Dana rolled her eyes. “If you have to pencil it in to your schedule, it’s sort of missing the point.”
“Touché.”
“You know…” Dana twisted her lips again, thoughtfully. “I’ve been wanting to ask. I know I asked this before, but you didn’t really give much of an answer—why me? I mean, you really don’t have anyone in your life who could have done this? Not that I mind!” she added quickly. Andrew assumed his face had reflected his heart suddenly spasming anxiously. “I mean, I minded at the beginning, but it’s all right now. But I’m surprised that you don’t have any co-workers or acquaintances… no one who could have done it?”
Andrew had avoided this question before. The true answer sounded a little conceited, and he had assumed that conceit wouldn’t help convince Dana to join the cause. Truthfully, there were a dozen girls around the office that could have pretended to be his fiancée, and some that he actually trusted not to blow their cover.
The problem was, all of them would have played the part effortlessly because to be his fiancée was what they truly wanted. He was young and rich, and didn’t look like the wrong end of a hog—more than enough for many women in his office. From their twenty-one-year-old interns to a divorced marketing agent who liked to stop by his office to flirt in the afternoons, it wasn’t as though Andrew would have had a hard time picking someone—anyone—to do what Dana was doing.
So why Dana then? Because trust that she could act out the part was not enough. Acting was a fine talent, but he didn’t want a woman who was an actress. An actress might deceive him, too. Dana was real, and wonderful. She was talented and bright and sunny.
She was everything he didn’t have in his life, and Andrew hadn’t realized any of this until just now, possibly the worst of times. The worst part of it all was that Dana was still sitting there, waiting for an answer, looking like the most beautiful woman on the planet.
“I… I think…” Andrew felt like he was drowning, struggling to reach the surface. “I mean… Yeah, there were other women. I have some colleagues that could have done it. It would have been suspicious though, you know? Anyone within Westcorp could have found out that they weren’t my fiancée a week ago. It just wouldn’t have worked.”
“Oh, I see,” Dana nodded. Did she seem sad at his answer?
“That, and none of them were… well none of them are quite like you.” Andrew reddened. He knew that was too much the moment she looked up suddenly in surprise. “You’re a pretty great fiancée, you have to admit.”
She smiled uncertainly. “I’m a good fiancée?’
This was not going well. “I mean, you’re smart, with a great job, and you’re funny and friendly and… beautiful…”
Dana was staring at him. This was not good. This was disastrous.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
Andrew leaned closer to her. Oh God, what am I doing now? It was too late to stop, and Dana didn’t move away. All she had to do was frown at him, and Andrew was sure he would have raced out of his own home in embarrassment. But she stayed still, watching him, letting him lean his lips closer to hers.
They kissed, and it sounded almost as though the entire city had taken a collective breath, silent, waiting. Andrew had never planned to kiss Dana, but now that he had, it was burning into his chest. He wanted more of it, frightening though it was. He felt as though his very bones were being consumed in the need to keep kissing her.
But he pulled away and sat back, back into the silence, watching her.
Dana, too, seemed stunned speechless. She sat there rigid, as if trying to absorb what had just happened. Andrew didn’t breathe.
“I should probably go,” Dana said finally.
Andrew’s heart dropped to his shoes. He stood up quickly as Dana did, trying not to make eye contact. Stupid. That was so, so stupid. I can’t believe how stupid I was to do that…
Everything was wrecked, now. He wanted to help her with her coat, but felt unwelcome to do so. He hung back awkwardly instead, arguing with himself whether to try and apologize.
He decided to try. “I’m sorry. That was out of line.”
Dana was buttoning her red coat shut. She shook her head, though she didn’t meet his eyes. “No, don’t apologize. It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
If there was anything she could have said to make him worry, that was it.
“Goodnight. I’ll… I’ll see you on Monday.”
And Dana let herself out quickly, snapping the door shut. Not with a slam, just a quick snap that shut Andrew inside his empty apartment once again.
