by Holly Rayner
She shrugged. “Mine wasn’t a regular party. It was a roast.”
He chuckled. “This is something similar.”
“Ah. So you have people you need to impress, as well?”
“Precisely.”
Did Ali see her as trophy potential? Alyssa’s neck warmed at the thought. She’d never considered herself beautiful, though she typically felt comfortable in her own skin. She liked dressing up, but she also felt pretty enough to go without makeup.
And why her? If Ali needed a pretend date, why not hire an escort?
Or maybe that was precisely the reason he’d picked her. She was normal-looking, more believable.
She could ask, but for the time being, she decided to keep her questions to herself. Everything would be revealed in time, and she was kind of having fun going with the flow. Every prior weekend she could remember had been the same, and it was exciting to be in a limo, headed to a fancy party with a handsome man, not knowing what would happen next.
Relaxing into the moment, decided that whatever happened that night, she would make the most of it. She’d spent too long without excitement coursing through her.
“How long until we’re there?” she asked, looking over at Ali. It was dark out, but the limo’s lights illuminated his face.
“Wonderful timing,” he answered. “We’re here.”
The limo slowed to a stop, and Alyssa leaned forward to look past Ali. Suited men manned the entrance of the building. The men had to be guards. And the event had to be…what? A movie premiere? That’s what it looked like.
The door opened, and Ali took Alyssa’s hand. There were no paparazzi snapping pictures. No movie stars posing in front of posters. There were, however, several elaborately dressed people entering the building.
Again, Alyssa decided to check her questions. This whole thing was an adventure, and nothing said adventure like not knowing what the heck would happen next.
Outside the limo, Ali put his hand on Alyssa’s lower back again and a pleasurable shiver went through her. Just the simplest touch, coming from him, had an extraordinary effect. She remembered their kiss from the weekend before, and her lips tingled. Had he been thinking about it as much as she had?
At the building’s entrance, a staff member opened the doors for them and they entered a giant foyer with a chandelier and a split staircase. Alyssa stared in awe at the mural of cherubs and angels painted on the back wall, and she wished she could take the time to inspect it further, but Ali was steering her to their left.
Classical music played, soft chatter accompanying it. They were in a ballroom, waiters in bowties carrying trays of hors d'oeuvres and women in long dresses and diamond necklaces speaking with men in suits.
With a shock, Alyssa stopped walking. “Okay, this is nothing like my high school reunion.”
“Is that—”
“It’s all right.” She smiled widely, trying to disguise the discomfort she felt. Whatever event they were at, it was a high-class one. No way did she fit in here.
The big question was, could other people tell?
“How about a drink?” Ali asked.
“Please.”
“Martini?”
“Sure.” Alyssa fiddled with her purse’s strap, realized that showed how nervous she was, and clasped her hands together.
She expected Ali to go to a bar to order their drinks, but instead, he stopped a passing waiter. Two minutes later and the man was back with two gin martinis on a silver tray.
“Thank you,” Alyssa murmured. She took a sip of her drink and looked at Ali. Forget not asking questions. She couldn’t go all night long completely in the dark. “What is this event?” she asked.
“It’s a fundraiser for a school for children with special needs,” he explained.
“Oh! That’s really nice.” Alyssa looked at the finery surrounding her once more. How much money did a fundraiser like this one pull in?
“Sheikh Ali,” a round man with a mustache rumbled. He approached Ali with his arms extended, a tall, gorgeous brunette by his side.
Alyssa looked at Ali. Sheikh?
“Matin,” Ali responded. “It is so good to see you.”
The two men shook hands, and Ali turned to the woman. Taking her hand, he bowed to her.
“And Jabir,” Ali said. “How are you faring?”
“Wonderful,” she answered. “And you, Sheikh?”
Were Alyssa’s ears not working properly? Sheikh was a royal title in the Middle East. Was Ali…?
Alyssa took a heavy sip of her martini. Holy guacamole.
“And who is your beautiful guest?” Jabir asked then, looking to Alyssa.
