by Tia Siren
“I don’t think so. Something is—” Her phone vibrated in her back pocket. “Hold on. I need to take this real quick.”
“Is it Luke?”
Paige nodded in confirmation before rising from the table to go outside. Not that it was much better with the noise. She slipped into the alleyway next to the restaurant to answer her phone.
“I wanted to call and confirm that I upheld my end of the bargain,” Luke said. He paused for a moment. “Where are you? I can hear cars.”
“I’m getting dinner with my friend,” she said. “I’m standing outside, but—”
“What type of friend?”
She arched an eyebrow at the harsh question. Jealousy was in, and she smiled in amusement. She briefly contemplated telling him it was Kyle Duncan just to hear his reaction but decided to leave it alone for the meantime.
“It’s Jessica,” she said. “That friend who blew the whistle on your plot.”
“Right,” he said humorlessly. “What were you saying?”
“I was going to tell you thank you for that. I didn’t expect it until the end of our arrangement.”
“The other half you can get after thirty days. I wanted something in return for honoring a portion of my end of the contract.”
Her heart started to pound. “Okay. Like what?”
“I want to be able to kiss and touch you whenever I want,” he said. “We have to make this look real, and I’m going to have blue balls if you keep your distance from me.”
She let out a shaky breath. It was exactly what she had assumed he would ask. “Toby told you that sleeping with random women in the meantime wouldn’t work?”
“Not if I want this to work,” he replied, obviously not pleased with that. “I did what you asked, so it’s your turn to do what I’m asking.”
“I’m not going to have sex with you,” Paige said firmly. “If we have to go through with this marriage, I’ll consider it then.”
“Fine.” He sighed into the phone. “But we had an agreement. This is the only thing I’m asking for in the meantime. I’m going to go crazy if you tell me no.”
“You sound like a typical teenage boy,” she commented, rolling her eyes. “Just kissing and touching. That’s it. Don’t think you’re going to get anywhere else.”
“We’ll see about that.”
He hung up without saying good-bye. Paige lowered her phone to stare out across the street with a racing heart. He was pushing her boundaries to see how far he could go. It wouldn’t be so bad… That wicked thought crossed her mind. It wouldn’t be like the last time she had been tangled up in someone’s arms. Luke’s hands never fumbled. He kissed expertly and passionately.
There was obviously something there that kept women flocking to him.
She went back inside to sit down at the table across from Jessica. Breathless, Paige sat in her chair, unable to think about picking up her sandwich.
“What happened?” Jessica asked, lowering her own sandwich immediately. “I can see that something is up. What is it? What’d Luke want?”
“I don’t know if I’m going to be able to handle being around him,” Paige said. “He’s just so experienced when it comes to everything in life. I’m just starting to figure it out, you know?”
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Is NYU that important to you?” Jessica shook her head. “It’s not worth it if it means you have to sacrifice a part of yourself in this fucked-up situation.”
“I just can’t imagine going back to Wyoming,” Paige said.
Tears filled her eyes just thinking about it. She missed her parents, but the thought of returning home after two months of utter and complete freedom to do whatever she wanted—it didn’t sit well. She wanted to be a painter in New York City with her own gallery. It had been her dream since she could remember.
She sucked in a deep breath.
“It’s worth it if I can get to where I want to be,” she said. “If I have to do this one thing, then it’s going to be worth it.”
Jessica shook her head in dismay.
“The promises you made to yourself shouldn’t be a part of any of this,” she said. “Just remember that, okay? You matter too. Don’t let him convince you otherwise.”
“I won’t,” Paige said, smiling at her friend in appreciation. “Thanks, Jess. I really appreciate you being here with me. Let’s eat so we can get back to studying.”
****
Friday night approached faster than Paige anticipated. She had no idea what to expect besides from what Toby had said in his email. Shannon would be stopping by with clothes and makeup courtesy of Luke’s credit card before a driver would pick her up at 6:00 p.m. sharp.
She climbed the stairs surreally after a long couple of days of staying up late to get homework done. She had no idea if Luke had any other plans for the weekend that involved her with him, but she didn’t want to risk it. Falling behind in classes was not an option for her while playing pretend with Luke.
Jessica was waiting anxiously outside Paige’s door when she reached the top of the stairs.
“I thought you might’ve forgotten,” she said. “You realize that Shannon will be here any minute, right?”
“Yeah, I know,” Paige said tiredly. “I’m running late. I was trying to think of a good way to talk to my parents about Luke.”
She unlocked her door before pushing it open to let Jessica in first. She left it cracked open for Shannon before sliding of her leather satchel with a relieved sigh.
“Do you need to tell them?” Jessica asked, frowning. “I mean, would it hurt if they didn’t know about it?”
“They would know about it, trust me. They keep up with the news surrounding oil.”
“Right. I see your point.”
They were quiet for a moment while Paige slipped out of her shoes, nudging them off to the side. She had no idea how she was going to explain a sudden relationship, let alone an engagement, to them. The only plausible thing she could think of was that she had started seeing Luke two months ago and had just never mentioned it because it was brand new.
