Page 59 of My Real Love Affair

“Completely straight. This is just fun. Playing dress up. Pretending to be the kind of woman who dates billionaires.” I turned back to the mirror, adjusting the neckline. “It’s exciting. That’s allowed, isn’t it?”

“As long as you remember it’s not real.”

“I know it’s not real, Cleo.” But my reflection in the mirror looked unconvinced. “I’m just enjoying the performance. We don’t need to have this conversation before every meet-up with Austin.”

My phone buzzed. A text from Austin.

Austin:10 minutes out. You ready?

Me:5 minutes and I will be.

I slipped on the nude pumps. I considered my tennis shoes, but I wanted to up my game a little. And I was not going to think about what that meant.

I held my arms out and did a little turn for Cleao. “Okay. I’m as ready as I’m going to be.”

“Hair down or up?” Cleo asked.

“Down. More romantic.”

“Romantic,” Cleo repeated slowly. “For your fake date.”

“Shut up.”

She laughed but came over to help me with some last-minute adjustments. Fluffed my hair. Straightened my dress. Handed me the bag we picked to go with the dress.

“You look incredible,” she said. “Whoever takes photos of you two tonight is going to lose their minds.”

“Thank you.”

“Be careful, okay? I’m getting really concerned about how into this you’re getting.”

“I will,” I promised.

She pulled me into a quick hug. “Text me. Tell me everything. And remember our code word.”

“Pineapple. Got it.” I walked her to the door. “It’s going to be fine. This is all part of the plan.”

“If you say so.”

I watched her walk away and was about to close my door and go back inside to wait when I saw it. More like heard it. I wasn’t a car girl, but holy shit, the purr of the engine would make anyone look.

A sleek, fire-engine red sports car pulled up to the curb. The kind of car that turned heads and made people pull out their phones. The kind of car that screamed “Bancroft.”

Austin climbed out with a big grin on his face.

Oh god.

He wore black slacks with a baby blue dress shirt and no tie. The top couple of buttons on his shirt were undone and the sleeves were rolled halfway up his forearms, giving him that effortlessly sexy look he seemed to achieve without trying.He looked me up and down and that grin transformed into an appreciative smile that made my knees weak.

“Wow,” he said as I approached. “You look—wow.”

“Articulate as always.”

He opened the passenger door for me, ever the gentleman. “Ready for tonight?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be. Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.” He closed my door and jogged around to the driver’s side, sliding into the leather seat. The engine purred to life, and we pulled away from my townhouse.