by Anna Durand
I try to focus on work. I'm meant to design two new devices, but after months of trying, I still can't come up with anything. Women have always been my inspiration, but I haven't had a date, much less a shag, in so long I can barely remember what a woman's naked body looks like.
Though I have fantasized about what Rika's naked body looks like.
After an hour of racking my brain, all I have to show for the effort is a pile of crumpled-up papers in the trash bin beside my desk. If I can't invent new sex toys, maybe I can at least meet another of Celeste's requirements.
I shouldn't do it. But I want to do it.
No, I don't want it. I need to do it. For the business. Not for my aching cock, but for my company.
Clearing my throat, I call out to Rika, "Miss Solberg, would you mind coming in here, please?"
She hustles into my office, halting in front of my desk. "What can I do for you, Mr. Dixon?"
"Please sit down." I gesture toward the chairs just behind her. "I need to discuss something with you."
Rika settles onto one of the chairs, shimmying her bum like she's finding the perfect position for it on the seat. Her arse looks fantastic in that skirt, and when she's sitting down, the fabric rides up enough to let me glimpse her knees. They're bloody fantastic too, and so are her smooth, sexy calves.
I stare at her legs like a brainless moron for so long that she finally speaks up.
"What did you need to discuss?" she asks.
"Oh. Yes. That." I pull my chair closer to the desk and spread my palms on it, then realize that must look odd, so I clasp my hands instead. And I clear my throat again. Twice. "The answer---the question, I mean---it, uh---"
Fuck. Why can't I speak when I'm in her presence?
In the restaurant the other day, we had a normal conversation. I need to channel the calmness I'd somehow marshaled on that day. Slow breaths. Don't look at her legs. Inhale calmly, exhale slowly. Look her in the eye, idiot.
After taking a few calming breaths, I meet her gaze. "Be my girlfriend."
She blinks once, in slow motion. Her mouth falls open. "Are you asking me out on a date?"
Wouldn't that be the worst attempt at asking a woman out? But I don't want a girlfriend, especially not one who makes me crave her so badly I can't think straight. Why did I tell her to be my girlfriend instead of asking if she'd mind doing me the favor?
"No, not a date," I tell her. "This would be a business arrangement. Celeste insists I must have a woman on my arm at public events. So it doesn't look like I'm a recluse living in a garden shed in the woods, or something to that effect."
"Yeah, that would be kind of creepy."
Does she think I'm creepy? I don't care. Maybe I do a little. No, I don't care.
She wiggles her bum again, then leans back in the chair. "You're not creepy at all, but the idea of some loner loser designing sex toys... That is kind of icky. I can see how it might not be good for sales."
I still don't understand why anyone needs to see my face or know my name, but Celeste is the expert. I've done reasonably well with my little company, but now she's about to launch it into the stratosphere like a rocket headed for Mars.
Do I want that? It seemed like a good idea when she suggested it. Today, I wish I'd never signed that contract.
"So, ah..." I fidget in my chair, though I'm positive the discomfort I feel has nothing to do with the seat. "Will you do it? Will you, um, serve as my, ah..."
"Pretend girlfriend?"
"Yes. That."
She studies me like she's considering the offer.
I fidget more. Or maybe I'm squirming. Or maybe there really is a nail poking through my seat straight into my arse.
Rika nods once and slaps her hands on her thighs. "Yes, I'll do it. What the heck? I don't have a boyfriend right now. Hanging out with a soon-to-be-billionaire could be fun."
How much fun will I be? I can barely speak a full sentence in her presence.
Before she can change her mind, I say, "Thank you, Miss Solberg. I will, of course, pay you for your time."
An entire sentence. No stammering. Miracles do happen.
"Pay me?" Her brows lift. "I already work for you."
A nervous laugh bursts out of me. "Oh, yes. Of course you do."
Rika crosses her legs, resting one hand on her raised knee. "Come to think of it, you're my boss. Isn't this a conflict of interest or an ethics violation or something?"
