by Rush, Olivia
Still seated on the edge of the desk, I folded my hands on my lap. “What I need right now is a beautiful young woman, someone who’s just recently come into my life, to play a role for me. It’ll be a very careful performance, but one that, if performed well, would be an incalculable benefit to both myself and to hers.”
“And that role is…?” she asked.
I placed my hands on both sides of the desk and leaned forward.
“I need you to pretend to be my wife.”
Chapter 4
Chelsea
“What?”
That little word didn’t even begin to cover how shocked and baffled I was by what Bryce had said. But it was all I could manage.
“Well, more specifically, you’d be my fiancée—at first. The wedding and wife part and all that would come later.”
I sat up ramrod-straight in my seat and shook my head as if I’d heard a strange sound. I opened my mouth to speak, but at first nothing would come out.
After all, what the hell could I say to something like that?
“This is a joke, right?” I asked. “I’m not sure what the point of the joke is, or why you’re screwing with me, but it has to be a joke.”
“Nope,” said Bryce, hopping up from the desk and buttoning his jacket. “I’ve thought about this for a long while, and it’s a perfect plan. All I’ve been lacking is the woman to go along with it.”
Bryce stepped back over to the massive window, his trim, broad-shouldered frame outlined by the city. The sky was cloudless, and the nearby towers glittered under the brilliant California sun.
I decided to take him at his word, to assume that he wasn’t screwing with me.
“And why am I the woman to go along with it?” I asked. “What exactly do I bring to this insane plan?”
He turned, a smile playing on that gorgeous face of his.
“Four things. First, you’re part of the company now,” he said. “Gives us the perfect alibi for having met. We can say that you and I met as part of the buyout, and that we hit it off hard and fast.”
The words “hard and fast” out of his mouth put certain…images in my mind. Namely, those of Bryce doing certain other things to me “hard and fast.”
“Then there’s the matter of your personality,” he said.
“My personality?” I asked. “How do you mean?”
“Something about you, Chelsea, impressed me,” he said. “During our brief conversation in the elevator, I could tell that you’re the type to speak her mind, the type to not let herself get walked over. After all, you’re an entrepreneur like myself.”
He strode out from behind the desk. “And the fact that you stuck with your company in spite of the buyout is admirable.”
“Just want to look after my crew,” I said.
“Right,” he said. “And plenty of other people in your position would’ve just taken the money and run. You took less just to stay with the team you felt responsible for. I like that.”
“So, you just appreciate my entrepreneurial spirit?” I asked. “And that’s why you think I’m the one for the role?”
“That’s a nice bonus, but it also makes you someone who wants something—something that I’m prepared to give.”
I cocked my head to the side, eager to hear where he was going with this.
“You had your company taken away from you,” he said. “I did a little reading into the acquisition of Illimitable. And I bet there’s nothing more you’d like than to have your company back.”
Now he had my attention.
“How could I have my company back?” I asked. “You bought it. It’s yours—part of this massive conglomeration you’re in the process of making.”
“True,” he said. “It’s my company. But it can be yours all but officially. If you were to go along with this pretend-marriage plan of mine, I could promise you a very independent role in the technology department of Carver Conglomerates. You’d have your own team, your own projects, and your own part of the building. I’d make sure of that. It’d be basically like you having your own company, but with the resources and security of being a part of mine.”
It wasn’t total independence, but it was pretty damn close. And shit, having access to these kinds of resources was beyond my wildest dreams.
“What about my partners, that you also brought on?” I asked. “I don’t think they’d be too happy about me superseding them like this.”
“You do remember whose office you’re in right now, correct?” he asked, slipping a hand into one of his pockets, the thumb hooking on the outside. “They took the buyout. They don’t have to like it. They just have to follow orders. Maybe in time, your orders.”
He really knew how to appeal to my ambitious side—I’d give him that much.
“And there’s one more thing,” I said. “You said that there were four things in total. What’s the last one?”
His red lips curled into a sexy smile.
“The fact that you’re strikingly beautiful, of course.”
My face went hot. I knew I was a decent-looking girl, sure, but hearing a man like Bryce—gorgeous and powerful and rich and everything else—lay out a compliment like that so bluntly was more than I was prepared to hear.
“And what does that have to do with anything?” I asked, trying to hang onto my composure.
“Because,” he said, stepping closer toward me, piercing the barrier of my personal bubble, “if I’m going to pretend to marry someone, it might as well be one of the most stunning women in the city.”
He loomed over me like a statue, both hands slipped into his pockets. My eyes tracked upward along his body, my mind noting that my mouth was perfectly level with his cock. A hot wetness took hold of my pussy, and if he had taken his prick out right at that moment, I was fairly certain I would’ve wrapped my lips around it without even thinking.
The man was confident, I’d give him that.
I cleared my throat and sat back, tucking a few stray strands of curly hair behind my ear.
