[Anthology] A Clean Fake Marriage Romance Collection

by Victorine E. Lieske

  He held out his arm. “There’s a car waiting.”

  They stepped outside, to see a long stretch limo idling in the circular drive. She raised an eyebrow at him. “Car?”

  He shrugged as the driver opened the door for her. “I guess Doctor Lemon wanted this to be a date to remember.”

  The silver box grew warm in her hand. “Yeah. I bet.”

  The restaurant was upscale, all white tablecloths and crystal wine glasses. They were seated in a secluded area so the camera men didn’t bother anyone else.

  Nerves assaulted her as she stared at the menu. “What are you getting?”

  Adam seemed relaxed. “The halibut looks good. Their seafood is flown in fresh each day.”

  She snapped her menu shut. “Good choice. I’ll have that, too.” The reality was she didn’t think she could eat anything before opening that stupid box, but she dreaded doing so.

  After they ordered, Adam placed his hand on hers. “Do you want to open it, or keep staring at it like it’s going to bite you?”

  She tore her eyes from the silver lid. She had to know what was in it. Then maybe she could get it over with and enjoy the rest of the date. “You open it.”

  He picked up the metal container and flipped up the lid. It appeared to be filled with small strips of paper. His gaze flickered to hers before he read the instructions. “Take turns selecting and following the directions on each piece of paper. You must use them all.” He set the box between them, then eyed her. “Want to go first?”

  She shook her head.

  He grinned, then picked up a white strip and smoothed it out on the table. “Tell your date about your most embarrassing moment.”

  Relief flooded through her. That wasn’t so bad.

  Adam chuckled and tossed the paper in the middle of the table. “Okay, it has to be the time I accidentally called our fifth grade teacher her nick-name...to her face.”

  Megan held in a giggle. “Do tell.”

  “Ms. Starkbaum was the math teacher. Except everyone called her Stink Bottom. When she called me up to the board, I said, “Yes, Ms. Stink Bottom.” Of course, the entire class erupted in laughter, and I got detention.”

  “You poor thing.”

  “Yeah, wasn’t fair at all. Everyone called her that. I just slipped up in front of her.”

  Megan bit her lower lip. “Mine was in middle school.”

  He raised an eyebrow and his dimples appeared. “Can’t wait to hear it.”

  “My gym bag’s zipper had broken. It wasn’t a big deal until I dropped it on the cement and my clothes dumped out. My underwear caught a breeze and flew across the school parking lot.”

  A pained look crossed Adam’s face. “Ooh, that’s bad.”

  “I wish that was the worst of it. Billy Holt caught them and proceeded to show everyone where my mother had written my name on them.”

  It was obvious he was trying not to laugh. “Yeah. That’s worse.” A snort erupted and they both laughed.

  He nudged the box toward her. “Your turn.”

  “Oh, all right. That one was a freebie.” She reached in and grabbed the first paper that touched her fingers. “Share your earliest betrayal.”

  Adam froze, his gaze flickering to the camera. Without a word, she understood. He was glad she had gotten that one. There were some things he didn’t want to share in front of America.

  She cleared her throat. “That’s easy. First grade. I was best friends with Erin Williams. A new girl moved in. Shelly Fry. A cutie with red curls all down her back. Erin hated her, but I wanted to be friends. I convinced Erin she wasn’t so bad. The next week, I came to school and they were talking about me behind my back. All of a sudden, Erin and Shelly were best friends, and I was left out.”

  Adam scoffed. “Girls are so fickle.”

  She opened her mouth in mock indignation. “Hey, don’t blame our entire gender. It was Erin’s fault.”

  “She missed out.” His words were light, but his eyes darkened and his face turned serious.

  She pushed the box toward him. “All yours.”

  He reached in and grabbed one. “Tell your date the thing you fear the most.” A look crossed his face, but vanished before she could put a name to it, and a smile replaced it. “Easy.” He took her hand, warmth spreading through her. “Losing you.”