Bollocks. I don't want anyone to think she slept her way into this or any job. Though Celeste said she could reassign Rika if I decided to date her, there aren't any comparable positions available at Bonsoir. I checked yesterday. But I've gone too far to back out of it now, and I have no hope of finding anyone else who will take on the task of hanging on my arm, not in the timeframe Celeste gave me.
Another bloody brilliant idea occurs to me.
"I'll have to let you go," I say. "But I can find you another PA job. My brother Chance knows a lot of people in New York, so I'm sure he can help with that."
Her mouth opens, her eyes widen, and she makes a soft huffing sound. "Oh great. I get fired from the best-paying job I've ever had. How is that fair? I'd basically be doing you a favor while I get shafted."
"I'll make sure your new position pays the same or more than your current job. Chance and I will find you the perfect position." I haven't asked Chance if he'll help, and I may need to beg for it since I can't tell him why my PA needs a new job. Well, maybe I can tell him---just not the whole truth. "Since everyone will believe we're dating, they'll also understand why I need to find you a different position."
"Okay," she says slowly, like she's not quite sure about my plan. "I'm not an actress, you know. What if I can't pretend to adore you?"
"I'm sure you can." I adjust my tie, though it doesn't need adjusting, and squirm again. "We have, um, kissed. That should be all you might ever need to do in public."
Her lips tighten into a smirk. "You want me to shove my tongue in your mouth at publicity events? While you glue yourself to my body?"
I cough, splutter, and finally choke on my own saliva. Once I've stopped coughing, I tell her, "No, we won't need to do that. Simple kisses at the appropriate times will be the extent of it."
"And hanging on your arm. Looking pretty and gazing at you adoringly."
"You don't have to---I mean, it's not---" I take a breath and start over. "You don't need to adore me. Just behave like a normal woman who likes the man she's dating. That's all."
She nods. "I can pull that off, I guess."
"I'm sure you can."
Has she actually agreed to my plan? Why would she do that? It's an outrageous thing to ask of a woman.
"Are you sure," I ask, "that you really want to do this? I'll understand if it's too barmy for you to handle."
"Nope, I'm fine with it. Could be fun, going out to swanky places, eating outrageously expensive food." She twists her lips into a lopsided expression. "Except all I own is work clothes and casual stuff. Will I need to buy expensive dresses or whatever?"
"I will buy anything you need."
"Wow, thanks." She taps her chin, seeming like she's analyzing something. "So, I get free fancy clothes, free fancy food, and the company of a hot guy. Yeah, it might be taxing, but I can handle it." She hops up and offers me her hand. "It's a deal."
I slip my hand into hers for a brief handshake. Her palm is soft and warm. "Yes, it's a deal."
"Great."
We're actually doing this.
I drum my fingers on my chair's arms. What do I say now? Should I arrange our first "date"? Maybe I need to wait until Celeste has an event she wants me to attend. Celeste didn't spell out the details, but it seems to me that Rika and I should be seen in public before the re-launch. Otherwise, it might seem like a got a girlfriend strictly for that purpose.
Rika is smiling, and it seems almost playful. "Since I'm your fake girlfriend, do you want me to
fake sleep with you? I can fake orgasms, no problem."
I choke on my own tongue this time. When I regain the ability to speak, I say, "That won't be necessary. We need to put on the pretense of a relationship only in public."
"Shouldn't people see me coming and going from your apartment? I mean, that's what a girlfriend would do. Right?"
Oh bollocks. She's right. I hadn't thought of that before.
"Uh, yes," I say. "I suppose you should do that. I'm staying at a hotel, though, not living in a flat. You don't need to stay the night. We can, ah, work out the demon---the details. Later. We can work it out later."
"Whatever you say."
"Thank you, Miss Solberg. I appreciate your cooperation."
She smiles and laughs, though it's soft and not derisive. "Don't you think you should start calling me Rika?"
Of course I should. Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks. Why couldn't I think of that either?
"Absolutely, I should. Thank you, Rika." Speaking her first name makes my cock twitch. Or maybe that happens because her hips and thighs are at my eye level, and I can't help staring at her body. "And you should call me Dane."
