by Coco Miller
Senator Denkirk waves at us from across the room as we make our way through the thin crowd of men. Mac the Dentist, who runs the club, is standing with the senator probably discussing politics. That’s the only thing that the senator ever talks about.
Mac is named for his horrible array of teeth and is a brutish man with a heavy temper. He takes care of his clientele but won’t take shit from anyone. The two of them stand by a door hidden beneath grime and dirt that doesn’t even appear to be a door, at first glance. The door leads to Mac’s makeshift office, where he counts his money, and where he stores some of the most expensive artwork in the city among other illegal things.
“Chance, how the hell are ya?” Mac yells, patting his hand on my shoulder.
“Hi, I’ve been good, real good. How are you? Been a long time,” I reply.
“Same old same old,” he laughs as he walks me to a small bar big enough for one person to stand at.
“Not getting into trouble I hope,” Bennett laughs as he shakes Mac’s hand. Mac likes trouble and oftentimes will get into fights, but he’s never served any time due to his connections with local men of power.
“Nah, I’ve been good. Promise.” He laughs as his mouth flies open. Crooked teeth smile at us as he raises a cigar to his lips.
I glance at the woman behind the bar and order a bourbon neat. Bennett orders the same, and we look in the room. There are five round tables with men all around them playing poker.
This was a high-stakes game that cost a million dollars just to join. Mac even has professional dealers and the whole nine yards. He is serious about his games and has many rules that players have to abide by.
If I want to get my head into the game, I’m going to need to forget about the intense attraction between Erika and I. I have a plan, and I can’t allow carnal feelings to interfere. Until she agrees to marry me, she is an employee, and I don’t need problems at work.
Pushing thoughts of Erika from my mind, I sit down at one of the tables to play. I place down my untouched bourbon and smile at Bennett. “Ready?” I ask. He nods with a wicked grin. He sure does love to gamble.
We play well into the early hours of the morning, and when we walk outside of the club, the sun is rising over the rooftops of the city.
I’ve won two and a half million dollars tonight, but more importantly I think I’ve gotten my head straightened out. Erika is simply going to be a means to an end.
She can’t be anything else.
Chapter Six
Erika settles in nicely to her routine at work. She is good at her job, and I know I’ve made a good choice by hiring her and an even better choice in selecting her to marry. All in due time of course.
Bennett agrees that her work ethic and management skills on the marketing team are top notch. I rarely ever talk to her (which is on purpose), but Bennett is Vice President of Marketing, so he deals with her on a daily basis.
I try my fucking hardest not to swing past her office every hour to see how she is doing, but after a few days, I can’t take it anymore. I just want to see how she is. I want to see her smile.
I stroll around the corridor on the seventh floor and make my way past her office. When I stick my head inside her door, I am taken aback by her beauty. Beauty that she doesn’t appear to know that she possesses. A raw aura falls around her that highlights all of her assets gorgeously.
She sits behind her desk studying a few papers. Her hair drapes over her shoulders, and my breath catches in my throat. I flex my fingers while gazing at her. Wanting to touch her consumes me, and I have to fist my hands at my sides to keep from reaching out.
She glances up and smiles. “Hello there. Come in.” She stands from her chair and makes her way over to where I am standing in the doorway.
This is a problem. The closer she gets to me, the more and more I can’t contain the desire to kiss her. With a strong will and an abundance of self restraint, I just smile.
“I came to see how you were getting along.” My words sound odd to me. I don’t sound like my normal, confident self. It’s somewhat embarrassing.
“I’m okay,” she answers while closing the office door.
Bad move.
Once we are alone, all I can think about is how I want to ravage her on the desk. Her tight black skirt moves just enough as she walks back to her seat. I follow after her, and when she sits down, I straighten my tie and try thinking about anything other than Erika’s juicy ass.
I need to get back in control of the situation. The fact that she is affecting me this way was hindering my ability to keep our relationship on a professional level. So I decide to pour a cold glass of water on myself by thinking about my nana in a housecoat on a Sunday morning. That should do the trick.
“Are you finding everything okay? Is everyone helping you on your first week?” I ask professionally.
“Everyone has been great.” She smiles again. I wish she’d stop doing that. My skin prickles with sweat. I take a seat across from her and run my hand down my jaw. She watches the movement and then closes her eyes.
Her eyes spring open, and she nervously smoothes her skirt with the palms of her hands. In the confines of her office, the air is thick. I can hear the sound of my thumping heartbeat through my ears. For a moment, I even think I can hear hers as well.
“I’m glad you are getting along so well,” I say.
“Thank you,” she purrs before dropping her eyes back to her papers.
I turn my head to take in her office. She has no pictures on her desk and only one small plant on the shelf behind her. It’s a purple flower that matches the color of her blouse.
“Seems like you are good here, so I’ll leave you to your work.” I stand from my seat and walk toward the door.
“Thank you.”
I stop in my tracks once I place my hand on the door knob and decide once and for all to just rip off the band aid.
“I have a proposition for you, Erika.”
