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“I would never do anything to harm the company, sir—”
“Todd.”
“Todd. Sorry. I have the utmost respect for you and for HeartMatch. This is not just a job for me; it’s my career and my livelihood. I love what I do and it keeps me happy, so I would never… never ever divulge any sensitive information that you have chosen to share with me, regardless of that NDA.”
“Thank you for your kind words,” he says, his lips twisting into a crooked and rather awkward smile. “But the lie itself isn’t the reason I brought you up here, Rebecca.”
I take a deep breath, startled by how sweetly my name rolls off his tongue. “Okay…”
“Given the extent of this lie, it seems the time has come for me to go even deeper with it. Piper tells me you have a young child. A son.”
“Yeah…”
“I need you to play the role of my wife at an upcoming event. And I need to pass your son off as mine. I know how it sounds, and I apologize for the bluntness of my request, but there is no other way to phrase it,” he says. I’m staring at him in sheer, speechless shock. “Everything is about to blow up in my face unless I produce a real-life wife and child at a daytime meeting with a potential buyer. As you’ve probably heard by now, I’m preparing to sell HeartMatch. The sale wouldn’t affect you or the other employees, as per the terms of the deal. But the man who made the best offer is also one who values sincerity and family above everything else. Should he learn the truth—”
“He’ll drop the deal,” I reply.
“Worse, even. He has enough power and influence to ruin me and the company. It’s a risk I simply cannot take, as you clearly understand…”
“Yeah…”
Truth be told, I’m taken aback by the turn of this conversation. Part of me is appalled by the blatant lying. A lot of people use HeartMatch because they know the CEO himself married the love of his life thanks to the app. Hell, even I went on there hoping I’d find someone good and decent after I ended things with Luke. I didn’t know I was pregnant at the time, but hey… I knew where to look for the chance at something real because Todd Connors had found something real, too.
At the same time, I do understand why he felt he had to lie. Global expansion requires huge amounts of money, and since the last recession, even the sturdiest of sharks have become more cautious with their expenditures. And I get why he had to keep lying, too. It was just an unfortunate circumstance. It’smyrole in the whole thing that has me blinking in confusion, though.
“Why me?” I ask. “You could hire an actress or something… Why me and Elliot?”
“Because you’re part of the company, Rebecca, and you appreciate the work we’re all doing here. And I also imagine you would appreciate the monetary reward that I’m willing to offer, provided you say yes,” he says. “It will be easy, honestly. Nobody knows what my wife and son look like. For obvious reasons, I’ve made a point of being very private about my nonexistent family. I just need you and the kid to show up and play pretend for half a day at a rich guy’s mansion. Elliot can play with John’s kids while you look pretty on my arm. I’ll train you on every single bit of information and protocol that we’ll need to make sure it goes without a hitch. But I have faith you’re the perfect woman for the job.”
I take another deep breath, trying to process everything he has just said.
My rational side understands perfectly. It’s my emotional side that is utterly confused. The silence that follows makes everything all the more awkward.
“What monetary reward are we talking about?” I mumble. I feel ashamed to even ask, but my bills and student loans take their toll, and any kind of help would come in handy right about now.
“This…”
He writes a figure on a sticky note and passes it across the desk, reminding me of a spy drama where a shady business suit tries to bribe a city official with a figure on a piece of paper because the figure itself is so big, it’s ridiculous to even utter it aloud. And as soon as I see the figure, I understand the gesture. That is so much money… It’s more than I make in three years. Holy crap. It’s Elliot’s college fund and then some. If I stretch it, I could do so much in such a short time.
“Oh, wow…” I manage.
“So, what do you say?”
I swallow back my hesitation and look him in the eyes. The money is beyond tempting. It could be the solution to many of my problems, and I could offer Elliot precisely what I’ve always wanted. But I have stayed clear of men since Luke, and I know I would inadvertently fall for someone like Todd. I’m already attracted to him—that much my body is shameless in telling me. If I spend any time being close to him, I hate to think where it might lead.
We’d have to kiss in front of the buyer in order to sell it. I’d love to feel his lips on mine. But then I would want more. My heart is aching. I’ve been single and lonely for so long, it would make everything harder and infinitely more painful. I would end up shattered and unable to pick myself up off the ground. Todd has lied about having a family. I doubt he’s even interested in me. He would never fall in love with me. Hell, what am I even talking about? I’d be the one falling in love withhim, knowing myself as well as I do.
“While the sum offered is very attractive, I don’t think I can accept the proposition,” I finally reply, keeping my chin up and a polite smile on. “I thank you for taking the time to share this with me—and rest assured, your secret is safe with me—but I cannot help you.”
Todd measures my expression carefully, still leaning back in his chair, calm and casual. He nods once and gives me his card. “This is my personal number. Give me a call should you change your mind. The offer is valid for the next month. I know it’s not an easy answer to give, but I trust you’ll at least think about it some more. I’ll wait.”
“Thank you…”
I leave his office with a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Saying no was the reasonable and safe thing to do—but why do I dislike that decision so much? It would end badly for me, one way or another. No, I made the right choice back there. As gorgeous and as attractive as he is, Todd would be nothing but trouble for a woman like me. He’s willing to pay an obscene amount of money for a woman to pretend to be his wife. That kind of financial depravity tells me more about him than I wish to know.
He's so far out of my reach and out of my league…
No, I was right to say no.
