Page 20 of Hitched to my Boss

Because the biggest problem with our arrangement isn't going to be maintaining the facade for business purposes.

It's going to be remembering that this started as an accident when everything about Natalia makes me want it to be permanent.

My phone buzzes with another text, this one from Jude.

Jude: Zee just saw the wedding photos online. Please tell me you didn't actually marry your PR consultant in Vegas.

I stare at the message, thumb hovering over the keyboard. How do I explain that yes, I did marry my PR consultant in Vegas, and no, it wasn't completely insane?

Me: It's complicated. Will call later.

Jude: That's not a denial. Holy shit, man.

Me: Like I said, it's complicated.

Jude: Complicated doesn't begin to cover this. You realize Zennika is going to want every single detail, right?

I set the phone aside without responding. Explaining this to Jude and Zennika is a problem for later. Right now, I need to focus on getting through breakfast with Hartwell without revealing that my wife and I have been married for less than twelve hours and can't remember half of our wedding night.

The sound of Natalia singing softly in the shower drifts through the bathroom door, and despite everything, I find myself smiling. Whatever happens next, at least I'll be facing it with someone who can navigate a Vegas networking event, handle drunk conference attendees, and apparently sing off-key in hotel showers.

Spotting Natalia’s room key card on the side table, I grab it and slip out to grab her suitcase so she can at least feel normal after her shower.

I could do worse for a wife.

Even if I can't remember proposing to her.

6

NATALIA

Istare at my reflection in the hotel bathroom mirror, trying to process the fact that I'm now Mrs. Jason Wallace.

The woman looking back at me has sex hair, a hangover, and a wedding ring she doesn't remember getting. She's also agreed to maintain an accidental marriage with a client, which violates every professional standard she's spent ten years building her career on.

What the hell was I thinking?

The hot water from the shower helped clear some of the fog from last night, but it couldn't wash away the memory of waking up in Jason's arms. The way his body felt against mine was solid and warm and right in a way that terrified me. The heat in his eyes when he looked at me, like he was seeing something precious he'd never expected to find.

And now I've agreed to stay married to him. At least temporarily.

I splash cold water on my face, trying to shock some sense into myself. This is supposed to be damage control. A temporary solution to help Jason secure the contract he needs while Ifigure out how to salvage my professional reputation from this disaster.

So why does the weight of the ring on my finger feel significant instead of just problematic?

"Focus, Natalia," I mutter to my reflection. "You have a breakfast meeting to get through."

I pry open the door to grab my suitcase that Jason grabbed while I was showering. His thoughtfulness isn’t lost on me. I dig through it for something appropriate to wear as Jason's new wife, meeting with a potential client. It needs to say successful professional woman, not desperate consultant trying to salvage a career-ending mistake. The burgundy dress with a matching blazer strikes the right note of business casual elegance.

As I'm applying makeup to hide the evidence of last night's excess, Jason's voice drifts through the bathroom door. He's on the phone with someone, his tone careful and controlled.

"No, Jude, I can't explain it right now. Yes, we're actually married. No, it wasn't planned."

A pause.

"Because sometimes things happen that you can't predict or control, and you have to decide whether you're going to adapt or let them destroy everything you've worked for."

Another pause, longer this time.

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