Faking It: BBW Billionaire Romance (Fake Billionaire Series Book 1)
Page 1
Copyright 2017 Lexy Timms
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to an actual person, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
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Faking It
Fake Billionaire Series # 1
Copyright 2017 by Lexy Timms
Cover by: Book Cover by Design
Faking It Description:
He groaned. This was torture. Being trapped in a room with a beautiful woman was just about every man’s fantasy, but he had to remember that this was just pretend.
Allyson Smith has crushed on her boss for years, but never dared to make a move. When she finds herself without a date to her brother’s upcoming wedding, Allyson tells her family one innocent white lie: that she’s been dating her boss. Unfortunately, her boss discovers her lie, and insists on posing as her boyfriend to escort her to the wedding.
Playboy billionaire Dane Prescott always has a new heiress on his arm, but he can’t get his assistant Allyson out of his head. He’s fought his attraction to her, until he gets caught up in her scheme of a fake relationship.
One passionate weekend with the boss has Allyson Smith questioning everything she believes in. Falling for a wealthy playboy like Dane is against the rules, but if she’s just faking it what’s the harm?
Fake Billionaire Series
Faking It
Book 1
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B073X8QYH3
Temporary CEO
Book 2
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B073X9368J
Caught in the Act
Book 3
Amazon: COMING SOON
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Contents
Faking It Description:
Fake Billionaire Series
Find Lexy Timms:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Temporary CEO Blurb
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BONUS EXCERPT – UNKNOWN by Lexy Timms
Description
Unknown - Chapter 1
Unknown Chapter 2
Unknown Chapter 3
Unknown Chapter 4
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Chapter 1
Allyson Smith swung the baseball bat as hard as she could. When it hit the ball, she instantly regretted it. The ball flew through the air, headed right at her boss’s head.
Her eyes widened. She called out to him, but it was no use—it seemed like everything slowed down under the stadium floodlights. The ball inched closer and closer to Dane Prescott’s gorgeous face. That perfect face that had been on the cover of every tabloid in New York City. That face she needed to stay intact if she had any hope of surviving the upcoming weekend from hell.
Her brother’s wedding was this weekend. If there was a chance of getting her meddling family off her back she had to get a convincing photo of her and Dane looking cozy together. Bit tough to look cozy in a photo if your pretend boyfriend’s sporting a black eye, or has blood shooting out of his nose.
“Mr. Prescott, look out!” She raced to him, the heels of her stilettos sinking into the wet grass.
Somehow in her desperation to get her family to back off she had inadvertently let it slip out that she was dating rich, sexy Dane Prescott. Of course, she wasn’t. Dane dated heiresses and aristocrats, not forgettable assistants like her. Her family didn’t know that, so a photo might get them to leave her alone for once. But first, she had to save his face.
Dane ducked. The ball whizzed over his head and he turned to watch it sail off into the distance, lost somewhere in the outfield.
She wobbled unsteadily on her feet, tripped forward, and crashed into him. Panic gripped her at the thought of getting mud on his expensive suit.
He caught her, his huge hands wrapped around her waist, keeping her from dragging him down. “I’ve got you,” he said.
His words sent the strangest thrill through her.
The sensation of his big hands holding her steady made her head swim. They had never touched each other like this before. The closest she and Dane had come to any sort of intimacy had been on those rare days he needed his jacket pressed and she’d helped him take it off.
Dane blinked down at her, his blue eyes hypnotizing and seducing, making her forget they were still on the job. She so often forgot. “You know, first base is that way,” he said, gesturing towards the plate. He smiled that dazzling smile of his, and she practically melted against him.
The hand that was still on her waist burned through the flimsy fabric of her blouse. Whenever he was near Allyson became painfully, heart-stoppingly aware of him. Aware of his towering presence, and that muscular body that he had molded from college hockey and a lifetime in the gym. The CEO of a sports equipment company had to look his best, and Dane was no exception.
There wasn’t a day that he didn’t left her completely breathless. And tonight, in the stadium, she barely dared to breathe.
At the sound of applause a few yards away, he released her to join in the applause. He was clapping. For her. The British executives who had crowded on the grass to watch their little demonstration seemed to approve.
Dane was still smiling as he put his hand on the small of her back to guide her towards the executives.
“That was most impressive, Ms. Smith,” John Handel, the Vice President of Handel and Company, called out as they approached.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Allyson played softball in high school,” Dane informed the executives. “That’s why she’s got such a great arm.”
