Pretend Daddy: A Fake Marriage Romance

by Amy Brent

  It was kind of funny since she was struggling as much as I was.

  “Remember what we talked about, dude. I know too much,” he said.

  “What was that?” Mrs. D asked.

  “Okay. Mom, you ready to go?” Amber asked, hurrying her mom away.

  “Yes, yes. We need to get an early start. Now, you boys behave today, alright? We will see you for dinner,” Mrs. D said.

  Luke bid them goodbye, but all I did was stare. He was genuinely upset at the attention I was paying his sister, and he got up to see his sister and mother out the door. Obviously, I wasn’t hiding this as well as I thought I was, which was going to make this a lot harder.

  I wasn’t leaving LA without feeling those legs wrapped around me again.

  I just didn’t know how I was going to accomplish that without Luke getting any more suspicious.

  Chapter 8

  Amber

  “Let’s go dancing tonight,” Kelly said.

  “After the bullshit shopping trip Mom took me on, I’m up for anything,” I said.

  “Ah, the infamous shopping trip. How long were you guys out this time?” she asked.

  “Six hours,” I said, groaning.

  “Holy shit. That’s awful. Does your Mom even know what the internet is?” she asked.

  “I don’t think so. And if she does, then she apparently elects to torture me for obvious reasons,” I said.

  “I know, I know. Your mom’s out to destroy your life,” she said.

  “She’s out to marry me off and gets pissed when I tell her no. She’s like an incessant teenage boy who keeps getting rejected by every girl in the school,” I said.

  “Your mom wants to stick her dick in things?” she asked.

  “Shut up, Kelly. You know what I mean,” I said.

  “Well, the dancing will help tonight. Plus, you can get drunk. Which will really take the edge off things,” she said.

  “That sounds fucking perfect. When are we heading out?” I asked.

  “Pick you up around 9?”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  I dug through my closet of endless clothes trying to find something appropriate to go dancing in. I finally settled on a pair of skinny jeans, a sparkling bra I had to wear in one of my performances in college, and a black crop top that fell off one of my shoulders. I mussed my hair around, curling it slightly before spraying it down with hairspray, and I even decided to put on a bit of lipgloss and some mascara. I wasn’t really into the whole makeup scene unless I was getting ready for a performance, but I figured tonight could be an exception to the rule.

  I was ready to forget about the insanity that had become this holiday season, and if I got drunk enough I could find a man to bring back that would help me forget all about Tyler.

  Kelly honked her horn, and I went running out in my peep-toe heels, and she squealed when she saw me. I got into her car before I fluffed my hair out, and we rolled down the windows as we pulled out onto the main road. Music was blasting, and the wind was whipping our hair everywhere, and we couldn’t stop singing at the top of our lungs as we barreled into the heart of downtown LA.

  There was a club that tailored itself specifically to people who could dance, and it was known in the community for pulling in legitimate dancers who wanted to have a good time. Frequently, there would be group numbers that performed for fun and dance-offs that would take place for the hell of it, and I came here every time I needed to be reminded of my dreams and where I was taking my life.

  “Figured you could use a little pick me up,” Kelly said, smiling.

  “Thanks, girl,” I said as I threw my arms around her.

  It took us 20 minutes to get into the club, and I headed straight for the bar once I was in. I was a simple girl when it came to my alcohol: I enjoyed cider beers and the occasional rum and Coke.

  And tonight, I was feeling the hard liquor.

  I took Kelly’s hand after she had gotten her bright green drink and the two of us headed to the dance floor. We held hands while we sipped on our straws, our hips swaying and bobbing to the beat. Some people in the corner were rehearsing dance moves, and I recognized them from the studio up the road. There was a massive ballroom dancing crowd on the opposite end of the city, and they were all here tonight dancing with their partners and rehearsing their routines.

  “One day you’ll have it, Amber,” Kelly yelled in my ear. “Just keep your head up!”

  I twirled her around as the music rattled my ribcage, but I paused when I saw two familiar faces walk in. Of all the nights and all the clubs in the city, my brother and Tyler had to pick this specific one on this specific night to come to.

  And Kelly squealed when she turned around and saw my brother.

  “Oh, holy shit. Did you see who just walked in?” she asked.

  “Unfortunately,” I said.

  “Fuck, I haven’t seen your brother in so long. He looks good,” she said.

  “If you get him drunk enough, he’ll suck face with you,” I said, smirking.

  “Okay. You failed to tell me how hot Tyler is,” she said.

  “Who said that was Tyler?” I asked.

  “The way you’re looking at him tells me it’s Tyler,” she said.

  “Fuck you.”

  “Asshole,” she said.

  “Let’s go do some shots with them,” Kelly said.

  “You go on ahead. I’ll stay here,” I said.

  “No. You won’t. Now, come on,” she said.