  Chapter 18

  Adam hadn’t meant to make a joke out of it, but he could tell by Megan’s face that’s how it came across. She scrunched up her nose and pulled her hand back. “Fair enough. I guess it’s my turn again.”

  He’d made her mad. Stupid. Why did he always fall back on that fake macho persona Leon pushed on him? Regret filled him.

  She reached into the container, shuffling around the strips before selecting one and uncurling it. “Reveal your deepest secret.”

  Her face drained of color, and he instantly felt bad for her. Nothing like revealing your deepest secret on national television. Trying to keep the mood light, he said, “This should be interesting.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “That’s easy. Everyone already knows I’m secretly in love with my co-host.” She scrunched up the paper into a tiny ball and tossed it over her shoulder. “Next.”

  The question had gotten to her, obviously. But she successfully side-stepped it. Maybe they could get this game over with if they went quickly. This time he drew from the bottom. “Name one thing you always wanted for Christmas, but never got.”

  He lifted his gaze to meet hers, and saw compassion behind her eyes. He couldn’t answer this truthfully, either. Not with the cameras rolling. So he picked something out of the air. “Probably what every kid wants. A pony.” He flashed a fake smile.

  “Me too. Why does every kid want a pony? They’re a lot of work to take care of.”

  “Kids don’t think about the work. Only the fun.” He placed his hand on her arm.

  “Too bad the fun only lasts a short time, but the work goes on.” She stared at his hand until he removed it. “I guess it’s my turn again.”

  After silently reading her paper, a smile crossed her face. “If you could dare your date to do one thing, what would it be?”

  “Hey, that’s not fair. This is supposed to be about sharing.”

  Her brow arched. “It’s a trust exercise. Don’t you trust me?”

  “Not with that devilish look on your face.”

  Her laughter carried through the room. “Hey, the paper only asked what I would dare you to do. It didn’t say you had to do it.”

  He wiped his brow in pretend relief. “Good. Because I haven’t forgotten the karaoke contest.”

  “You weaseled your way out of that, if I remember properly. Got a standing ovation.”

  “I have mad skills.” He gave her a sexy grin, and she blushed.

  “Okay. Your dare would be...” She looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “To spike your hair in a mohawk.”

  “That’s it?”

  “And wear it on our morning show.”

  He laughed. “You know how to dare.”

  A smug look formed on her face. “You are talking to the reigning champion of the sixth grade truth or dare tournament.”

  They continued to take turns with the box, a silent understanding passing between them to evade the questions they didn’t want to answer on the air. When their food arrived, they only had two pieces of paper left.

  Adam motioned to the box. “I guess these will have to wait.”

  A frown crossed Megan’s face. “No way. I’m getting this over with so we can enjoy the rest of our date.” She pulled out a paper and uncurled it, then grimaced. “Share your most painful childhood memory.”

  The display of emotion that played out on Megan’s face brought out a desire in him to protect her. She shouldn’t have to talk about things like this in front of millions of people. What right did Leon have to do this? He was about to say something, but she smoothed out her features and smiled. “Probably the time I crashed my bike and skinned both
knees. Took a week to heal.” She crumpled the paper and pushed the box toward him. “Last one’s yours.”

  He took the paper and unfolded it. “Tell your date about your first kiss.” He groaned and tossed the paper into the pile in the middle of the table. “Of course, it had to be that.”

  “What? It can’t be that bad.”

  He sucked in a breath and leaned back in his chair. “I’m afraid it is.”

  “Well, you can’t stop there. You have to spill it.”

  “Okay. I was in third grade. My best friend Jeffery dared me to kiss Emily, the prettiest girl in class. I told him I wouldn’t do it, but then he double dog dared me to.” He kept his face straight to show the seriousness of the situation.

  “Oh, no. You can’t back away from a double dog dare.” Megan picked up her water and took a sip. “What did you do?”

  “Of course I had to do it, or forever be branded as a coward.”

  “Naturally.”

