“We have?” Aiden whispers to Hadley. She just gives him a big smile.
“Sure.” Nate nods once. “I usually have dinner with my mother on Fridays, but I bet she won’t mind.”
“What about you, babe?” I look over at Candy. “Would you like to go to the art gallery opening?”
“I’d love to,” she says excitedly. I look at Andrea, and she looks away from me, picking up her drink.
I refrain from rolling my eyes at the jackass. The only reason she is so willing to go is because she’ll be getting paid. And he only wants her to go to piss me off.
It’s working.
I lift my hand as a waiter walks by and order another glass of wine. Nate leans into me. “Are you sure you want another one? You drank that one pretty fast.”
“Yes,” I snap. He sits back in his seat and takes a sip of his water, wounded from my tone.
The rest of dinner goes by pretty slowly, considering I stopped counting my drinks after the fifth. Nate keeps giving me weird looks, but I ignore him. He’s just a fake fiancé and has no say over what I can and can’t do.
When it’s time to wrap up dinner, Aiden and Asher fight over the check. Nate tried to offer, but the look Aiden gave him had him shutting his mouth immediately.
“I’m going to go get the car,” Nate informs me and then walks off toward the front door.
“I’m gonna use the powder room. I’ll be right back,” Candy tells Asher before walking off.
I stand and almost trip when the wine gets to me. “Whoa.” Two hands grab my hips and pull me into a hard body. “Need me to help you to the car?”
I look up into a set of blue eyes. They look at me the same way they did while he held me on the beach in Tahiti when I almost tripped due to too much alcohol—lustful. And I wish we could go back to that time. When I didn’t have to think about the bills I’m behind on or the fact that my brother still has yet to message me back. They search my face slowly, then when they reach mine, he pulls me closer to him. As though he’s remembering the same thing I am. He releases me with one hand and cups my face. My heart rate picks up at his soft touch. “I …”
“I’ll help her.” Hadley grabs my arm and yanks me free of his hold. I almost trip over my own heels from her force. She then places her arm in the crook of mine and begins to walk me toward the entrance.
I can’t help but giggle on the way.
“What’s so funny?” she asks.
She’s right. I’m in way over my head. How am I ever gonna stay on this side of the line? How do I turn him down and keep it strictly friends? I hold up my left hand for us to look at my ring. “Do you think we’ll have to have a fake wedding?”
She laughs along with me. “I’ve already picked out my matron of honor dress.”
* * *
I wake with a pounding headache and a slew of messages, including a few missed calls, from Hadley. I send her a quick text to let her know I’m alive but hungover. I take a hot shower and that helps me a little bit. A cup of coffee makes it even better. I’m walking out of my front door when I catch sight of the letter from my mother’s nursing home. With a sigh, I turn around and look at the wall where we marked my height every year. My mother bought this house when I was ten. I remember she was so proud of it. After my father left her, we lived in run-down apartments, and she worked two jobs to support me. It was hard, and I didn’t get to see her as much as I wanted to, but when she had a day off, she spent it with me. This neighborhood was never a good one, but she was proud to accomplish having something that was all hers. Something that she did on her own. I’m still proud of her for that. I couldn’t imagine going through what she did and to have a child to take care of on top of everything else.
I run my hands over the lines that show years and years of growth. My brother is on here but not as often as I am. He only visited once a year during the summer. My mother knew he didn’t wanna be here, so she never forced him, but my father would send him every summer. He needed alone time with whichever secretary he was sleeping with at the time.
And as much as it pains me to even think of this, maybe I need to sell the house. I can use the cash to help her out. She needs it. As much as I want to live in this house, I don’t need it.
Deciding what I need to do, I grab my keys and walk out the door to my day job at the department store.
My day was like any other Saturday on the week of Christmas. People lined up all day to exchange or return the gifts they hated or that didn’t fit. Even though I was exhausted from standing on my feet all day with just a short lunch break, the day was far from over. I had plans that I wasn’t going to miss.
