Page 18 of Weddings, Revenge & Fake Dating

And second, being an agent of chaos at his wedding fits nicely into my quickly formulating revenge plot.

Third? I want to fuck her. Plain and simple. Her body beneath mine would be a lifelong dream fulfilled.

Yet my intuition tells me these reasons won’t win points with Jeanie. With our flirty banter, I’m remembering how much I love the chase. It’s been too long since I had to work for it. These last couple of years, chicks have fallen into my bed because of who I am.

It was fun in the beginning, but lately, I’ve been disinterested. Perhaps I just needed a good challenge. And here she is. Jeanie checks all my boxes.

“I’m great at helping people realign their mindset, self-confidence, and communication skills so they can realize their dreams,” I say, turning into someone else, specifically my brother. Leonard has practiced that line on me a thousand times for the life-coaching business he wants to start.

Who’s the little fucking liar now? Not Jeanie, it’s me. That’s who.

“Why does that sound like an elevator pitch from a life coach?” She stills as if I threw cold seawater on our situation.

“Because it is.” I grin, a little proud I managed to pull it off. The acting classes are paying off.

“You’re a life coach?” She tosses her arms skyward. “Do you normally trawl hotels for clients?”

“I believe you flashed me.” I wave a finger at the twins, and she punches my arm. “Ouch!” I grab the spot and rub. “That’s the third time you’ve hit me . . . and I like it.”

I pop my brows and imagine punishing her when I get her into bed. I’ll bet no one has ever smacked that juicy mango-milkshake ass of hers, but I’d like to—badly.

“This is not happening.” She reaches for the elevator button. If we don’t move soon, an alarm might sound, if it hasn’t already.

“Let me explain.” I stop her, unsure of what I’m going to say next.

“This better be good.” She holds me at arm’s length, her palm pressed to my chest.

“Look, the life-coaching thing is a new business I’m working on. I don’t even have a website. You would technically be my first client.” The more I talk, the easier my story flows. My gut tells me to go with it.

Jeanie crosses her arms, appearing unimpressed.

“Hear me out. All my life, I’ve coached people to open businesses, run marathons, and navigate rocky relationships. When you were in need yesterday, I couldn’t help myself.”

I’m describing my brother to a T. He might deserve someone like her. He’s a Mr. Nice Guy.

“So, this fake date would be a business transaction?” she asks.

“I could use you as a success story for marketing. If you’re happy with the results, you could give me a glowing testimonial. What do you think?” I reach out a hand, hoping to strike a deal.

She stares at it, considering. Her lips twist, even though she doesn’t appear completely put off by the idea. This is a business arrangement, after all, and she’s a businesswoman.

“Fine. You get a test run at coaching tonight, and if you’re good at what you do, I get back Roman. No muss. No fuss.” She slips her hand into mine, and we shake on it.

I’m going to hell.

Jeanie releases the elevator button, and the cab descends. The door opens to the lobby and my newly formed goal—I want to make Jeanie forget about Roman for one night and beg for me.

She glances up at me, appearing more nervous than before. “Why do I feel like I made a deal with the devil?”

“Because you did.” Smirking, I take her hand in mine.

10/

jeanie

Dirty Hot Viking God

Nathan Wolf must be the most morally gray, wanna-be life coach on the planet. I’ve never heard of one who’s down for busting up a wedding. Not that I have a lot of time for browsing the internet these days. Maybe it’s some new thing I haven’t heard about.