by Lexy Timms
“Oh.” She stared at him, her incredible green eyes meeting his.
“Where is the wedding by the way?” he asked quickly, trying to steer the conversation away from anything romantic.
“Upstate. In Greenville. The wedding will be at the Rose Bloom Wedding Barn, and the reception and rehearsal dinner will be at the Greenville Lodge—”
“Barn?” he practically choked. “We’re going to a wedding in a barn?”
She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “It’s really very nice. I’m helping to plan everything, you know.”
“I see.” His mother would be aghast at the whole set up, but it was probably best to change the subject. “I’ve wintered at the Greenville Lodge many times. I assume we’re staying there?”
She let out a soft laugh. “Wintering…I’ll never get over how rich people just spend entire seasons in a new place.”
He ran his hand through his hair. “My family’s been going there since my grandfather’s time.”
“We won’t be staying at the Greenville Lodge,” she informed him. “We’ll be staying at the local inn. One of those motel chains.”
“Absolutely not.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“I refuse to spend a weekend at a motel chain.” He didn’t give a damn how pompous he sounded. He had to agree to the barn thing, but he drew the line at a motel.
“It’s what my family can afford,” she said in irritation.
“New plans.” He rubbed his hands together. “We’ll be staying at the Greenville Lodge.”
“That place costs fifteen hundred dollars a night.”
“Fine.”
“I can’t stay there while my family stays at the motel,” she insisted.
“Your family won’t be staying at the motel. They can stay at the Lodge with us.”
“They can’t afford that,” she repeated.
“It’s on me. Everyone can get a room at the Lodge.” He shrugged. Why did she look ticked? What was the big deal?
“There’ll be twenty guests.”
“So?”
“That’s thirty thousand dollars for one night,” she said shrilly. “Most of us planned on staying the whole weekend so the family could have some quality time.”
“So that’s closer to ninety thousand dollars, then.” He grinned, trying to tease her.
“Are you out of your mind?” she demanded.
Okay, not funny to her. “You said it yourself. You can’t stay at the Lodge without your family. I have now solved the problem. Unfortunately for you, you’re my assistant. Which means you’ll be the one calling the Lodge on my behalf to make the reservations.”
“But…but the Lodge is probably already booked,” she sputtered.
“That’s their problem. When a Prescott calls, they’ll do what we ask.”
“But what about all the reservations at the motel? We can’t just leave them in the lurch.”
“We won’t. I’ll just pay for the rooms for the weekend and they can do whatever they like with them.”
There was a horrified expression on her face. “You can’t do that.”
“Says who?”
“You can’t just change the rules like that to get what you want,” she said. “Mr. Prescott, that’s throwing your money around.”
“Dane,” he said firmly.
She blinked. “What?”
“I’m your fake boyfriend. Naturally you’d call me by my first name.”
“Not in the office.” She rolled her eyes. “Not if we were trying to keep our relationship secret.”
“Ah. About that,” he began, trying to figure everything out. “I’m going to need you to keep this weekend under wraps. If the press got wind of it the publicity might not be good for the merger.”
“Of course. I’ll make sure my family is discreet.”
“Excellent. So, it’s all settled then.”
She frowned. “Is it?”
“You can call the Lodge tomorrow morning to make the reservations,” he said. “I guess we need to bring a wedding gift. You mentioned me sending a gift in your text. What was I supposed to be bringing?”
She blushed again. Reminding her about the text seemed to do that. He stored that in his mind for later. Getting a reaction out of her was almost impossible to resist. “I had bought a sandwich toaster—”
“A sandwich toaster?” He stared at her in absolute horror. “You were going to pass off a sandwich toaster as my gift to your brother?”
“It’s what I could afford,” she said, irritation in her voice. “Some of us can’t rent whole lodges on a whim, you know.”
He reminded himself to fight for a raise for her when he got down to meeting his mother. He’d made certain that Prescott paid its employees top salaries, but it was now obvious that they could do better. “I don’t expect you to get them a house, but seriously? Who would believe that I’d get them a sandwich toaster?”
“Maybe I didn’t plan this ruse all that well,” she admitted. “But the gift was supposed to be from you and me. I figured if we were together we’d split the cost.”
“So, if I was your boyfriend you wouldn’t want me to buy things for you?” He stared at her, now curious.
“It’s not that I wouldn’t want it. Gifts are always nice. It’s just that I wouldn’t expect you to buy things,” she replied. “It’s not right to take advantage of your—or anyone’s—kindness.”
He rolled his eyes. “Kindness is when someone with very little gives all they have. But getting pretty things for the woman you adore is what a man is supposed to do.”
“You’re kidding, right?” She tilted her head, like he’d said the most outrageous thing.
“No.” He frowned. “You’re my girlfriend. I buy you nice things. I take you to nice places.”
“Um…I don’t know how to tell you this, but most men in this town hate having to pay for dates.” She laughed. “You’re definitely one of a kind.”
Now he was curious. “How much does the average date cost?”
“The last date I was on cost, like, thirty dollars,” she admitted.