"Starting when?"
"Right now. We should have lunch together too, at a romantic restaurant."
"Ooh, sorry, I can't." She makes a pinched face. "I'm having lunch with Elena and Arden. Would you mind making our first fake date for dinner instead?"
"Yes, of course, dinner it is. I'll pick you up at eight. Uh, you'll need to give me the address."
"Sure thing." She rattles off her address while I write it down. "See you at eight, Dane."
Then she ambles out of my office.
Hearing her speak my name... Christ, I've got an erection now. Her swaying hips in that skirt, her sexy voice, that smile---and she said my name.
Can I survive fake dating her?
Chapter Five
Rika
Have I lost my mind? The evidence suggests that yes, I have. Why else would I agree to fake date my boss? I've lusted for Dane Dixon since the day I met him, despite the fact he gets tongue-tied around me. That's kind of cute, actually. When Dane gets flustered, I want to climb onto his lap and kiss his cheek. Then kiss other parts of him, starting with his lips. Since I've wanted him to pay more attention to me, our new arrangement feels like a dream come true.
So naturally, my reaction was to say, "Yes, please, sign me up! Woo-hoo!"
Maybe I didn't speak those precise words, but what I did say amounted to the same thing. I got so excited I wanted to fist-pump right in front of my uptight boss.
Until I realized he doesn't really want to date me. He wants to show me off in public, so everyone will think he has a girlfriend and he's not a creepy loner who beats off while watching internet porn in his tool shed. Okay, sure, I get that. It's an image thing. But why can't we legitimately date?
I should've asked him that. Shouldn't I? But no, I was distracted by my tummy fluttering and my heart fluttering because Dane Dixon was speaking to me. In complete sentences. Mostly.
How stupid am I?
Maybe it's not such a bad thing. I haven't had sex in months, and my last date ended with the guy suggesting I should stop being a "whore" for anyone who paid me to be their work slave. I don't see how working as a PA makes me a whore, but whatever. Even before that incident, I'd been having an insane amount of trouble finding a guy who's not a complete jerk or so wimpy that I have to order his meal for him.
Aren't there any real men out there anymore?
When I had lunch with Dane the other day, he hadn't needed me to order for him or tell him where to sit. He hadn't asked me to sign a legal waiver before he kissed me either. Yeah, one guy suggested that. Dane didn't. He backed me up to the wall and kissed me, like he meant it.
Oh, I loved that kiss.
Maybe that explains why I agreed to Dane's fake dating plan. One amazing kiss and I melted for him.
Now I'm sitting at my desk trying to figure out how I'll survive making like I'm his girlfriend for almost two months when I'm not his girlfriend. I'll have to pretend to be hot for him, pretend to adore him, pretend to love making out with him. Wait... I'm pretty sure we're not supposed to make out. Simple kisses for public consumption only, that's what he told me. Why hadn't I pointed out that we kissed way more than that when he took me out to lunch? No simple peck on the lips that time. He had made love to my mouth, and wow, I want more of that.
Sorry, you can't have that. Dane isn't your boyfriend.
Right. Not my boyfriend. I need to remember that. No thrusting my tongue into his mouth. No sucking on his earlobe. No fondling his hot body. Absolutely no unzipping his slacks so I can close my hand around his cock.
Oh God, I'm in so much trouble.
I manage to focus on work until noon, when I have to pick up the phone and tell Dane I'm leaving for my lunch break. Yeah, I could walk into his office and tell him. Bad idea. Considering the fantasies about him that I've endured ever since our little meeting earlier, I know I should not set foot in his office for a while. A long while. Like, days. Maybe months.
When he picks up his phone, I say, "Just wanted to let you know I'm off to lunch."
"Thank you for letting me know. Enjoy your lunch, Rika."
I love hearing him say my name. Love his voice, period. And his accent. I'd thought Elena and Arden were full of it when they told me a Dixon man's British accent will drive any red-blooded woman wild. Nope, they weren't lying. Dane's voice makes me so horny.
"Enjoy your lunch too," I say. "See you in an hour, Dane."
