I’d have done this for you for free, if you’d asked nicely.
The words echoed and twisted in my chest.
This was only a strategic decision. Practical. Jessa was perfect for the role—she already lived here, Theo adored her,and she had the kind of warmth and authenticity that would make investors believe we were real.
But that wasn’t why I’d wanted her to sign.
I’d wanted her to sign because the thought of anyone else playing this role—Sabine, or a stranger Sam found—had made my stomach churn. Because when I’d imagined walking into the Benefit with a woman, I’d only been able to see Jessa there. If I was going to have a woman in my bed, it’d be her.
Sometime in the past week, she’d stopped being just the nanny and had become something I couldn’t afford to want but couldn’t seem to let go.
I drained the glass, the burn of whiskey grounding me.
This was temporary. A business arrangement. At the end, she’d take her five million and disappear back to Holly Creek, and I’d go back to my life.
The IPO would close. The company would soar. Everything would go according to plan. It had to.
Because if it didn’t—if I let myself forget this was all pretend—I’d lose more than just a deal.
I’d lose the one thing I’d spent years protecting: control over my own goddamn heart.
I stared at her signature, bold and unapologetic, and wondered if I’d just made the biggest mistake of my life.
Or the smartest decision ever.
Only time would tell. The board, hell, Wall Street and all the experts would be watching if I could pull this IPO off.
But tonight?
Tonight it was just me and her. My new fake fiancée.
I set the rules aside, noting one in particular. *Intimacy shall be mutual, frequent, and preferably against a wall.*
I checked my watch. Theo had about fifteen minutes left on his game timer.
I set down my glass and walked down the hall to his room. There he was, completely absorbed in his game, headphones on, oblivious to the world.
I reached over and add another thirty minutes.
Theo glanced up, saw the extended time, and gave me a massive grin and a thumbs up before diving back into his hockey video game.
I left the door cracked and made my way to Jessa’s room at the end of the hall.
I knocked once.
Then entered without waiting for an answer.
She spun around, eyes wide. She stood there in a black bra and matching panties, the flannel pajamas I’d bought her draped over the bed, about to be put on.
I shut the door behind me and locked it.
Her breath caught. “Griffin?”
“I have one question for you.” I removed my tie. “Would now be a good time to take you against the wall?”
Her mouth curved. “Ask me nicely.”
“Jessa, may I?”
