Next Door Daddy

by Amy Brent

  She found herself at home, looking through her closet. She lived in the rural area of Virginia, but close enough to Washington. When she had gone locally to apply for this crazy “job” in the first place she’d had no idea her information would be sent out to surrounding counties. Now, she had one day to pack everything she thought she would need and at Dulles International Airport by Friday morning.

  There were various things in her closet, a little bit of everything really. She knew that she needed to look nice, presentable for the events she was going to. She had to wonder why he had chosen her, over all the women in the place. It was obvious that she stood out a little different than the others. With a shrug, she decided to not think about it, or care. No matter what happened, she would be 500 thousand dollars richer in a few days. There was still some apprehension in her deep down as she loaded up her things and made her way to the car the next morning. She took a deep breath, smoothing down her dark silky hair as she made her way to the airport.

  She found the counter and picked up her information. As promised everything had been taken care of and she soon found herself in a luxurious seat sipping champagne. Whoever she was working for certainly did have taste. The flight was relatively short, as she exited the plane she felt herself a little more excited than before. He was going to meet her here, and take her back to the hotel as a couple. Her role in this assignment was going to start very soon indeed.

  She glanced around until she saw a sign with her name on it. She had to swallow hard, as she looked at the man holding it. He was short, a good two inches shorter than she was, balding with a slight grey smattering of hair on his otherwise shiny head, and he was frowning at her as she approached him. She knew this was going to be much harder than she thought. She decided to do her best, after all he had chosen her. She thrust her hand out to him, which he simply looked at.

  “I am Megan.” She said it calmly as she waited. He gave her a once over and gave her a slight bow, before turning to have her follow him.

  He was a rude little negative thing, but she followed along, determined to make it through the next three days with some sense of dignity. She watched him as he made it to the car and helped her inside, never once smiling at her or saying a word. It would be very difficult indeed to pull off being his fiancé if he was going to be so difficult to talk to. She settled into the plush seats, thinking about her situation once more, letting it roll around in her brain. The truth of the matter east that she didn’t even know this guy, and here she was sitting in his car. He could be a serial killer or something. Who knew?

  It may be a good idea to take in her surroundings so that if something bad did happen, she could make it home safely after her escape. She decided to jot down a few notes, stresses and intersections just in case. She slipped the paper and pen back in her bag just as they pulled up in front of a massive and elegant hotel. She gulped hard as she watched him open the door for her. At the very least he had some manners, and was still holding on to chivalry.

  She turned to face him, waiting on him to say something, but he simply made his way up the grand staircase and to the front lobby. She followed along, amused as he sent a few young men scurrying out to the waiting car to get her bags. He was a hard-ass, and liked getting his way. Whoever he did have to marry was a poor girl. They rode the elevator and finally she’d had enough.

  “I know we don’t know each other, but in order for this to work don’t you think we have to at least look like we like each other. I mean you are stone cold.” She glanced at him waiting on a response. When he didn’t say anything, but simply cleared his throat, she felt herself getting irritated. It was just rude.

  “Well, whatever, I mean it’s your money. If you don’t want to talk to me then that’s just fine with me. I’ll just settle in with a good book, and make your appearances. I was just trying to be nice. It’s obvious you don’t feel as though you should do the same.” She snapped at him, and yet she couldn’t stop herself when she did it.

  There was a level of frustration in the way he simply walked out of the elevator as it opened, never once saying a word to her. She would have to be careful with this guy. For whatever reason he wanted her to be pissed off, or he was just a jerk. Either way, she needed to keep her cool before she lost this job entirely. They walked up to a room and he produced a gold key swiping it across the front of the door which unlocked it for them. He pushed open the door, allowing her to walk inside and he quickly followed her. Standing by the door, he cleared his throat once more.

  “Paulson is that you? I can’t believe you made it back so quickly. I had that ridiculous conference call and now I am stuck…” He trailed off as he walked into the foyer.

  It was a rare occasion in her 25 years that Megan had ever been speechless, and this was one of those occasions. He took long strides into the room, his upper body thick and full. His hair fell over his eyes perfectly accenting them, giving her a hint of the chocolate brown there. He had a beard, just enough to give him an edge, and he was beautiful to look at. She felt her body react to him the moment he walked in.

  He turned his attention to her, one eyebrow shot up as he gave her a one over and moved to stand in front of her. He smiled then, making her heart beat faster as he took her hand in his, delicately planting a soft kiss on the juncture between her forefinger and thumb. An odd place to be kissed, but it sent a shiver up her spine nonetheless.

  “You must be Megan?” He gave her a lazy smile. “I am Roman; I see you met Paulson.”

  “Uh, yes, I mean you’re Roman? He didn’t tell me that. In fact, he didn’t say a word.” She looked over and happened to catch a glimpse of what looked like a grin on Paulson’s face before he bowed and left the apartments.

  He let her hand go, and there was a slight disappointment in that. “Ah yes Paulson is a man of few words, don’t take it personally sweetheart that is just who he is.” He walked over to the bar, sauntering and he poured a drink, handing it to her before he took a long sip of his.