And I love saying his name almost as much as I love hearing him say mine. Dane. That one syllable makes me so horny too. Dane, Dane, Dane. Even thinking his name gets me hot.
Snap out of it, girl. He's not your boyfriend.
I stand up, roll my shoulders back, and head for the elevator.
Then I realize I forgot my purse. Jeez, I'm hopeless.
By the time I get to the bistro where Elena suggested we meet for lunch, I've gotten over the initial shock of what I agreed to do for Dane. Yes, I'm fine now. Away from his sexy presence, I feel much better. No lustful thoughts. I've kept my mind focused on the tasks I need to take care of after lunch. Now, as my two best friends and I sit down by the picture windows and browse our menus, all I think about is whether I want a club sandwich or an avocado chicken wrap.
"How are your hunky hubbies?" I ask absently while mulling my food choices. Do I want potato chips or salad as a side?
"Chance is great," Elena says. "He sends his love, and he asked me to tell you he's glad you're working with Dane now and he hopes your energy and enthusiasm will rub off on his brother."
Just like that, my thoughts swerve back to Dane. That kiss. His lips, his mouth, his voice, his---
"Reese says kind of the same thing," Arden tells me. "But he used the word uptight too."
Maybe Dane is kind of uptight, but he's also shown me his sensual side. Kissing me in the hallway of a restaurant? That doesn't seem uptight at all. I get the impression I make him nervous, though I can't figure out why. But when he pinned me to the wall with his entire body...
"Are you listening?" Arden asks.
"Uh, what?" Great. Now I sound like Dane whenever he speaks to me.
"She's not listening," Elena says. "Rika, why are you so distracted? The menu isn't that fascinating. Is something wrong?"
Dane Dixon is the reason I can't concentrate. I've had a giant crush on the man since the day we met, and now I'll be dating him. Kind of. Sort of. Not really. But there will be kissing, and I can't wait for that.
I groan, but only in my mind. Nobody needs to hear how sexually frustrated I am.
My two best friends are staring at me, waiting for me to explain my distracted state.
"Nothing's wrong," I say. "Lots to do at work, that's all. I have to help Dane get ready for the re-launch."
"Dane?" Elena says, lifting her brow
s. "I thought he insisted you call him Mr. Dixon."
Oh shit. How am I going to explain the fact that Dane now insists I call him by his first name? For that matter, how am I going to explain it when my friends see me going out on the town with Dane, like we're dating? I know one thing for certain. I cannot tell anyone I'm fake dating Dane. My friends will think I've lost my mind, which I probably have. Sure, they'd love it if I dated their brother-in-law for real, but that's not what he wants.
What choice do I have? None. So I tell them sort of the truth but leave out the part where it's all for show, not a real relationship.
"Dane and I are dating."
My friends grin.
"That's wonderful," Elena says. "I knew you'd like Dane. He's so sweet and sexy, smart too. You'll be perfect together."
"How fab is this?" Arden declares. "Soon you'll be our sister for real."
"I would be your sister-in-law, not your actual sister. But it's way too soon to talk about that. Honestly, we just started dating today. Dane's taking me to dinner tonight."
"Your first date?" Arden does some golf claps while grinning again. "This is amazing. Ooh, we have to help you pick out your dress for tonight."
"The emerald one," Elena suggests. "It brings out the green in her eyes."
Arden nods, her expression serious while she ponders what I should wear for my fake date with my fake boyfriend. "That's a good choice. But which shoes? I say the strappy ones."
"Yes, definitely. Those black stilettos would go great with the dress."
I groan out loud this time. "Are you two done arranging my personal life? Maybe you want to tell me what to order at dinner or whether I should have dessert."
"No," Arden says, "that's up to you. But there is one super important decision you need to make before your date."
"What's that?" I instantly regret asking, because I have a squirmy feeling in my gut that warns me what she's about to say.
"Before you go out with Dane," she tells me, "you need to decide if you're going to sleep with him on the first date or wait awhile."
I have never gotten horizontal with a guy on the first date. My friends know this.