Marry Me For Money: A Billionaire Fake Fiance Novel

by Ali Parker

  “I told you what he did or what he was going to do. I can’t trust him. I don’t want to be tossed to the side the second he gets his money. I fell for him. I had no idea he was using me. I would have never done what I did with him had I known. I feel so betrayed.”

  She tilted her head to the side, her warm eyes looking into mine. “I’m sorry. I know how you must feel, but I have to say something and don’t get mad at me,” she warned.

  “What?”

  “I saw the two of you that night, albeit briefly. I have to say I felt his attention and adoration of you was very real. He couldn’t stop looking at you. He showered you with attention, even when you didn’t realize it. It’s like he was a planet revolving around you.”

  “But what if it was all a game? What if he wanted me to believe he cared about me to keep me from finding out the truth? I mean, he is up against a pretty serious deadline. He could have fooled you as well,” I protested.

  She smiled. “I don’t think so.”

  I raised an eyebrow, reminding her in a gentle way that she had recently been fooled by Reggie. The asshole had tried to use me for money, but he’d been caught ahead of time, thankfully. Her mouth dropped open, and I smiled, unable to help myself.

  “Sorry, I just wanted to point out that maybe your judgment was clouded.”

  “Now that you bring that up, thanks for that by the way. Look at what he did for me. He didn’t even know me, and he stuck up for me. I thought we agreed that was a very chivalrous thing to do,” she said.

  “True.”

  “You felt comfortable enough with him to give him your virginity. I think you have to trust your judgment more than you are and realize something felt right with him to make you want to do that.”

  I shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t think I can trust myself anymore.”

  “Don’t do that. Don’t sell yourself short and don’t disregard what you felt for him.”

  “I’m not. I can’t allow myself to be used. I mean, I love him, and he says he loves me, but he actually thinks I was with him for the money! How absurd is that?” I shrieked, drawing some looks from the other patrons.

  “It is absurd, but he doesn’t know you all that well. I know you’ve kept that one part of yourself hidden from him. I think it’s time to tell him the truth. Let him decide if he really wants you for who you are.”

  I scoffed. “Oh, he wants me all right. He wants my body. He wants me to be engaged long enough to get his hands on some stupid inheritance. After that, he might not be quite so excited to want only me. I knew his reputation before all this, and I wanted to believe it was all a load of garbage. But now I have to ask myself if I only told myself that because I didn’t want it to be true. I put my ideas about what I wanted in a man on him. He was only being the guy I was asking for. That is a true con man. He’s a chameleon, and I fell for it,” I said, getting myself all worked up again.

  “I really don’t think so. Why don’t you talk to him? You said he’d called you several times.”

  “And then what?”

  “Hear him out. Listen to the words he says. Rely on your gut instincts and see if he is being genuine or he’s just running a game on you. You’re not some naïve little girl who hasn’t been around long enough to know when somebody is blowing smoke. Trust your instincts. I’ve always known you to be a solid judge of character. You are the most loving, open person I’ve met. If he sets off your scum radar, walk away,” she said in a gentle voice.

  I drank my coffee, letting her words digest. “What if I’m wrong? What if I decide he’s being honest and he ends up dumping me a month after he gets his money? It’ll break my heart.”

  She smiled. “You’re twenty-eight. You haven’t lived until you’ve had your heart broken at least once. You’ve gotten through life unscathed, but you have to admit what you had with him was pretty amazing. Would you really want to have gone through life without ever feeling that for a man? Loving anyone is risky. And yes, you stand a very good chance of getting your heart broken, but all those good memories make it worth it.”

  I wrinkled up my nose. “That sounds like a load of garbage.”

  She burst into laughter. “The poets and smart people have been writing about just that for hundreds of years. It has to be true.”

  “I don’t know. I’ll admit, I’m scared. Every time I look at him or get around him, I want to touch him. I want to kiss him and drape myself over him. There is this crazy magnetic attraction between us. I am helpless to fight it. I don’t want to get stuck in one of those relationships where we fight and make up and fight and make up and never get anywhere.”

  She grinned, waggling her eyebrows up and down. “The making up is so good, though.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I like happy.”

  “You’re going to have fights. That’s part of a relationship. Seriously, talk to him. If you don’t believe him, you walk away knowing you tried. If you don’t know without a doubt he was lying, you’re always going to have regrets. You’re going to always wonder what if,” she lectured.

  I took a deep breath. “I know you’re right. I’ll think about it.”

  “Good. Now, I’ve got to get going. I have to see where I can cut expenses to try and get some more money for those kids. I really need a money tree,” she groaned.

  “I’m sorry, I could write a check and cover some of it,” I offered.

  She shook her head. “No. You’ve done too much as it is. I appreciate the offer. You have been more than generous, but this is not your burden to bear alone.”

  I shrugged, “But I’m happy to help. If I get that big movie deal, you know I’m giving a lot of it to your kids.”

  She laughed. “Well, then, I guess we better hope you get that part because we are in desperate need.”

