by Holly Rayner
Most of the time, Ali didn’t care what others said about him. His parents were another case, however.
Alyssa sat there, looking back at him. She still had not answered his request for another date, and Ali’s nerves increased.
Unable to stop himself, he did what he had been afraid to and brushed the hair from her face. Alyssa smiled.
“I’d love to,” she said.
Relief flooded Ali. “Wonderful.”
Feeling as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Ali slid his hand down Alyssa’s face and cupped her chin. Lifting her lips to his, he kissed her slowly.
Alyssa parted her lips, allowing his tongue explore her mouth. The heat rose, and Ali’s heart beat faster. Alyssa pressed her palms against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her waist.
Without warning, the limo came to a stop. Frowning, Ali looked out the window. They had arrived in front of Alyssa’s apartment.
“Ah. We’re here,” he announced.
“Oh.” She sounded disappointed.
“Next weekend,” he promised.
“Next weekend,” she echoed.
Should he tell her about his plans? That he wanted to continue with the ruse beyond this one night? If they went out together, people would talk. They would want to know who Alyssa was, and Ali couldn’t say she was his fiancée one week and then someone he had only recently met the next.
But the driver was opening the door, and Alyssa was sliding away from him.
“I’ll walk you upstairs,” Ali said, hurrying after her. “I’ll be right back,” he told the driver over his shoulder.
I should tell her, he thought as she took out her keys and opened the front door.
But what would she think? Would she believe he had only asked her out in order to continue the facade? That was not the case at all. There were thousands of beautiful women in New York. Ali could get any number of them to pretend to be his fiancée. He’d asked Alyssa because he wanted to spend more time with her. He was killing two birds with one stone.
At her front door, they stood and faced each other, and Ali knew he couldn’t bring the future up right then. It would spoil the present.
And so he did nothing but pull her close to him and kiss her deeply. With a little sigh, Alyssa broke away and unlocked her front door.
“Thank you,” she said.
Ali laughed. “Thank you. You were the one who helped me out tonight.”
“Yeah, but I had a lot of fun.”
“I did, too,” he said softly. “Good night, Alyssa.”
“Good night,” she whispered.
The door closed behind her, and Ali headed back downstairs and into the limo that now seemed all too large and all too quiet.
Chapter 8
Alyssa
Alyssa closed the door behind her, happiness swirling through her core. Hanging her keys on the hook, she gingerly took off her heels. Her feet ached from wearing them all night long, but she hadn’t noticed until right then—probably because she’d been too busy having a great evening.
On the television, a standup special was paused, and all the lights but the salt lamp in the corner were out.
“Lu,” she called, “I’m back.”
No one answered, and Alyssa took a few steps forward, till the front of the couch was in view. There, Lucy slept on her side, a blanket pulled over her and the cat nestled up against her feet.
“Aw,” Alyssa softly cooed.
Careful to do everything softly, she went about getting herself some water. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she stripped the dress and put on a tank top and pajama shorts.
Climbing into bed, she realized she’d left her phone in her purse. It probably needed to be charged.
Creeping back to the living room, Alyssa grabbed her purse from the little table she used to drop mail and anything else she wanted to get out of her hands the second she walked through the door. She reached into it for her phone, but her fingertips grazed paper.
“Huh?” she whispered.
She’d only put her necessities for the night in the purse—meaning credit card, driver’s license, phone, and lipstick. She’d left her wallet and checkbook in the purse she used most days.
Taking the beaded purse back to her bedroom, Alyssa settled cross-legged on the bed and got a better look at its contents.
Two thousand dollars. Paid to the order of Alyssa Cambridge.
It was a check!
Alyssa read it over again, her eyes tracing the graceful loops of the signature. It was from Ali.
Alyssa’s heart raced. What was going on here? Had he paid her for going out with him?
That was the only logical explanation. She wanted to tell herself this was no different than what she’d offered to do for him the week before, but that was a lie.
