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“Don’t worry, Bennett; I know how to handle my part. You just make sure you get everything you need tomorrow. This is a one-time shot.”
He enjoyed hearing her inner strength return. Bennett never doubted she had what it took to pull this off. If he did, he sure as hell wouldn’t have suggested it. But her brothers were no fools. They were going to be watching very closely. He and Zoey would need to be on top of their game.
For Bennett, the worst thing that could happen was for the Hendersons to find out the entire party was only a ploy to get what he needed. They’d never hire him for another job. Working for them always came with an unforeseen complication anyway.
Zoey was a different story. If something went wrong tomorrow, the trust they shared as a family could be in jeopardy. Although Zoey was acting as though she wasn’t concerned, he knew it was a lie. A good dose of worry is what’s going to keep her eye on the ball. When a person gets too cocky, they fuck up.
“Trust me, Zoey. One night with you is all I need.” He enjoyed the play on words but not her stammering to correct his statement. He felt like an ass as he heard the hurt in her voice. He’d only been flirting. But he knew he hit a wound that hadn’t healed with her. It wasn’t the time to explore that, but he wasn’t about to forget it either. Maybe guilt from her past is haunting her now?
“We are not... I mean, you and I are... It’s just a party. Don’t expect to be—”
“Zoey, if we’re going to pretend to be lovers, then you need to relax around me. You can’t get all jumpy if I make a sexual remark or gesture.”
“Gesture?”
He laughed. “If you get defensive about my words, what are you going to do when I kiss you?”
She became very quiet on the other end of the line. Had she not thought through what it meant to be lovers? It wasn’t as though she didn’t have plenty of experience, but from what he knew, she didn’t share her affairs publicly. It still surprised him how much had been hidden from searching eyes. Odd.
“Do you think we’ll need to—?”
“Backing out, Zoey? It’s not too late. You still have time to tell your brothers what’s going on.”
“No. I just hadn’t thought about—”
“What it’d take to make it believable? I’m in Boston; if you want me to come over, we can practice tonight.”
“It’s not like I haven’t kissed anyone before, Bennett. I mean, this is important to me, so I’m sure I can fake enjoying kissing you.”
“I look forward to seeing just how good an actress you are, Zoey.”
Her voice filled with frustration as she changed the subject. “I’ll text you the final details. See you tomorrow.” She disconnected the call without even waiting for his reply.
Don’t call her bluff. Nothing can come of it anyway. Just do the job you were hired to do and walk away.
Bennett slid the phone across the desk in his hotel room. Here he was in the city with nothing to do for the next twenty-four hours but avoid giving in to the urge to see Zoey. This job can’t be over quick enough.