Later that evening, I rush to Hadley’s to get ready with her for the art gallery opening.
“Hello, Andrea,” Aiden calls out as he opens their front door for me.
“Hey,” I say, running past him toward their bedroom.
“You’re late,” Hadley informs me when I enter their master bedroom.
“Not like you have never been late.”
She smiles at me. “How do you feel?”
“Like shit,” I answer, tossing my garment bag onto their bed. I unzip it and pull the dress out. “Hey, I need to ask you a question.”
“Anything.” She turns to give me her full attention.
“Have you sold your house yet?” She had a house when she met Aiden. It didn’t take long for her to move in with him, but she kept her house. Not sure why. She never said, and I never asked, but I know that Aiden paid it off for her.
She frowns but answers. “I’m renting it out. Why?”
“No reason.” I wave my hand in the air. My plan was to sell my mother’s house and rent hers out until I found something I could afford.
She opens her mouth to speak, but her cell rings. “I gotta take this.” She answers her phone, “Hello, Dr. Anderson …” and exits the room.
I begin to undress in a hurry. Shit! I don’t have time for this. I don’t even know why I said I would go to this damn art gallery opening in the first place. I know nothing about art except the good shit is expensive. I should have picked up a shift at The Horseshoe instead.
I’m bent over placing my left foot into my dress when the door opens. I look up, expecting to see Hadley, but to my surprise, it’s Asher. “What are you doing in here?” I snap, yanking the silk fabric up. “Get out!”
He shuts the door instead, closing us inside. “We need to talk.”
“Do you always just walk into Aiden and Hadley’s bedroom?” I demand, pulling my sleeve over my shoulder.
He smirks. “No, but Aiden gave me the okay, and I passed Hadley on her phone. So I figured I was safe.”
I roll my eyes and turn to face the mirror. Nervously, I begin to run my fingers through my hair. I didn’t get to do much to it since I came straight from work. I don’t even have my makeup done yet. I wanted to look good for him tonight and wanna kick myself for even thinking that way. But too late now. He’s seen me. “Why are you here, Asher?”
He comes up behind me, placing his hands on my hips, and my body stiffens with his touch. “I wanted to catch you alone.” He runs his hands up my sides slowly, softly skimming over the thin fabric.
“Asher …”
“Shh.” He lowers his head to my neck, and I tilt my head without thought. “I just wanna touch you for a second.” His hands run over my rib cage and move around my chest to cup my breasts over my dress.
My head falls back to rest on his shoulder, and a moan escapes my lips. “But I’m …”
“Engaged.” He finishes my sentence. “And my date tonight is a prostitute. We’ve established this.” He runs his nose up my neck. “And I still want you.”
My body breaks out in goose bumps when he begins to nibble on my ear. “Pull your dress up,” he orders roughly.
I quickly gather the material in my hands and pull it up to my waist. One of his hands drops between my thighs, and he growls into my ear when he realizes that I don’t have any
underwear on. I hadn’t gotten that far yet. He runs his fingers over my already wet pussy, and I push my hips forward, wanting more.
He slides two fingers into me, and my hips begin to rock against them. His free hand comes up and grips my chin, angling my head to the side. And then his lips are on mine. He kisses me deeply. Taking away my air while he brings me to an orgasm that has my knees shaking.
When he pulls away, I’m dizzy for another reason. “I’ll see you later.” Then he exits just as fast as he entered, leaving me weak in the knees and pissed.
* * *
I step out of the limo and extend my hand to help Candy exit as well. Lights flash from the reporters that litter the entrance of the Langston Gallery. I pull her to my side and wrap my arm around her waist, and we smile for the cameras. Our faces will be plastered in the papers come tomorrow morning. Especially since my father’s law firm’s financial donation made this place happen. Leonard Langston is a good friend of my father’s.