“Okay.” Her eyes bounce to mine.
“I’m in need of a wife.”
A look of confusion spreads across her face.
“For appearance sake only,” I explain in a rush hoping that she doesn’t slap me.
“I’m listening.”
“I’ll pay you an obscene amount of money to pretend to be my fiancee for a few months.”
“How obscene?” she asks.
“Ten million.”
I see the shock and awe settle in her eyes. I know Erika isn’t destitute, but she recently has been in between jobs, so money must be tight and ten million dollars is a lot of fucking money.
It’s definitely worth the spend though to get Denkirk’s senator friends on my side and knock Fox on his ass. And of course there are the fringe benefits of having someone like Erika as my fiancee. The optics will be amazing. She looks like a Hollywood actress, and I’ll look like the luckiest bastard on the planet.
“What exactly are the terms?”
Hey, she’s considering it.
“Just pretend to be my fiancee for a few months. The wedding will never actually take place. Once my bill gets passed in Congress we can break up.”
“You’re waiting on a bill to get passed? That could take forever.”
“No, the House has already approved it. Now it’s in the Senate. If it gets approved by them without any significant changes then it goes to the President. We can break up at that point. Once it’s out of the Senate, I should be ok.”
“And you’re pretty sure that you’ve got the votes you need?”
“Definitely,” I exaggerate.
“Ten million?”
“Yes.”
“No funny business required?”
“Absolutely not, I’m a gentleman.” Most of the time.
“Will I get that in writing?”
“That I’m a gentleman?”
She giggles. “The details of our arrangement.”
“Of course, I’ll have my lawyer draw something up along with a no
n-disclosure agreement as well.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yes, I’ll do it.”
I smile, stepping closer to her. I reach out my hand, taking hers in mine and kiss it. “You won’t regret this.”
“Thank you for coming by,” she says in an almost dismissive tone. So I nod my head and leave in a hurry.
As I walk away from her office, and think about what just happened in there, I feel sort of like a fool. I’m not sure if I did the right thing. What just happened in there? Had I offended her with my offer? My proposition didn’t come out the way I wanted it to. I had wanted to say so many things to her but didn’t.
She is so beautiful that sometimes I find myself tongue tied around her. Why, I don’t know. I’ve been with beautiful women before though, so I don’t understand why she affects me that way.
I hope I can pull this off. There is no room for error. If my bill doesn’t get passed, it will affect a lot of people’s jobs. I’ll have to make changes, maybe even lay off some people, and I don’t want to do that.
I pull my cell phone from my pocket and call Bennett.
“My office. Now,” I say curtly and hang up.
Not even waiting for an answer on his end, I rush back to the forty-fourth floor. In the elevator, I punch the side wall in frustration.
Fuck, why can’t I get this woman out of my head?
Chapter Seven
Bennett listens to me drone on about making sure my engagement will go off without a hitch. I call Anna, asking her to pick up an engagement ring for Erika to wear. Something big and obnoxious for social media to talk about.
I have to admit though, the planning of this fake relationship is making me happy beyond belief. Denkirk will be pleasantly surprised once he learns of the engagement, and I couldn’t wait to tell him. The only problem is the feeling I’m getting when I am around my fiancee.
Me and my dick needed to have a serious conversation about this. I can’t touch her. I shouldn’t even think about touching her. I can’t screw things up. This has to go off without a hitch.
I sit back in my chair and let my thoughts drift. I begin to visualize her ass in that tight skirt, then the swell of her breasts in that lavender top, then those lips...dammit those lips.
No, Chance, get your shit together.
My company is more important than a night (okay a couple of nights) of pleasure. This is my legacy. My goal in life has always been to build my company until it is the most powerful company in the world, and Parker Enterprises Inc. is well on its way. We are on the verge of something huge. I just need this bill to pass, and I will not let my dick ruin it for me. Even if it would be sublime to fuck her, I won’t.
I just need to channel my energies elsewhere, so I grab my suit coat and make my way out the door. Heading to a bar, any bar in town, I leave.
* * *
Days later I sit in my office not really paying attention to anything, as I immerse myself in my computer. Hours pass and I don’t move. I couldn’t. I was stationary, not really feeling anything deep inside. My body is stagnant, and I hum a quiet tune to myself. Getting lost in time feels kind of good.
Realizing I’ve been holed in my office all day, I grab my coat and walk out. Anna chases me down the hall as I make my way toward the elevator.
“There you are, Chance,” she says breathlessly. She stops and stands in front of me, blocking me from entering the elevator.
“Yes, Anna. What is it?”
“Did you forget your company dinner?”
Shit.
Every month, I take the top managers of every department out to dinner to do hear an overview of how their departments are doing. It’s more laid back than having an official meeting in the office, and it’s always at the same restaurant uptown.
I glance down at my watch. The dinner meeting is starting soon, and I will have to rush to get there on time.
Seeing my discomfort, Anna says, “I already have Spencer waiting downstairs, and I have called the restaurant to let everyone know you got held up on an important matter.” She smiles as she shoos me toward the elevator. “You’d better get going, sir.”
