Page 12 of It's Not All Fake

“As tempting as that is…” I clear my throat and push away from the desk, away from him, and walk towards the office door. I feel flushed and pull off my light cardigan. In my sleeveless lace top, I’m aware of his eyes on my bare shoulders. It’s not the best decision to start removing clothing when I’m trying to maintain appropriate boundaries, but I desperately need to cool down.

I lay the cardigan on top of a moving box. Since our last session, I’ve packed two stacks of boxes, which are pushed against the wall, behind the office door.

Liam stares at my profile as I brace myself against a box with one hand and rub my face with the other. “You’re moving out?” he asks, noticing the boxes.

Great, now he has more ammo for why I should accept his blank check. “Yeah, Culver City,” I mutter.

He grimaces, realizing that I’m downsizing, as he sits on the edge of my desk. “Chloe, it doesn’t need to be this hard. I can offer you everything you want. You could move even closer to the beach.” He motions out the window, the ocean a couple blocks away. “Forget Culver City.”

“Liam…” I turn to face him directly. He really is a gorgeous man. He could have any woman he wants, but he chooses to be alone. Even now, he wants a business arrangement with me, not a real relationship. “I genuinely want to help you,” I explain honestly. “So, I can’t be your meaningless arm candy. I would hate myself for enabling your avoidance of any substantive relationship.”

Liam blinks at me. “Ouch,” he says flatly, but I can tell he is barely scathed by my exposé. He hops off the desk and paces around, running his hand through his hair. “Okay.” He turns to me with determination. “I want you as my girlfriend, and you want to ‘fix’ me.” He uses air quotes for “fix,” and I grit my teeth. “How are those things at odds?” he asks rhetorically. “Girlfriends try to fix their boyfriends all the time.”

“Well, I won’t be your real girlfriend, apparently,” I grumble without thinking. I’m immediately surprised and embarrassed by my own complaint. I hope he didn’t notice, but he pauses to study me.

“What if that part is real?” He asks like he has had a stroke of genius. “Instead of life coach sessions, we have ‘relationship talks,’” he offers, using those damn air quotes again.

I snicker. “You just got done telling me that you were never invested in the coaching but, somehow, you’re going to take ‘relationship talks’ seriously?”

“Yes, I’ll do it,” he says firmly.

“I don’t believe you.” I smile, amused at his game.

“Chloe,” he approaches me again. I try to move back but I’m up against the wall, and there’s nowhere to go. He rests a hand on the moving box, and I’m cornered on three sides. It’s been a game of cat-and-mouse all around the office, and he’s the sort who toys around with his prey before going in for the kill. “I’m very serious about making this work between us. I’ll accept your terms.”

“Why didn’t you just accept the coaching terms?” I stand my ground. “We already had a deal.”

“This is a better deal for both of us.”

I shake my head. Olivia isn’t known to be tight-lipped. She could easily mention my former coaching relationship with Liam to one of her gossipy friends. I shouldn’t risk my reputation.

Liam studies me and softens. “I’ll open up and bare my soul to you, Chloe, if that’s what you want. I’m at your mercy.”

I am taken aback by his words, and I see a vulnerability in his eyes that makes me believe him.

But it’s still not a good idea. “I can’t,” I say quietly.

Liam presses his lips together. “Just a couple months. Name your price.”

“It’s not right.” I shake my head.

He cocks his head to the side, studying me. “Five million.”

My heart nearly stops. Holy fuck.

I swallow hard. “It’s not right,” I repeat myself mechanically.

“It’s just business, Chloe.” He looks at me darkly. “A transaction.”

How does he make the word “transaction” sound so dirty? Whatever flicker of vulnerability I saw is gone, and he’s back in control.

He raises his eyebrows. “Ten million.”

I feel the color drain from my cheeks. I can’t hide my shock and I notice his lips curling into a faint smile.

He’s getting off on making me squirm.

“You can’t be serious,” I whisper. Ten million dollars to pretend to be his girlfriend for the summer?

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