them?”
“It’s none of their business.”
“Do you all really talk about my sex life?” Christ, my reputation was worse than I thought.
“You’re a handsome, fit man. Women like that.”
“Do you like that?” I really was a glutton for punishment.
Her head lifted to look at me, causing her body to sink back into the water, “Are you asking me if I like what I see?”