by Laura Gray
“Less than plenty,” Ellie corrected. “I mean, just enough.”
“Sure,” he replied, bending down to pull on one of his shoes. Ellie frowned. He was kind of right. She’d had guys over plenty of times, but they were rarely ever one-time hookups. Last night had been a change for her—a change that she greatly welcomed.
No more of my serial monogamist crap, Ellie thought to herself. I want to experience everything about casual dating, which includes the experience of getting rid of the hook up in the morning. Let’s do this.
Archer had already put on his other shoe. This was good—it meant he planned to leave right away.
“I had a fun night yesterday,” Archer said. “You were almost tolerable to have around.”
“What?” Ellie asked, raising a brow.
“Well, the sex part was amazing, but the hanging out part was pretty good too,” Archer said softly. Ellie could see the wheels churning in his head. “In fact, I think this might just work.”
“Excuse me?” Ellie asked, trying not to sound too alarmed.
Archer leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees and folding his palms together. “Elizabeth...what’s your last name?”
“Wolfe,” Ellie replied warily.
“Elizabeth Wolfe,” Archer said with a nod. “I have a proposition for you.”
“Okay,” Ellie said, raising her palms in the air. “I’m going to stop you right there. I’m not looking for a serious relationship right now. At all. And I’m definitely not getting married to a guy I just met yesterday—”
“Not a proposal,” Archer interrupted, chortling. “A proposition.”
“Huh?”
“Like a scheme or a plan that I want to do—”
“I know what a proposition is,” Ellie snapped. “What’s yours?”
“Well,” Archer began, his emerald eyes glinting with strange energy. “you know that my father is dead and his body has been found—I heard the news blaring in your living room.”
Damn, Ellie thought to herself.
“My father has left behind an enormous fortune for my sisters and me,” Archer continued. “Unfortunately, since we were all young when he created the will, he allotted only 25% of the fortune to us and the rest he entrusted to our uncle to give to us when we got older. Unfortunately,” Archer’s voice turned grim. “My uncle has taken it upon himself to decide that untamed, wild bachelors shouldn’t be entrusted with their father’s fortune.”
“Okay…” Ellie trailed off.
“I need to show him that I’m someone that's capable of maintaining a steady relationship, someone who can provide him with heirs, in short.”
“Yeah, I’m not having your babies, don't even think about it.”
“Alright, I think I should have clarified something first,” Archer interrupted her. “I don't want a serious relationship, kids or any of that stuff. I’m not asking you for any of those. Alright?”
Ellie breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright. What do you want, then?”
His green eyes bored into hers. “I need you to pretend to be my fiancée before my family so that my Uncle trusts me enough to give me what’s rightfully mine.”
Ellie’s mouth fell open. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“Not even a little,” Archer said simply.
“I...can’t do that,” Ellie said.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s weird!”
“What if I pay you?” Archer asked.
Okay, hang on. Ellie raised a finger in the air. “How much money are we talking?”
“How much do you want?”
“It’s not really fair that I quote a price first,” Ellie complained.
“And it’s fair if I do? I’m the one paying.”
“You literally have a billion dollars!”
“Then what’s the problem?” he challenged her. “State your price, whatever it is.”
The answer came to Ellie’s lips in one easy swoop, but she held back. There was no way he was really serious about this.
“Say it,” he prodded her with a nod.
“Pay my college tuition,” Ellie said with a shrug. “And pay for my vacation this year.”
“How much is that?”
“$60,000. Give or take.”
“Take 100,” Archer said casually.
“What?” Ellie asked, as though she’d been hit over the head.
“Take one hundred.”
“One hundred thousand dollars?” Her voice was a squeak.
“Of course,” Archer said. “But you have to do a good job.”
Ellie burst out laughing. There was no way this could be true—this guy was just messing with her.
“I’m not joking, Elizabeth,” Archer restated. “This is a very serious business proposition. I’m willing to invest $100,000 dollars so long as you sell us as a couple and you sell it good. The returns that are in question are enormous. $100,000 dollars would pale in comparison.”
Ellie stared at him with a frown, unable to process what he was offering. “What exactly would this...proposition entail?”
“You’ll have to come with me on my family vacation this year,” Archer said. “You’ll have to meet my uncle, my mother, and my sisters, and you’ll have to make nice. We’ll have to create a story of how long we’ve been together of course, which you need to know through and through. My uncle has decided to declare the trust fund’s new trustees after the vacation. After he declares me as the heir, we can break up and you can go about your life as you would.”
“Who’s the other person competing with you for the title?” Ellie asked.
“Bennet Bradford,” Archer scowled. “He’s my cousin—my uncle’s son. There’s one clause in my father’s will that states that under the special circumstance that no suitable are candidates are available from his direct family, the fortune is to be split between my mother and Robert. My uncle gets to decide on the split.”
“Why would your father accept such a clause in his will?” Ellie asked.
“He made the will when his schizophrenia had just revealed itself. I’m sure it was easy for my uncle to manipulate him into sneaking this clause in there, once we were all done looking.” Archer’s scowl had darkened further. He sighed heavily. “I need to get this crisis resolved and this family vacation is the perfect chance for it.”