“You’re joking. No wonder you’re single.” He hadn’t meant to be so direct, but he couldn’t imagine a woman putting up with that. Thirty dollars. What kind of cheapskate couldn’t even fork over thirty dollars to impress a woman as gorgeous and headstrong and smart as Allyson? Who on earth would rather spend their night at home alone rather than romance her?
“I don’t expect guys to be ATMs,” she insisted.
“Thirty dollars?” He could barely contain the anger in his voice. “Look, I’m probably out of touch but that’s just unacceptable.”
“It’s not a big deal,” she said. “It just sucks when they expect stuff in return.”
“Stuff?” He put his hands up. “Please don’t tell me these bums expect sexual favors for the pittance they pay to spend time with you. Not that it would be any better if they spent a fortune.”
“Some of them expect it.”
“No wonder you lied,” he said. “If that’s what I had to put up with, I’d probably make up a fake boyfriend, too.”
She laughed. “You’re the most old-fashioned guy I know.”
“And proud of it,” he said, loving the sound of her husky laugh. “I get that you don’t want me to spend a ton of money—”
“I don’t want the gift to be so obviously one-sided,” she said firmly. “I want it to be from both of us. An expensive gift would be from you. Not me. Not us.”
His pulse quickened at the way she said us. “So, a car is out then—”
“What?” Her voice went all shrill again. “Are you serious?”
He laughed. “I wish I could say I was joking, but I did entertain the idea.”
“Well, please un-entertain it, Mr. Prescott—”
“Dane.”
“We’re still at work.”
“Nobody’s around to hear. Please call me Dane.”
“All right
.” She paused. “Dane.”
His name on her lips turned him on more than he had ever been in his life. One word from her and he was already fantasizing all the ways she might say it. All the ways she might whisper it in his ear. Moan it, if he ever got the chance to pleasure her.
She’d said his name earlier tonight, and it had made him crazy with desire. But she’d corrected herself. This time she was following his command. He reached for the knot in his tie to loosen it. The temperature in the room was suddenly boiling.
She glanced at her watch. “It’s getting late. I think we can discuss the gift tomorrow before we leave. Don’t buy anything without consulting me.”
He grinned. “All right, I won’t. We can make arrangements tomorrow morning, bright and early.” He rose to his feet. “And I’m taking you home, remember?”
“Thank you,” she said with a smile.
He picked up her cell phone and crossed the room to hand it to her. She blushed again, but said nothing as she turned to walk out of his office. He stepped out after her and they headed downstairs to the Prescott Global parking lot. As he got behind the wheel, he reminded himself that this was all just pretend. This was one weekend. Allyson was a professional and so was he. Under no circumstances would this get serious, and there was no way they would ever be anything more than what they were pretending to be.
Chapter 3
“I need you to sign this contract when we get there.” Allyson pulled out a document from the folder in her bag.
Dane kept his eyes on the road as he drove his luxury car up the highway heading to Greenville. They’d been driving for the better part of an hour now to Greenville Lodge. His brow furrowed. “What contract?”
She hesitated, nervous about talking about something so awkward. “It’s about what we’re doing. Our pretend relationship.”
He laughed. “Are you serious? What are the parameters?”
“This isn’t a laughing matter, Mr. Prescott; I’m trying to protect you.”
“Dane,” he reminded her.
Warmth spread across her cheeks. This was already impossible. She hardly got a wink of sleep last night after Dane dropped her off at her apartment. The guilt she felt over dragging him into her lie had her tossing and turning.
So far, her family sounded excited about Dane coming. Allyson made arrangements earlier this morning, and Dane had been right: The Greenville Lodge was more than happy to make accommodations for him. Her parents and brother had all contacted her during the day to let her know they were already at the Lodge.
She had no idea how they were going to pull this off, when she couldn’t even remember to call him by his name. Just being in the same car made her jumpy. How on earth were they going to pull off something like this? She was terrified that her family would see right through them.
She felt a hand on her knee, and she stared down to find Dane patting her gently.
He put his hand back on the wheel; the absence of his touch left her with a tiny ache inside. “It’ll be fine,” he said reassuringly. “Your parents will probably be so focused on your brother and the bride that they won’t even notice us.”
“You obviously don’t know my parents,” she said. “Anyway, the contract states that we’ll be keeping this up for this weekend. Neither of us will disclose the truth to anyone. Oh, and…”
“Yes?”
Her hands trembled, but she couldn’t find the words.
“Spit it out,” Dane said.
“No sex.”
The expression on his face didn’t change, but she could swear his knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Right.”
A deafening silence fell over them. Sweat formed on her brow. This had to be the most awkward, embarrassing moment of her entire life. If he didn’t fire her by the end of the weekend, she would consider it a miracle. “I told you this was a bad idea.”
“No, you have every right to protect yourself—”
“Actually, I wrote that clause with your safety in mind,” she said, giggling. “You’re doing me a favor, and I want to keep things professional.”
“Of course. Is there anything else?”
She glanced at the contract. “No gifts over five hundred dollars.”
“You know, Allyson, you’re usually the one who picks out gifts for clients, and you’ve never once tried to put a limit on the amount I spend.”
“That’s business. This is personal.”