She had left her coffee in her rush to leave. It sat in the living room, perched on the edge of the table, where Andrew couldn’t help but see it. He’d never in his life felt so acutely that an inanimate object was making fun of him.
Chapter 13
Monday morning came too soon for Dana.
She’d woken up on Saturday, glad Maya was working the whole afternoon and evening. Her sister had been on her like white on rice about this whole arrangement, alert for any sign that something was amiss. Dana knew she couldn’t keep her thoughts concealed if Maya caught her now. All of Saturday, Dana sat around the apartment, unable to focus or get anything useful done. She ended up sitting on the couch with Netflix playing endlessly, not really paying attention and not being able to make sense of her thoughts.
Andrew had kissed her! Her lips remembered it clearly, although everything before and after was a bit of a blur. She remembered going for coffee, and everything seemed normal. She remembered sitting with him in his living room, talking about his life. And then, suddenly…
Dana avoided Maya on Sunday, too. Weekends were primetime for waitresses, and Maya had ended up taking another shift Sunday evening. So for the morning and afternoon, Dana skipped out and wandered the neighborhood restlessly. It was the only way to keep Maya out of her head. Dana’s little sister could read her like a book.
And so Dana’s weekend passed uneasily, and Monday arrived with her no closer to understanding the thoughts churning around her head. She wasn’t angry at Andrew, quite the opposite. Dana had enjoyed the kiss, and in another second or two, might have pursued it further. To what? Dana felt a little ill, thinking of what she might have done if she acted on her feelings in the moment. It was crazy. She was getting too caught up in this charade, and so was Andrew.
But as she got ready for work early Monday morning, Dana couldn’t help but wonder at that. Were they really both getting too deep in this? Were they both deluded into feeling that all this was real? What was that, anyway? ‘Real’? How could Dana say for sure what was, and wasn’t? If it felt real to them both, where was the falsehood?
Of all the things she could have thought, this last upset her the most. She hadn’t been able to sleep for half the night, and when she finally dozed off, it was only to wake fitfully every hour or so. Finally, she’d just climbed out of bed at four in the morning and began to get ready for work. She might as well get there early. Maybe diving into a project would help her get a grip.
Putting the last touches of her make-up on, Dana finally looked at the engagement ring on the counter. It had been sitting there all weekend, gazing at her like the eye of some great cat, predatory and patient in its pursuit. Dana reached for it, like it might bite her. She picked it up—had it ever felt this heavy?—and put it on her finger.
No, she couldn’t do it. Dana took the ring off and put it back on the counter.
“Too weird for me,” she muttered, and went to put her coat on. Too weird, and too deliciously close to all these clamoring emotions in her head. If anyone asked about it, she’d say she was getting it cleaned or fixed or polished or something.
Of course, the minute she walked out of the apartment, she regretted leaving it, but Dana was reluctant to go back. Everything was so chaotic as she tried to make sense of her actions, of Andrew’s actions. Having to feel the weight of that ring on her hand, having it remind her of Andrew every second, wo
uld have been too much. She hurried down the stairs before she could convince herself to go get it from the bathroom counter.
It was an overcast day, the sort that reminded you Halloween was coming up. The sky was like a solid slate, lightening blue-gray as dawn grew closer, and a lifeless wind rustled the scarf around her neck and the edges of her skirt. Dana took off for the train station—she didn’t usually leave this early. She didn’t even know if there was a train to the Seven Diamonds at this hour, but anything was better than waiting around aimlessly.
The sun might have been up when she got to the station, but it was hard to tell through the buildings and the clouds. Dana descended the stairs, eager to get out of the wind, and checked through the train times. There was a line headed to the Seven Diamonds, but it detoured through a route that she didn’t normally take. That was all right. A little change of routine would be nice.
As Dana climbed on the train, it occurred to her that since she was leaving so early, and taking a different line, she wouldn’t been seeing Andrew today. Well, that was all right, too. What could she possibly say to him, now? She didn’t even know what to say to her own sister. Dana didn’t even know what to say to herself.