  We walked outside, hugged and went our separate ways. She left me with a lot to think about. I felt like things between Terran and me were the real thing. I didn’t think he could fake it that well. I knew how he looked at me. I saw the way he watched me when I was eating. Sometimes, if we were just sitting on the couch watching TV, he’d be looking at me. My heart clenched at the thought of never getting to see that look or to feel his arms around me. I missed his kisses, his warm touches and of course, sex. He’d opened up a whole new world for me, and I couldn’t get enough of the man.

  I climbed into the car and headed home. I needed to talk to him and put some closure on the whole thing. My phone rang as I waited at a light. I quickly reached for it, hoping it was Terran.

  “Hello?”

  “Hailey, it’s Gabriel.”

  I was bummed it wasn’t Terran, but Gabriel sounded excited. He always sounded excited. It could mean nothing.

  “Hi, Gabriel. What’s up?”

  “You got it!” he shouted into the phone so loud I had to hold it away from my ear.

  I sat stunned until I heard a horn blast behind me and realized the light had turned green. I hit the gas. “I what?”

  “You got the part for the feature film. They just called and want to talk numbers and get the contracts rolling. I wanted to tell you as soon as I heard. Are you excited?”

  I couldn’t think of what to say. “I’m speechless,” I whispered.

  He burst into laughter. “I hope that isn’t a permanent condition. It could really hurt your chances of landing another role.”

  I laughed. “I can’t believe it. I’m in shock. I really wasn’t counting on it. Thank you. Thank you for all your work. I’m going to go home and let this wash over me. I don’t think I really believe it yet.”

  “You do that. I’ll call you in a day or two to start talking money, riders, and scheduling,” he said before hanging up the phone.

  I couldn’t believe it. There was no way. It was unreal. And the first thing I wanted to do was call Terran.

  Chapter 51

  Terran

  Unlike yesterday when I woke up, I wasn’t feeling nearly as confident or excited about what I had to do today.
But today, I was going to do it. I was going to talk to Hailey. Nothing was going to get in the way. Well, unless she absolutely refused to talk to me. I wasn’t sure I was up for time in jail for stalking or something crazy like that.

  I was a nervous wreck. I had tossed and turned all night thinking about what I would say and playing out the various scenarios. So much was riding on me convincing her to love me—to let me love her. I had to have the exact words. They had to be right. This one conversation would change the course of my life. It was hard to fathom just how important it was until I started listing the many things that would change if she chose to tell me to get lost without giving me a chance. I would lose everything. Her, my inheritance and my company were all dependent on how the conversation went. That was a lot of pressure to put on a guy. I was feeling it now.

  Instead of jumping in the shower and rushing to get over to her house, I took my time. I needed to psych myself up. I had to keep reminding myself this was the only way I could get on with my life. It was my last shot at having a real say in how my life turned out. I hated the limbo. I hated feeling like I had no control over what happened. With a last look in the mirror, I headed out, hoping like hell she would answer the door.

  I sat in my car in the parking lot a good ten minutes, trying to get up the nerve to knock on her door. I was not used to feeling like this. Women didn’t often reject me. I guessed it was probably high time I got knocked down a peg or two. I was preparing myself for rejection when I should have been giving myself a pep talk.

  “Just do it. What’s the worst that can happen?” I said, slamming my open hand on the steering wheel.

  I opened the car door, carrying the bouquet of daisies while hoping I didn’t fall on my face, literally and figuratively. I saw her car in her usual parking spot and knew she was home. The thought of being close to her made my heart beat faster. I closed my eyes, sucked in a deep breath and raised my hand to knock on her door.

  I almost knocked on her face. “Hailey?” I croaked.

  “Hi,” she said with a friendly smile that took me completely by surprise.

  “Hi, I, uh, I was hoping we could talk,” I stammered.

  She nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. Do you want to grab lunch?”

  “Ya, sure, I’d love to. Now?”

  She laughed softly. “Yes, if that works.”

  “Yes!” I blurted out, afraid I sounded too eager. I handed her the daisies.

  “I’ll grab my purse and put these in water,” she said turning to go inside, leaving the front door open in invitation.

  I stood in front of her door, not going inside—not entirely sure I was welcome. She re-emerged, her purse in hand as she walked out and shut the door behind her. I ran down and opened the passenger door.

  “Thank you,” she said in a whisper.

  I did a quick fist bump as I ran around the back of the car before sliding behind the wheel. “Any requests?”

  She hesitated. “How about a burger?”

  I chuckled. “I would love a burger.”

  I requested a table that was relatively private at the upscale burger joint. I knew she favored the greasy spoon type places, but I wanted privacy in a somewhat private place.

  “How’ve you been?” I asked, trying to get a conversation started without addressing the giant elephant standing between us.

  She shrugged one of her dainty shoulders. “Good. You?”

  “Horrible,” I confessed. All pretenses of being okay faded away.

  “What? Are you okay” she gasped.

  I looked into her eyes. “Hailey, I’ve been miserable without you. Absolutely miserable. I’ve missed you like crazy.”

  “Terran, we need to talk,” she said the words in a way that usually ended with something like—it’s not you, it’s me.

  I nodded. “I agree. I want to try and explain the situation.”

  She sighed and leaned back in her chair as if she wanted to put distance between us. “I’m going to do my best to try and have an open mind. I’m not making you any promises.”