Ellie leaned back against the wall. “When exactly is your family vacation?”
“August tenth.”
“Yeah, I can’t do August tenth,” Ellie said. “I have my own vacation planned and it’s booked and everything. I’m leaving on the third of August.”
“Where are you going?” Archer asked her.
“New Orleans,” Ellie replied. “Where’s your family vacation happening?”
“We’re going to Barcelona, Paris, and Amsterdam.”
Ellie’s jaw slackened. Archer gave her a wicked grin.
“Of course, you wouldn’t want to go to Europe alone with a strange man so your two friends can also come along,” he added. “If you want to bring them, that is.”
Ellie continued to stare at him in shock.
“All expenses paid, of course.”
Ellie laughed nervously. “You’re crazy.”
“Perhaps,” he admitted with a chuckle. “But this is what I need. What do you say?”
Ellie bit her bottom lip as she stared at the man before her. If someone had asked her yesterday if she’d be willing to take part in a pretend relationship, she’d have laughed them out of town. Here she was, however, with everything she needed being offered to her on a silver platter for that exact price.
No college tuition debt, Ellie thought to herself, her fingers twisting together. That’s no little thing—clearing that debt would take me decades ahead in my financial life. And taking Arjuna and Connie to Europe? What a fucking blast that would be!
“Well?” Archer asked, cocking a handsome brow.
Am I really considering this? Ellie wondere
d, staring at her barren feet.
“Tell me,” Ellie began, looking up, “since this is a strictly professional relationship, can I assume that we will be totally platonic? That means no sex, or making out or whatever.”
“Agreed,” Archer said smoothly. “As it should be. We’ll have to kiss every now and then in front of my family but nothing beyond that.”
Ellie nodded to herself. Sure, yesterday she didn’t think she ever could accept an offer like this, but that was before years of debt and a vacation she could only dream of were put on the line. I’d be a fool to let this go. Besides, it’s not like I have anything to lose.
“Alright,” Ellie said firmly. “I’ll do it.”
Archer stood up from the bed. Ellie marveled at his figure once again as heated memories from last night filled her mind. She brushed them aside as Archer slowly made his way towards her, extending a palm in her direction.
She grabbed a hold of his palm and shook it. “Deal,” she said.
“Deal,” Archer replied. “I’ll have my lawyer send you the contract.”
“Wow, okay.”
“Put your phone number in here,” Archer said, offering her his cell. She quickly typed in her number, glancing at Archer with wonderment.
“Is this for real?” she asked him as she returned his phone.
“As real as it gets,” he replied, picking up his coat. Archer crossed her as he walked over to her bedroom door. The scent of him hit her as he passed by—Ellie inhaled automatically.
“Tell me something,” Archer said, facing away from her, towards the door. “You know that I missed my father’s funeral and that he’s just been found after years. And I’m talking about nothing but the money he left me.”
“Okay?”
“Don't you think I’m selfish, disgusting, or any of those lovely adjectives?” There was a cruel undertone to his voice.
Ellie took a thoughtful pause. “Maybe you are selfish and disgusting. How could I know, really? What I do know is that your father was a schizophrenic. I’m sure his funeral is coming many, many years after he really left you.”
She could see his back stiffen in response to her assessment. He said nothing for a moment. In fact, he was so still for an instant that Ellie thought he’d held his breath.
“Thank you,” he said quietly. “I suppose I’ll see you on the tenth.”
Without turning to look at her, Archer opened the door and strode out of her room as though he were in a hurry. Ellie watched him leave, wondering why her heart was suddenly beating faster than it normally did.
Chapter 4
Barca
The tenth of August arrived soon. It was a rainy day in New York when they left, making Ellie feel glad that she was leaving. She hated New York in the rain.
Connie and Arjun were more excited about this trip than even she was. They nearly fell on the floor bursting with joy when Ellie gave them the news.
“I knew it!” Connie had cried as she tackled Ellie into a massive hug. “I knew you wouldn’t come back with nothing!”
Ellie turned to glance at the back seat of the cab that they were taking to the airport. In order to sleep on the plane, Ellie, Arjun, and Connie had decided to stay up the entire night. Ellie was awake enough, thanks to the enormous amounts of coffee she chugged before they got into their cab. Arjun and Connie were fast asleep already. Connie rested her head on Arjun’s shoulder and he rested his head on her head. They both snored softly.
The sight of them made Ellie smile. A week had passed since she saw them kiss, but neither had told Ellie about it.
There can only be two reasons for that, Ellie concluded. Either what they have isn’t casual so they want to wait before they tell me. Or...it was just a hookup and it was so inconsequential that they don't feel the need to tell me about it.
Somehow, the way that they interacted with each to her made Ellie believe that it wasn’t the second scenario. She’d noticed several similarities between Arjun and Connie, in addition to several moments of chemistry. Ellie had pretended not to notice their awkward glances, and the slight pause they would take every time they laughed with one another. It was difficult, however, not to tell her best friends that she knew such a big secret about them.
