“You’re welcome,” I replied coldly. “Would you rather have been tackled next to the headless badger?”
She folded her arms. “You could’ve just let us leave.”
I stared at her, her deep blue eyes flashing, her full lips still red with adrenaline beneath the gloss.
Had I imagined her trembling before?Had it all been anact?
Bonnie’s warnings rang in my mind. This woman was in sales—false fronts were her day job.
And yet …
Her eyes bored into me with an intensity I couldn’t read.
Icouldhave let her leave. Why hadn’t I?
Christ, she was gorgeous, standing there close enough to undo every sensible thought I had. Fury suited her more than it should have.
“I’m sorry I ruined your night,” I said. My mind was a mess, but it was nothing compared to what we’d just signed up for.
“Oh, not at all.” She glared at me. “Analysis of my imaginary skin conditions with strangers is easily the pinnacle of my social calendar.”
“And the public dismantling of my dignity in front of a cabinet minister is a moment I’ll cherish.”
We stared at each other, tight smile to tight smile, locked into a story neither of us could afford to untell.
A wedding in France with a fake girlfriend who hated me, and a politician with my future in his pocket.
Just. Fucking. Brilliant.
Chapter 15
Andrea
I stood inthe living room, barefoot, staring at the blank screen of the TV like it might flash up a headline:BREAKING: Local Woman Loses Plot, Impersonates Girlfriend, Then Invited to Paris with EvilBillionaire.
How? How had that happened? And why had part of me enjoyed the verbal sparring, even while I wanted to throttle him? The quick back-and-forth, playing off each other—it was like Monday at the Fox & Filter, when he’d made me laugh about breath mints and paninis.
Except on Monday, Liam didn’t come with a savior complex and a need to control every situation. This version had steamrolled right over me, invented a relationship, and somehow made it feel inevitable.
I hated that it had almost been fun.
Eliza hadn’t come home. She was off somewhere with Christian dissecting the evening’s shenanigans and talking about his Asia trip. Cocktails were almost certainly involved.
I couldn’t believe Liam had been there tonight.Although… had I had an inkling he might be?It was exactly the sort ofplace an entitled, superficial arsehole like himwouldbe, after all, attempting to schmooze whatever politician he needed to manipulate.
Damn—he looked good in black tie, though.
We’d barely even got a look at my painting—maybe a minute or two, tops. Everything had got so crazy so quickly, and Eliza and I had left as soon as we could, desperate to escape the madness. I hadn’t even explained to Liam why we were there—just dashed away from him, checked out the portrait, and left.
Wasit a good thing he’d said we were with him? What would have happened if we’d been escorted off the premises by the guards? Might we have been arrested? What if someone had worked out I was one of the artists? Could it have affected my job, maybe even Eliza’s career in law?
Shit. We really hadn’t thought it through.
No.I wasn’t going to be grateful to Liam von Roth for what he’d done tonight. It was an exercise in control, that was all. So typical of him. No doubt he stood to benefit from it in some way, too. He definitely had something going on with that minister.
I let my clutch fall onto the hallway table and padded into the bedroom, almost tripping over Mr. Darcy weaving between my legs, hopeful for a midnight snack. My feet ached from the heels and my head was full. My zip, halfway down my spine, was stuck on something, but I didn’t have the energy to fix it.
I flopped down on my unmade bed in the dress, makeup still on, earrings digging into my neck. My ears buzzed. Maybe it was the champagne? Or being in the quiet again. I’d only rest my eyes. Just for a second.
