Josh's Fake Fiancee (Military Men Book 5)

by Shelley Munro

  “Well.” Ashley dredged up a smile for the young reporter in his ill-fitting black jacket and crooked red tie. “It’s still early days. Of course, we’ll take the results on board and discuss our action plan, but we’re not worried. Other polls have reported different results.”

  Josh stood behind her, carrying their overnight bags.

  “Ashley! Ashley!” The short brunette struggled to push past the taller reporters blocking her way. “Ashley, I understand you’re engaged. Who is your fiancé, and why have you kept your engagement so hush-hush?”

  Ashley turned to him, a smile plastered on her face. “This is Josh Williams. My fiancé.”

  “A secret engagement? Why?”

  Josh set their bags at his feet and slipped his arm around her waist. Ashley leaned into him a fraction, relieved by his presence.

  “Should I answer?” he whispered.

  She nodded.

  “Because I’ve been overseas and haven’t been home for long. Just long enough to pop the question.” He grinned and leaned in to kiss her cheek. Her skin prickled. Every one of his touches had her pulse racing, her nerve endings at high alert. Her nipples pulled tight, and she was fiercely glad of her polka-dot scarf. With her day compressed because of this flight to Wellington, she still hadn’t purchased new lingerie.

  “When are you getting married?” The young brunette shouted, bouncing on her toes so Ashley could see her. “Have you set a date?”

  “Not yet. Ashley is busy with the upcoming election,” Josh said. “Now, if you’ll excuse us. I’ve organized a special dinner for my lady, and we’re going to be late if we chat much longer.”

  Josh picked up their bags and ushered her from the airport.

  They’d already discussed getting a cab into the city, and with Josh at her side, procuring a taxi was straightforward. Josh urged her inside. After placing the luggage in the trunk, he slid in beside her.

  “We’re having dinner?” she asked when the cab pulled away from the curb.

  “We are, but that’s all I’m telling you. I meant it to be a surprise.”

  Ashley sighed. “I hate to sound ungrateful, but I was looking forward to an early night. I thought I’d have a shower, jump in bed, and catch up on reading before tomorrow’s meeting.”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “I’d hoped to have time to go shopping today.”

  “Give me a list of what you want, and I’ll go shopping while you’re at your meeting.”

  “I… No.”

  Josh clasped her hand, squeezing in a silent demand for her to glance in his direction. “My job is to help you. You’re busy. We’ll have a receipt and can exchange pieces that don’t work for you.”

  “I’ll consider it.”

  “I have excellent taste.”

  “And a big head,” she said sweetly.

  Josh laughed.

  “We could’ve stayed at the flat.”

  “No, a hotel is better this time. It’s best if we shake up your routine. We don’t want to be predictable. It makes your stalker’s job easy. Have you received any correspondence while you’ve been in Wellington?”

  “No, everything has arrived at the electoral office.”

  “So we can presume your stalker lives in Auckland. If that changes, we’ll have another string to follow.”

  Ashley hated the idea of someone watching her, and she must’ve made a sound because Josh’s hand tightened on hers again.

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We will catch this guy.”

  The cab dropped them off in the hotel foyer, and Josh took control. It was nice having someone to take charge when she normally had to do everything herself. And for once, she wasn’t continually glancing over her shoulder.

  “Come on.” Josh let the staff commandeer their luggage and clasped her hand. He led her to reception and took care of that too.

  “The honeymoon suite,” she whispered, her cheeks flushed after intercepting the receptionist’s speculation. A professional, the hotel employee hadn’t commented or asked questions but she’d sure communicated with her eyes.

  “It was all they had left. The hotel security is excellent here. I’ve spoken to the manager and they’ll make sure no unauthorized visitors get anywhere near our room.”

  Their special dinner turned out to be room service. Ashley arrived at the table wearing a robe, after taking a shower and hand-washing two pieces of underwear she’d fished from her dirty laundry pile. She refused to go commando again.

  She sat at the table opposite Josh and waited while the room service attendant served their dinner.