She smiled. It was nice of her boss to talk her up, especially since it didn’t happen very often. Not because he didn’t notice her, but because of how demanding their work was. Most days they could barely catch their breath, much less find the time to lay on praise.
Dane m
otioned the executives towards the line of hired servers who were waiting with refreshments by the empty stands. As the executives scurried across the grass, Dane took her gently by the elbow and lowered his head. That was the sign that one of their private conversations was about to start. This was her chance.
After three years of working as his executive assistant, Allyson knew Dane’s habits better than she knew her own. She leaned in close to him, getting a whiff of his familiar clean, crisp aftershave.
“I think that went well, don’t you?” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his perfectly-tailored gray pants. His gray suit was immaculate, Italian, and cost more than most people made in a week. To Dane Prescott, 33-year-old billionaire CEO of Prescott Global, that was chump change.
“They seem happy,” she breathed, her voice so soft she almost didn’t hear herself. He made her that nervous.
He reached to push back a stray lock of hair that had fallen over her eyes. She trembled at the close contact. Dane was always so obsessed with the smallest detail. He didn’t miss anything.
“And I owe it all to you,” he said with a smile that made her face heat.
She lowered her eyes, hoping he wouldn’t see the blush in her cheeks under the floodlights. “I’m sure you would have come up with something, Mr. Prescott.”
“I doubt it. All the best ideas come from you.”
Her idea to have the visiting Brits come down to the world-renowned Prescott Park was probably a good one, though she had a hard time admitting it. Most of the time if they had deals to make with VIP guests, Prescott Global sent them to play golf, eat at some fancy restaurant, or go to one of their factories out of state. But British executives could play golf anywhere. When else could they get the chance to see the majesty of New York’s iconic baseball stadium, Prescott Park, which had been owned by the Prescott family for generations? So, after a tour of the city, they were now at their final stop of the day. Prescott Park.
“Maybe we could take a photo,” she suggested innocently.
“Great idea; we’ll get some group shots with the executives.”
She groaned inwardly. A group photo was the last thing she needed. After convincing her meddling family that Dane was not just her boss, but her boyfriend, her family had naturally demanded she bring him to the wedding. Fat chance of that happening. It’s not like she could waltz into her boss’s office and ask him to be her pretend boyfriend for the weekend. She’d be fired, and utterly humiliated.
So, her best bet was to send a photo of them looking blissfully happy together. And that idea was now going up in flames as she and Dane walked across the grass towards their British guests. Everyone started posing for photos and every time Allyson opened her mouth to suggest she and Dane take a photo together, another executive would talk over her.
Fifteen hellish minutes passed, with her posing in her dangerously high stilettos, a fake smile plastered on her face.
“Would you two like to take a picture together? Just the two of you?” Handel pointed from Allyson to Dane. If Allyson could have reached out and kissed the old man, she would have. Instead, she pulled her cell phone out of her skirt pocket and handed it to Handel.
“I’d love to,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound too eager.
Dane appeared beside her. Her heart started racing. The crazy plan she’d concocted might actually happen, but she had no idea how to pull it off. Anxiety gripped her. They rarely got this close to each other. If she started canoodling with Dane like an idiot, he’d know something was up. But if she just stood there like a wet fish, there was no way of convincing her family.
With shaking hands, she stood as close to him as she dared. He slipped his arm around her shoulders, bringing her close. The weight of his powerful arm made her stomach do somersaults. She forced herself to smile through the anxiety coursing through her.
Handel snapped a few shots and handed back her cell phone. She thanked him and started furiously typing a text message to go along with the photo, making sure to send it to her brother and her parents. She even sent the photo to her older sister for extra measure. There! Now they’d get off her case and she could fly solo at the wedding in peace.
“You look awfully pleased with yourself,” Dane murmured.
His voice made her practically jump out of her skin. “Oh shit, Dane; you startled me.”
He tilted his head, an amused expression on his face.
Allyson gasped. “I’m so sorry! I meant ‘Mr. Prescott.’” Crap, what had she said?
He chuckled. “No problem. I know we’re still working but you can let loose a little, Allyson.”
“Of course. It’s just—”
“Got a lot on your mind?” he finished smoothly. His bright blue eyes locked onto hers. There was a mischievous glint in them, as if he’d caught her out. Discovered her secret. She felt like a naughty child under his gaze. “Why are you so jumpy today, anyway? That’s very unlike you.”