Alyssa smiled. “Alyssa Cambridge. Nice to meet you.”
“Alyssa is my fiancée,” Ali said, putting his arm around her shoulders.
Alyssa choked on her drink and saved herself from spitting it in Matin’s face just in time.
“Fiancée?” he repeated, not seeming to notice that Alyssa had almost given him a bath in liquor. “When did you become engaged?”
“Very recently,” Ali said with a smile.
Alyssa looked at him with wide eyes. Since when was this part of the plan?
It doesn’t matter. He pretended to be your boyfriend. Now, he’s taking it up a notch.
Alyssa felt three pairs of eyes on her, watching, waiting. Ali’s hand on her shoulder tightened the slightest bit. He was probably freaking out, worried she would throw her drink in his face and storm out.
She didn’t know why Ali needed her to pretend to be his fiancée. Maybe he wanted to impress his friends, just like she had needed to at the reunion. And what was the harm in that? Besides, if Alyssa could be the pretend lover of anyone she knew, she would pick Ali. So, no skin off her teeth, there.
“He proposed a week ago,” she said with a smile. “We’re over the moon.”
Alyssa rested her palm against Ali’s chest and batted her eyelashes at him. Visible relief washed over his face, and he kissed her on the forehead.
“And where is your ring?” Jabir asked.
Alyssa looked at her hand on Ali’s chest. Ali cleared his throat. “That. Well…”
“It didn’t fit,” Alyssa inserted. “It was a tad too large, so Ali sent it back to the jeweler to have it resized.”
“Oh, that is unfortunate,” Jabir said.
“It’s just a ring.” Alyssa shrugged her shoulders and looked back up at Ali. “A symbol of what we have. When you’re in love, nothing else matters, you know?”
Ali’s mouth quirked in amusement, and he arched one brow the slightest bit. Alyssa bit back a giggle. Maybe this fake fiancée thing would turn out to be fun.
“My congratulations,” Matin said. “Your parents must be extremely happy, Ali.”
Ali shifted his weight around. “I have yet to tell them.”
“Well, when you do, give them my greetings. It was wonderful to see you.”
“You as well,” Ali said.
Matin and Jabir left, and Alyssa extracted her arm from Ali’s so she could turn and face him straight-on.
“Sheikh?” she asked, her hand on her hip and her eyebrows raised.
Ali’s gaze darted around them as he checked to see if anyone was listening. “Are you angry?”
Alyssa dropped her hand. “Well…no. I’m not. After what I did last weekend, I can’t really call you out on anything. I’m just surprised. Really, really surprised.”
“Let’s talk about this somewhere private,” Ali said. He nodded at the entrance they’d come through, set their drinks on a passing waiter’s tray, and guided her out of the ballroom.
At the split staircase, they stopped. Fundraiser attendees still trickled in, but they were far enough away that no one would be able to overhear Alyssa and Ali’s conversation.
“So, you’re a prince?” Alyssa asked. “A sheikh?”
“I am from a royal family, yes, but I will never rule.”
“Um…” Alyssa bit her lip and shook her head. “I’m
confused.”
“My second cousin is the ruler of Baqar. My family is the royal family.”
“Baqar,” Alyssa repeated. “Got it.”
“You know of it?”
“I’ve heard of it—it’s one of the smallest countries in the Middle East, right?”
“And one of the wealthiest,” Ali added.
Alyssa smiled. “I was getting there.”
Ali grinned, and Alyssa’s heart skipped a beat. Was he feeling the chemistry as well, or was she just imagining it? Since they were putting on a show, playing the roles of lovers, there was no way to tell for sure.
“This is a little crazy—you know that, right?” she asked.
“As crazy as you asking me to be your boyfriend for your class reunion?”
“Crazier,” Alyssa said.
Ali sighed and looked down. “I know, Alyssa.”
There was a sadness in his voice, and before Alyssa knew it, she was reaching out and taking his hand. Ali looked up and butterflies fluttered through her stomach. Pushing back her personal feelings about him, she focused on the conversation.