  “Just call if you require anything else,” the woman instructed and departed.

  “There is only one bed,” Ashley said.

  “Yes.”

  “Aren’t you worried I’ll accost you while you’re sleeping?”

  Josh chuckled. “I hope you will.”

  Ashley reached for her glass of sparkling water. “You think I’m joking. Do you realize I haven’t had sex for months? I might appreciate the masculine attention.”

  “I enjoy kissing you, although I refuse to do it too often. Your brother wouldn’t approve.”

  “What’s Matt got to do with this?”

  “He instructed me to help you, to protect you, but he promised he’d break my nose if I put a foot out of line.” Josh grinned at her indignant gasp.

  “Matt has no right to tell me who I can and cannot kiss.” Ashley cut a piece of salmon and popped it into her mouth.

  “Your brother is protective. I get it. Dillon and I used to watch out for our sister in the same way.”

  Ashley cut more of the delicious salmon. “Matt is in Afghanistan. You’re working for me, keeping me safe. Not Matt. The next time I speak to him, I’ll tell him so.”

  “It won’t stop him worrying.”

  “Probably not, so you should tell him what he wants to hear and keep the rest to yourself.”

  “Lie?” Josh asked.

  “Yes.” Ashley scowled. “I guess that wouldn’t work either.”

  “No.”

  “All right, but you tell him I disapprove of his tactics and will have words with him the minute he sets foot on New Zealand soil.”

  “That should make him shake in his shoes,” Josh said.

  Ashley sniffed. “Now you’re laughing at me. I’m not useless, you know.”

  “I’ll make sure Frog is aware of your position when I speak to him again,” Josh promised. “Are you going to let me shop for you?”

  “You’ll promise to buy exactly what I ask for?”

  “Of course,” Josh said. “I’m your fiancé. I should have intimate knowledge of your underwear.”

  “Huh.”

  “I’ll let you see mine.”

  “I’ve already seen yours,” she blurted.

  “Yes.”

  A suspicion occurred. “Were you awake this morning?”

  “Sweetheart. I’m ex-NZSAS. We’re trained to sleep light.”

  Ashley relaxed more than she had in weeks. Josh’s teasing charmed her and eased her fear. Against her better judgment, she agreed to let him do her lingerie shopping.

  “What will happen at your meeting tomorrow?” Josh asked.

  “Hopefully, Geoffrey will review the party stance on capital gains tax. That’s one thing killing us in the polls. Other than that, I’m sure we’ll continue in the same vein.”

  Josh walked with her to the hotel and insisted on escorting her to the meeting room. She introduced him to several of the other Labor party members, and on hearing their explanations, they didn’t ask awkward questions. They merely nodded and extended congratulations.

  “How long will the meeting take?” Josh asked.

  “They run around two hours.”

  He led her off to the side, out of visibility from most of her coworkers, leaned closer to her and whispered. “I added my contact details to your address book. Text me when you’re almost done. I think you’re safe
here, but I won’t take chances. If I get back earlier, I’ll grab a coffee and wait for your text.”

  “Thanks.”

  Josh’s grin was all the warning she received. She blinked, heat roared through her and the next second, he was kissing her. It wasn’t one of those quick brushes of his mouth against hers or a peck on the cheek. This was an open-mouthed, tongue-tangling kiss of seduction. Ashley tightened her hands on his shoulders and held on because she feared her knees might buckle. This kiss, his touch, his scent… Everything knotted together to befuddle her senses. When he parted their mouths, she was breathing hard and craved a repeat.

  Josh Williams knew a thing or two about kissing.

  He leaned closer again, his eyes a darker blue than usual, and stole another slow, decadent kiss. “See you later, sweetheart. Don’t forget. Text me.”

  With her power of speech AWOL, she nodded instead. He winked and left, his long strides carrying him to the lift. When it arrived, he held the door for an elderly secretary to exit, then the doors closed behind him, and he was lost from sight.

  Ashley sighed and reclaimed her political persona.