The elevator opens and I step inside, allowing Anna to enter as well. I straighten my tie and put on my coat.
“Sir?”
“Yes.”
“You should probably take the engagement ring with you.”
Erika will be attending this dinner.
Fuck, how could I forget?
I slide the ring box in the pocket inside of my jacket.
“I don’t think I’ll need it but thank you, Anna.”
Spencer drives me across town in record time. As we pull up to the restaurant, my insides churn. I’ve done a great job of avoiding Erika since my impromptu drop in to her office, and now that shit is blown to bits.
I am greeted by a pretty blonde hostess whose eyes grow wide when she sees me and nervously shows me to my seat. Everyone from my departments are seated at a long table, waiting for me. They turn their heads as I arrive, but my eyes immediately seek out Erika’s. Her honey-colored eyes call to me from across the table. I take a seat at the head and offer no apology for being tardy.
The meeting begins with Mr. Banks offering the report for his department. He talks about the accounting aspect of our company for almost fifteen minutes, as we order drinks. There are seventeen men and three women seated along both sides of the table, with Erika five seats away on my right, wedged between Mr. Thurgood and Ms. Lindel. As Mr. Banks continues, I try to catch her attention.
Is she avoiding me? Guess it’s only right. I was doing the same.
As she scans the menu, I am half-tempted to walk over and grab her by the hand then lead her out of the restaurant and back to my place. I try again to maintain focus. When Mr. Banks finishes, a few others offer their advice and I try to listen but just can’t pay attention.
Seriously, is she avoiding me?
We order our food and then finally Erika speaks. She talks about the projects her department is working on, and as she does, I freeze. I am fascinated by her confidence and her charged beauty.
Her mannerisms keep my attention and every once in a while, she catches my gaze. Our eyes meet and her hand twirls a few strands of her hair before she darts her eyes back to the rest of the group. I wonder if I make her nervous?
When she finishes her report, a few others speak until our food arrives. Then everyone stops their updates. I pick up my fork but can’t concentrate on the contents of my plate. I cut into my steak and raise my head to see Erika staring at me. I smile and it feels like everyone else at the table has disappeared. Raising my eyebrows to her, she smiles back, then places her food in her mouth.
I was jealous of her utensils.
She lowers her head as she giggles to herself then lifts her eyes to meet mine. I place my fork down, never touching my food. My inseam tightens as I squirm in my seat. The whole world fades away as I watch her.
When we were done eating, we continue the meeting over dessert and coffee. Finally, everyone breaks off to converse with one another as I sit watching them all. The mangers closest to me try to engage me in conversation, asking my advice or opinions, but I’m not good company for the rest of the evening. I’m restless.
When we are about to leave, someone places his hand on my shoulder. Before I can turn around, I hear his voice. It grates my nerves.
My biggest competition.
My nemesis.
The thorn in my side.
“I hope everyone is enjoying themselves this evening,” he says to everyone at the table.
I stand from my seat, dropping my napkin on my plate.
“Ahh, Mr. Fox. What brings you here?” I cross my arms over my chest as my agitation grows. The man is a sinister fellow with beady gray eyes and jet black hair. Towering over his slender frame, I watch his smile leave his face.
“I can’t dine in my favorite restaurant? Now, Chance, come on,” he says, before
glancing around the table. His eyes narrow in on Erika, and she drops her gaze to her lap.
I side-step closer to him and draw his attention back to me. “By all means, of course you can eat anywhere you’d like.” I smile painfully. Really just wishing he would leave. Out of all of the restaurants in this city, he just happens to stop by the one I hold my monthly manager’s dinner at? I doubt it. He doesn’t even live in the states.
Fox owns a company that has competed daily with mine. His company designs the same weapons for the military as mine, but he was able to get around many major costs by producing and exporting out of China. He’s even tried to obtain Chinese citizenship to reduce costs. I on the other hand design and produce weapons in the USA which is my one saving grace in getting this bill passed in Congress. Hopefully marrying Erika will be my second.
Fox is scum by all definitions of the word, both professionally and personally, and I have dealt with him directly only a few times over the years. It is a known fact that we are both trying to destroy each other. There isn’t room for both of us in this industry. There can only be one.
Seeing him here is putting me on edge. I know something must be up for him to be in the States. I need to speak with Bennett immediately and find out what our spies on the inside can discover. Why is he here? What is he plotting?
Everyone at the table turns their heads from Fox to me. Erika’s eyes remain in her lap, and when she finally does look up, she breaks a strained smile.
“Well, I will leave you to your engagement,” he says as his eyes glance toward Erika again. “Nice seeing everyone.”
Fox runs his blood shot eyes up and down Erika’s body in a way which makes my skin crawl. I have to take a deep cleansing breath as I watch him leave to avoid ramming my fist down his throat.
He continues to stare her down as he slowly walks over to his table across the dining room. My insides churn while my heart goes ballistic. Many emotions are swarming inside of me, but the only one I can recognize is jealousy.