  “So, during recess I told Emily there was a cool frog out behind the school. She didn’t seem interested.” He shrugged. “I guess girls don’t like frogs. Who knew?”

  Megan snorted. “You really thought that would work?”

  “What can I say? I was eight. When I changed it to a kitten, she perked up. She followed me, even though we weren’t allowed to leave the playground.”

  A smile tugged at Megan’s lips. “You rebel.”

  “I definitely was. And after we got out back, and there was no kitten, Emily turned to leave, and I panicked. I said the first thing that popped into my head.”

  “Which was?”

  He bit back a grin. “I double dog dare you to kiss me.”

  Megan giggled. “Not very original, were you?”

  “Nope. But it worked. She stopped, turned around and looked at me for a moment, like she couldn’t decide if she was going to do it or not.”

  “She must have, since this is the story of your first kiss.” Megan’s eyes twinkled.

  “You’re right. She took two steps toward me, and said, ‘Okay.’ Then she closed her eyes and puckered her lips. I planted one on her so fast, she probably thought I socked her. Then I turned to see Mrs. Zuckerman and the entire fourth grade English class lined up along the windows, watching us.”

  Megan laughed. “No way! What happened?”

  “We got in trouble for leaving the playground. But good thing it happened back then. Today I’d have been charged with sexual assault.”

  “Sad, but true.” Megan picked up her fork and stabbed a piece of asparagus. “Well, your story beats mine.”

  Curiosity piqued in him. “Fess up.”

  She chewed, then swallowed. “It’s boring compared to yours.”

  “Too bad. You have to tell it now.”

  “I was sixteen, and on my first date. Harry Davis. A skinny kid with freckles.” She picked up her water glass. “He kissed me on the doorstep after the date.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Told you it was boring.” She smiled, then took a sip of her water.

  “What a letdown.”

  She glanced at the camera. “Remind me to tell you sometime about my second kiss. Much more entertaining.”

  The gleam in her eye made him chuckle. “You got it.”

  MEGAN PUNCHED THE PILLOW in her mansion room and rolled over...again. Why was she so restless? That stupid trust exercise had her stomach all tied up in knots. What was Leon thinking, that they’d really share all that personal stuff on national television? He had some nerve.

  Her stomach growled, and she looked at the clock. Three fifteen. The halibut had been delicious, but not as filling as she’d hoped. And since she had no chance of falling back asleep anytime soon, she slid out of bed and pulled on her robe. Maybe there was something in the kitchen she could snack on.

  The hallway was dark, only lit by a sliver of moonlight shining through a small decorative window high on the far wall. She padded down the back staircase and through another hall that led to the kitchen. The cold tile reminded her she’d forgotten to put on slippers.

  She opened the refrigerator, and the bright light hit her in the face. She was standing there blinking, staring at the blurry contents, when a voice behind her made her jump.

  “Looks like I’m not the only one who couldn’t sleep.”

  She squealed and turned to face Adam, who wore flannel pajamas and a smirk on his face. “Adam! You scared me.”

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.” He took a step toward her, his hair tousled in a sexy bed-head way. “Anything good in there?”

  She turned back around, her heart hammering in her chest, not entirely from alarm. “I don’t know. My eyes hadn’t adjusted yet.”

  He grabbed the door and opened it wider, his body now so close she could sense his warmth. “Hmm. Grapes?”

  She shook her head. “No. Middle of the night snacks shouldn’t be healthy.”

  A chuckle came from behind her. “Pudding?”

  She peered into the light, still unable to see anything. “What flavor?”

  He reached past her and grabbed something. “Looks like chocolate fudge.”

  “Now you’re talking.”

  He chuckled again, and his breath brushed her cheek. Smelled like mint. What did he do, chew gum in his sleep? He handed her the cup and grabbed another for himself. “Okay. Chocolate pudding it is.”

  She closed the fridge and turned to find Adam hadn’t moved, effectively pinning her to the door. She looked up at him. For some reason he was staring at her with such intensity, she could barely breathe. She stood frozen as the seconds ticked by, his lips so close to hers she could almost taste them. But he blinked and moved back, and the moment evaporated like mist in the sun.

