“There’s nothing wrong with Blade,” I said.
“You don’t love him,” Nathan scoffed. “I know you. You and I are soul mates. Blade’s bland. All the money in the world doesn’t mean love.”
I rubbed the bridge of my nose. All the wine and Nathan were giving me a headache. The longest I’d maintained a fake relationship was for a four-day wedding weekend. This was going to stretch on for the next, what, year? I suddenly didn’t know if I could do it.
“Come away with me,” Nathan pleaded, taking my silence to mean that I was in agreement. “We could go to Las Vegas. We could elope.”
“We are not getting married,” I hissed at him. “There was nothing between us; the whole thing was fake, remember? You came with me to my sister’s wedding, and in exchange I was going to cat sit for you during one of your work trips.”
“We shared a night of passion,” Nathan said.
“Which I completely regret and is a mistake I will never be making again,” I snapped. I hurried back to the private dining room, pausing briefly to put on what I hoped was a pleasant face. Blade looked up at me when he saw me, and his face softened. For a second, it almost looked real.
No way. Not happening.I was clearly projecting.
“I was just asking Blade and Grant,” Mr. Schultz said, “what their other young billionaire friends are looking for in a wife. I feel like you can tell a lot about a man by the type of woman he’s attracted to. I see a number of them dating those stereotypical lingerie models.” He dug into the next course.
It took everything in my power not to turn and look at Svetlana. Instead I took a bite of the bouillabaisse packed with shrimp, mussels, clams, and monkfish along with more of the crusty bread.
“But you all seem like you have good, honest women,” Chuck said.
“It’s because I know my limits,” Blade said. “Avery is smart in areas I’m not and can give me advice and keep me from falling victim to my blind spots. Plus she keeps me honest. One of the big issues that a lot of young founders run into is that you think that just because you had success in one area, you are great at everything. It’s easy to lose perspective. But having someone at home telling you that the color tie you have on makes you look like a tuberculosis patient or that you’re wearing too much cologne keeps you from developing a big head.” Blade rested an arm over the back of my chair. “Besides,” he continued, “more importantly, I consider Avery a friend. She looks out for me, decorates my office, and she’s there if I have a bad day. Honestly,” he said, looking at me, “she’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I appreciate her.”
It was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me, and he almost made me think it was real.
“The more important question you should be asking is what type of woman is crazy enough to get with a billionaire,” Meg said dryly. “There’s only so much one can do; they still have above-average egos.”
“That’s why you need a big house,” Kate joked. “I have a whole suite just to park Grant’s ego in!”
The rest of the evening, Blade made nice little comments about me and treated me like a beloved girlfriend. Blade took any excuse to touch me—to drift a hand under my hair, to stroke my neck, to slide it along my leg. Between the expensive wine, the rich food, and Blade’s loving behavior, I was lulled into a state of comfort; the whole thing almost felt real. Whenever he smiled at me, Cassie glared in my direction. The petty part of me was glad that she saw it.
“Don’t think because you fooled all these other people that you’ve fooled me. I know you’re lying,” Cassie hissed to me after dessert. “The tabloids are going to turn up something on you sooner or later.”
I froze. “I knew it!” I said to her. “I knew you were behind the stories.”
“You’re never going to inherit that house. It’s mine,” she said, pinching my arm. “Thank you for the lovely evening!” she trilled to the Schultzes.
We all held our good faces until the car.
“I cannot with my sister,” I said, leaning back in my seat.
Blade reached over and started rubbing his fingertips on my scalp.
“Feels nice,” I slurred, melting into a puddle. “Can’t stand that girl.”
“Just think about how you’re going to snatch that house from under her,” Blade murmured, his mouth close to my ear, breath a hot whisper. I shifted in my seat, worried his brothers would figure out something was up. But Weston was too engrossed with watching Meg and Hunter glare at each other.
Meg crossed her arms. “You all better not blow this contract,” she warned. “The Schultzes give a lot of money to charity. It could be a big help to some of the more depressed areas in the greater Harrogate area.”
“Please. I think the evening went very well,” Hunter said.
Weston grinned. “Hunter was actually not a dick.”
“Of course he’s not a dick,” Svetlana said. She was sloppy drunk and half crawled into Hunter’s lap, pawing at his zipper.
Meg was visibly annoyed, and Hunter smirked.
“You are a disgusting piece of shit,” Meg said.