Alyssa had offered fifty dollars. There was a big difference between that and two thousand. Also, she hadn’t known Ali then. He’d been a total stranger she’d plucked off the street. Not someone she’d spent two fun-filled evenings with. Not someone she’d kissed…not someone she felt things for.
Her ears were so hot they felt like they were on fire, and her throat became drier by the second. Alyssa put the check down on the bedspread and stared at it. She picked up her phone.
But she didn’t make the call.
What would she say to Ali? Thanks, but no thanks. I’m not an escort.
It wasn’t even really about that. If Ali had been someone else—someone she wasn’t attracted to—there was a good chance she would accept the money. Life in New York wasn’t exactly cheap.
Alyssa nibbled her lip, debating, as her fingers began to type.
I thought you liked me for me.
They were the words ringing in her heart, but she didn't send them. She didn’t have the courage. Or maybe it was that she had too much pride. Alyssa didn’t really know. All she understood was that she was hurt, and the man who only twenty minutes before had made her feel over the moon had done this to her.
Chapter 9
Alyssa
“Ugh, turn off the light,” Lucy grumbled from the couch.
From where she cooked pancakes on the small stove, Alyssa looked over her shoulder. “It’s morning.”
“Mm.” Lucy threw off the blanket she’d been using to shield her face from the daylight. “What time?” she mumbled.
“Eight.” Alyssa looked back at the frying pan. The edges of the pancakes were bubbling. Carefully, she scooted her spatula under the smallest one and flipped it over.
After waking up several times, Alyssa had given up on getting a full night’s sleep and finally risen. She’d gotten busy cleaning the apartment, doing everything short of running the vacuum, since that would wake Lucy up.
The bathroom shone. The windows gleamed. The cat’s litter box was fresh. A vanilla-scented candle burned on the kitchen counter. And still, Alyssa felt like a live wire.
“Eight is too early,” Lucy commented with a sigh. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes. “What are you doing up, anyway? When did you get back?”
“I don’t know. Not that late. When did you fall asleep?”
“Mm. Dunno.” Lucy picked up the empty wine bottle next to the couch. “But this had something to do with it. By the way, before you judge me, Ralph helped me drink it.”
“Sure he did,” Alyssa said.
“I’m serious. Your cat has a real problem.”
Alyssa flipped the rest of the pancakes, saying nothing. Silence filled the apartment.
“Hey.” Lucy’s voice was softer, now. “Are you okay? Did the party not go well?”
“It’s way more complicated than that.”
“Uh-oh.” Lucy leaned forward on the couch. “Tell me. But, wait. I need to make coffee first.”
“It’s on its way.” Filling a mug with fresh coffee, Alyssa grabbed the creamer from the fridge and handed both to Lucy.
“Thanks,” Lucy said. Her gaze fell on the magazines perfectly sta
cked on the coffee table, the moved to the candle on the counter. “How long have you been awake for?”
“Don’t know, really.” Alyssa rubbed the pinched spot between her eyes and turned back to the pancakes. Coffee. She needed more coffee. That would fix everything. That would erase last night.
Sliding the pancakes onto two plates, Alyssa added the fruit salad she’d already cut up and served her and Lucy. Since the apartment was so tiny, Alyssa didn’t really have a dining table. She made do with the coffee table. Having an apartment with an actual eating area was definitely on her bucket list.
Lucy narrowed her eyes. “Spill.”
Alyssa sat on the floor, on the other side of the coffee table. She picked up her fork but ended up just pushing some melon around her plate. If she was hungry, she couldn’t tell.
“I think I should show you.” Reaching into her pocket, Alyssa pulled the folded check from her sweatpants and set it on the coffee table.
Brow furrowed, Lucy picked it up, and her eyes went wide. “Holy—”
“Yeah.”
“I…uh…okay. Wow.”
“Yeah,” Alyssa agreed.
“Just, uh…hold on. Pause.” Lucy took several gulps of coffee, set the mug on the table, and breathed in deeply. “I’m still processing this.”
