Page 19 of Tempt My Heart

Now Freya was the one staring at Jesse like she'd lost her mind. "Why do you know so much about this?"

"You're telling me you've never pretended to date someone before?"

"No," they said in tandem and Jesse blinked before looking away and out toward the crowded room as if she needed to collect herself. It had been relatively quiet when they’d first arrived but now the small tables and larger booths were almost all full and the golden lighting made everything feel warm and cozy.

“Why would we...? You know what, never mind. Look, I'll figure this out. I'm sure we won't even get to that point. Christopher's friend will track down Jared or whatever it is he's going to do, or maybe David can help, and then everything will go back to normal."

"I admire your optimism. It's sweet, really," Jesse said, squinting at her like she was a fascinating bug under a microscope.

"I think there's no harm in setting some boundaries," Freya said, glancing at her to measure her reaction before directing her gaze back to her phone as she edited a photo for her socials. "You're both friendly, right? So what's the harm in a frank conversation?"

Ali hummed in acknowledgement. It was true that they were friends—they'd been forever bonded after a memorable meeting with a Japanese client where Christopher had become hideously drunk on sake. He didn't typically drink but there were certain customs that this client appreciated when it came to his business partners, and Christopher had wanted desperately to impress them. It had been possibly one of the messiest work days she'd ever had, but also one of the funniest. He had spent the longest thirty minutes of her life trying to adequately describe the ‘living fire’ that was her hair.

Who knew the ever-charming Christopher Hanley could be such a poet?

"I'll talk to him," Ali decided and Freya looked relieved as she gently set down her phone and inspected her nails. They were perfect, as always, and Ali knew Freya would most likely touch them up later to ensure they stayed chip-free. It always seemed funny to Ali that Freya liked to do them herself rather than visiting a salon but she'd always claimed she found the process soothing—and in all honesty she'd become so well practiced at it that her nails looked stunning regardless. Ali often let Freya do hers too.

"And you'll let me dress you." Jesse smirked and Ali groaned.

"No."

"Please?" Jesse batted her lashes and widened her blue eyes with a pout and Ali sighed.

"You can advise. That's it."

"Deal." Jesse's smile was full of mischief and Ali already regretted the decision to let her have any part in dressing her tomorrow for work.

ChapterEleven

“Are you sure you want me to come with you?” she asked anxiously as Christopher held open his car door. They’d left in the middle of the workday, and they’d lefttogether—maybe it wouldn’t have seemed so conspicuous to the rest of the people working on their floor if not for the arm her boss had kept around her waist as they’d strolled past to the elevator.

Yes, they needed to sell this ruse so that Jared got wind that she was doing as she was told. But the stares and whispers… Well, Ali wasn’t used to being the subject of gossip around the office or otherwise.

“I just think maybe it would be better if it was just the two of you alone,” she tried again as he walked around and climbed into the driver’s side.

“I want you to be there,” he said simply and she sighed with a nod.

“If that’s what you think is best.”

They fell silent for a minute as Christopher pulled his car out of the lot and drove out onto the street. Rush hour had ended, but it was still busy as they headed for the road that would take them to David Blake’s manor house on the outskirts of town.

“I got in touch with my friend,” he said unexpectedly, and she turned from looking out of her window to watch him as he talked. “He’s going to come to the office tomorrow if things don’t go well with Blake.”

She nodded. “Thank you.” The drive was smooth and she was weirdly turned on by the ease with which he controlled the vehicle, his hands steady on the wheel and his body relaxed against the leather seats. “Why do you call him that? Blake?” she asked to distract herself from the annoying turn her thoughts had taken.

Christopher blinked, shooting her a quick look before he re-focused on the road. “I don’t know. To be honest, it’s just what I’ve always called him. We grew up together, you know.” She did. They’d also gone to the same college. “I think it was just this unspokenthingthat only his mom called him David.”

Ali smiled slightly. It was hard to picture the powerhouse that was David Blake as a boy rebelling against his parents by shunning his name. Especially when that name was as prestigious as his—the Blake family had almost as much wealth as the DuLoes, a legacy around Cincinnati. Together, they were an impressive couple.

A shrill alarm sounded behind them and Christopher swore, his hands tightening on the wheel. “There’s no way they’re flashing their lights for us, right?” He glanced into the rearview and cursed again as the officer in the car behind them flagged them down.

They slowed to a stop, and Christopher tapped his hands on the steering wheel impatiently as the officer ambled over with almost deliberate slowness.

“Hi officer,” he said pleasantly after rolling down his window. “Can I ask why you’ve stopped me?”

The man grunted, his small eyes squinting inside the car as he kept a hand on his belt by his radio and gun. “Got a report that this vehicle is stolen.”

Christopher snorted. “That’s ridiculous. This is my car.”

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