“You don’t need to butter me up,” I said. “Not to mention this whole plan is totally crazy.”
“Crazy plans are often the ones that get the best results,” he said, backing up and giving me a little more space, the tension mercifully easing. “If this one works and I secure the funding from Damien, then I’ll have what I need to take Carver Holdings to the next level.”
His eyes narrowed in playful scheming.
“And you’ll be a part of that. Who knows? If we pull this off and you show promise in the tech department, the sky will be the limit for you. Maybe even a CTO position somewhere down the line.”
Those three little letters—CTO—had the same effect on me as a jolt from a car battery.
“I won’t give you the job just because you pretend to be my fiancée, of course, but you’ll have the opportunity to prove that it’s something you could handle.”
I was speechless. Bryce had not only invited me in on the most insane plan I’d ever heard, but he had outlined a potential path that’d take me to the top of my field. It was more than I could even begin to think about.
“This is a lot, I know,” he said, “and likely not what you were expecting when you found out you had a meeting with me.”
“You’re damn right about that,” I said.
“So,” he said. “Take your time and think about it. But the sooner you let me know one way or the other, the better.”
Bryce walked silently back to the other side of his desk and slid into the massive leather chair. The look of him seated there was somewhere between Corporate Master of the Universe and Bond villain.
“Any questions?” he asked.
I felt so overwhelmed I wondered if I’d even be able to make it back to my office when this was said and done, let alone linger to pick his brain about the plan.
“Just…just need time to think,” I said.
“Then you’d better get on it,” he said.
He removed a beaut
iful silver pen from a holder on his desk and jotted something down in a nearby notebook. With a quick tear, he removed the page and handed it over to me.
“That’s my personal line,” he said. “There’s only a dozen people in the city who have that, and you’re one of them. The second you know how you want to move forward on this, let me know.”
Bryce then bounded out of his seat.
“Come, I’ll see you out.”
I nodded, still in a daze. I followed Bryce to the front doors off the office, and he pulled them open.
“Looking forward to hearing your decision,” he said.
He flashed me one more of those gorgeous smiles as I stepped out of the office. Then he shut the door, and that was that.
The eyes of the secretaries nearby locked onto me, and I could tell they were all wondering what Bryce and I had been discussing.
I didn’t want to spend a second longer on the executive floor than I had to. I hurried back toward the elevators and, moments later, was back on my floor. Once in my office, I collapsed into my chair, feeling totally overwhelmed by what had just happened.
After a few minutes of work, I realized that I wasn’t going to be getting anything done. I gathered up my things and decided to take a half-day, knowing that Bryce’s little proposal was going to need some consideration.
An hour later, I was back in my cramped apartment in the Mission District, my four-hundred-square-foot studio that cost me so much per month I didn’t even like to think about it.
I stripped off my work clothes until I was down to nothing but my underwear. I needed something to take the edge off the day, and a bath sounded like just the thing to do it. My apartment wasn’t great, but it had a nice, deep tub where I’d spent many an hour letting the hot water work the tension out of my muscles.
Once the tub was full, I stripped out of my underwear and slipped into the steaming water, letting out an “ahhh” as I sank lower and lower.
I soaked like this for a time, and once my body acclimated to the heat of the water, my mind began to play back the events of the day.
It was unbelievable—one of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the city wanted me to be his fake fiancée. The rational part of me wanted to send Bryce a quick text saying “hell no” and go back to my normal life.
But the other part of me, the ambitious part, the one that craved the independence I’d lost to Bryce and his impossibly huge company, couldn’t help but consider what he’d offered in return: a high-up management role, potentially CTO.
Bryce…Bryce was another matter altogether. Goddamn, was he good-looking. The sight of him in that perfectly tailored suit standing in front of those huge windows and looking out onto the city was burned into my mind.
And the attraction hadn’t started there. It’d been instantaneous from the moment I saw him in the elevator. That hot tension between my legs I’d felt in his office returned. I opened one eye slightly, my gaze focusing on the showerhead dangling over the bath’s faucet.
A sly smile formed on my lips. There was another way I could relieve the stress of the day.
I turned on the showerhead and dialed in the perfect jet and temperature before slipping it into the water. Once I was good and comfortable, I draped one leg over the rim of the tub and positioned the spray of water right onto my clit.
“Ohhh, fuuuck,” I moaned, the pleasure crashing through my body the second the jet started up.
I closed my eyes, and the image of Bryce took shape. He was dressed in the suit from earlier today, though now the suit jacket was gone, his tie undone and hanging rakishly on both sides of his buttons.
He stood in front of me like before, his statuesque figure imposing. Around us was the grand, imposing setting of his office.
“There’s one more thing I’d like to test out before I decide you’re the girl I’m looking for,” he said, his voice a sensual purr.
“And what’s that?” I asked.
“Come here.”
He extended his hand, and I took it. Bryce brought me to my feet, his eyes slowly and deliberately tracing the outline of my figure.