“Me, too,” Alyssa muttered.
“Did you, uh…”
“I didn’t sleep with him in exchange for two thousand dollars, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Okay.” Lucy nodded, but she still looked confused. “Why, then? Why did he give you that?”
“Well, I did pretend to be his fiancée.”
“What?” Lucy shrieked.
“Yep. And I met Congresswoman Wilder.”
Lucy’s jaw dropped. “You need to back way, way up. Tell me everything.”
Alyssa already had her story prepared. “It turns out Ali is a sheikh. His family is the ruling family of Baqar. He’s not in line to rule himself, but his second cousin is the ruler of the dang country.”
Lucy opened and closed her mouth, looking like a fish out of water. “What…but…”
“There’s more.” Alyssa put her finger up, gesturing for Lucy to wait for it. “The party we went to last night wasn’t the kind of party I’m used to. No beer in plastic cups. This was a fundraiser for a special needs school, and I’m pretty sure everyone there was super rich and or famous.”
“Like Congresswoman Wilder,” Lucy whispered in awe. “I can’t believe you met her. What was she like?”
“Lucy. Listen. Ali told everyone I was his fiancée. That was the favor he wanted from me.”
“Huh?” Lucy reeled back. “Why?”
“Because his parents are, like, breathing down his neck, expecting him to get married.”
Lucy laughed. “They’d get along with your mom.”
“Right?”
“And the money part.” Lucy rolled her hand. “When did he say, ‘hey I’m gonna pay you for this’? Or did you ask for money?”
“No!” Alyssa cried. “I wouldn’t ask for money for that.”
“I don’t know.” Lucy threw her hands in the air. “He’s a sheikh. He has a lot of money. You’re a paralegal in one of the most expensive cities in the world.”
“We do okay,” Alyssa said, feeling slightly offended. “Our jobs don’t pay that badly.”
“Yeah, if we lived in Middle of Nowhere, Idaho, we’d be living in the biggest house there. But in New York?”
Alyssa sighed and dropped her chin into her hand. “Your pancakes are getting cold.”
“Your pancakes are getting cold.” Lucy took a big bite of a pancake and shook her head as she chewed. “What did you say?” she asked around a mouthful of food, “when he gave you that?”
“He did it behind my back. Stuck it in my purse. I guess when I was talking to Congresswoman Wilder.”
Lucy made a face. “So, he was ashamed.”
Alyssa’s stomach flopped over. “I’m not an escort,” she said quietly. “Does he not get that?”
Lucy sighed. “Oh, Alyssa. I’m sorry.”
“I like him,” Alyssa whispered. “He kissed me last night and asked me out again, and I thought he did that because he likes me back, but maybe I’m being stupid.”
“No,” Lucy snapped. “You’re not being stupid.”
“Except that I am.” Alyssa dropped her head into her hands and moaned. “God, what’s wrong with me?”
“A handsome sheikh kissed you and asked you out. Nothing is wrong with you.”
“But he just wants me to be his fake fiancée.”
“You don’t know that…” Lucy said, her words growing softer at the end.
Alyssa snorted. “You don’t even believe that yourself.”
“Ask him what he wants.”
Lucy said it like it was the simplest thing in the world. Shaking her head, Alyssa looked down. “Right now, I can’t even think of doing that. I know I should, but I feel too hurt. I feel…stunned. Like I wouldn’t even be able to get the words out, you know?”’
“Yeah,” Lucy said. “I do, and I’m sorry. This is a—well, extremely weird situation, first of all. But it also seems difficult.”
They sat there quietly, looking at their breakfasts. After a moment, Alyssa picked up her fork and knife and began aggressively eating her pancakes.
“At least I have carbs,” she said.
Lucy went to the counter for more coffee. “Now what? You’re not going to see him again?”
Alyssa swallowed a bite of pancakes. She needed more syrup. Yes, more syrup would help her deal with this right now.
“Alyssa?”
“Bring the syrup over here, please?”
