Page 55 of The Player + The Pact = I Do

I smile and put my lips to the bottle, just like his were a minute ago. I taste him there. My mouth begins to buzz.

My radio bleeping interrupts our little staring contest. I turn the volume down. If anyone wants me, Joan knows where to find me.

“It’s a great size,” I say. “Incredible views. And you’re going to invest in it.”

His eyes widen. “Am I?”

I scrunch up my nose. Maybe I shouldn’t have put it so aggressively. “It should be guest space. You’ll see when I show you the plans. Just keep an open mind.”

“I’ll listen to anything you say,” he says. His gaze drops to my lips, then flit back to my eyes. Desire stirs inside me. I want to slide onto his lap and kiss him for the rest of the day. From the look in his eye, I’m starting to think he wants that, too.

“What time are you back tonight?” he asks. “I have a work thing. Drinks, but?—”

“I’m out with Sophia. When I told her about the engagement…” I trail off. I tried to tell her with No Big Deal energy, but it didn’t work. We kind of danced around the subject of Leo and how he needed a fake fiancée and now he has a real fiancée. She knows, but she hasn’t asked me directly and I’m grateful. After congratulating me, she started asking about the logistics of subletting my room. I told her that since my fiancé is a billionaire, I’d be happy to pay rent until the end of the year. What she doesn’t know, but might suspect, is that I’ll be back in that room well before the year’s end.

“You’re celebrating,” he says.

As soon as the word is out of his mouth, I put my hands over my face. “Oh god. I hope tonight isn’t an impromptu bachelorette party.”

“Relax,” he says. “You’re just going out with your friend.”

“I hate not being able to speak freely to her. And I really hate lying to my mom. She hasn’t even met you and I’ve agreed to marry you. She’s going to think I’ve lost my mind.”

“I can meet her if you want me to,” he says.

I start to laugh. I can’t help myself. “So you can start lying to her, too? I can see us getting married for real, just because it’s easier than lying to everyone all the time.”

“I can get us booked on a flight to Vegas tonight. Oh, but I have that work thing and you’re on your bachelorette.”

“It will have to wait ’til the weekend,” I deadpan. “Oh but tomorrow’s Saturday. Gosh darn it, I have plans. Maybe next weekend?”

His phone goes off, but his eyes are on me as he pulls it out of his pocket. I can’t place the expression in his eyes. Is it lust? An appreciation of my humor? Something else? He glances down at his phone and silences it.

My radio, his phone—it’s like the world is trying to pull us back to reality, but we want to stay right here.

“You’ve ditched the pantsuit,” he says, gaze trailing down my body.

His phone buzzes again and this time it gets his attention. “Shit, I have to go,” he says. We both stand. He glances down at my ring and lifts up my hand. “Looks good,” he says. He presses a kiss to my knuckles and starts for the door.

“Thanks for lunch,” I say.

“Have fun tonight,” he calls over his shoulder.

Just before he reaches the door, it busts open. “Dollface!”

The shock of hearing my old nickname doesn’t have time to fully register before the man standing in the doorway starts making his way across the roof terrace. He’s smaller than I remember, with slicked-back, thinning hairthat accentuates the lines on his forehead. But even ten years after I last saw him, there’s no mistaking those twinkling blue eyes and that broad smile.

“Dad?”

“Come and give your pa a hug.” He beckons me over.

I glance at Leo, then back at my father, walking forward like I’m attached to a string. “What are you doing here?”

“Saw you got a new job!” he says, flinging his arms around me. I can’t bring myself to hug him back, but he doesn’t seem to notice. I detect the scent of alcohol on his skin and realize that’s his signature scent. As I child, I didn’t associate it with alcohol, but as an adult there’s no mistaking it. Has he just come from a boozy lunch? Or has he always had a drink by this time? “I wanted to come and give my congratulations.” He doesn’t sound drunk. Maybe he had a drink to settle his nerves before coming to see me. If I’d have known he was coming, I probably would have done the same thing.

I know Leo needs to go, but he’s lingering by the door. It feels like he’s a tether to get me out of here. I step back and out of my father’s embrace. “What do you mean, you saw I got a new job? How?”

“In the paper. And you’re engaged. And the manager of this place!” He holds his arms out like I’m in charge of the entire island of Manhattan. “You’ve done well, Dollface. And you look good. Turned out real well. Always knew you would.”

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