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“That’s my boss,” I say, stunned.
“Your boss is a stripper?” Maddy says, intrigued.
I ignore her, scrambling to my feet and going to rescue Cole.
He’s trying in vain to re-tie his tie and growing increasingly frown-y. “Young lady,” he says sternly to one of my more aggressive friends. “Hands to yourself. Now.”
I’m pretty sure she shivers. “Yes, sir.”
Jesus fucking Christ. “Hi everybody,” I announce in my loudest voice. “This is Cole. He helped us rent this place.He’s not a stripper.”
The women look disappointed.
Cole takes advantage of the brief moment of peace to grab my elbow and steer me over to a corner away from the speakers, where it’s a little easier to talk. Outside of the office, I’m reminded again of his sheer physical presence. I bet he has women throwing themselves at him even when theydon’tthink he’s about to take his clothes off for money.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, before realizing that’s probably not a polite thing to ask when he basically paid for this party.
But still.
Whatishe doing here?
“I need you,” Cole says, and I know he’s talking about work, it’sobvioushe’s talking about work, but his voice mixes with the alcohol in my blood. My body thinks he’s talking about something else.
“You need me for graphic design,” I clarify.
“I need you for marriage,” he says, and I’m so shocked I drop my drink. My glass shatters on the ground between us.
“What?” I ask, heart thudding. “It’s too loud. I thought you said...” I shake my head, unwilling to embarrass myself by saying it out loud.
Cole’s hand moves to the small of my back, and my pulse leaps as he guides us around the broken glass. Then he leans in, so close I can feel his heat near my neck.
His lips move close to my ear and he says, “If I marry, my wife gets a seat on the board. If certain board members think I’m about to get married, they’ll switch over to the winning side. So I need a fake fiancée.”
He says it slowly. Carefully. Unmistakably.
“You’d be perfect,” Cole says, his voice soft and low in my ear, and some part of me clenches. His eucalyptus and sandalwood scent surrounds me.
“I can’t,” I say. “That’s...It’s crazy, Cole.”
Even if it’s just pretend, half the office will think I slept my way to the top. And I don’t want to spend the next few years working with people who think so little of me. Or worse, working with people who will pity me after Cole’s and my inevitable ‘breakup.’
Been there, done that.
Cole meets my eyes. “Maybe crazy is exactly what I need to defeat my father.” There’s a light in his eyes that’s almost frightening. And it finally sinks in that Cole is one-hundred percent serious.
I can’t stop the shocked laughter that spills from my lips.
I need more champagne. Or fresh air. Something to help me breathe.
“How much money do you need to start your business?” Cole asks.
“I’m too drunk for this conversation,” I say.
“Because I’ll pay it,” Cole says, stepping closer to me. “Whatever you want most, I’ll give it to you. And all you have to do is pretend to be my fiancée for a few months.”
As he talks, it’s like I can see my future opening up in front of me.
No more slogging it out in the corporate world for a few years.