Lucy came back with her fresh coffee and the syrup, but when Alyssa reached for the latter, she swiped it from her reach. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Hey,” Alyssa protested. “Give me that friggin’ syrup.”
Lips pursed, Lucy handed it over. “What are you going to do?”
“Not see him again.” Alyssa dumped syrup on her pancakes and looked up at Lucy. “I’m not an idiot. This can’t end well.”
Lucy stood above Alyssa, making no move to go back to the couch.
“What?” Alyssa demanded.
“It’s just…if you don’t see Ali again, what are you going to do? Go back to spending the weekends alone, on the couch with Ralph?”
“It’s what you did last night,” Alyssa snapped.
“Hey,” Lucy shot back. “I’m not the enemy here, okay?”
“Sorry,” Alyssa said, shame filling her.
“And, yeah, I have no life outside of work and school. Trust me, I know it.”
“I didn’t mean to be nasty about it,” Alyssa said. “That was stupid of me to say.”
Lucy resumed her seat on the couch and pushed her sleep-tangled hair out of her face. “Honestly? Okay, maybe I want to live a little vicariously through you, but that’s not what this is about. You’re not happy, Alyssa, and it sucks seeing you this way.”
Alyssa’s shoulders slumped. What was she supposed to say to that?
“If you stop seeing Ali,” Lucy said, “Please do something else. Join some kind of group. Get out and meet other people.”
“You’re really encouraging me to see him,” Alyssa said in disbelief.
“I think you already want to.”
Alyssa bit the inside of her cheek. A big part of her really did want to keep seeing Ali. She wanted to believe that she was wrong, that he really was interested in her, and this wasn’t only about being his fake fiancée.
On the counter, Alyssa’s phone buzzed with a text.
“I’ll think about it,” she said, standing up.
“You might be wrong,” Lucy said.
Alyssa laughed bitterly. “He gave me money, Lu, like I was a…” Alyssa couldn’t even bring herself to say the word.
Picking her phone up, she glanced at the screen. Right away, her heart beat fa
ster, and her breathing quickened.
“It’s him,” she said.
Even a text from him has me freaking out. Alyssa shook her head. This wasn’t good.
“What did he say?” Lucy asked.
“Alyssa, I had a great time last night. I find I can’t wait another week to see you again. Are you available this evening for dinner?”
“Wow, he’s formal,” Lucy said. “Most guys are like, ‘Sup? Wanna hang?’” She rolled her eyes. “At best.”
Alyssa’s mouth was dry, and the hand holding her phone shook. It was just a text—a simple invitation to dinner—but she felt as if she were facing one of the greatest decisions of her life.
“Talk to him,” Lucy said. “Find out what the deal is with the check.”
“I know what the deal is,” Alyssa said. “He sees me as an escort.”
“And yet that doesn’t completely deter you from wanting to see him again.” Lucy gave Alyssa a pointed look. “You’re shooting yourself in the foot. Go out with him at least one more time. Ask him about the money. Or don’t.” She shrugged.
Alyssa’s thumbs hovered over her phone screen. Really, what did she have to lose?
Her heart, that’s what. If she asked Ali whether or not he was into her and he answered in the negative, she would be crushed.
But what if he did like her? Would Alyssa still want to pursue something with him, despite the check? Maybe there had been a misunderstanding. Alyssa had offered him money to be her date, and he was just returning the favor. Times forty.
“Screw it,” Alyssa muttered.
Before she could overthink it any more, she typed back a response.
Tonight sounds good. What time?
Lucy squealed. “You did it!”
Alyssa’s shoulders slumped. “Was it the right thing to do?”
“I just told you. Take a chance. Talk to him.” Lucy chewed her breakfast. “You’re gonna talk to him, right?”
“Yes. Of course.” The phone buzzed in Alyssa’s hand, and she read the new text.
Perfect. I’ll pick you up at six.
“It’s a date,” Alyssa said, unsure of how the words made her feel.