Chapter 39: My Fake Boyfriend

A quick whiz of a private elevator ride took us up to the top floor of the hotel where the exclusive party was being held at the rooftop bar. The moment that the elevator door opened, it was like I was transported into another world or a parallel universe. Everyone in the party had the aura of being someone important or famous and they were all dressed the part.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

I gulped as I felt my legs shaking. Now, I understood why Hayden needed to bring me to Bruno’s for a complete makeover. No way in hell, would anyone believe that I’m the host of this party’s girlfriend if I hadn’t played dress up. With my makeover, at least I could somehow blend in with this crowd.

Feeling so nervous and out of place, I glanced over at Hayden just to see that he looked so comfortable where he was. It was like he belonged naturally in this environment and that reminded me once again of how different we were.

"Follow me," Hayden whispered softly into my ears before I felt the warmth of his fingers gently circling my wrist as he took my wrist into his hand.

"Oh…ok…" I replied softly, slightly in a daze. My mind focused on the gentle touch of his hand around my wrist.

Hayden led me through the crowd until we came to an entrance that seemed to be restricted. There were two very big and tall guards standing on either side of the door. However, they nodded firmly in acknowledgement when they saw Hayden’s face. One of the guards bowed politely and opened the door for us to enter.

"Oh wow! Finally…you’re here, Hayden!"

A man’s voice called out excitedly the moment that we walked in through the door. I didn’t have to make a wild guess to realize that that voice belonged to Josh, one of Hayden’s best friends…and my fake boyfriend for the night.

"I wish I didn’t need to be here…but…" Hayden said to his friend in a monotone voice.

"Don’t be like that! You’re going to kill the mood," Josh said as he came to clap Hayden on the back.

"Yeah…whatever you say…" Hayden replied coldly, shrugging off Josh’s arm from around his shoulders.

I just stood behind Hayden as the two men spoke to each other, unsure what I should be doing in this situation. Do I introduce myself?

"Oh...and who would this stunning woman be?" Josh said as his eyes fell on me.

Now that he was up close, I had to say that Josh was way more than decent looking. He was at least worthy of the words ’super handsome’. Josh had very sharp and manly features, dark brown hair and matching eyes and a beard. His piercing only added to his alluring bad boy look and the thin white shirt he had on did nothing to hide his rip tan muscles that were underneath.

He wasn’t as tall as Hayden, but he was still very tall and his smile was stunning as well.

I guess just like how beautiful girls like to stick together, good looking guys probably did the same?

"This is Malissa," Hayden introduced me curtly.

"I didn’t know that you had a girlfriend," Josh said, his eyes never leaving my face. His intense gaze was starting to make me blush.

"She’s not my girlfriend but she’s going to be acting as your girlfriend for the duration of this party," Hayden stated factually.

"Oh…so she’s the one that you were telling me about. I honestly didn’t think that she would be such a beauty," Josh said as he smiled at me.

"Thank you…nice to meet you," I said a little shyly.

"The pleasure is all mine, trust me," Josh said, his smile reaching his eyes.

Josh seemed like a very nice and easy-going person. His way of speaking was kind, refined and well-mannered, although he could sound a little on the flirty side. However, I didn’t mind that.

"So, what do we do now?" Hayden asked, impatiently.

"Janine should be here soon…unfortunately," Josh said as he shook his head in dismay.

"Well, good luck to you both," Hayden said, clearly suggesting that his role was over and that whatever happened next wasn’t his problem.

"Have a seat, Malissa," Josh said as he gestured for me to sit on the long red velvet sofa.

Hayden sat down on a sofa on the opposite side without waiting for an invitation. I could tell that he felt totally at home in this place.

"Thank you…" I whispered politely as I approached the sofa and slowly sat down.

I wondered what I had to do exactly when Janine arrived. I still felt a little awkward around Josh and the fact that Hayden is just sitting there wasn’t helping at all.

"Don’t worry. I’ll do all the talking and you just need to follow along, that’s all," Josh said to me as if he could read the worry in my mind.

Josh came and sat down next to me. I wasn’t sure if I was overthinking it, but it seemed like he was sitting quite close to me…too close. I could feel the heat of his body as his body brushed against mine when he moved. I felt the head of his thigh next to mine and that just made me more nervous about this situation.

I glanced over at Hayden and saw that he was totally spaced out without a care in the world. That bastard clearly isn’t going to offer me any help at all. As far as I’m concerned, he might as well not be here at all. I felt so angry, knowing that I’m stuck in this bizarre situation because of him and he’s not doing anything to take responsibility.

"Umm…ok…" I mumbled in response.

Josh flashed me a reassuring smile and asked if I wanted something to drink. I knew that I wasn’t great at holding my alcohol, so I asked for some juice instead. I could definitely use the sugar right now. A waiter appeared in no time at all to serve my order. I sipped at the juice as I pondered what best to do in this situation.

Without another option, I decided to let Josh take the lead and just do whatever seemed to make sense at the time.

--To be continued…