  “Thank you but, I’m fine for now. I don’t like to drink too much.” She gave him a slight smile.

  “Well, let me show you your room for the next few days.” He walked ahead of her which suited her just fine as she was able to look at him more closely. He had the most adorable mole under his left ear. Something she hadn’t noticed before. She was still looking at him when he opened the door to her room.

  She had never seen a room like this before, all in patters of blue which suited her. There were flowers and fluffy pillows spread around the room accenting the massive bed in the center. She smiled.

  “This is a beautiful room, thank you.” She glanced up at him, noting the puzzled look in his eye.

  “You’re a beautiful girl, you should sleep on nothing less.” He gave her an exaggerated bow, which caused her to laugh slightly.

  “I suppose that means you’ve begun the facade then?” Very well, thank you dear, I can’t imagine anything less.” She blinked her eyes at him and he smiled at her.

  “We should probably go over the details of what we need to do while you are here, that’s true enough. I’ll let you settle in and when you’re ready just come out and meet me in the dining hall. I’ll be waiting. He turned and whistled slightly as he made his way out of her room.

  Once he was gone she let her body relax, slumping down in a plush white overstuffed chair by a vanity. This job was much more complicated now that she had met the employer. He was too good looking for his own good. With a shrug she slipped into some soft sweats and a t-shirt and pulled her hair up high on her head. She refused to be someone she wasn’t, and her job was to play the role of his fiancé when they were out. As long as she was indoors, she would be herself.

  Nicolai

  He paused, waiting to hear her moving around in the room. He had been a little taken aback when he had come around the corner and she was standing there. Her video had made her attractive, true, but seeing her standing in front of him had been like a punch in th
e gut. She was beautiful. He kissed her hand, something Roman would likely never have done. He was doing his best to stay in character as his brother, but he had already slipped once, and he would have to work hard to not do it again. Roman wouldn’t have laughed at her jokes, or smiled at her like some stupid school boy.

  He would have to try and stay focused, and not let her under his skin any more than she already was with her smoky eyes and curvy frame. The one thing both he and Roman did have in common was control. He was always in control, as it should be and he liked it that way. It wasn’t just business, no he controlled all areas of his life, unless he was somewhere pretending to be his brother. In his 32 years Nicolai had never let a woman get too close to him. They were there for sport, and for fun, but he had no intention of getting serious about one. Eventually he would have to marry, and continue on the family name. It was something that had been important to his father before he had died, leaving the family fortune in Romans very incapable hands. For now, he could focus on luring Roman home with the latest debacle he was creating with the lovely Megan on his arm. If word got out Roman was engaged, the media would have a field day, thus pulling Roman home to confront his brother, and ultimately settling him down once and for all. Before the family fortune was lost and the business a failure. He thought about Megan and Roman together, and he smiled. She was his type in some ways, but her personality would certainly drive him crazy. He could tell by the way she raised her chin a notch from time to time, and did her best to take in every detail about her surroundings that she had a very distinct personality, not one for being told what to do.

  He turned on one heel flicking the phone in his pocket onto the screen that would allow him to get the ball rolling on the events to come. Yes, Roman would have quite a few opinions about this entire situation when he got the news. He moved into the kitchen once more thinking about the lovely lady in the room next door. He would have to be very careful to not slip up and be himself… again.

  He heard the door open behind him, and he turned to face her again. He took in her appearance and wanted to smile, his immediate reaction to her physical being. She was relaxed, and comfortable. He couldn’t help but notice the sway of her hips as she entered the room and settled herself at the table where everything had been laid out. No Roman wouldn’t smile, in fact, he would likely order her back in the room to find something more suitable to wear. The thought went against everything he had he put a frown on his face.

  “I trust you are relaxed?” He smiled at her, careful to keep it from making it to his eyes.

  “Yes, I am fine. I assumed since we weren’t going to be seen until tomorrow I had the freedom to wear whatever I wanted. If this is a problem, just tell me.” He felt the heat of her eyes on him, and he cleared his throat. Yes, she definitely had some fire in her. He watched her face relax.

  “I’m sorry, I suppose the flight was a little more than I thought.” She said it nicely enough, planting a simple smile on her face, but he knew better. She was offended by his offhanded remark, but she needed the money.

  “You are fine Megan, now let’s get to the logistics….”

  They talked about everything they would be doing, and attending. He showed her layouts of every event and who they would meet. He watched as she marveled over the events and what was expected of her. But she visibly squared her shoulders, determined to get everything done.

  “Do you have any questions?” He sat back in his chair watching her.

  “Only one… why do you need a fake fiancé?” She leaned forward, asking him bluntly.

  “Ah, that… I have a few things in my business that I need to have rectified. I don’t have time to be engaged, but I need every viable businessman in the country to take me seriously. The only way to not appear as a childish dolt, is to establish some roots. Thus, a fiancé.”

  “I see; you’re not worried about after the weekend?” She frowned, scrunching up her brow and she was adorable.