Oh, and he paid for the rest of my NYU education too. Don’t worry about that.
“I’m screwed,” Paige groaned, burying her face in her hands. “I did not think this through, Jess. There is no way my parents are going to believe whatever excuse I give them.”
“For tonight, just say that you’re seeing someone new,” Jessica said. “That’s all you need to say. You can think of another way to explain things to them later. Doing it all at once might sound over the top. I wouldn’t believe it either.”
“I need to call them before I go. This event has cameras everywhere.”
“For someone who is living out a fairy tale,” Jessica said wryly, “you don’t sound very happy at all.”
“It’s a nightmare,” Paige said. She pulled out her phone to call her parents. “I better do it now before I psych myself out. They’ll see it in a paper back home.”
“Do your parents know who Luke is exactly?”
“Not exactly.” She dialed her parents’ house number. “They know Turner Oil though. I remember my dad talking about it one time.”
“Hello, darling,” Marie answered. “I’m surprised to see you calling on a Friday night. Is everything all right?”
“Everything’s fine, Mom. I, um, just wanted to share some exciting news with you guys.”
“Exciting news? Oh, let me get your father on the other phone. Harry! Harry!” Paige winced at her mother’s excited shouts. “Pick the phone up. Paige has something exciting to tell us.”
“Paige?” Harry echoed, equally confused about why she was calling on a Friday night. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes, Dad,” Paige said, rolling her eyes. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to skip on meeting my parents. It’ll be over before they could meet him, anyway. “I just wanted to tell you both that I met someone here in the city.”
“You have? Oh, th
at’s great, honey,” Marie said, but suspicion laced her voice. “You never mentioned you were planning to meet someone while in the city.”
“It just sort of happened,” Paige said with a grimace. “I wasn’t planning on it, but I met him through a mutual friend. My senior sister.”
“I hope you stick to your values, young lady,” Harry said firmly. “Remember what we taught you. Some men out there are a bit fast for a young and kind woman such as yourself.”
“I know, Dad. I’m sticking to the values that you taught me. I promise.”
“What’s his name?” Marie asked.
“His name is—”
Shannon burst through her apartment door with a breathless huff, bags all up her arms.
“I have everything you need per Luke’s command,” she said, gladly accepting Jessica’s help in taking them off her arms. “We need to get you ready. The driver is going to be here in ten minutes.”
“Who is that?” Marie asked. “Is someone there with you?”
“Mom, I have to go,” Paige said hurriedly. “I’m late for a get-together. I’ll call you guys later this weekend, okay?”
“But—”
She hung up before anything else could be said or questioned. Staring at the massive heap of bags on the floor, Paige mentally calculated how much it must’ve cost Luke with Shannon in charge of his credit card.
“This is way too much stuff,” she said, shaking her head. “Seriously, I’m not going to wear it past this month.”
“Consider it a token,” Shannon said, shrugging. “I’m just following Luke’s orders.”
“Yeah, I know you are.”
She froze at the surly tone in Paige’s voice. Shame filled her eyes then.
“I know that I owe you an apology,” she said. “I shouldn’t have done what I did, and I’m sorry if it hurt your feelings.”
“It did,” Paige said. “But, it’s in the past now. Let’s get this event thing over with.”
Jessica exchanged a pointed look with Paige when Shannon immediately started to sort through the bags. “Be careful,” she mouthed, nodding at Shannon. Paige nodded back in wordless understanding as Shannon straightened to show off a gray and gold floral dress with a long see-through skirt.
“This is your ticket tonight,” Shannon said. “Look at how beautiful it is. You’ll get rave reviews on this dress. I can guarantee it.”
“That is a beautiful dress,” Jessica said, trailing her fingers over the soft fabric. “Try it on, Paige. I only see you in leggings and T-shirts ninety-nine percent of the time.”
“Agreed,” Shannon said. “You have killer legs. You need to show them off. Try it on so we can see.”
She slipped into the dress and stood in front of them nervously. “I don’t know if this is a paparazzi-ready type of dress.”
“This is more for Luke than them,” Shannon said. She patted the bed before grabbing a black bag of makeup. “We don’t have much time. The driver Luke sent is a bit of a prick if you’re running behind schedule.”
Five minutes later, her face felt freshened up with makeup and her hair was newly curled. Shannon moved about her gracefully without batting an eyelash, talking amicably with Jessica about everything she could think of. That was one thing Paige noticed about Shannon—she at least tried to make everyone around her comfortable.
“Okay,” Jessica said as they walked her down to the sidewalk where Luke’s driver waited impatiently, “just stay calm as much as you can. Remember what we talked about the other day.”
Shannon looked at her curiously, but she didn’t pry for information. She gave Paige her traditional, cheerful thumbs-up.
“Go for it,” she said. “He’s going to have a hard time keeping his hands off you.”
That’s what I’m worried about. Paige slid into the passenger seat and twisted the soft fabric of her dress around nervously as the SUV pulled away. This was going to be the night that started it all for the arrangement. In thirty days, she would possibly be married to one of the most eligible and wealthy bachelors in the United States, and while it was thrilling, a cloud of nerves was suffocating her.
