Once they’re both out of earshot, she turns her now-icy glare on me. “What exactly do you want? Are you going to call the cops?” she asks. “He made a mistake. It won’t happen again.”
“No,” I tell her.
“Nowhat?”
“No, I’m not calling the cops,” I clarify. “I prefer to deal with these kinds of matters myself.”
“Okay, so what do you want then?”
“You,” I say. Simple and to the point. This is not what I had in mind when I agreed to let the kid call his sister. I thought I’d get the money I asked for and he’d get to keep his fingers. But now that I’ve seen her, I don’t want her money. I want her.
Hayley blinks at me, and then she stands, her palms landing flat on my desk. “I. am. Not. A. Whore,” she seethes.
“Good to know.” I smile.
“Glad we got that sorted. Now, what do you actually want?” she asks.
“You,” I repeat.
“Did you not just hear me? I’m not a whore. I don’t care how sexy your voice is or how pretty your face is. I don’t care if your hands are big. I am not fucking you.”
I have to hide my smile. Because, fuck me, is this woman cute when she’s riled up. It’s been a really long time since someone has held my interest for this long.
“I never said anything about fucking.Although, I’m not disappointed thatyouare thinking about fucking me, Hayley. I want you, for two weeks,” I explain.
“You want me? For two weeks? To do what, exactly?” She quirks a brow at me.
“To be my girlfriend. In public anyway.”
“Why? You can’t tell me you’re hard up for dates, August.” She laughs.
Hearing my name slip out of her mouth makes my cock twitch. No one calls me August, no one but Colton. And yet, I liked when she said it. I wonder what she’d sound like screaming it?
“I can get dates. I don’t want dates. I want a girlfriend to ward off all the… unwanted attention I get at events. It’s the busiest time of the year for me, and I have a lot of engagements to attend.”
“You just want me to attendeventswith you?” she asks cautiously.
“No, I want you to move in with me for two weeksandattend events with me,” I correct her.
“Move in with you? I can’t. In case you missed it, I have a little brother I’m responsible for,” she huffs.
“You were just about to catch a flight to Europe for a week. You already left him alone.” Riley told me why she was at the airport after I cut the call. “I’ll have someone watch him, make sure he doesn’t get into any more trouble,” I say. “So, what’s it going to be, Hayley. Are you going to be my girlfriend for two weeks?” I stand, button my jacket, and walk around the desk.
“Or?” she presses. “What’s the other option?”
“You really don’t want to know.”
Her eyes widen. “Fine, I’ll be your fake girlfriend for two weeks.” The smile on her face should scare me. She looks almost giddy. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Warned me about what?”
“I’m not a good girlfriend, August. There’s a reason I’m single.” She shrugs. “Guys can’t handle me.”
“I’m not like other guys.” I have no doubt I can handle whatever this little woman tosses my way. “Andre,” I call out, knowing he is standing right outside the door.
“Boss?” he asks, popping his head into the room.
“Escort Miss Bell and her brother home. She has thirty minutes to pack her things and then escort her, alone, to my penthouse,” I tell him.
