Chapter 7: Pretend Paramour

KIANA

A flicker of amusement brushed Chase’s lips as his eyes roamed over the piece of paper on his desk.

He turned to me, his gaze intent. “So, you’ve made your choice?”

“Yes,” I responded with certainty.

“Great. Then just sign here—”

“Hold on. I have a few questions first,” I interjected, surprising myself with my assertiveness.

He settled back into his chair, lacing his fingers together as he studied me, clearly intrigued by my response.

“All right. Shoot,” he said, waving his hand in a go-ahead gesture.

I inhaled deeply. “When you say intimate acts, what exactly are you implying?”

The corners of his lips tilted upward as he leaned closer. “It means we need to be convincing. We have to behave like any regular couple.”

~Does that include kissing?~ My mind raced at the thought of having to get physical.

“I won’t make you do anything you’re uncomfortable with,” he concluded, his face serious.

That eased my nerves, but only a little. ~I can handle that much. It’s just kissing!~ I thought, trying to convince myself. Besides, I was cornered. Nothing else was going to cover my tuition in the short time I had left.

“Okay,” I reluctantly agreed. “Another thing. What did you mean by ~punished~? What kind of punishments?”

He grinned mischievously. “That would depend on the rule you break.”

~What on earth is that supposed to mean?~

“Is there anything else? If not, can you sign this so I can get on with my day? I’m a busy man.”

“Actually, there is.”

I grabbed the pen from his desk and crossed out the first rule in bold blue ink. “I won’t be moving in with you. I have a life and responsibilities.”

He stood up from his chair and leaned across the table, placing his hands on either side of me, attempting to intimidate me. “That’s nonnegotiable. You’re playing my lover. We need to maintain appearances. Anything unusual would be suspicious.”

“Then we don’t have a deal,” I retorted.

I could be stubborn when I needed to be, and I wasn’t backing down on this. I was determined to hold my ground.

His eyes bored into mine, as if expecting me to falter. The silence was palpable. It stretched on so long that I could feel my resolve beginning to waver.

He let out an annoyed huff. “Fine. You can stay at your place during the week, but you’re at mine on the weekends. No exceptions. And before you protest, I have a guest room you can use,” he relented. “Anything else, ~princess~?” he asked sarcastically.

The condescending nickname irked me. “Don’t call me that. And, ~as a matter of fact~, yes, there is. I can’t be available all the time. I’m free on weekday evenings and weekend afternoons.”

“Weekday evenings work for me. I’m a man with a busy schedule. But on weekends, ~you’re all mine~,” he said, pinching my chin with his surprisingly smooth fingers, catching me off guard.

I gasped, startled, before swatting his hand away, which elicited another teasing chuckle from him. “I have other commitments on weekend mornings,” I said, swallowing hard to calm my racing nerves.

“Another thing you’re forgetting, ~princess~. Weekends are nonnegotiable, and that’s not changing. I’ve been accommodating thus far. Don’t mistake my patience for weakness.”

I sighed, resting my palm on the desk. “I volunteer at an animal shelter every weekend. It’s good for my résumé, and it’s one of the few luxuries of ‘me time’ that I get.”

He observed me with a hint of intrigue but remained silent, inviting me to continue.

“I’ll accept your weekend terms, but only if you consider giving me free time to volunteer on any Saturday morning you won’t need me.” I almost cringed at the pathetic plea in my tone, but this was important to me.

Helping animals wasn’t just a career choice for me. It was something I’d been passionate about since I was a child. The first time I nursed a tiny wounded wild animal back to health was the moment I knew exactly what I wanted to do in life.

His stiff posture suddenly eased as he brushed his fingers through his hair rather harshly. “We’ll be busy most weekends, but I’ll give you as much notice as possible if there’s a weekend morning free. Satisfied?”

“Yes!” I couldn’t help but smile brightly in thanks.

I’d have to tell Cam, the shelter manager, that I wouldn’t be around much for a while. But at least this arrangement wasn’t permanent.

He straightened his posture, adding, “One more thing. After your introduction as my lover, there might be some…~interested~ parties.”

“Interested what now?” I asked.

He sighed, as if explaining was an unnecessary burden. “The media will be after you like a cat on hot bricks. I’m a public figure. My personal life fascinates the popular press and their followers more than it does my own parents.

“Leave them to me. They can be quite ~persistent~,” he clarified.

My heart pounded. If I ended up in tabloids or on social media, my past could catch up with me. ~I can’t let that happen! Not after all these years of staying safely hidden.~

“I need to stay anonymous. ~Especially my face~. If you can’t promise that or if you mess up, I’ll walk away. I want to keep my life private and not jeopardize my future career because of this.”

Chase looked a bit puzzled. “I can’t promise, but I’ll try my best. Anything else?”

“No, that’s it.”

“Good.” He spun the paper toward me.

I grabbed the pen and signed quickly, worried I might talk myself out of this crazy situation. “I want my first payment tonight and the rest by the end of each month. Can you do that?” I asked.

“That’s not a problem,” he answered.

A smirk played at the corners of his mouth as he added, “You sure have a lot of requests. Now, I have one of my own: Start calling me Chase, ~Kiana~.”

A flutter of butterflies stirred in my stomach when he said my name. It sounded so natural coming from him.

“Do you have a gala dress?” he asked, interrupting my thoughts.

“No.”

“You’ll need one for Thursday evening. Here.” He casually handed me a black card—presumably his credit card. “My driver will be waiting outside to help you get what you need.”

“Deduct it from my paycheck,” I said, taking the card from him.

Our eyes met for a fleeting moment before he moved around the desk toward me. I was too slow to avoid his deliberate closeness, and I found myself trapped between his muscular frame and the fancy desk behind me.

His face was close to mine as he bridged the tiny gap between our noses. I would have collapsed from the sheer audacity of this man if it weren’t for the desk behind me.

“You’re mine now. If you need anything, you come to me. That includes dresses. I don’t care whether it’s for one or ten. You’ll need a few of those in my world, and I doubt the money I’ll be paying you monthly will cover the quality I demand.

“I expect nothing but the best. If you’re with me, you’ll need to wear my standards with pride, both in dress and demeanor.

“I’m being nice by letting you choose. If you want, I could buy you a whole damn wardrobe myself and make you wear what I pick,” he said.

He was grinning like the Cheshire cat, his face a blend of deadly seriousness and playfulness.

“You’re unbearable,” I murmured.

I didn’t think he had heard me until his dimple deepened, his boyish charm throwing me off balance far too easily.

“You’ll get used to it,” he whispered back.