  “No, on the contrary, if things go well, I’d like to do this again over the next year or so, until I get everything I need… and want.” He let his eyes roam slightly, something Roman always did to women, especially ones with perfect breasts like this one.

  She blushed the heat rising up in her cheeks, and he stopped.

  “I can do that.” She whispered.

  “So Megan tell me about you. We will need to have some foundation in case someone asks. Obviously there will be some fiction mixed in, but I do want to know some things about you.”

  She sighed, glancing out of the window before she turned to face him once more. “I am an only child to a single mother, my father left when I was 4. I don’t even remember him. I live in the northern part of Virginia, so it’s not the best areas, a lot of crime, though I am tough and managed to stay out of trouble most of my life. I am 25, I love who I am and I want to go back to school. That’s all there is to me really.”

  She was tapping her fingers on the table her manicured nails obviously done by herself.

  “Do you have a boyfriend, Megan… one who would come blow our cover?” He asked her simply enough, but the tension between them was undeniable.

  “No, I don’t do boyfriends.” She raised her eyes to his, never wavering.

  He felt something stir deep down inside him. He wanted her, there was no way around it. She bit back, had an opinion of her own and everything about that usually sent him running, but not with her. He ran everything, and yet here she was meeting him word for word. Perhaps he was amused, but what he was sure of was that he wanted the delectable Megan in his bed. They wrapped up the discussion and dinner arrived. He could tell she wasn’t sure what to do, and despite his reservations he taught her a few things about the multitude of cutlery on her table. She listed and was eager to learn what he was showing her. He moved closer to show her, his hands grazing hers, causing an electric shock that coursed through him. Subconsciously he moved his hands down, brushing the tender curls that had escaped the pile of hair on top of her head. He let his fingers slide down to graze over the smoothness of her shoulders, smiling as he heard her intake of breath. Yes, she was affected by him too.

  “We should probably keep things professional, but I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I wanted to kiss you Megan. But only with your permission.”

  He waited, watching her face as she ran through more emotions at one time. She let her eyes meet his.

  “I don’t even know you…” The words were whispered, but as she bit her lower lip, her eyes found his.

  “Actually, my dear, for all intents and purposes, we are engaged. We will be holding hands and dancing among other things sweetheart, but I won’t push.”

  An hour later she excused herself to bed, still shaken by his words. He bid her goodnight, having gone over the money aspect of the arrangement, and what she was allowed to say or not. He sat there lost in thought for a good long while. Part of him was confused about his reaction to her. She was just a girl, not even the most beautiful. But there was something about her that made his fingers itch to go rip open the door to her room and bury himself deep inside her, feeling her curvy frame beneath him. Even thinking about it made him squirm. He would have to work twice as hard tomorrow, and as they faced the evening dinner.

  Megan

  She sat down on the bed carefully, every nerve ending in her body was on fire. He was too much, too much heat and too much power. She had always thought of herself as a strong woman, but when Roman was around she became unhinged. He said he wanted to kiss her, and for a moment she had contemplated it. She must be slowly going crazy. If it had been anyone else she would have welcomed his advance on her with a sound slap on the face. But not with him, he was dangerous and sexy to boot.

  She shed her clothes and slid into a gown, wrapping her hair up for the night. He wasn’t even her type, and she knew she wasn’t his. Yet they sized each other up often enough and now she was tossing and turning in her room, knowing he was somewhere down the hall undre
ssing and climbing into his own bed… With a sigh of frustration she rolled over and finally willed herself to fall asleep.

  The next morning came early and she woke up early, as usual. She loved facing the morning sun and bringing in a new day. It was a part of her routine and she wouldn’t have it any other way. She tiptoed out of her room and down the hall into the living area to do some stretches. She glanced down at the city below her from the floor to ceiling glass windows. It was almost too much to take in at once. She was still stretching when she heard him behind her.

  “It’s a beautiful view isn’t it?”

  She spun around to face him, her cheeks flaming. He had likely seen her stretching before she had even walked over to the window.

  “Yes, it is! I rarely get to come into the city.” She smiled at him, now and it came easy to her.

  She gave him a once over. Everything about him was perfectly in place. His hair, still damp from an early shower curled slightly at the nape of his neck. He was holding a cup of coffee and he was dressed casually, his khakis and button down shirt completed the picture.

  “You like to rise early I see.” He glanced at her once more as he spun to walk back into the kitchen area.

  “Yes, I hate to waste time.” She felt the heat rise up in her face as she faced the city once more.

  He was driving her crazy, there was no easy way to put it. She barely got any sleep last night and he had started early today, giving her looks and watching her do stretches. She felt the heat rise to her face once more thinking about it. He was in the kitchen humming as he cooked, which surprised her really. She was under the impression he rarely did anything for himself. She padded her way into the kitchen watching him. She didn’t mean to watch him so intently, but he was cooking, happily humming as he did so. He was beautiful to watch, every movement flowed with grace and when he turned to face her, his easy smile, focusing a moment too long on her bottom lip before he handed her a plate of food. She joined him at the bar, both casually taking in the other.