"How are your hunky hubbies?" I ask absently while mulling my food choices. Do I want potato chips or salad as a side?
"Chance is great," Elena says. "He sends his love, and he asked me to tell you he's glad you're working with Dane now and he hopes your energy and enthusiasm will rub off on his brother."
Just like that, my thoughts swerve back to Dane. That kiss. His lips, his mouth, his voice, his---
"Reese says kind of the same thing," Arden tells me. "But he used the word uptight too."
Maybe Dane is kind of uptight, but he's also shown me his sensual side. Kissing me in the hallway of a restaurant? That doesn't seem uptight at all. I get the impression I make him nervous, though I can't figure out why. But when he pinned me to the wall with his entire body...
"Are you listening?" Arden asks.
"Uh, what?" Great. Now I sound like Dane whenever he speaks to me.
"She's not listening," Elena says. "Rika, why are you so distracted? The menu isn't that fascinating. Is something wrong?"
Dane Dixon is the reason I can't concentrate. I've had a giant crush on the man since the day we met, and now I'll be dating him. Kind of. Sort of. Not really. But there will be kissing, and I can't wait for that.
I groan, but only in my mind. Nobody needs to hear how sexually frustrated I am.
My two best friends are staring at me, waiting for me to explain my distracted state.
"Nothing's wrong," I say. "Lots to do at work, that's all. I have to help Dane get ready for the re-launch."
"Dane?" Elena says, lifting her brows. "I thought he insisted you call him Mr. Dixon."
Oh shit. How am I going to explain the fact that Dane now insists I call him by his first name? For that matter, how am I going to explain it when my friends see me going out on the town with Dane, like we're dating? I know one thing for certain. I cannot tell anyone I'm fake dating Dane. My friends will think I've lost my mind, which I probably have. Sure, they'd love it if I dated their brother-in-law for real, but that's not what he wants.
What choice do I have? None. So I tell them sort of the truth but leave out the part where it's all for show, not a real relationship.
"Dane and I are dating."
My friends grin.
"That's wonderful," Elena says. "I knew you'd like Dane. He's so sweet and sexy, smart too. You'll be perfect together."
"How fab is this?" Arden declares. "Soon you'll be our sister for real."
"I would be your sister-in-law, not your actual sister. But it's way too soon to talk about that. Honestly, we just started dating today. Dane's taking me to dinner tonight."
"Your first date?" Arden does some golf claps while grinning again. "This is amazing. Ooh, we have to help you pick out your dress for tonight."
"The emerald one," Elena suggests. "It brings out the green in her eyes."
Arden nods, her expression serious while she ponders what I should wear for my fake date with my fake boyfriend. "That's a good choice. But which shoes? I say the strappy ones."
"Yes, definitely. Those black stilettos would go great with the dress."
I groan out loud this time. "Are you two done arranging my personal life? Maybe you want to tell me what to order at dinner or whether I should have dessert."
"No," Arden says, "that's up to you. But there is one super important decision you need to make before your date."
"What's that?" I instantly regret asking, because I have a squirmy feeling in my gut that warns me what she's about to say.
"Before you go out with Dane," she tells me, "you need to decide if you're going to sleep with him on the first date or wait awhile."
I have never gotten horizontal with a guy on the first date. My friends know this.
"That's right," Elena says. "Decide before you see him. I'm sure he'll be wearing a suit and he'll look good enough to eat. He is a Dixon after all. Hotness is in their DNA. I think they have a special gene that makes women go wild just from seeing them in a suit."
"I went wild for Reese when he was wearing jeans," Arden says.
Elena rolls her eyes. "You were a virgin when you met him, so we can't use your experience as a guide."
"You had sex with Chance five seconds after you met, so we can't use your experience as a guide either."
I've known Dane for a smidge more than two weeks, and though I've wanted to rip his clothes off, I haven't done it. Not yet.
"Can we talk about something else?" I ask. "I haven't even had my first date with Dane yet."
Arden leans forward, pinning her gaze to mine. "Maybe you should wait to sleep with him. Kiss him first to make sure you have chemistry."
Elena huffs. "Why wouldn't they have chemistry? They've worked together for a while now, which means they'd know if they aren't attracted to each other."
This conversation is making me crazy. Will they ever stop talking about my fake boyfriend? I'd hoped dropping that bombshell would be easy and we could go back to worrying about what to order. But no, I'm not that lucky.
"I've already kissed him," I blurt out. Why on earth did I say that? "Well, he kissed me. It was fine, so you don't need to argue about whether Dane and I have chemistry. Okay?"
"Just fine?" Arden says. "Ohhh, that's not good."
Elena nods. "Yeah, your first kiss should rock."
"Did he use too much tongue?" Arden asks me. "Or not enough? There's a delicate balance between---"
"Enough," I say. Maybe I bark that word. I've never gotten so annoyed by my friends before, but I need to change the subject pronto, before I really do go insane. "Dane is a fantastic kisser. End of discussion. There must be something else we can talk about."
"Sure, hon," Arden says.
"Well..." Elena fidgets, biting her lip. "I do have an announcement. Chance and I agreed I should tell you guys, and I've been dying to do that."
Thank goodness. A change of topic.
She smiles with her lips sealed, but it swiftly broadens into a brilliant expression of joy. "I'm pregnant."
Arden and I squeal.
The other customers in the bistro stare at us, but we don't care. One of us was bound to get knocked up sooner or later, and we love that it's Elena who reached that milestone first. She waited so long to find a good man who adores her. Now she's going to be a mom. I can't believe it, but I'm beyond happy for her and Chance.
Once we've calmed down, Elena glances at me and Arden. "I wonder who will be next to go the mom route."
"Not me," I announce a little too quickly. "I don't even have a boyfriend."
Two pairs of eyes veer to me.
Oh shit. I forgot I have a fake boyfriend.
"Well, uh," I stammer like Dane might. Maybe it's contagious. "I meant that Dane and I haven't even had our first date yet. He's not technically my boyfriend until after that, right?"