AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He is a dark and dirty tall glass of water, isn’t he? I’m fucking jealous, honey; you’ve taken him off the market,” he says and winks at me.
I take a deep breath and put on a fake smile. Oh, how I wish we were alone. As it is, I’m about five hot minutes from falling to my knees right here on this marble floor entryway if he keeps looking over at me like that. His sweeping glance makes my blood run hot, and as distracting as these people are, I can’t help my mind constantly wandering back to him, regretting that this isn’t what I want it to be.
If only I hadn’t been an idiot who said we shouldn’t mix business with pleasure. Dummy. I only said it because I’m insecure. Archie can have anyone, and once he has me, he will be done. I’m not naïve enough to think he sees me as anything special. I don’t even fit into his world.
No. This is a business agreement, and a favor for a favor. The man saved my life and offered to help put it back together. I’m homeless with an overprotective brother. I’ll take all the help I can get. I’ll play my part and keep my hands to myself so my heart stays protected.
Chin up, bitch.I raise it high and storm toward my fake fiancé, pushing through a sea of moving bodies.
“Who are all these people?” I ask when I finally reach him.
“I tried calling you. Where have you been?”
“I got my hair done. Obviously. Here I was thinking it would help, and I’m guessing you thought I needed the full barbie makeover?” I yell, not giving a fuck about the audience we have. I don’t know why, but I am sofucking furious, I might explode. Just a few hours ago, this place felt comfortable and safe, and now I’m itching to get out of here. Maybe I was wrong; perhaps I can’t do this favor.
“Yeah, I see that,” he says, scowling at my hair.
“You’re an asshole.” The moment the insult leaves my lips, his mother yells my name from somewhere behind me.
Archer’s dark eyes bore into me with dark, sexy promises. Like he wants to teach me to be a good girl who obeys him.
He slowly steps forward, raising his hands to my arms. I’m ready to fight when his arms come around me, but instead of pushing him away, I find myself leaning into his comfortable embrace. His warm body presses against mine, and I realize how cold I used to be, and just how good he feels. And smells. He smells all exotic and luxury, spicy and woodsy. As my shoulders relax, my body wakes up, and I feel the heat rise between my legs, even though I was just mad at him a second ago. I’m both calming down and drowning in sexual fantasies when I hear Alice clear her throat. I feel him take a deep breath as he holds me against him, not loosening his hold on me. I’m too emotional to speak, and as much as I hated it here less than five seconds ago, there’s something about Archer that gives me peace. It wasn’t his apartment at all. It's him. Fuck, that realization is scary.
“Mom. We need a minute.” His tone is stern, and I hear the room fall quiet around us. He didn’t even raise his voice, and the room takes notice. In that moment, I realize just how powerful he is.
“We’ll just leave everything, and you can text me,” she says, and I turn to see everyone leaving. Several clothing racks and shoes on top of shoeboxes line the condo as far as the eye can see. Designer handbags, from Michael Kors to Kate Spade, jewelry, and make-up, sit on the kitchen island, and the couch has two huge boxes of swatches sitting on it. Fucking swatches.
As soon as the door closes, he drops his arms from my body and walks away.
“I’ll be waiting in the car. I’ll have the driver escort you when you're ready.” His voice is cold, holding none of the warmth I just felt.
“Take all the time you need. Wear what’s on the table.”
I stare at the front door, expecting him to come back and say he’s pranking me—laugh, and offer that we just stay in. The tension-filled moment leaves me feeling drained, not wanting to be dragged out and paraded around. It was one thing when we were cool, but him being an asshole and then still expecting me to go along with it is crossing the line. The cocky bastard has another thing coming.
“Alexa, play, We’re not gonna take it by Twisted Sister.”
The sound system echoes down the hallway and into the bedroom. I run my hands out across the dresses on the hanger. Silk, chiffon, anything you can think of hangs in front of me in every color of the rainbow. My eyes lock on a royal blue beaded dress. I reach up and unhook it from the rack and admire the pattern of small beads that swirl into awesome patterns that flow all the way down the long skirt. I turn and find matching blue shoes.
After I’m dressed, and in heels, I freshen up my makeup and hair but keep it down and curly. Looking in the full-length mirror at the reflection of the woman in front of me is shocking. My piercings are showing, but none of my tattoos are. It just looks like I’m wearing a necklace with a very thin chain. I look downright presentable for society, and my tits look awesome in this dress. I plaster on a plastic smile, testing it out after all these years. Archer wants a Stepford wife… here I come.