Dane missed nothing. His attention to detail had been the undoing of a lot of people in the corporate world who thought they could cross him. Hard work and transparency were what won him over. Not backstabbing and cutting corners. And tonight, she had double-crossed him. Used him to tell a lie. Guilt gnawed at her.
She bit her lip, trying to think of a lie. “It’s nothing.”
“There’s a chill in the air.” He started to shrug out of his jacket to hand it to her. “You’re probably freezing. How did I not see that before?”
He was right. There was a nip in the late spring air. But she’d been so desperate to pull off her little scheme that she’d hardly noticed.
“Thank you.” She slipped his jacket on. It was so big it practically swallowed her up. She dropped her cell phone into one of its pockets. There was something so dangerously intimate about wearing his clothes. Something so familiar between employer and employee.
Allyson looked up into his blue eyes. Found herself lost in them. Again. In the beginning, she had tried to tell herself the butterflies he gave her were just a single girl’s reaction to her handsome new boss. That wavy blond hair contrasting with his tan skin and sea-blue eyes would make anyone notice. Everything about him reminded her of a day at the beach. He was warm, golden, and so very tempting. His presence overwhelmed. “Aren’t you cold, Mr. Prescott?”
Dane held his hands up. “Allyson, that’s enough. You don’t have to think of me every minute of the day.” He shoved his hands into his pockets again. “Any weekend plans?”
She swallowed hard. Making small talk with her boss was so nerve-wracking. It was much easier to just talk about work. “I’m a bridesmaid at my brother’s wedding.”
“That’s terrific. Congratulate him for me. He’s the lawyer, right?”
She nodded. “Yes. Mom and Dad are so proud.” She cringed at the bitterness in her voice. Her parents never let her forget how accomplished her brother and her sister were. James was a lawyer, and about to get married to a neurosurgeon.
Meanwhile, she was nothing more than a lowly assistant. Granted, she’d managed to snag a swanky New York apartment, but she was still hopelessly single. Something her family never let her forget.
“But you’re not?” Dane’s words dragged her from her thoughts.
“No, it’s not that. I meant—”
“Sometimes parents can be impossible on us,” he said. “My bloomin’ parents are. I totally understand if you’re kind of reluctant to go to this wedding.”
Before she could answer, one of the executives called to Dane.
“I think it’s time to go,” he said. “We can stop by the office to get our stuff, and then I can drop you off at home.”
“Thank you so much.” He was always so good to her. The job was demanding, but Dane respected his employees. After saying goodbye to the executives, she and Dane walked towards the company car. Her stomach was in knots. The thought of betraying him made her insides churn.
He helped her into the passenger seat and drove away fro
m Prescott Park, back to company headquarters. The office was closed for the day but, as always, there were still employees who had stayed behind to work overtime.
When Allyson arrived at her desk outside Dane’s office, she slipped out of his jacket and handed it back to him. She turned her focus to her desk where she made sure to set aside important documents, grabbed her handbag, found her apartment keys, and started searching around anxiously for her cell phone.
“Looking for this?”
She turned around to find Dane leaning against his office door, holding up her cell phone. His eyebrows were pressed together, the rest of his face unreadable.
Her heart sank. Oh, shit.
The next words he said made her want to disappear into the floor. “What’s this about me being your boyfriend?”
Chapter 2
Allyson was never at a loss for words.
He couldn’t remember her ever not having a classy, or smart, response. But as Dane gazed at her darkly, her mouth fell open and no sound came out. He had no idea if she was trying to come up with a lie, but she must have had enough good sense to know he wasn’t going to buy whatever story she told him.
“Well?” he demanded. What right did she have? He ignored the inner voice inside him asking what right he had to look at her phone.
She swallowed hard. “L-Let me explain.”
“I’m waiting,” he said sharply.
“I lied to my family about you.”
He stared at her in amazement. So, she wasn’t going to cook up some story. That, at least, he could admire. “What did you lie about?”
She smoothed the fabric of her tight skirt, her hands shaking. It was probably taking a lot out of her to face what she’d done, but he wasn’t going to make this easy for her. She’d broken his trust, and he deserved to hear why.
Allyson cleared her throat. “I told my family you and I are dating. I’m sorry. Really, I am. I’m very ashamed of my behavior.” Her gorgeous green eyes were glistening. The last thing he wanted was for her to start crying and make a scene out here in the open.