"I will buy anything you need."
"Wow, thanks." She taps her chin, seeming like she's analyzing something. "So, I get free fancy clothes, free fancy food, and the company of a hot guy. Yeah, it might be taxing, but I can handle it." She hops up and offers me her hand. "It's a deal."
I slip my hand into hers for a brief handshake. Her palm is soft and warm. "Yes, it's a deal."
"Great."
We're actually doing this.
I drum my fingers on my chair's arms. What do I say now? Should I arrange our first "date"? Maybe I need to wait until Celeste has an event she wants me to attend. Celeste didn't spell out the details, but it seems to me that Rika and I should be seen in public before the re-launch. Otherwise, it might seem like a got a girlfriend strictly for that purpose.
Rika is smiling, and it seems almost playful. "Since I'm your fake girlfriend, do you want me to fake sleep with you? I can fake orgasms, no problem."
I choke on my own tongue this time. When I regain the ability to speak, I say, "That won't be necessary. We need to put on the pretense of a relationship only in public."
"Shouldn't people see me coming and going from your apartment? I mean, that's what a girlfriend would do. Right?"
Oh bollocks. She's right. I hadn't thought of that before.
"Uh, yes," I say. "I suppose you should do that. I'm staying at a hotel, though, not living in a flat. You don't need to stay the night. We can, ah, work out the demon---the details. Later. We can work it out later."
"Whatever you say."
"Thank you, Miss Solberg. I appreciate your cooperation."
She smiles and laughs, though it's soft and not derisive. "Don't you think you should start calling me Rika?"
Of course I should. Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks. Why couldn't I think of that either?
"Absolutely, I should. Thank you, Rika." Speaking her first name makes my cock twitch. Or maybe that happens because her hips and thighs are at my eye level, and I can't help staring at her body. "And you should call me Dane."
"Starting when?"
"Right now. We should have lunch together too, at a romantic restaurant."
"Ooh, sorry, I can't." She makes a pinched face. "I'm having lunch with Elena and Arden. Would you mind making our first fake date for dinner instead?"
"Yes, of course, dinner it is. I'll pick you up at eight. Uh, you'll need to give me the address."
"Sure thing." She rattles off her address while I write it down. "See you at eight, Dane."
Then she ambles out of my office.
Hearing her speak my name... Christ, I've got an erection now. Her swaying hips in that skirt, her sexy voice, that smile---and she said my name.
Can I survive fake dating her?
Chapter Five
Rika
Have I lost my mind? The evidence suggests that yes, I have. Why else would I agree to fake date my boss? I've lusted for Dane Dixon since the day I met him, despite the fact he gets tongue-tied around me. That's kind of cute, actually. When Dane gets flustered, I want to climb onto his lap and kiss his cheek. Then kiss other parts of him, starting with his lips. Since I've wanted him to pay more attention to me, our new arrangement feels like a dream come true.
So naturally, my reaction was to say, "Yes, please, sign me up! Woo-hoo!"
Maybe I didn't speak those precise words, but what I did say amounted to the same thing. I got so excited I wanted to fist-pump right in front of my uptight boss.
Until I realized he doesn't really want to date me. He wants to show me off in public, so everyone will think he has a girlfriend and he's not a creepy loner who beats off while watching internet porn in his tool shed. Okay, sure, I get that. It's an image thing. But why can't we legitimately date?
I should've asked him that. Shouldn't I? But no, I was distracted by my tummy fluttering and my heart fluttering because Dane Dixon was speaking to me. In complete sentences. Mostly.
How stupid am I?
Maybe it's not such a bad thing. I haven't had sex in months, and my last date ended with the guy suggesting I should stop being a "whore" for anyone who paid me to be their work slave. I don't see how working as a PA makes me a whore, but whatever. Even before that incident, I'd been having an insane amount of trouble finding a guy who's not a complete jerk or so wimpy that I have to order his meal for him.
Aren't there any real men out there anymore?
When I had lunch with Dane the other day, he hadn't needed me to order for him or tell him where to sit. He hadn't asked me to sign a legal waiver before he kissed me either. Yeah, one guy suggested that. Dane didn't. He backed me up to the wall and kissed me, like he meant it.
Oh, I loved that kiss.
Maybe that explains why I agreed to Dane's fake dating plan. One amazing kiss and I melted for him.
Now I'm sitting at my desk trying to figure out how I'll survive making like I'm his girlfriend for almost two months when I'm not his girlfriend. I'll have to pretend to be hot for him, pretend to adore him, pretend to love making out with him. Wait... I'm pretty sure we're not supposed to make out. Simple kisses for public consumption only, that's what he told me. Why hadn't I pointed out that we kissed way more than that when he took me out to lunch? No simple peck on the lips that time. He had made love to my mouth, and wow, I want more of that.
Sorry, you can't have that. Dane isn't your boyfriend.
Right. Not my boyfriend. I need to remember that. No thrusting my tongue into his mouth. No sucking on his earlobe. No fondling his hot body. Absolutely no unzipping his slacks so I can close my hand around his cock.
Oh God, I'm in so much trouble.
I manage to focus on work until noon, when I have to pick up the phone and tell Dane I'm leaving for my lunch break. Yeah, I could walk into his office and tell him. Bad idea. Considering the fantasies about him that I've endured ever since our little meeting earlier, I know I should not set foot in his office for a while. A long while. Like, days. Maybe months.
When he picks up his phone, I say, "Just wanted to let you know I'm off to lunch."
"Thank you for letting me know. Enjoy your lunch, Rika."
I love hearing him say my name. Love his voice, period. And his accent. I'd thought Elena and Arden were full of it when they told me a Dixon man's British accent will drive any red-blooded woman wild. Nope, they weren't lying. Dane's voice makes me so horny.
"Enjoy your lunch too," I say. "See you in an hour, Dane."
And I love saying his name almost as much as I love hearing him say mine. Dane. That one syllable makes me so horny too. Dane, Dane, Dane. Even thinking his name gets me hot.
Snap out of it, girl. He's not your boyfriend.
I stand up, roll my shoulders back, and head for the elevator.
Then I realize I forgot my purse. Jeez, I'm hopeless.
By the time I get to the bistro where Elena suggested we meet for lunch, I've gotten over the initial shock of what I agreed to do for Dane. Yes, I'm fine now. Away from his sexy presence, I feel much better. No lustful thoughts. I've kept my mind focused on the tasks I need to take care of after lunch. Now, as my two best friends and I sit down by the picture windows and browse our menus, all I think about is whether I want a club sandwich or an avocado chicken wrap.