Another limo pulls up, and I turn around to watch my brother exit the car, followed by my sister-in-law. I’m about to finish walking down the red carpet, but the sight of the beautiful blonde stepping out into the cold night makes me pause. She has her hair pulled up into a tight bun, and she has a big smile on her face as Nate takes her arm. When her eyes meet mine, her smile falters for just a second, and then she recovers.
I turn and continue to walk into the gallery, pretending it doesn’t bother me that she is here with that idiot instead of me. I want her on my arm. I want her to be the woman in the pictures with me that will be published tomorrow.
“Asher.” My father calls out once I enter.
“Father.” I nod, coming up to him and turn to my date. “I would like you to meet Katy Lane.”
He looks her up and down and then gives her a smile. Reaching out his hand, he says, “It’s nice to meet you, Katy.”
She nods, shaking his hand. “You too, Mr. Kyle.”
Then he turns to me. “Son, may I speak to you for a second?” He doesn’t wait for an answer before he turns and walks away.
I lean into her. “I’ll be right back.” And I walk over to the corner where he stands now with a glass of champagne in his hand. “What is it?” I ask although I already know what he is going to say.
He lowers his voice. “You are here with a prostitute.” I open my mouth, but he continues. “And I know she’s a prostitute ’cause you’ve represented her.”
I nod. “Yes. I remember.”
His blue eyes narrow on me, and he adjusts his already straight tie. A clear sign he is agitated or uncomfortable. “You know I don’t care what she does for a living, but I do care that you brought her here to this event. So I’m gonna give you a second to explain yourself.”
“I have my reasons,” I say.
“Asher—”
“Hello, Father.” Aiden comes up, interrupting whatever he was about to say.
My father pulls him in for a hug and then does the same with his daughter-in-law. Hadley turns to Nate and Andrea. “Mr. Kyle, this is my best friend, Andrea Stikes, and her fiancé, Nate Hallows.”
“It’s nice to meet you two.” He shakes both of their hands. “May I get you guys a drink?”
“Andrea and I will go get the drinks,” Hadley offers and grabs Andrea’s arm and then drags her away before anyone has a chance to protest. I watch the way Andi’s ass sways as she walks across the room toward the bar. I can still hear her sigh from when I was touching her just an hour ago in Aiden’s bedroom. She wasn’t wearing any underwear. Is that still the case? I want to know. I wanna bend her over a table and yank that dress up over her hips. Fuck, now I’m hard.
“Asher?”
“Huh?” I turn around and face my father.
A slow smile spreads across his face. “It makes sense now.”
“What?” I ask innocently and yank the glass of champagne from his hand. Tipping it back, I finish the entire drink in one gulp.
“She’s engaged, son.” He shakes his head. “We barely avoided a scandal when Aiden divorced Eve. We were lucky someone didn’t leak to the press that Eve’s daughter was not really Aiden’s child. Don’t push our luck.”
I place the now empty glass on a tray as a waiter walks by and pick up two full ones. I hand one to my father. “It’s fake.”
He frowns. “She’s paying him?”
I chuckle. “No. He’s pretending for free.” Then I turn and walk away to find my date.
“I’ll take two champagnes,” I tell the bartender.
“You know that Nate won’t be drinking. Even if he isn’t driving.”
“They’re both for me,” I state and then look down at the ring on my finger.
She sighs heavily. “Do you know what you’re doing?”
I turn to face her and lean my hip against the bar. “No,” I answer honestly. “Did you know what you were doing when you were sleeping with Aiden?”
She throws her head back and laughs. “No. Absolutely not. But you already know that.” I nod. “But you don’t have to have it all figured out, honestly.” The bartender hands me my first glass, and I take a small sip, loving the feel of the cold liquid running down my throat. It’s so hot in here. “You even tried to steer me clear of him.”
“Yeah. Sorry about that.” I never liked Aiden. He treated her like shit when she started working for him. How was I supposed to know he was in love with her?
