Page 29 of Forty, Flirty & F*cked

"It's strategic."

"It's asking for trouble."

"It's..." I pause as our entrees arrive. "Consider it part of your contract."

"My contract doesn't include pretending to date you."

"No, but it does include managing Clearwater's public image." I cut into my steak, perfect rare just like always. I’ve always been a man who knows what he wants. "How would it look if a CEO showed up alone?"

"Better than showing up with his ex-fiancé's..." She pauses, searching for the right word.

"Vegas acquisition?" I offer.

"You're asking for a face full of red wine with that word again.”

I laugh. “I’m asking…for a favor.” I lean back, armor firmly inplace. "Think about it – Will's going to be there anyway. Wouldn't you rather arrive with someone who actually understands your... market value?"

Her fork pauses halfway to her mouth. "That was almost smooth."

"I have my moments."

"And what exactly would this... arrangement entail?"

"Simple social appearances. Rehearsal dinner, welcome party, ceremony."

"That's a lot of Will interaction."

"That's a lot of chances to show him exactly what he lost."

She sets down her fork. "Your manipulation is showing."

"Is it working?"

"Maybe." She studies me with those too-sharp eyes. "What's in it for you?"

Professional image management. Nothing more. Nothing that could be taken away. "It'll keep my mother from trying to set me up with her yoga instructor's daughter."

"Again?"

"She's very persistent about Grandchildren." The words taste sour. "Apparently she's decided that since she helped break up one family, she should help create another."

Something softens in her expression. "Family expectations. I know those well."

"Your sisters?"

"And my dad." She traces patterns in her wine glass condensation. "He's... they've all given up so much. Sometimes I feel like I owe them..."

"A normal life?"

"Something like that."

We sit in silence for a moment, the rest of the restaurant fading away. It's dangerous, this understanding between us. The kind of danger I haven't allowed myself since?—

"Fine," she says, breaking the moment.

"Fine?"

"I'll be your date." She points her fork at me. "But we need rules."

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