More than once, I consider asking the cab driver to make a detour and drop us off at my apartment instead of the gala. Even as we pull up outside the hotel, with swarms of paparazzi and reporters crowding the entrance, the thought still cross my mind, especially when she grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze, my grandmother’s ring sparkling brilliantly on her finger.
Once inside, we mingle a bit before making our way to the bar. “I’m so nervous.” Laken smooths the front of her dress for the hundredth time and accepts her martini from the bartender.
Within three sips, half of the liquid is gone and I can’t help but smile to myself. The last time she drank, she let down her guard and I spent the night buried so deep inside her I thought I’d never find my way out. I’m hoping for a repeat performance.
“You’ll be fine,” I remind her, slipping my hand into hers. “Don’t let them intimidate you. Just stick to the facts we’ve talked about and if you’re unsure about anything, get them talking about themselves. These arseholes love nothing more than to talk about how great they are.”
“How are you so calm? I mean, we’re lying to your bosses and everything is on the line for both of us. Getting everything we want out of this is contingent on how well we can sell this.”
How can I be so calm?Calm? I’m not feckin’ calm. I’m anything but calm. I’m a mess inside. My stomach is churning, my head is pounding, and my heart—well, hell. Let’s not even talk about what an bleedin’ hole that thing has become. All I know is that it aches because I’m about to introduce the woman on my arm as my fiancée, and as much as we’ve planned for this, I don’t want it to be for one night. I don’t want her to take off that ring when this is over and hand it back to me.
I want more.
Squeezing her hand, I start to steer her away from the main ballroom and toward a darkened hallway. “We need to talk…”
Before we can turn the corner, salt and pepper gelled hair fills my line of sight, and Mr. Navarro stops me with a friendly hand on my chest. “And who is this beauty, Mackay? I half expected to see little Sophie with you tonight.” Nodding to Laken clarifies his statement. “You know, seeing as how this is a charity benefit for your daughter’s school.”
Lacing my fingers with hers, I pull Laken toward me, some deep-rooted caveman vibe taking over my normal, outgoing demeanor. “Laken Cavanaugh, meet marketing director at Tate & Cane, Gerald Navarro. Gerald, I’d like you to meet Laken Cavanaugh,” I pause as I swallow the words I’ve waited twenty-eight days to say. “My fiancée.”
I steal a quick glance at Laken, whose face is frozen in a forced smile. She’s waiting, as am I, for his response. After a few moments of silence, Navarro’s lips twitch, as a smile builds at the corners until they turn up into a full-hearted laugh. Throwing his head back, he slaps me on the back of the shoulder and beams. “It’s about damn time, Mackay! And I don’t blame you for keeping this one under wraps.” Lowering his voice, he leans in and winks at Laken. “Better to solidify things before subjecting her to the likes of Tribiotti.”
After walking the red carpet, taking the obligatory pictures, and listening to Tate & Cane bigwigs make their inflated speeches, I’ve introduced Laken to Mr. Navarro and all the people who’d be responsible for hiring her as an intern and an eventual hire at Tate & Cane. Everything is falling into place, but unfortunately, I have to leave Laken alone with Vince for a while to actually do my job and take the official pictures of the event. It takes me twice as long to do what I need to do because after every shot, I’m scanning the dance floor and shooting death glares at my friend.
Click.
Vince holding her close.
Click.
Vince looking into her eyes and flashing her a smug smile.
Click.
Vince twirling her around the dance floor, forcing a giggle out of her that makes me want to punch that smug grin off his face.
Even though I’m the one who put her in his arms, it irritates the hell out of me to watch him dance with Laken. He’s holding her much too close, and she’s laughing way too loudly at his stupid jokes. I asked him to keep an eye on her while I worked, but even though he’s my friend, I don’t trust him not to hit on her. The minute he lowers a hand to the base of her spine and dips her low, my hand curls around my camera, almost snapping it in two with jealousy.
Agitated, I force myself to turn my head away. That’s it. I’m done. After tonight, I’m telling Laken that all bets are off. I’m finished pretending. I’ll live up to my side of our bargain and do everything in my power to get her job at Tate & Cane, but I’m not giving her up. There’s something between us. I feel it, and I’m not letting it go.
Scanning the dance floor, I lock eyes with Laken. She gives me a small smile and dangles her fingers over Vince’s shoulder in an unintentionally sexy wave. I lose my breath. I feckin’ lose my breath and my dick jumps to attention just from a smile.
There are countless women in this room who could buy and sell her twenty times over. Women who wipe their arses with hundred dollar bills and spend their lives in the limelight, networking with New York’s finest. However, none of them can hold a candle to Laken Cavanaugh. She’s the star of the show, and I’m the envy of every man in the room.
That’s how I know this shite has to end now.
Just as I move to cut in on their dance, a hand snakes across my back. “I hope you saved me a dance.”
Anger vibrates through me as I grit my teeth and purposely keep my back toward her. “I’m working, Gloria.”
She seems slightly amused at finding me alone. “Where’s your fiancée? I ran into Bryce Holley and he told me I should make sure I introduced myself to her tonight.”
Motherfecker. “She’s busy.”
Gloria continues as if I didn’t even speak, trailing her nails down the length of my spine. “I knew you’d show up alone, Niall. You’ve been avoiding me for weeks, but it stops tonight. My generosity is over.”
I fix my eyes on Laken through the lens of my camera, but I can almost feel Gloria’s stare on me as she slips a key into my pocket.
“I’m tired of being made to wait.” Patting my pocket, she leans in close. “Room five-sixteen. You either show up and give me what I want, or you can find a new job and Sophie can find herself a new school.”