  She dragged me over to where they were standing and immediately Tyler’s eyes met mine. I could tell Luke was mortified to see me there, especially in what I was wearing, but he embraced my neck anyway before Kelly elbowed me in the ribcage.

  “Luke, you remember Kelly,” I said.

  “How could I forget?” he asked as he embraced her neck.

  I could practically see her melting in her panties as his hand ran up and down her back.

  “What brings the two of you out?” Tyler asked.

  “Booze. You?” I asked.

  “I was told dancers frequented here. Can’t beat the flexibility they have to offer,” he said, smirking.

  Holy fuck, the man was disgusting. And yet, my eyes couldn’t pull away from the throbbing muscles he had straining against his T-shirt.

  “You know you shouldn’t be out drinking like this,” Luke said as he finally released Kelly.

  “Seriously? I’ve been drinking age for years now. Shut up,” I said.

  “But you could really get yourself into trouble,” he said.

  “Hence why Kelly’s with me, Mom,” I said as I rolled my eyes.

  Tyler threw his head back and laughed, and it gave me the perfect view of his neck. I wanted to leap forward and sink my teeth into it. I bet he would moan and writhe for me if I did. I felt my body gravitating toward him, yanking me into his gravitational pull so my body would circle him like a satellite.

  But he wasn’t here for me. He was here for some other flexible chick.

  So, why was that disappointing to me?

  “Let’s get some shots!” Kelly said.

  “My kinda gal,” Tyler said, grinning.

  Kelly ordered us a round of tequila shots, and we all threw them back. I grimaced at the taste while it burned down my throat, and the bartender quickly filled us up with another one before we all started feeling a bit loose. I looked over and saw Kelly put her hand on my brother’s arm, and she giggled at something he said to her.

  “I bet he cracked the idiotic ‘knock knock’ joke he’s got under his belt,” Tyler said in my ear.

  “He wouldn’t have to say anything to get Kelly underneath his belt,” I said. “That girl’s drooled over my brother for years.”

  “I’m surprised Luke hasn’t hooked up with her yet,” he said.

  “He probably doesn’t know, honestly. He’s a bit of an idiot when it comes to women,” I said.

  “Don’t I know it. I could put on my best wingman impression in a bar wi
th him, and he’d still go home alone,” he said.

  “Maybe if he wore all these tight T-shirts like you do, he’d go home with someone.”

  “He doesn’t have the muscles to pull this off. What works for him is that shining smile and his boyish good looks,” he said.

  “Does my brother know how you feel about him?” I asked.

  But all Tyler did was chuckle.

  The sound against my ear sent shivers up my spine, and this time I had nothing to cover the goosebumps that ricocheted up my arm.

  Suddenly, I looked up and saw Kelly’s lips on my brother’s. Her arms were around his neck, and I saw him shove his tongue down her throat. I grimaced at the sight before I shook my head and turned back to the dance floor, and Tyler leaned up against the bar as he continued to stare at me.

  “In all fairness, I told her if she got my brother drunk he’d suck face with her,” I said.

  “Oh, shit. You unknowingly hooked up your brother with your best friend. Smooth move, ex-lax.”

  I looked over again and saw Kelly pull my brother over into a booth, and Luke collided with the chair before he pulled Kelly onto his lap. His lips attacked her neck while I shivered with disgust, so I turned my entire body toward Tyler just so I wouldn’t be tempted to watch the train wreck.

  “Well, it’s good he’s getting some. Usually, he’s the one that leaves alone.”

  “Oh, my brother’s not leaving with my best friend,” I said.

  “Funny. I figured you’d know what it felt like to have your life governed for you,” Tyler said.

  “Shut the fuck up,” I said.

  Silence fell between us while the music continued to shake the walls, and I sucked down the rest of my rum and Coke before I set it back on the bar. I waved the bartender off when he asked me for another one, and I sighed as I looked back at the dance floor.

  “So,” Tyler said.

  “So,” I repeated.

  “Care for another shot?” he asked.

  “I really shouldn’t,” I said.

  “Did you come out here to stand in a corner and watch people? Or did you come out to dance and have a good time?” he asked.

  I looked over at him, and there was that same devilish twinkle in his eye. I knew what he was after and I knew what he was trying to do. He thought if he could get me drunk enough, I’d fall into his lap like Kelly did with my brother.

  But man, he had another thing coming if he thought I was going to be that easy.

  “Two more shots,” he said. “One for us and one for our friends who obviously don’t need anymore.”

  “Deal,” I said.

  We took two more shots of tequila before Tyler settled the entire tab. My eyes widened at the bill just as he pulled a few twenties from his wallet, and it was then I realized just how well my brother was doing with his business. I looked back out at all the dancers in the area having a blast, and that’s when it hit me.

  The reality of my situation.

