by Jill Shalvis
“Well, it looks amazing. And it goes perfectly with your gift. Why don’t you open it and see?”
Chloe had expected the frame, but the three black-and-white photos mounted inside it blindsided her. The top photo captured Ben twirling her on the dance floor. The bottom photo was taken from behind, showing her and Ben holding hands as they left the reception. Her favorite, though, was the middle one, where she was laughing and Ben was grinning at her.
Despite their fancy clothes and the glitz and glam behind them, they looked genuine. And happy. The memory of that moment—when “Sweet Caroline” had filled the room—made her smile.
“Do you like it?”
“Mom, it’s amazing. Really. I love it. Thank you so much. I can’t wait to hang it.”
The jingle of keys sounded, and she looked up as Ben pushed through the door.
“Ben! I wasn’t expecting you home yet. You remember my parents?”
He froze, but quickly recovered and flashed that smile of his. “Of course. Fiona, Daryl. Good to see you again.”
Her mother beamed.
“You’ll have to excuse me. I just got off work. Let me get cleaned up and I’ll be right out.”
“You take all the time you need, Benjamin. Don’t hurry on our account.”
Chloe frowned. Don’t hurry on our account? Who was this person, and what had she done with Fiona Masterson?
“We’re just thrilled to spend some time visiting with our daughter and her fiancé.”
Confusion rumpled Ben’s brow, and she remembered that she’d lied to him about explaining the true situation to her parents. She begged him wordlessly to play along. “Oh, yeah, right. Us, too. Chloe, can I talk to you for a second?” His voice was a little too level, and it raised the hair on the back of her neck.
“Of course, sweetie!” Crap, crap, crap. She followed him to the bedroom, but when he pulled the door closed and spun around to face her, she cut him off before he could open his mouth.
“Ben, I lied to you at the gift opening. I didn’t set them straight. I let them believe we’re engaged. I’m sorry. I don’t know why I didn’t tell them the truth.” Chloe wrung her hands, and the bite of her fake engagement ring pricked her conscience.
“Okay, yes, I do know why. I let them believe it because it made them happy. And I didn’t expect them to visit! They never visit! But they really like your apartment, and they really like the way the living room is decorated, and my mother’s been here for six minutes already and has only mentioned Caroline once, which is unheard of, and I just… I just wanted to hold onto that feeling, okay? But I’ll tell them the truth. I’ll go out there right now if you want me to and say that I lied to them, that we were never engaged. If that’s what you want me to do, I’ll do it.”
Chloe looked at Ben expectantly, willing him to understand, to help her out. His slightly dazed expression began to clear as he processed the situation. He opened his mouth to speak. “I—”
“Please don’t make me go back out there and break the truth to them! I am begging you. They’re staying at the Four Seasons tonight and they’re off to Hawaii tomorrow. You just have to pretend we’re engaged for one evening. A couple of well-timed endearments, a few half truths, and a peck on the cheek, that’s all I’m asking! I will owe you so big for this. Huge! Ask, and it shall be done.”
“You want me to pretend I’m your fiancé?”
“Yes, Masterson. Keep up with me here. We don’t have much time before our being in the bedroom is going to start looking suspicious.”
“Trust me, the irony is not lost on me that I’m the one who’s asking, but are you sure you want to do this?”
Chloe was dumbfounded. “Why wouldn’t I be sure? Aren’t we already doing it?”
“Chloe, this is your family.”
“So?”
“So that makes it different. Different than lying to a business acquaintance. Different than lying to your boss. It has to be.”
His naïveté was adorable.
“Ben, do you know the last time my parents visited me in the four years since I moved to Seattle?”
He shook his head.
“Never, Ben. They have never been here to see me before. This is their fourth trip to Hawaii during the same time frame. The only reason they came now is because I’m finally engaged. To a great guy, with a great job.”
He exhaled on a sigh. “Fine. If you’re sure this is what you want to do.” Ben pulled his suit jacket off and loosened his tie. “Give me fifteen minutes for a shower and I’ll be right out.”
Chloe couldn’t hold back a smile, relief tingling through her chest. “Thank you, Ben. I really appreciate it. “
* * *
“AND PRESTO! I’VE FINALLY made them disappear,” she joked a few hours later.
“I know they drive you crazy, but you were great tonight.”
She laughed. “No, you were great. I was just the unfortunate by-product they had to endure in order to bask in your awesomeness. But truthfully, that was the best evening I’ve ever spent with them.”
And that wasn’t hyperbole, either.
Ben gave her one of those long, hard looks that took the shine off her mood. “You realize you’re going to have to tell them the truth eventually, right?”
“Yes.” Chloe nodded, suddenly realizing that after tomorrow’s business dinner ended, so did pleasant evenings with her parents and sexy, sultry nights with Ben. Had it really only been a week and a half since they’d met?
“Speaking of which, what’s your own plan for that?” she asked. “The confessing? I mean, you’re going to need to come clean with your bosses someday.”