“What is this about?” she whispered. “Why do you need a fiancée? And how long are we going to do this for?”
His nostrils flared with a long inhale. “How long? I haven’t thought that part through. Introducing you as my fiancée was a spur-of-the-moment decision.”
“It certainly took me by surprise,” Alyssa laughed. “Seriously, though. Why are you doing this? Can I at least ask you that much?”
Ali looked like he was choosing his words carefully. “My parents are very traditional. They believe that at my age—thirty-one—I should be settled down and married.”
“And you hope to…what with me? I mean, we can’t keep up this ruse forever.”
“I hope to get them off my backs for at least a while,” Ali answered. “My whole life, they have been hounding me to follow in their footsteps, to live the traditional Baqari lifestyle. My coming to live in America several years ago was, in large part, because of this. I sought an escape from them. They are…” He paused. “Forgive me. I speak ill of my parents. They want what they believe is best for me.”
Alyssa scoffed. “Trust me, I understand completely.”
Ali cocked his head. “You do?”
“My mom wants me to get married like the planet will explode if I don’t. And before marriage, it was school.” Alyssa shook her head. “But guess what? I went to school just like she wanted me to. I became a paralegal, just like she said I should. And she’s still not happy…and neither am I.”
The last part tasted so bitter coming up.
“Sorry,” Alyssa said. “Now I’m the one who sounds ungrateful.”
“You understand,” Ali said. His gaze held Alyssa’s, making her feel like she was being submerged in a warm bath.
“Maybe,” Alyssa said. “Our lives sound pretty different.”
“And yet, in some ways, they are not.”
“Yeah.” Alyssa held his gaze, and for the first time in a long time, she felt like someone really understood her.
“Do you want to quit your job?” Ali asked.
Alyssa sighed. “I shouldn’t say this, but yes.”
“Why should you not say that?”
“Because I have no other plan.” Alyssa waved the words away. “We don’t need to talk about this right now. Shouldn’t we be in there schmoozing and whatnot?”
Ali touched her hand, and Alyssa’s knees weakened.
“So, you’re fine with this?” he asked.
How could she say no? Take Ali’s looks and his kind demeanor and combine them with the favor he’d already done for her, and turning him down was impossible.
“I have nothing to lose,” she said.
He blinked, the corners of his eyes crinkling. Was he disappointed?
“Also,” Alyssa jumped to explain, “I like hanging out with you.”
Ali smiled. “Good, because I truly enjoy your company, Alyssa.”
Alyssa grinned so wide it hurt. “Should we get back in there? Maybe dance a bit? Impress everyone with your awesome moves?”
Ali offered her his arm. “I can’t wait.”
Chapter 7
Ali
Alyssa laughed as they left the ballroom two hours later, her excited giggles making Ali’s heart dance. When had he last felt so light?
“This was fun,” she told him.
Ali ran his hand over top of hers. “It was, wasn’t it.”
Alyssa’s cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink, and Ali smiled. If he’d only been one minute later or earlier on his way to the club the week before, none of this would have occurred. After dropping her off at her apartment after the reunion, he’d continued on to the exclusive Manhattan club he often visited, but his time there had not been as enjoyable as it usually was. Sitting on the rooftop talking business with other men had lost its appeal. So had flirting with the models who showed up at the club.
Despite not being able to shake Alyssa from his mind, he had decided to wait before calling her. Finally, with the fundraising event coming up, and his perennially single life sure to be another hot topic, he had decided to take a page from Alyssa’s book. The fiancée part had not been planned—those words had practically fallen from his lips. The lie seemed to be working, though.
Up next would be telling his parents. And when he could no longer keep the lie going, he would simply tell them that he and Alyssa had broken up. It was a straightforward plan. Provided they kept things simple, there would be no complications.
Suddenly, Alyssa gasped and stopped walking.
“What?” Ali asked, fear rising in his heart. He looked her over. Had she hurt herself? Perhaps twisted her ankle in those high heels?