Lost in her own thoughts, Dana watched the train station disappear out the window. Maybe she should just tell Andrew that the deal was off…
She was so engrossed in that chain of thoughts (it would be a horrible thing to do all of the sudden, but maybe it was the right thing) that Dana wasn’t paying attention at all to the people getting on and off the train with her. She had half an ear out for her stop, but beyond that, nothing. She was quite detached from her surroundings.
So she didn’t see Louis Marcel get on the train, and certainly didn’t notice him approach her with a smile and stand beside her.
“Ah, the future Mrs. Poole!”
Dana jumped and finally realized who had taken the space next to her. Half in a panic, she fought to get back in character. “Mr. Marcel! Good to see you again so soon!”
“Please, call me Louis,” he waved off the formality. “Headed to work?”
“Yep. Off to the grindstone.” It was awkward talking to Louis Marcel, though it’d be impossible to say why. He was so friendly, such a nice man. Maybe it was just the deception, but Dana was already wishing he might just go away. The next stop wasn’t too far from the Seven Diamonds Tower. Maybe she would just disembark early.
“I didn’t realize you had to work these hours! I’d hate to get up at the crack of dawn every day!”
“Oh, I don’t usually,” Dana said quickly. “I’m just headed in early. It’s Monday—might as well hit the gate running.”
“You and Andrew are cut from the same cloth, in that case.” Louis looked down at her hand in surprise. “If I remember right, you had quite a large emerald engagement ring the other night. Did you lose it?”
Dana almost lost her cool, but managed to keep a placid expression. Andrew had wanted her to wear it around for exactly this reason! What a time to run into Louis Marcel, of all people! And she’d been in such a hurry out the door, trying to forget her uncertainties, that Dana hadn’t even worn her gloves like usual.
Her mind raced, all the while Louis was waiting for an answer.
“I—uh, I noticed the stone was a little loose. Over the weekend.” Dana gave an apologetic smile. “I would have hated for the stone to fall out. One of the clasps seemed wobbly. The bottom one. I took it—to a jeweler---to get it tightened. I should have it back tomorrow.” She swallowed and managed to keep a smile on.
“Ah. I guess it wouldn’t do for the bride to have an empty ring on her wedding day,” Louis agreed. He didn’t seem to be going anywhere, making himself quite comfortable as the train lumbered on. Dana really could have used the privacy, but couldn’t imagine telling him to leave. That would be terribly rude. “So, are you seeing Andrew today?”
The thought sent a lightning bolt down her spine. Dana shook her head quickly. “No, I don’t expect to. I think he’ll be in the office late.”
Louis nodded sagely. “I know it seems like we businessmen spend all our time in the office. It’s hard to be with someone who’s never there. Say… what are you doing later? Maybe you could spend some time out with me, instead.”
At first, Dana didn’t really register what he’d said. The voice on the overhead was announcing the next stop, and she planned to take it. But then, she stared at Louis, flabbergasted.
“I… what?”
“I thought we might go out for a drink, you know, get to know each other better,” Louis shrugged, giving her a sly smile. “Today’s a good day—you won’t have your ring back until tomorrow.”
Dana was not used to being angry. Maya was the angry one. Maya was the one who lost her temper at this sort of thing. Dana was more forgiving, more likely to brush it off. But there was something so terribly... vile, about the suggestion of cheating on her fictional fiancée with this cretin. Nausea rolled in Dana’s gut at the thought as the train chugged to a stop.
“I have to go,” she huffed. She didn’t know what else to do. What did people do when they were angry like this? Her chest felt full of hot smoke, cinders.
“You’d better give me your number, so we can meet up later,” Louis told her, friendly as you please. His smile hardened a little as he added, “otherwise, I might just find a reason to back out of this project of Andrew’s. Poor character reference, or something…”
To think, that he was pulling this behavior, in public! Dana’s fury—a fury she was fully unaccustomed to—boiled over and came crashing out. She struck out at Louis. Maybe it was meant to be a slap, but it was just too crowded in the train car for a proper swing, and her slap ended up a full-on punch.