  The first person she saw was Charles, and the man sure held resentment close and wielded it like a club—usually on her head. Suck it up, princess. She brought out her secret weapon and beamed at him.

  “Hi, Charles. I hear your campaign for the inner-city seat is going well. Congratulations.”

  “I work hard,” Charles snapped.

  “Of course you do. I don’t doubt that for a moment. You’re an excellent politician.”

  He blinked at the praise, but Ashley had had enough of the prima donna. “Oh, there’s Christine. I need a word with her. Please excuse me.”

  Ashley walked away before Charles could reply. The man was an idiot. “Hey, Christine. How are things with you?”

  Christine was standing for a seat in Christchurch, but they had met as students at Auckland University.

  “Someone has been keeping secrets.” Christine, a petite blonde who preferred bright and bold colors, waggled a finger at Ashley.

  Ashley stilled. “What secrets?”

  “That hunk of a man who kissed you a few minutes ago. Heck, my toes curled from the heat. Ah! That’s why your brain is sluggish. His kiss muddied your mind.”

  Ashley giggled. “Josh is a great kisser.”

  “How did you meet him? Wait? Are the weird rumors true? I heard on the news this morning you were engaged. I thought it was the press inventing stuff again.” Her gaze darted to Ashley’s finger and widened on spotting the ring. “It’s true?”

  “I met Josh through my brother.”

  “Ah! That explains the sexy physique. Josh is a soldier.”

  “Yes. Or at least he was. He left the army a few weeks ago.” Ashley noticed her colleagues drifting into the meeting room. “We’d better hurry or we’ll miss out on the chocolate biscuits.”

  Christine tapped her handbag. “I brought my own. You can share.”

  In the conference room, they sat next to each other.

  Geoffrey strode into the room with two senior members. They took their seats while Geoffrey remained standing.

  “Earlier this morning, our senior members held a meeting. The polls have us trailing by a huge margin. This election needs a shakeup to improve our hopes of winning. With that in mind, we’ve decided to rejig our party line-up and present something new to the voting public. I will resign and step into a senior role.”

  A buzz of conversation sprang up, and Ashley shared a glance with Christine.

  “Who will they appoint?” Ashley whispered.

  Christine shrugged. “Who knows?”

  Geoffrey raised his hand for quiet, and silence fell. “Last night and this morning, we discussed my replacement. We looked at achievements, popularity, and a host of other circumstances.” Geoffrey scanned faces, his search halting when he met Ashley’s gaze. “The new Labor party leader—if she will accept the post—and we hope, our next prime minister, will be Ashley Townsend.”

  Ashley blinked, uncertain if she’d heard correctly.

  “Yay!” Christine leaped to her feet and wildly applauded. “Go, Ashley!”

  The party members joined in the applause, and several of the younger ones hooted and hollered with approval while Ashley continued to stare at Geoffrey.

  “Speech!” Christine shouted. “Speech!”

  Geoffrey signaled Ashley to stand and join him. Her legs trembled, but she managed the short journey.

  “Thank you, Geoffrey. I know this can’t have been easy for you,” Ashley murmured.

  “You’ll accept?”

  “I am honored,” Ashley said in a total understatement. It was something she’d dreamed of since she was five-years-old and learned she’d lost out on the queen position. Although she hadn’t been elected yet, she could be the prime minister if the Labor caucus swayed the voting public.

  “Ashley has good news,” Christine shouted above the chatter. “She got engaged this weekend.”

  “Congratulations!” several of her colleagues called.

  Ashley listened to the congratulations for a few more minutes before raising her hand for silence.

  “Thank you. I am honored to accept the leadership of the party. I know we have had problems, and I have my own ideas and suggestions of what to change. Shall we pull up our shirt sleeves and get to work again? We have a lot to do before Election day.”

  6 – Sexy Lingerie

  Josh hadn’t realized lingerie shopping would provide entertainment. He’d gone to the shop Ashley had suggested, and the instant he’d stepped foot inside, an assistant had made a bee-line to him. After he’d pulled out his list, the middle-aged woman had helped him meet Ashley’s requirements.