  They pulled open drawers until Megan found the spoons. When she handed Adam his, their fingers touched and electricity zapped through her.

  Dang. She’d better get away from him. Being alone like this was not a good idea. Not when she couldn’t trust her treacherous body.

  She leaned against the counter and opened her container. The pudding was cold and had the perfect amount of chocolate. She let it slide down her throat and soothe her nervous stomach. She clutched the cool cup and dared a glance at Adam.

  He stood staring at her, almost like he wanted to speak but was holding back. She frowned. “What?”

  “Nothing. I was just thinking about our trust exercise.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, wasn’t that fun?” She adopted a nasal voice, mimicking Doctor Lemon. “Tell everyone your deepest, darkest secrets. It will be good for you.”

  He laughed. “You do a pretty good impression of her.”

  Megan curtsied. “Thanks.”

  Adam’s face grew serious again. “You know, I never wanted a pony.”

  She stared at him, her throat tightening. “Yeah. I figured.”

  He leaned back on the counter, crossing his feet at his ankles and pushing the pudding around in his cup. “The only thing I wanted was to be with my dad again. I didn’t understand why Santa wouldn’t give me that.”

  She slid closer to him and put her hand on his back. “I’m sorry. How awful for you.”

  He shrugged. “I grew up. Learned the ways of life. Found out Santa wasn’t real, and that sometimes no matter how hard you wished for something, it wasn’t going to happen.”

  “That’s a hard lesson for a kid.”

  “It was.” He sighed and stared at his pudding. “I’m just thankful I have my father in a better facility.” Then he turned his ice blue eyes on her. “I appreciate you doing this.”

  Guilt worked its way into her. The only reason she was doing the show was to advance her career. And even then, she’d almost refused. She hadn’t wanted to agree to a fake marriage, something that now paled in importance. “Sure,” she muttered.

  He swallowed, then shifted his weight. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Okay.”

  His gaze bore into hers. “Wh
at were you thinking of when you were asked to share your deepest secret?”

  Her chest tightened, and a chill ran over her skin. For a moment, she thought about blowing off the question, but an urge to tell him surged in her. She broke the eye contact and stared at her feet, unsure of how to begin.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “No. It’s okay. I’ve just never told anyone before. It’s kind of hard.”

  He nodded and waited for her to continue.

  She took a deep breath. “When I was six, a girl in my town was kidnapped. They found her body three weeks later, in a creek.” She raised her gaze to stare into his eyes. “I could have prevented it.”

  His eyebrows knit together. “How?” he asked, his voice soft.

  She set the empty pudding cup on the counter and folded her arms across her chest. “Two days before her kidnapping, I was playing outside in my yard. A man pulled up in a van, saying he’d lost his puppy. I knew better than to go near a stranger, but he seemed so worried. I wanted to help. The next thing I knew, he grabbed me and pulled me toward his van.”

  Adam took in a sharp breath. “That’s horrible.”

  “I was able to wriggle out of his grasp. I ran into the house and hid under my bed until Wendy came looking for me. I was so scared I’d get in trouble, I never told anyone. Then when the other girl turned up missing, I locked it up in my head and convinced myself to forget it ever happened.” Her hands shook, and she twisted her fingers together.

  He pulled her close, his strong arms enveloping her, wrapping her in warmth. “It wasn’t your fault,” he whispered into her hair.

  She trembled, unable to stop. “I know, but if I had said something...” Her vision blurred.

  He pulled back, his gaze intense. “You were only six years old. You probably couldn’t even have given them the license plate number.” He brushed a tear off her cheek with his thumb.

  Megan blinked as she processed that thought. “You’re right. I didn’t think of that.”

  He hugged her again, tucking her head under his chin. “You were so young. It’s very possible your account of the incident wouldn’t have stopped the man. You can’t hold yourself responsible.”