“Right, well, I brought a gift to go along with your toaster,” he said smoothly.
She groaned. “Don’t tell me you packed a yacht somewhere back there.”
He laughed. “I brought along a nice bottle of wine. Very old. We can all drink it at the reception.”
“What kind of wine are we talking here?” She raised her eyebrow. “How much does a bottle cost?”
“I don’t know. Seven thousand dollars?”
Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. “What?”
“I didn’t buy it,” he said. “It was a gift from one of those racehorse owners. You know the ones who switched to our stopwatches and did an ad for us?”
She sighed. “Fine. But no more gifts for the bride or groom, okay?”
“Does that contract say anything about gifts for you?”
She groaned. Damn it. “You really are the most impossible man,” she grumbled.
He grinned. “I aim to please.”
* * *
The Greenville Lodge truly was magnificent. As Dane helped her out of the car she took in the surroundings, the sprawling property bathed in the golden light of approaching dusk. The main building stood before them, a huge luxury log cabin surrounded by shrubs, trees, and blooming flowers. A stone walkway led from the driveway up to the front entrance.
Behind her a valet was already taking their luggage out of the car and heading inside, while another got behind the wheel to drive the car to the other side of the property.
Allyson spotted some of her family members at the landing of the steps that led to the main building. She groaned inwardly. Surrounding her mother were her sister-in-law-to-be, Holly and, worst of all, her sister, Monica.
Dane was instantly at her side and he took her shaking hand in his. She stiffened at his touch, surprised to find him touching her. She knew they were pretending, but somehow part of it felt a little too real. “I recognize your mom,” he whispered. “Who are the other two?”
“Holly is my brother’s fiancée, and the one in the sunglasses is my sister, Monica.”
“Not a fan of Monica, are you?”
She turned her head to look at him. “How could you tell?”
“You’re staring daggers at her, and you squeezed the hell out of my hand when you said her name.” He grinned and leaned in to kiss her forehead. She stiffened again. The sensation of his lips on his skin spread warmth across her skin, but trepidation made it impossible for her to enjoy it.
“Relax, Allyson, I’ve got you,” he said under his breath before he waved at her relatives. They waved back.
He tugged gently at her hand and she started to follow him up the stone walkway and then up the short flight of steps to the landing. Her heart hammered so loudly she was amazed he couldn’t hear it. She wished so desperately that she had his confidence and easy charm. Being around her family made her stomach knot up.
“You’re finally here,” he mother said, her arms outstretched. “It’s so great to see you two.”
Allyson slipped out of Dane’s grasp to give her mother an awkward hug. Then she turned to her relatives. The hug she gave Holly was genuine. Smart, sweet, and driven, Holly was the perfect match for her brother; Allyson was genuinely happy that James had found her.
When she was pulled into Monica’s cold embrace, her sister said, “I can’t believe you managed to pull this off. I was starting to wonder if this billionaire would ever show up at all.”
Her words stinging her, Allyson quickly pulled out of Monica’s grasp to reach for Dane
’s hand. She didn’t stiffen this time, probably because she was so glad that there was at least someone on her side. Someone she could count on. She made introductions, and watched as Dane gave each woman a hug and a peck on the cheek.
“It’s so good to see you again, Mrs. Smith,” Dane said to her mother. They had met at a work event last year. “You look lovely.”
“Thank you. And thank you so much for inviting us to the Lodge,” Mrs. Smith said. “It’s so beautiful here.”
“You’re welcome. Honestly, you can all thank Allyson. It was her idea.” Dane turned to her and winked, then dazzled her with a smile.
Her heart warmed. She knew what he was trying to do: Make her look good in front of her family. Maybe, just maybe, things would go off without a hitch.
They headed into the lobby which was designed in a luxurious, but rustic, style. The entire place was decorated in wood and stone, the scent of cedar in the air. They approached the front desk.
“It’s so wonderful to see you again, Mr. Prescott,” the receptionist said with a warm smile. “You and Ms. Smith will be in the Rose Room this weekend.”
Allyson felt her face heat. She knew this moment was coming. When they’d be taken up to a room of their own. She had no idea if she dreaded it or was thrilled by it. An entire weekend sharing a room with her handsome boss.
After settling things with the receptionist, she and Dane started to make their way upstairs to their room.
“Meet us in the Great Room in an hour for the rehearsal dinner, you two,” Monica called. “We have so much to catch up on.”
Allyson squeezed Dane’s hand tightly and didn’t let go until they made it to their room. Rustic and cozy, their large room was fabulously decorated in wood and stone accents. From the glass door that led outside, she could see a fire pit and a hot tub, a stone path leading to a forest in the distance. A huge fireplace took up the far wall and a huge king-sized bed was on the opposite wall.
She stared at the bed, desire and apprehension racing through her. “We have to figure out the sleeping arrangements. I don’t mind taking the couch.”
Dane came up behind her and wrapped his powerful arms around her waist. The sensation of her back pressed up against his hard chest heated her. His lips brushed against her bare shoulder, and she’d never been so glad to have chosen a sleeveless blouse in her life. “You know, Allyson, you really need to relax,” he whispered.