“Of course it’s a black Amex card,” I mumbled. My stomach dropped to my ankles as reality set in. I’d just agreed to be Fabio Ferrari’s fake girlfriend, and I had to play the part perfectly.
This was all too much for me. I was a simple cleaning lady. Not a freaking Kardashian.
“I trust you won’t go nuts. See what you can get with…” He thought for a moment. “I don’t know what women’s clothes cost but see what you can get with a hundred K.”
“A fancy new car is what she can get with that amount!” Celine gasped.
“That’s too much,” I told him, shaking my head. “I don’t even know what your expectations are for how you want me to look. What’s your type? What would your family expect?”
“Good questions.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and seemed to be thinking about what I’d said.
“I have an idea,” Celine said. “She’ll text you all her sizes for everything and you can just buy what you want her to wear. Have it sent to our apartment, then it’s all on you and it takes the pressure off Cyndee.”
“That’s a great idea, sister.” I gave him his black card back. The tips of his long fingers brushed across the top of my hand and shiver worked through my body. Surely, he hadn’t felt what I felt. A powerful, ridiculously rich man like him would never consider me for anything more than cleaning his toilets.
“Yes, good plan, Celine.” He nodded at me. “Would you like a spa day? You could get the works done.”
“We would love one,” my sister replied, looping her arm in mine as if we were a two for one package. Only I would be the one doing all the work.
Not a single word found its way to my lips. I seemed to have lost my voice and my backbone, while Fabio and Celine discussed me as if I wasn’t standing right there.
“I’ll set it up and text you with the place and time later today.” He tilted his head and considered me for a long second. “Are you sure about doing this? I don’t want to pressure you.”
Little too late for that. I felt more than pressured by them both. But of course, I wouldn’t speak my mind because I would be stupid not to agree, right?
“It’ll be fine.” I forced a smile, then diverted my attention away from him. It wouldn’t be easy being alone with him and pretending to be his girlfriend. I feared it wouldn’t be as difficult as it should be. In fact, being a billionaire’s girlfriend was most girls’ biggest fantasy.
How could I say no to Fabio when large amounts of money, millions of dollars were involved?
Attending a few Christmas events as the Italian billionaire’s fake girlfriend would be the easiest side hustle of my life.
Only, I had a feeling that if anyone got hurt, it would be me.
5
Fabio
It was a huge risk to bring my baby sister, Zia, into my latest crazy idea. But if there was anyone in my family that I could trust, it was Patrizia. I needed a woman to help me shop for Cyndee, someone who knew the latest fashions and brands to make my cleaning lady appear anything but hired help.
My beautiful sister was a professional ballerina in the San Francisco Ballet. Like many of my siblings, she wanted to call the shots in her life. At twenty-five, she wasn’t ready to fall in love and have a family. She had goals. Dreams. A mind of her own.
My sisters were luckier than me and my brothers. Papa didn’t seem as concerned with them as he was with us boys.
I checked the time on my watch as a couple of saleswomen salivated at me. Zia was five minutes late and I was growing impatient. The last thing I wanted were women staring at me like I was their ticket to a better life.
Over the phone, I’d told Zia I needed help shopping for a woman and if she could meet me at Union Square, where there was a variety of high-end stores like Louis Vuitton, Valentino and Neiman Marcus. Naturally, my request intrigued her. She most likely thought I had a new girlfriend and wanted to hear all the details.
The door opened and my beautiful sister blew in like a commanding breeze.
“You’re late,” I told her as I gave her hug.
“Stop it. Only a few minutes.”
“Six minutes and fifteen seconds.”
She pulled back. “Of course you’re counting seconds. Can you never relax, big brother?”
“No, I guess I can’t.”