  My parents simply didn’t think I could do that well. They thought dancing was frivolous and idiotic. A hobby, not a career.

  But, I knew I could turn it into one. Even though LA had a ton of dance centers, what it didn’t have was the concept I had been dreaming about ever since I first left for college.

  And I was determined to prove them wrong.

  I was determined to prove them all wrong.

  “Want to dance?” Tyler asked.

  “Oh, do I ever,” I said.

  I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the dance floor, and I immediately started grinding against him. I really didn’t care about what he thought or how he felt. My brother was sucking the face off my best friend, so he didn’t have any room to tell me what I could and could not do with his. I came out here to get drunk and dance, and that was exactly what I was going to do.

  I felt Tyler’s hands fall to my hips as he matched my every movement, and I felt an overwhelming heat cascade over my body. I turned around in his arms and began to allow his body to lead mine, naturally falling into a dancer’s rhythm and pace as he led me around the little area we had reserved just for us. My hands draped around his neck, playing with the small curls at the base of his skull, and I couldn’t help but follow the rabbit trail of his dark stare down into the depths of his desires.

  I felt his desire pressing against my leg, and for a split second, an image flashed in my mind.

  An image of him pinning me up against the stall wall of the bathrooms in the back.

  But the changing of the song ripped me from my trance, and the beat slowed down, allowing me to step back from him for a bit so I could breathe.

  Drinking and dancing, I had to remind myself.

  Only drinking and dancing, and nothing more.

  Chapter 9

  Tyler

  Her body began grinding into mine, and my cock instantly sprang to life. Our bodies melded together in ways they never did back in college. She grew these curves that fit into every nook and cranny of my body, and as my hands dropped to her hips, I felt a fire start at the tip of my toes. It was as if her entire body was wrapping around me, encompassing me in its warmth. And I, wanting to drink more of her in, was simply a bystander in the assault that was her beautiful, rounded ass.

  Her hips ground into mine to the rhythm of the music, and I slipped my leg in between hers. My fingertips settled into the meat of her thighs as I matched her swirling movements. The bass of the music thumped my chest as I brushed my lips lightly upon her ear, and for a split second I could’ve sworn she leaned into my touch.

  My breath.

  My warmth.

  The fog of the club swirled around our heads, and suddenly I was sucked back to college. She still smelled of the same vanilla cake body spray I’d had stuck in my nostrils for months after I moved to New York City. Her ass rounded back into my growing cock, throbbing against her as it begged to be free. But then, just as I went to press my lips onto the crook of her neck, she slid away from me.

  I watched as she turned around, hooking those big doe eyes on me like she had so many times in college. Her bottom lip was red and swollen from biting down onto it, and I knew she could see my raging cock trying to burst from my pants. Her nipples were puckering through her shirt while her chest heaved for breath, and the only thing I could think about was fucking her in the bathroom of this club.

  I imagined locking her in and pinning her against the wall, not bothering to take off her clothes as I fucked her stupid. I thought about her sliding to her knees before she took my dick in her mouth and down her throat. I pictured fucking her face while her tears ran the makeup she was wearing down her cheeks.

  Most of all, I thought about what it would feel like to be inside her throbbing depths again.

  I could tell she was thinking. As the beat and tone of the music shifted, I felt people slow down around us. I watched as she released her bottom lip from between her teeth, then I watched her eyes scan me up and down. I smirked when they stopped for a few seconds on my cock, and the flush that crept up her neck was all I needed to see.

  I didn’t know what she was thinking, nor did I know what she was feeling.

  All I knew was she was struggling like I was, and there was no reason for us to fight it any longer.

  Stepping toward her, I slid my hand up her neck. I cupped her cheek, feeling her soft skin cradled in the palm of my hand, and before she could react, I pressed my lips to hers. I held my breath, seeing what she would do. Was she going to push me away? Was she going to cave? Was I about to get slapped?

  The moment I felt her move her lips against mine, I fisted her hair. Her tongue swiped across my lips, and I was more than willing to give her what she wanted. Her hands wrapped around my back, pulling me close into her as I ground my throbbing cock against her body. She tasted like tequila and Coke, a combination that was new to me.

  Foreign to me.

  She was the same and completely new. A book reimagined as my hand came up to cup her other ch
eek. Her thin lips peppered their same dance against mine, but her tongue felt different against the insides of my cheek. I pulled her closer to me, trying to feel as much of her as I could. But, when she released my lips and found my eyes, she uttered the words I’d wanted to hear since I first saw her that night at dinner.

  “I need you, Tyler.”

  Without another word said, I took her hand and led her from the dance floor. We navigated through the crowd and bypassed Luke still sucking off Kelly’s face. We slammed through the girl’s bathroom door and locked it before finding a stall, and she was trying to pull my shirt up over my head as I shut the door.