Besides that, the previous week had been filled with amazing, nervous excitement about the upcoming trip. Archer had booked their first flight for them and sent her the tickets. They were flying first class to Barcelona. From the airport, they were headed to the Bradfords’ summer beach house by the coast of Barcelona. Archer even told them about their family’s private yacht, the mention of which nearly made Connie faint.
They finally reached the airport thirty minutes later. Connie and Arjun followed Ellie in a sleepy haze through the check-in counters and security. Energy seeped into them only when they entered the luxurious first-class seats that they'd been assigned.
“This is the life,” Arjun said as he stared unabashedly at any luxury that met his eye. Connie had hastily taken her seat and reclined it all the way back.
“I can sleep here,” Connie moaned. “Heck, I can live here.”
A flight attendant came by with a tray full of champagne held high in her hands. “Complementary champagne for the Excelsior Package.”
“Thank you,” Arjun said fervently, accepting the champagne with glee. Ellie took a glass and passed one to Connie.
“I don't even know what an Excelsior Package is, but I love it,” Connie purred as she took a sip of champagne.
“I was wrong before,” Arjun said as he reclined his chair all the way back with the champagne in his hand. He’d also put on the complimentary headphones. “This. This is the life.”
“Okay, before we clock the hell out,” Ellie began tiredly, leaning towards them. “Let’s go over the important points one more time.”
“Alright,” Connie said, rolling her eyes. Arjun pulled off his headphones and twisted to face her.
“So.” Ellie pulled her hands together. “How many months ago did Archer and I meet?”
“Seven months,” they replied in unison.
“How did he ask me out for the first time?”
“He took you to your favorite restaurant, Toscano’s, and you agreed to commit to him on your third date.”
“When did we get engaged?”
“27th of July,” they replied. This time it was Arjun who rolled his eyes.
“We already know all this, El,” he complained.
“We’ve got a lot of money riding on this, guys,” Ellie reminded them. “We have to make sure we don't fuck it up. Even if we’re wasted or sleep-deprived. Understood?”
“Yes, sergeant,” Connie said, eliciting a chuckle out of Arjun.
“I’m serious,” Ellie said.
“Okay, we get it, El,” Arjun said. “We can rehearse again once we get there. No one’s going to ask us your entire history within the first day of being there.”
“You better hope so,” Ellie replied.
Arjun gave her his usual easy-going grin, “Relax, El. This is going to be an awesome vacation.”
“Yeah!” Connie chimed in. “We’re going to freaking Barcelona! And Amsterdam! And Paris and freaking Rome!”
Ellie chuckled at her. “Yeah, it is pretty exciting.”
“Pretty exciting, pfft,” Connie snorted, pulling down her sleeping mask. “I can barely handle it over here. I thought I was looking at a boring month at home while you do god-knows-what in no-one-cares New Orleans—”
“Hey, you said that New Orleans was a good idea!” Ellie pouted.
“No, I said that a change of scenery is a good idea. Europe is a far better change of scenery than New Orleans.”
“No arguments here,” Ellie said, settling back into her seat. The flight attendant came up to them and instructed them to straighten their seats and open their blinds to prepare for takeoff. Ellie followed her instructions with undeniable excitement.
Europe! I’m actually going to freaking Europe!
***
Ellie felt as though she were being shaken. She angrily swatted her arm at whoever was disrupting her sleep, her few cherished hours of complete rest.
“Go away,” Ellie mumbled with her eyes closed.
“Get up, you boob,” she heard Connie’s voice snap. “We’re in Barcelona!”
Ellie’s eyes flew open, her crusted lids pulling apart slowly against the blinding light of the afternoon. Her eyes opened to the sight of a long grey building with a sign on it that read, BARCELONA.
“Oh my god,” Ellie grunted. Her throat was sore from sleeping.
“That’s right, sleepyhead,” Connie said, her cocky grin coming into Elli’s vision. “We’re here! Come on, get up, we gotta go!”
Ellie followed behind Connie tiredly. She’d been more exhausted before the flight than she’d realized. She’d slept for eight hours, straight through the entire flight.
When they touched the ground of the airport, Arjun let out a loud cheer that scared a couple of passersby.
“I did it!” he said, raising his arms. “I lived long enough to see Barcelona!”
“It’s just the airport,” Ellie said with a chuckle.
“Doesn’t matter, it counts,” Arjun retorted with a shrug.
“I think we’re supposed to go in there,” Connie said, pointing at the hallway that all the passengers from our flight were entering. It seemed to be taking them into the airport’s main building. Ellie pushed a strand of thick black hair out of her face. Behind the moving crowd stood a stout, blond man, dressed in an impeccably tailored suit and tie, carrying a large sign in his hands.
Ellie narrowed her eyes at him. The sign read Wolfe.
“Hang on,” Ellie said to Connie before striding towards the well-dressed man waiting for them a ways away. As she neared the man, she saw her first name, Elizabeth, written on the board above Wolfe, albeit in a much smaller font.
“Hey,” she said to the man. “I’m Elizabeth Wolfe.”
The man’s face split into a cheery, congenial smile. “Good to meet you, Miss Wolfe! You’re as lovely as Master Bradford described, perhaps even more so!”
Huh? Ellie thought to herself. Then it hit her. Archer’s told them all we’re together. Right.