Page 14 of Wolf Promise

"No, no." Regie shook her head. "I don't have time for all of that."

Payel distractedly waved the hand that held the stylus in the air. "Of course you do. I will find a way to make time in your schedule. This is huge."She looked up, a big grin on her face. “I will make sure you look and feel your absolute best when you introduce your new fiancé to the world.”

Before Regie could protest further, someone knocked on the door. Payel quickly walked across the room and swung it open. "Can I help you?" she said to the person on the other side, her head tilted back.

Bolt Varg leaned around the door, meeting Regie's gaze. "Is this a good time to chat?"

Payel looked down at her tablet and frowned. She tapped it several times. "Did you have an appointment? I don't have anything on the schedule."

Regie stood. "This is Mr. Varg, my...fiancé," she told Payel. Dang, she still couldn't say it without stumbling over the word.She needed to practice this more.

Her assistant tilted her head back again to gaze up at Mr. Varg. A big smile adorned her face. "I'm so happy to meet you." She put the tablet under her arm, grabbed his right hand in both of hers, and pumped it up and down. "I'm Payel. I'm Ms. Lansford's assistant. I mean, I'm Regie's assistant."

Regie had never seen her assistant smile that big before. It bothered her a little that another woman reacted so strongly to her fiancé.

Wait, her fake fiancé.

She had to remember the importance of the fake part.

Especially when the man in question focused his intense gaze on her and she could feel the heat of it down to her toes.

Oh, boy! There were a lot of things she needed to practice. Number one would be how not to get turned on by her fiancé.

Dang it.

Her fake fiancée.

Payel kept pumping Mr. Varg’s hand vigorously.

"I’m Bolt," he said while gently liberating his hand. “It’s so great to meet you. Regie speaks highly of you.”

She hadn’t even mentioned her assistant to Mr. Varg, but Payel blushed so happily and threw Regie a grateful look that made her glad he’d uttered the white lie. "Well, she has nothing on her schedule, so you'll have plenty of time to chat." Payel winked at Regie and then turned back to Mr. Varg. "Oh, you should take her to lunch. She never takes the time to eat a proper midday meal."

He smiled down at Payel. "I crossed my fingers for her having the time to grab a bite."

"She doesn't have anything scheduled for the next two hours, so she's all yours." Her assistant threw one last wink at Regie before sashaying out the door, closing it behind her.

"She's very enthusiastic," Mr. Varg...Bolt said as he walked across the room and claimed the chair Payel had just vacated.She had to get her mind to refer to him by first name, or she’d never get her mouth to do so. She’d get some strange looks when she called her fiancé, mister. Fake fiancé. Why couldn’t she remember that very important detail?

Regie sat back down in her chair."She is. But she also has razor-sharp intelligence and is super-efficient. I couldn't ask for a better PA." She felt strangely defensive and protective of Payel, as if he'd accused her assistant of being the stalker. "You don't think she could be...."

He raised his hands, palms facing her. "No, she's not under suspicion. We investigated those working closest to you first, and your assistant did not raise any red flags."

"Who is raising flags?" She could hear the anxiousness in her voice.

"Nobody at the moment, but we've only been working this case for twenty-four hours. Deep-diving into people's emails, financial records, social media, and their personal lives takes time."

Regie sighed. "I know. I just want this to be over with so my life can get back to normal." And her anxiety could reach lower levels, so she didn't have to work so hard to suppress the swirling blackness inside her.

"Well, maybe some bling will cheer you up." He took a small robin's egg blue box out of his pocket and slid it across the desk.

She opened it and couldn't help but gasp when she saw the large radiant-cut diamond encased in a platinum setting. Three smaller princess-cut diamonds flanked each side. "I can't wear this," she whispered.

He frowned. "Why not?"

"It's too expensive."She knew she sounded ridiculous, but she’d made a habit of not spending money on frivolous things. Every penny she made went into raising the profits of the company.

He stared at her for a beat and then shook his head. “You’re actually serious.” He leaned back, resting one boot-clad foot on the opposite knee. "You're the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. When you get engaged, people will expect a big, expensive rock on your ring finger.

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