The damp-sounding clunk of her fist in his jaw seemed to echo all the way to Niagara Falls. And then Dana stood there, having no idea what to do. The train shuddered to a stop. Still, they both stood there, and Marcel looked almost as shocked as Dana felt.
The doors of the train were standing open, and Dana scurried out before Louis could recover himself. She glanced back in time to see Louis’ furious face, and then the doors shut and she was out on the platform, alone among the throng of Monday morning commuters.
Anger and thrilling fear thudded through her with every beat of her heart, a blaring, consuming rage that made her tremble from her flying black hair to the soles of her boots. She swung between extremes. How dare Louis Marcel suggest such a thing? How could she hit him like that? How dare he try to…
The last thing he’d said came back to mind, and Dana stared after the disappearing train. Marcel had made a threat against his deal with Andrew. What had he said? He would find some reason to back out of the deal, some excuse to make Andrew pay for Dana’s noncompliance.
Her anger was cooling into anxiety. Dana found the platform exit in this unfamiliar station and climbed upward toward the sunlight. Dawn had broken while she was on the train, and although the sky was still cloudy and dense, breaks of sun were poking through here and there. It was still cold as an autumn morning had any right to be, but at least it wasn’t so dark.
Dana checked her phone. It was only 6:35. She thought about calling Andrew right away to warn him about Marcel, but hesitated. Could she talk to Andrew again already? Perhaps Marcel was only bluffing. Surely he wouldn’t call off a multi-million dollar project in retaliation.
Tentatively, Dana put her phone away and started walking. The Seven Diamonds Tower was a long way away, and she didn’t dare get back on the subway, in case Louis was waiting at the next station. She looked at her phone again.
At the very least, Andrew needed to know what Louis had tried to do, didn’t he?
What would he do if Dana called him? The terrible thought that perhaps Andrew would tell Dana that she should have taken Marcel up on his offer sprang to mind. Dana waved it off quickly, although she wasn’t really sure. This sort of situation hadn’t come up when she and Andrew had been planning out this little a
rrangement. If Dana were really Andrew’s fiancée, would he want her to pacify Louis to keep the deal running?
But all it took was the memory of Andrew’s kiss, and Dana knew better. Andrew wouldn’t have wanted her to give in to Louis. Definitely not.
It was still a long time before she was expected at the office, so midway between the station and the Seven Diamonds Dana stopped at a café and looked over the menu. She had gone in thinking to order some breakfast, but her stomach was heaving nervously. She rarely got angry, and the aftermath had her upset, almost sick. Add that to the uncertainty about what Marcel would do next…
Dana shook her head and bought a coffee to go, mostly to warm her in the bitter morning air. There was nothing she could do about it, she decided. If Marcel was going to stoop so low, Dana certainly didn’t have the power to stop him.
Her glove-less hands were cold, and she wrapped them tightly around the paper coffee cup, trying to warm them. Her empty finger stared up at her accusingly, but even if she’d been wearing it, would it have made a difference to scum like Marcel?
Dana was watching carefully for Andrew by the time she walked through the lobby of the Seven Diamonds Tower. Not that she knew for sure what she would say to him. By now, she was convinced that he should know about Marcel, but then what? Dana still had no earthly idea what to tell him about Friday night (or had it been Saturday morning?).
But she didn’t see him. Through the lobby, into the elevators she went, scanning the faces she passed all the way. No Andrew. He usually came in a little later. Dana had half-hoped, half-dreaded for him to arrive a sooner.
In her office, Dana sat down and opened her portfolio. She had a new illustration to work on, the back cover splash for the distant November issue. She’d started a sketch yesterday, and thought that it was here in her bag.
Billionaire’s Missing Baby (A BWWM Romance) Page 25