The SUV pulled up to the curb of a large, ritzy building where tons of cameras were lined up. People were already walking along, pausing for photographs, and then heading into the main lobby.
Luke stood on the corner, away from all the commotion, with Toby at his side, talking about something on his phone. He looked up when the SUV parked in front of them. Relief sparkled in his eyes before everything went expressionless as he opened the door.
“I thought you might have taken the clothes and makeup without any intention of showing up,” he said.
Seeing her heels, Luke held out a hand for her to use to get out. It felt warm against her cool and sweaty one.
“I’d care more about my college education than clothes and makeup,” Paige said. She looked down the sidewalk where all the cameras were lined alongside police tape. Her heart started to pound again. “Do we honestly have to walk past all those cameras?”
“We do,” Luke said. He glanced at them as well with a sigh. “It’s part of what Toby told you. Much of this is going to be publicity, so don’t take it personally if I grab ahold of you. We have to make it look real.”
The last part echoed his earlier sentiment. Paige brushed out the barely visible wrinkles in her dress as they walked toward the cameras.
“Hold on to my hand,” Luke said. “It’s going to get a bit crazy with the camera flashes. You’re going to go blind if you don’t.”
She quickly took his hand as they approached. Just as Luke had promised, the flashing lights nearly blinded her. Questions were hurled at them as well. It took all of Paige’s resolve to hold on to Luke’s hand and not dash in the other direction, away from it all.
“This is my girlfriend,” Luke said in answer to one of the questions. “We’ve been dating for three months now.”
“And these rumors of getting married to Alicia Poole?” one paparazzo threw out, clicking away on his camera.
“Rumors,” Luke said firmly. “This is my woman here. My one and only.”
If she hadn’t known it was all for show, her heart would’ve melted at those words. It did slightly before Paige reminded herself that it wasn’t real. All of it wasn’t real, but she kept a fixed smile on her face.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?” another pap asked.
Luke opened his mouth to reply, but she beat him to it.
“Paige Scott,” she said. “It’s Paige Scott. I’m a freshman at NYU.”
That seemed to fuel a fire. Alarmed by the rapid flashing, Paige tightened her hold on Luke’s hand. He tugged her away from the cameras and the questions with Toby right on their heels. It wasn’t until they were in the lobby of the building that Luke glared down at the cameras.
“Why do they have to know so much information?” he asked moodily. “It’s none of their business.”
“Just go with it,” Toby said, unfazed by his mood. “Come on, let’s get inside. They always have great food at these events.”
He left them standing motionlessly by the glass doors. Luke glared out them at the cameras for a second longer before looking back at Paige. The anger in his eyes dissipated when he did, a smile tugging at his lips.
“I know you don’t want to hear this,” he said, “but you honestly do look beautiful in this dress.”
She didn’t pick up anything in his voice besides sincerity. The compliment touched her.
“Thank you,” she said. “Your friend Shannon picked it out.”
“She’s your friend too,” Luke said. “You’ll have to forgive her eventually. She was a pawn in my scheme in all reality.”
“Maybe one day,” Paige said distantly. “We better go inside. I’m starving too.”
“All right. Let’s start this campaign of thirty days of love.”
He placed a hand on her bare back, splaying it out while he guided her through a crowded room. Eve
n if all of it was a publicity stunt, it still felt good to have someone like Luke guiding her around the room. It felt good to have a roomful of people look at her with interest but never approach because of Luke’s steady presence behind her.
She felt protected in an odd way.
Chapter Eight
Luke
“Look at this picturesque couple on the front page of the paper,” Toby said. He held up the paper with a grin to show Luke. “I still demand a damn raise for all the leg work I’m doing for you.”
Luke took hold of the paper to glance down at the photograph in mild interest. Despite how tense and nervous Paige had been while walking by those cameras, she appeared flawless in that halter dress that had bared her back for him to touch. Her smile was set and perfect in the photo as she leaned into him and he wordlessly guided her.
It had gone beautifully—more smoothly than he had expected.
“I imagine Peter will be calling soon,” Luke said, lowering the paper to grin at Toby. “He reads this paper every single morning too. Do you think it caught his interest a bit?”
“Very likely,” Toby said. He sat down in the chair across from Luke. “Do we still have plans to head to North Dakota this week?”
“Yes. I have to check on a few rigs,” Luke replied, sliding the paper across his desk. “I want to talk about numbers, too, with a few managers. Why?”
“I was thinking that Paige should come along with us.” Toby held up his hand when Luke opened his mouth. “Hear me when I say this. Now that you have Peter’s attention, he’s going to drill the both of you on the relationship. He’ll ask questions that I’m sure neither one of you will have answers to. Questions about each other.”
“You’re probably right,” Luke said, sighing. “What do you suggest?”
“I have a questionnaire that you two can read and answer together. It would definitely bridge that gap in case Peter gets Paige alone.”
“What type of questionnaire?”
“Just basic questions is all,” Toby said, shrugging. “It’s not that big of a deal, is it?”
“It is a big deal to me,” he said, hesitation building up in him. “I don’t need spill my entire life story to her.”