“Don’t be. You were just looking out for me. And I appreciate that.” She pats my arm.
“Here.” I hand her the second champagne glass when the bartender puts it on the bar. “Let’s toast to me being wrong.”
She looks at it and bites her bottom lip. We don’t get that many opportunities to get together and have drinks anymore. It used to be a Wednesday tradition to meet up and drink, but now that never happens.
“I can’t,” she states.
“Come on. You’re not driving.”
Her eyes meet mine. “No, I mean I can’t. I’m pregnant.”
“What?” I gasp.
“The doctor called and confirmed it earlier today when you were at my house to get ready.”
I set the drinks on the bar, turn to face her, and pull her into my arms, giving her a big hug. “Oh, my God.” I pull away from her. “That’s so awesome! Congratulations! Is Aiden excited?”
“I haven’t told him yet.” She smiles. “I have this elaborate plan that is extra cheesy and over the top to tell him he is going to be a daddy.”
I hug her again, so excited for my best friend and her husband. “Well, he is going to love it!”
“Who is going to love what?”
I pull away from Hadley to see Candy standing beside us. Her black mermaid-style dress has the back cut out of it, and her brown hair drapes over her right shoulder in a braid. Just like last night, she looks like a million dollars. Like she belongs in this world where money and power run in the family. I’m not sure how she does it, but she fits in just as well at The Horseshoe as she does with the wealthy.
“Nothing,” I tell her.
She reaches over and takes one of my glasses of champagne. Then she looks at me. “Do you really think being here with Nate is going to make him jealous?”
I raise an eyebrow but don’t answer. What would I say? He knows the engagement is fake, so it’s not like I have much to go on.
“You sound like you have something else in mind,” Hadley says to her.
“I do.” She nods. “Do you still have that twenty-dollar bill I gave you?”
“Yes.”
“Twenty-dollar bill?” Hadley wonders. “When did she give you money?”
“Use it,” Candy announces, ignoring Hadley’s question.
“I don’t think …”
“You want to make a boy jealous, you parade around with another boy on your arm. You want to make a man jealous, you make him believe that he does not exist to you.” She winks at me. “Call me.” Then she walks off into the crowd.
“What was that about?” Hadley asks.
“I really have no clue,” I answer, taking another sip of my drink.
“She is so strange,” Hadley observes as we both watch her walk across the gallery and straight into Asher’s arms. He doesn’t look excited to see her. He doesn’t even lean down to kiss her. He looks content. So unlike he did when he barged into Hadley and Aiden’s bedroom earlier when he needed to see me. And suddenly, I know what I have to do. There’s no question about it.
“She’s a prostitute, you know?” Had whispers.
“What?” I pretend to be surprised.
She nods quickly as I take a drink of my champagne. “Aiden told me that Asher is paying her three thousand a night.”
I spit the champagne out at that statement and try to pick my jaw up off the floor.
* * *
The limo pulls up to Hadley and Aiden’s house. After they go inside, I stand awkwardly by the back of the car in the cold while Nate starts his to give it some time to warm. He comes over to me, placing his hands in the pocket of his dress slacks.
“We need to talk,” I tell him.
He sighs. “I figured this was coming.”
“I’m sorry I—”
“No need to apologize.” He interrupts me.
“But I do. I should have never dragged you into this.”
“You didn’t. It was Hadley’s idea.” He gives me a shy smile. “And I enjoyed it while it lasted.”
I laugh softly, and my body shakes due to the cold seeping into my bones. “Well, any time you need a fake fiancée, just give me a call, and I’ll be there to help you out.”
He blushes and looks down at his shoes. “I’ll remember that.”
I step into him, and he looks down at me surprised. I grab his jacket and gently pull him to me, then press my lips to his. He stiffens. His lips don’t move. He’s either shocked or terrified. I kiss him gently and then pull away, smoothing down his jacket. “Thank you again, Nate. You’re a good friend.”
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