“That’s Congresswoman Wilder,” Alyssa said.
Ali nodded and looked at where the congresswoman chatted with a couple people by the front door. “Yes. She’s often at these events.”
“You know her?” Alyssa asked.
“Mm-hmm,” Ali murmured. “Would you like me to introduce you?”
Alyssa’s eyes went wide. “Oh my gosh, yes.”
Ali chuckled. “Right this way, then.”
They waited their turn to speak to the congresswoman, and Ali introduced Alyssa. As the two women promptly began speaking about a bill that was about to enter the house, Ali took the opportunity to check his phone.
How is the fundraiser? his mother had texted him. Any marriage prospects there?
Shaking his head, Ali put his phone away. That was his mother. Right to the point.
He would answer her later—though what he would say, he didn’t know. He wanted to give his faux engagement some time before he broke the news to his parents. The decision to say Alyssa was his fiancée had been rash, and he wanted to make sure the two of them had their stories straight before his parents learned of anything.
Ali smiled to himself as Alyssa spoke excitedly with the congresswoman. She really was quite the character. Certainly more interesting than almost every woman he’d met in New York.
Then again, perhaps he hadn’t been running in the right circles. Many of the women he met at events and clubs were interested in money and not much else. They would be happy to spend the rest of their lives sitting on a yacht somewhere, acting as a billionaire’s arm candy.
Ali did not get the sense Alyssa was anything like that. She was her own person. The disappointment she’d expressed with her current life situation showed him that she was hungry for more.
“Can I get a picture with you?” Alyssa asked the congresswoman. “Just to show my best friend. I won’t post it online or anything.”
“Oh, gosh, you’re sweet,” Congresswoman Wilder said. “Let’s take a picture! And feel free to put it up anywhere you like.”
Alyssa excitedly pulled her phone from her clutch. “Ali?” she asked.
He went for her phone so he could take the picture, but she handed him her purse instead. Chuckling t
o himself, Ali stepped out of the way while Alyssa took a selfie of her and the congresswoman.
The picture taken, the two women went back to talking. Ali turned away from them. An idea had been brewing in his head, and he wasn’t sure whether he should act on it or not.
Only having another few moments at most before Alyssa finished her conversation and came back to Ali, he acted fast and dropped the slip of paper into her purse.
“That was so cool,” Alyssa said.
With a start, he turned to find her standing right behind him.
“Lucy loves Congresswoman Wilder,” she said. “She’s gonna be thrilled.”
“That’s great,” Ali said, Alyssa’s smile making him do the same. “Are you ready?”
“Sure.”
Arm in arm, they left the venue. He had already texted the driver to let him know they would be out shortly, and the limo sat in front of the venue.
Sitting close to him in the back seat, Alyssa stifled a yawn.
“Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t realize I was so tired.”
“I apologize if I kept you out later than you are accustomed to.”
Alyssa laughed, the yellow city lights playing on her face as the limo headed uptown. “It’s only midnight, but yeah. This is a bit past my regular bedtime.” She scrunched her face. “Is that pathetic?”
“Why would it be?”
A piece of hair stuck to her cheek, and Ali fought the urge to push it back. He burned to touch Alyssa, but did she want that? They’d kissed at the reunion, but that had been nothing more than for show.
Except, Ali had enjoyed it. Thoroughly.
Clearing his throat, he decided to be at least semi-honest. “I would very much like to ask you out for a drink,” he said. “But I fear you won’t last another hour.”
Alyssa hid another yawn behind her hand. “That obvious, huh?”
Ali turned in the seat to face her straight-on. “What about next weekend?”
Alyssa blinked fast. “You want to go out next weekend?”
Ali swallowed hard, feeling a tad nervous for some reason. Usually, he was not self-conscious or hesitant with women. He dated a lot, and some of the tabloids went so far as to call him a playboy. He did not care for such a title, though perhaps he pushed things a tad too hard in his pursuit for freedom and pleasure.