  He’d added a few requests of his own since he believed Ashley should embrace her sexy. She could turn heads and still do an efficient job for her electorate.

  They’d sorted out bras, getting the sizes and makes Ashley had specified since she knew they fitted well.

  “My fiancé is often in the public eye. She wants to make sure her lingerie doesn’t show beneath her clothes,” Josh said.

  “We have this new line. The boy-shorts are perfect to wear beneath trousers, yet they’re still very feminine.” The assistant held up plain black panties in a silky fabric.

  Josh imagined Ashley wearing them and nodded. “One set of black and one set of beige.”

  “They come in three-packs.”

  “Even better,” Josh said.

  “I think that’s everything on the list.”

  “I’d like to add two more sets. These are for my viewing pleasure.” Josh winked at the assistant, and she wagged her finger at him, but her eyes twinkled.

  “Your fiancée is a fortunate lady. What did you have in mind?”

  “I’ll take a set of the pale pink you showed me earlier and something in that ruby-red color. Perfect.”

  Ashley had warned him of the expense, but the total had him blinking twice. Still, he handed over the money Ashley had given him plus his credit card to cover the rest. He couldn’t wait to see her in this lingerie, and after their earlier kiss, he thought they might both desire the same outcome.

  “Thank you,” he said to the sales assistant. “You helped to make this visit stress-free for me.” He glanced at his watch. “I promised to meet my fiancée in two hours, so I’d better hustle.”

  Josh stopped by their hotel to drop his shopping with the luggage they’d left for later collection and continued to the hotel where the Labor caucus was meeting. The session was still in progress when he arrived, and he retreated to the coffee shop to wait for a text from Ashley.

  His phone rang as the waitress delivered his coffee.

  “Hey, Louie,” he said. “What’s up?”

  “I left Ashley’s place to meet Mac for lunch, and when I got back, I found a dressmaker’s dummy on the front lawn, by the mailbox. It’s dressed in lingerie. A red G-string and a bra that’s
more thought than substance.”

  “Crap. Is there any note attached or in the mailbox?” Josh asked.

  “Just a sec.”

  Josh heard a series of taps.

  “There’s a plain envelope.”

  “Open it,” Josh ordered.

  “A single sheet of paper. The note says home wrecker. That’s all.”

  “Crap. This person who is hassling Ashley is escalating. Can you snap a photo of the dummy and the note and send them to me?”

  “Should I call the cops?”

  “So far, they’re telling us they can’t do much. We need cameras. Physical proof of mischief. I’ve emailed Frog. I’ll question Ashley and ask if she knows what the note means. She’s not a woman who’d flirt or have an affair. She’s genuine. Sincere. She works hard and doesn’t have time to play.”

  “There has to be something to drive the notes,” Louie said.

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll send the photos through now. Let me know if I can help with anything else.”

  “Thanks, Louie. Appreciate it.”

  Josh busied himself with research and poking into Ashley’s background. Then Summer emailed him a copy of an article showing a picture of an eighteen-year-old Ashley. Josh fired off another email to Frog, asking for further details, other than what he’d already mentioned. Could this be the source of the danger after all? He’d ask Ashley, but he hated tears, and this might be a touchy subject. Was the public aware of this and how deep was the story buried? He sent Summer another email asking his sister’s opinion.

  It was another two hours before Ashley sent him a text. Josh packed up and strode to meet his fiancée, his heart heavy at the discussion they needed to have soon.

  When he arrived at the conference room, Ashley stood chatting to a group of older men and women. Each shook her hand, and there was an electric vibe, an air of excitement filling the air.

  “We scheduled the press announcement for one.” An officious lady tapped her pen on her clipboard. “Do not be late.”

  “I won’t,” Ashley promised with her trademark smile. She lifted her head and spotted him, her smile widening. “Josh.”

  “What’s going on?” Josh asked.

  “Geoffrey resigned,” Ashley said. “I’m his replacement.”