Nathan leans on the table, those mercurial eyes on mine. His hair falls into his face, and he flips it away, one finger lazily brushing through the condensation on his glass. For a moment, I imagine that finger brushing my cheek.
I break eye contact to regain my sanity.
Nathan takes a long drink before, “Un-spectacular company is exactly what I’m looking for.”
“Umm…thanks?” I swipe up my fork and hunt down a bite. Apparently, his ulterior motive is to kill any hope I have that this project will go smoothly.
“You know what I mean,” he replies, brushing away my frustration like a bit of dust in the air.
I shove food into my mouth and chew ferociously to keep myself from another snarky response.
You need this job. You need this job. You need this job. Do not insult your client again, Mina!
“Someone down to earth,” Nathan continues. “Normal. Someone who drives a Honda and lives paycheck to paycheck and wears cheap clothes. Someone boring. Someone safe.”
And just like that, the slack Mason earned him runs out.
“Boring? Hey, yeah, that’s not insulting at all. I feel so much better now. Thank you for clearing things up.” I yank my napkin from my lap and drop it on the table, flagging down our waiter to request a to-go box. I didn’t budget for lunch, but the leftovers will serve as dinner, mitigating the cost a little.
“Wait, wait, wait.” Nathan puts his hand on mine and adrenaline dumps into my bloodstream. This hum of…something…roaring through my veins.
I’m falling again. Flying again.
I scowl until he removes it.
“I have a favor to ask of you.” He might as well be flipping through junk mail, he’s that nonchalant.
“Seeing as the favor I asked of you is the most expensive thing I’ve purchased for myself lately, I’m not sure what to make of that.”
“Your favor put the idea in my head,” Nathan says, and he’s so detached I think he stopped blinking. “I could really use your help here.”
“And you chose to insult me as your opening salvo,” I shoot back. “That’s a bold move.”
“Says the woman who called her client The Prince of Darkness to his face.”
Well, hell. Neither of us look very good here. Time to hunt down the last drops of patience in my body.
“We do bring out the worst in each other, don’t we?” I take a deep breath, convinced I’m going to regret my next statement. “Tell me about this favor.”
Nathan crosses his arms and scowls. “I want you to pretend to date me.”
The restaurant is busy. Customers talk and eat while music plays gently over speakers. The murmur of servers taking orders blends with the chaos of the kitchen. Behind me, a table of young businessmen erupts in laughter.
Surely, I misheard the man across from me.
I lean closer. “I’m sorry, you want me to what, now?”
“Pretend to be my girlfriend.” There’s no hint of shame or embarrassment. No ‘please.’ No ‘thank you.’ No explanation. None of the things you’d expect from a normal human being. You know, the kind with a soul.
“Why would I do that?” I shake my head and hold out my hands as a better question comes to mind. “Why would you want me to do that?”
Nathan mumbles something about his family, work, and an ex-girlfriend, then nods like it’s a done deal. “Your accidental text the other night sets it up perfectly. Benjamin believes there’s something going on between us and I’m asking you to roll with it. We’ll just make things more public than we originally thought.”
“You want me to roll with it.” I prop my elbows on the table and my chin in my hands. “Like you did? When I asked for my favor?” I ask sweetly.
“Exactly.” Nathan looks smug. He clearly doesn’t remember what an asshole he was that night.
That’s fine. I’m happy to remind him.
“No.” I sit back, folding my hands in my lap, too proud of myself for my own good. “I will not pretend to date you.”
Nathan’s lips part. His brows jump. His head cocks and his eyes narrow until they smolder into mine. “I thought you were going to roll with it.”
“Right. Just like you did.” I laugh as realization tightens Nathan’s jaw.
“Funny,” he says with a sneer that doesn’t look funny at all. “In case your memory is as chaotic as the rest of you, I did pretend your idiotic text was meant for me.”
“You sure did. For a spectacular and dazzling amount of money. No ‘good guy’ points for you on that one. But let me see…” I drum my fingers on the table and the way Nathan’s eyes lock with mine makes me feel alive for the first time in a long time. I lean closer, hoping to grab hold of the feeling. “What could you do to make me more inclined to consider this idiotic idea of yours?”
I grin, pleased for throwing not one, but three of his words in his face. Maybe I should consider a villain era of my own. I’m better at this than I should be.
“Subtlety isn’t one of your finer points, is it?” Nathan leans in and I can’t help myself, I lean even closer, drawn into his orbit like a sun-diving comet.
“Atta boy,” I retort with a sly smile. “Keep insulting me. That’ll convince me to pretend to be your girlfriend, for what? One night? A week? Longer? What are you asking for here?” I swipe my water off the table, sit back, and take a dramatic draw on the straw while Nathan scowls.
“Longer.”
“And why would I want to do that?”