A slight frown marred his forehead as he loaded their wineglasses into the dishwasher and pushed the door closed. “Yeah, I guess I will. I hadn’t really put too much thought into that half of the operation. I’ll play the divorce card, I suppose.”
It was a weird topic of conversation, so Chloe wasn’t completely shocked when an awkward silence reared its head.
Ben broke first. “I’ve got some work I still need to get done tonight. I’ll be in my office. I’ll try not to wake you when I come to bed.”
He smiled at her, gave her a kiss on the cheek and left the living room.
“Okay, yeah. Sure. Don’t stay up too late,” she said.
And just like that, Chloe knew.
The cleaning, the prepping, the not wearing makeup. How many times had she seen her mother do the same thing?
With a flash of certainty that made her knees weak, Chloe admitted the painfully obvious.
She was in love with Ben.
CHAPTER 14
“WHAT IS UP with you today?” Josh asked.
“Nothing. I’m fine.”
Love was making her crabby, but she certainly wasn’t going to tell Josh that. She’d filled him in on the real story behind Ben in a moment of weakness during their last shift and he hadn’t shut up about it.
“Bull crap. You’ve got a serious case of bitch-face today and you’d better do something about it because you’re scaring the customers. I’ve helped three women in the last half hour who were headed your way until they caught sight of your sour expression. I say this as your friend and your employee: you’re the manager of a store in the service industry. You’re contractually obligated to smile.”
Chloe pasted on a fake grin and batted her eyelashes at him. “Better?”
A woman stepped up beside her. “Excuse me, do you work here?”
“She sure does.” Josh backed away with a smug little wave of his fingers, and Chloe readjusted her grimace into a more natural-looking smile as she turned to face the woman.
“What can I help you with?”
The blonde smiled. “Well, I’m getting married on Valentine�
�s Day.”
“Oh, congratulations!” Chloe tried to sound excited, because she knew it was expected, but her fake marriage was such a huge pain in the ass right now she found herself pretty tepid on the whole wedding issue.
“Thanks. But I was just walking by and I realized I haven’t thought much about wedding makeup yet. I just love how you did your eyes. They look incredible.”
“Thank you.” Chloe smiled, genuinely this time. Nothing like a makeup compliment to douse the bitterness of falling in real love with your fake husband.
The woman hitched her purse higher on her shoulder. “Do you think you could get the same effect if you used lighter colors?” she asked.
“Yes, you could definitely create a more subtle version of this look. Were you planning on wearing peach shades? Because with your skin tone, I would recommend something like this—” she plucked an eye shadow pot from the display “—with this color on the lid and this color in the crease.” Chloe placed the shadows she’d selected in the woman’s hands. “Add a golden highlight and a strong brow, and your eyes will look incredible. Oh, and we’ve got this great waterproof mascara, too. A definite must for the big day.”
Forty minutes later, Chloe had walked the woman—Joanna, she discovered—through foundation, lips and cheeks, and was handing over a silver Titanium Beauty bag full of all the cosmetics and brushes the other woman would need for her wedding day.
“There you go. Play with it a little and try some of the techniques we talked about. If you have any questions, feel free to call the store.”
“Thanks, Chloe. I’m terrified I’m not going to come close to what you’ve described. I don’t suppose you do offsite makeup applications?”
“Sure, I could do that.” The words slipped off her tongue without conscious thought, and the store manager part of her brain was screaming in protest. She was supposed to say, “I’m afraid all our makeup services are only offered in-store,” but Ben’s voice sounded in her head.
Makeup by Chloe could be whatever you want it to be. His voice had been popping into her mind a lot lately.
“Really? That would be amazing. How can I book you?”
Chloe took a deep breath and committed to putting herself out there. “Let’s book it right now. I’m free on Valentine’s Day, you just tell me where to be and when. But in the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that I’ll be doing your makeup as an independent makeup artist, not as an employee of Titanium Beauty.”
Joanna smiled. “That’s fine, as long as you say you can do the bridesmaids’ makeup too.”
Moments later, Chloe walked back to the counter, her phone number programmed into Joanna’s phone, and a trial makeup appointment scheduled for the following weekend.
“Did you just do what I think you just did, Miz Store Manager?”
“Hmm?” She cocked her head toward the sound of Josh’s voice, but she was distracted. She’d done it! She’d taken the first step toward turning Makeup by Chloe into something more than a far-off dream. And it was pretty damn empowering.
Not that she had much of a choice. After tonight’s dinner, things were going to change, and she was not going to let her suddenly charmed life turn back into a pumpkin without a fight.
“Look at you go! One minute you’re pouting over the eye shadow display and the next you’re making sales and breaking rules.”
“I didn’t—”
“Yes, you did. You know damn well you just conflict-of-interest-ed all over that situation. And I love it! You are way too talented to be spending your days worrying about the break schedule. I think it’s great that you’re claiming your rightful place as Queen of the Makeup Jungle.”
Chloe laughed, secretly pleased by Josh’s enthusiasm. “You’re in a good mood. What’s gotten into you?”
He pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow. “I think the question is what’s gotten into you. And I’m pretty sure the answer is Businessman Ben’s penis.”
“Ugh. Josh. This is exactly why I don’t tell you anything.”
“Chad and I were discussing it, and—”
“You and your boyfriend were discussing Ben’s junk? You’ve met him once, and Chad’s never laid eyes on him.”
“I may have snapped a covert photo of him when he came in here to sweep you into this hot, sexy lie you’ve been living for the past week. But that’s beside the point. He’s shaken up your status quo. Before him, you would never have put yourself out there like that. Don’t argue.” He held up a hand, and she closed her mouth.
“I hope this appointment proves to you that you can be an awesome businesswoman. Because I will quit this job in an instant to come work for you when you get Makeup by Chloe off the ground. At least until the band hits it big.”
“Josh, that was almost a really sweet thing to say. And since you brought up the band, I was wondering…”
“Yeah?”
“Would you guys be interested in writing a riff that I could use at the beginning of my YouTube videos? I’m thinking of upgrading my production value.”
* * *
“I’M SURE THERE’S A ‘Honey, I’m home’ joke in this somewhere, but it feels way too obvious,” Chloe announced, pushing through the apartment door with a garment bag and a shoe box. She’d swung by her apartment on the way home from work to pick up a couple of things—namely her favorite black Alexander McQueen dress, her studded Valentino pumps and the pearls she’d received for her sixteenth birthday.
They were the only remnants of her old life that she’d kept, because regardless of their designer labels, they made her feel strong and powerful. And because being ready and appropriate for any occasion was a virtue that her mother had drilled into her from an early age. And if they were going to pull off this business dinner, convince people who knew Ben well that they were a couple, she was going to need all the help she could get.
“Oh, my God! What is that amazing smell?”
“Ben Masterson’s Famous Mediterranean Chicken.” He glanced over his shoulder at her but there was panic in his eyes. She’d never seen Ben so nervous. She wished he’d taken her suggestion and gotten this shindig catered instead of cooking dinner himself. He was under enough pressure.
“Everything in control?”
“I think so. Salad’s in the fridge, chicken’s in the oven. What’s in the bags?”
“Just my outfit for tonight.” She turned toward the closet, tucking the shoe box on the floor and hanging the garment bag on the far right side.
He joined her in the foyer.
“You look happy.”
She nodded as he stepped toward her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close.
She put her hands around his neck. “I had a really good day today.”
“Oh, yeah?”
Again, she nodded, pulling his mouth to hers. He looked a little woozy by the time she finally broke the kiss.
“Got a few minutes?”
He glanced over his shoulder at the kitchen. “I think so. What did you have in mind?”
“Well, like I said…” Chloe hooked her fingers in the front of his belt and began tugging him toward the bedroom. “I had a really good day.” She wanted to tell him everything, how she’d finally worked up the courage to take a chance on her dream business. She’d even priced out a couple of laptops when her shift was over. And it was all because of him. All those possibilities he’d painted the other night? She could see them now.
But tonight Ben had other things on his mind, and rightfully so. Tonight it was his dream on the line. But at the very least, she could help him relax a little.
She pulled him through the apartment and didn’t stop until they reached the foot of the bed. Her fingers made quick work of his belt buckle. She undid the button on his jeans, and pulled his zipper down slo
wly.
“And now I want to make sure that you’re having a good day, too. How does that sound?” Maintaining eye contact, she lowered herself to her knees in front of him.
“That sounds incredible,” he managed to answer. His eyes never left hers, and Chloe loved the intensity of his gaze as she drove him to the edge. She dragged his jeans down his thighs, revealing his straining muscles and white boxer-briefs. “Is this for me?” she asked, running her finger along the length of his very impressive bulge, and Ben made a strangled sound in his throat.
He had such a beautiful body, and she wanted to see more of it. “Take off your shirt.”
He obliged, shedding his white T-shirt in a matter of seconds. His entire torso was so damn incredible; she couldn’t help but lean forward and press a kiss to his stomach, and his hips jerked in frustration.
“You’re killing me, Chloe.” His voice was strained, rough, and she loved that he loved what she was doing to him. It turned her on.
She took pity on him, divesting him of his underwear so that he stood naked and proud. With a Cheshire smile, she leaned forward and ran her tongue along the length of his shaft. His groan of pleasure made her stomach clench.
“More. Please. Don’t stop.”
She held the base of his cock, her lips engulfing the tip, pausing for a moment before she took as much of him as she could handle into her mouth. She sucked her way back up to the top before lowering her head again, this time taking him so deep her lips touched her hand.
“That feels amazing.” Ben curled one big hand into her hair, but he let her set the rhythm. She read the reactions of his body, speeding up and slowing down in response to his groans and the slight undulation of his hips.
“Chloe, I’m—I can’t hold back much longer.”
She engulfed the length of him one final time, working her way back to the tip slowly and with more pressure. His hand tightened in her hair. She released his cock, staring up at him to find his head back and his eyes closed, his muscles straining. With a satisfied smile, Chloe got to her feet.