“Just want to see how compatible we are,” he said, stepping forward and cutting the distance between us down to only a few inches.
Now he was so close I could smell the musky astringency of his aftershave, feel his hot breath on my skin. Then Bryce placed his hands on my hips, squeezing my curves firmly.
“Turn around,” he said.
I complied. Bryce took one more half-step toward me, his cock pressing against my ass through the thin fabric of his trousers. I let out a sigh, pressing my ass against his erection. Bryce, keeping one hand on my hip, moved the other toward the zipper of my tight pencil skirt. With a quick swipe, he unzipped it and yanked up my tucked-in blouse, exposing the flesh not covered by my thong.
I moaned and tossed my hair to one side. “Now what?” I asked.
He answered with actions and not words—just what I was hoping for. Bryce moved me in a half-circle, stopping me in front of his desk. Then he put one hand on my upper back and guided me down until I was bent over the desk. I grabbed onto the edge, biting my lip in anticipation.
Bryce yanked down my skirt, letting it drop to my feet. Next down were my panties, which he slowly slid down my bare thighs. I was totally exposed, so tight with tension I could barely stand it.
Next was the sound of his zipper coming down, followed by the rustling of his pants and underwear. A smile spread across my face as I sensed the pressure of his head against my lips, his cock solid as a stone and dripping wet.
“Tell me what you want,” he said, his hand moving along the curves of my hip. “I want to hear it.”
“I want you to fuck me,” I moaned. “Right here.”
That was all he needed to hear. Bryce moved his head in deeper, spreading my soaking lips open. Then, with a quick thrust, he slid his prick inside me, filling me with his thick, hard inches.
My hands slapped down onto the lacquered surface of the desk. A moan burst from my lips as he buried himself to the hilt.
He thrust slowly at first, giving me a few moments to get used to how big he was. Once the slick wetness of my cunt had tightly wrapped around him, Bryce began driving into me harder and harder, the sound of flesh on flesh cutting through the air.
Bryce grunted and groaned as he filled me again and again, plunging his prick into me just how I wanted.
When I finally came, the orgasm worked through my body like a force of nature, and I curled up in the tub and winced my eyes shut. I could barely hold the showerhead in place to guide me through the pleasure.
When I was done, I dropped the showerhead and watched as it fell slowly onto the bottom of the tub, the water in front of it wavy from the jets. I took in breath after breath, my glistening breasts rising and falling.
I knew my fantasizing about Bryce meant trouble. It meant I should stop this plan before it started, to not get involved in something that had such potential to go wrong in all the worst ways.
But I didn’t care. I knew what I wanted. Sure, there were risks. But what I stood to gain was too good to pass up.
I stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around my body. Then, I reached into my purse and took out my phone and the piece of paper that Bryce had given me earlier.
I typed out a quick text and sent it off.
“I’m in.”
Chapter 5
Bryce
My fingers drummed on the edge of my desk. I wasn’t impatient—more like excited. Chelsea had agreed to my plan yesterday, and I was eager to get things started.
“Mr. Carver,” came my secretary’s voice through the intercom. “She’s here.”
“Send her in.”
Moments later, the doors opened, and there she was. Chelsea was somehow even more stunning than she’d been yesterday. She was dressed in a tight, dark blue dress cut just low enough to show off a bit of cleavage. A golden necklace hung over her breasts, and her hair was
up in a curly ponytail.
I had to clear my throat and shift in my chair to work past how attracted to her I was at that moment. Below the surface of my desk, I could feel my cock twitch to attention.
“Welcome,” I said, staying seated so she would not see the erection that was currently tenting my pants. “Have a seat.”
She smiled and nodded, her lips a deep red and her emerald eyes striking, accentuated by the eyeliner that surrounded them.
Chelsea sat across from me, crossing her legs as she’d done before. But today she didn’t have on any pantyhose—nothing but bare flesh was below her dress’s hemline.
“Good morning,” I said. “Thanks for meeting with me so early in the day.”
“My pleasure,” she said. “I figured going over the finer points of this plan couldn’t wait.”
I liked the way she thought.
“So,” I said, “you and I are going to be playing pretend. And right now, we’re going to need to get this all off to a strong, believable start.”
She tilted her head to the side slightly. There was something different about Chelsea today—more poise, more confidence. More something.
Whatever it was, it was turning me on.
“The first step is that you’re going to be moving into my apartment—for the time being at least.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Just how real are you planning on making this thing?”
“Real enough that no one questions it. Don’t worry—there’s plenty of space in my apartment for the both of us. If you don’t even want to speak to me while we’re out of the public eye, then that’s your prerogative.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” she said. “Just tell me what’s going to be happening.”
I stood up and paced slowly in front of the window.
“Like I said—fake marriage. We’ll be making our debut this weekend as a loving couple, and the two of us are going to be in the public eye for quite some time.”
“What do you mean by ‘the public eye’?”