  I nodded. “Okay. That’s all I can ask. Thank you for giving me the chance.”

  I started in on my speech to win her back. “When we first met, I had just found out about the provisions my dad had put in his will. I’m not lying about that. You have to believe me.”

  “What are the provisions?” she asked.

  I cleared my throat. “My dad was an old-fashioned guy. My mom was his one and only. He never allowed himself to love another woman. I always saw him as a lonely, unhappy man. When my mom died, he let a piece of himself die too. I watched him shrivel up. I mean, I saw him go out with his guy friends, but he was never truly happy. I didn’t want to end up like him. I didn’t want to find myself all sad like him. I put up this wall and made it a point to never let myself fall in love with a woman like he did.”

  She had a faint smile on her face. “I was recently reminded of the notion it was better to love and be loved than to have never loved at all—even if it was only for a brief time.”

  I nodded my head. “I guess that is very true.”

  She smiled. “Time will tell I suppose.”

  I could feel her slipping away. “My dad hated that I never settled down before he died. He kept waiting for me to get married and start a family. I never did.”

  She nodded her head. “Okay, I’m not sure what that has to do with the will and me.”

  I took a drink of water, my throat suddenly felt very dry. I had never opened myself up to anyone. I felt like I was cutting my chest open and leaving it in her hands to save me or kill me.

  “My dad stipulated in his will that I would not be eligible to inherit his estate if I wasn’t married, or engaged, by the age of thirty-five.”

  She scoffed. “And your birthday is around the corner. Why me, Terran? Why did you have to pick me to be the one you used to get your inheritance?” she whispered.

  I shook my head. “I didn’t. When I saw you that day in my office, I was immediately attracted to you, so I asked you out. Then we went out, and you were nothing like I thought you would be. I felt something from the very moment I saw you, and it grew from there.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “You thought you’d take me out, I’d jump into bed with you, and then you’d never call me again?”

  I hung my head down. “I’m going to be honest, yes. That was my M.O.”

  She smirked. “I should have known.”

  “No! Everything changed after that first date. Then we went out again, and I wanted to only be with you. The whole thing with the will, I wanted to forget about it. I couldn’t. There is a lot more riding on it than you know.”

  “So, you sped up the normal timeline for a relationship?” she said in a disgusted tone.

  “No. Yes, but not because of that. I mean, yes. Look, I had the option of finding a woman who would agree to be my fake fiancée. But that would piss you off and send you running in the opposite direction. I didn’t want to risk losing you. Things were going so good between us, I figured we could get engaged and just have a long engagement while we got to know each other better. I proposed to you because I wanted to, not because I had to,” I explained.

  She had a sad look in her eyes. It was a look that made me feel like complete garbage. “You weren’t going to tell me?”

  “I didn’t know how to. It was constantly hanging over me. Then, I stayed at your house, and I saw all the expensive artwork and stuff. You present yourself as a very easygoing, laidback woman who doesn’t care about money, but what I saw was very different. It messed with my head. I was wrong. I screwed up. I put my past experiences on you, and you didn’t deserve that.”

  She was quiet for a long time. I could see my chances of getting her back fading away. “Terran, this, I don’t know. This is a lot.”

  “I’m sorry. Please, I was an idiot. I’ve never met anyone like you. I didn’t know what to expect. I was afraid of you only wanting me for my money.”
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br />   “I don’t. I didn’t.”

  “I know that now. Hailey, there’s more to it. I don’t just lose the inheritance. I lose the company.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “How? I thought the company was yours.”

  “It is. Or at least I thought it was. My dad put up the seed money. I was young and stupid and didn’t realize what that was or how much control that gave him. He owned a controlling interest. If I don’t fulfill his demands, the company will be dissolved, sold off into tiny bits. All my employees lose their jobs. I lose my job,” I stressed.

  “Why would he do that? I thought you two had a good relationship?”

  I shrugged a shoulder. “We did, but we didn’t. I disappointed him. He wanted me to be like him. I failed him. His last move was to try and force me to get married. I don’t know what he was thinking. How could he actually think forcing me to marry anyone would lead to me being happy?”

  “I think your dad was desperate and angry. Maybe he wanted to be carefree like you or was jealous. Since you were too old for him to ground you, he did the next best thing,” she said a serious look on her face.

  “Great, so he haunts me from beyond the grave.”

  “I think he didn’t want you to squander away your life and his money.”

  Her words stung. She was right. I had not been the son he wanted. He couldn’t trust me enough to grow up and be a responsible man, so he essentially cut me off at the knees. I wanted to prove him wrong—even if he would never know it.

  “Hailey, I’ve told you everything. I love you. I fell in love with you. When I asked you to marry me, it was because I wanted us to be together. I want a future with you. That is the honest truth. Please, can we start over? Can you give me another chance to be the man you deserve?”

  She was looking down at the burger that had been delivered. I was staring down at her, unable to breathe as I waited to hear her answer. When her eyes moved up to look at me, I felt my heart jump into my throat. She was about to tell me something I didn’t want to hear. I had poured my heart out, filleted my chest, and she was about to stomp all over it.