Page 23 of Perfect (mis)Match

She held out an overfull champagne glass as I dropped my bag and kicked off my heels.

“You don’t evenknow,” I said as I grabbed the flute and downed it. “Delicious. Pour me another and keep ’em coming.”

“Oof, guessing you had a shitty day?” she asked as she refilled my glass.

“Just wait until you hear everything.” I widened my eyes at her and turned to go to my room to change. “Next-level bullshit.”

“Get your soft pants on and return to the couch. I want a full report.”

Darcy already had her hair pulled up and was in comfy pants since she worked from home on Fridays. I was touched she’d opted to spend the night home with me.

I stripped off my work clothing like I was shedding my armor after battle, then took a quick shower to rinse off the day. I joined Darcy on the couch in our tiny family room wearing fuzzy socks and sweats. I loved our little apartment even though we didn’t agree about the aesthetic. Darcy was all about bright and eccentric, and I preferred a more cottage-core, cozy vibe. Our bedrooms were complete opposites, but we managed to compromise in our shared spaces. My plants were everywhere, and Darcy kept the color contained to neon throw pillows.

“Do I smell cookies?” I asked. The smell of food made me realize I’d been so busy I’d forgotten to eat lunch.

“You sure do. And there’s pizza on the way. We’re partying tonight, my friend.”

I leaned over and gave her a quick hug. “You’re the absolute best. Do you know that?”

“Of course I do. Now please spilleverything!”

“You first,” I said as I grabbed a pre-dinner cookie from the coffee table in front of me. “What’s new in your world?”

Darcy rolled her eyes at me. “Do youreallywant to hear about spreadsheets and status meetings? Let’s focus on the glamorous world of fine fragrances. Any samples for me?”

“Yeah, I grabbed a handful of stuff; it’s in my bag. I think that might be the only perk of working there. As much free Summit product as I can carry.”

She sputtered at me. “Uh, what about the salary? That’s everything! Now all we need is to connect with Mercedes, and we’re golden.”

I should’ve felt excited about what had happened with Vincent a few hours prior, but I felt strangely conflicted about what we’d agreed to. Yeah, I’d agreed to do the fake relationship thing with the Sullivans, but that was strictly for business. It was like being in a play—no big deal. But putting on an act for Vincent’s father…that was on a whole different level. It seemed almost intimate, and I wasn’t sure how the idea of being intimate with Vincent made me feel.

“What?” Darcy demanded. “You look upset—what’s going on in your head?”

“I have some news,” I replied. “It’s really great news, but it’s also sort of shitty.”

She widened her eyes at me and circled her hands in the air excitedly. “And? Spill it.”

“We’re going to get a direct introduction to Mercedes.”

She leapt off the couch and danced in a circle. “Yes! We aresogolden! She’s going to love us.”

“Hold on, hold on,” I said, fully aware I was about to kill her buzz. “It’s a devil’s bargain. I agreed to fake date my boss to get him to make the introduction.”

She froze wearing a confused expression.

“Wait…what? I thought you already were, for that flower thing?”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “That’s part one, but it turns out he needs a semi-full-time fake girlfriend. I guess his dad is getting into some dangerous hobbies, and Vincent is worried he’s going to get hurt. He seems to think that if he proves he’s in a committed relationship, his dad might stop chasing thrills and hang closerto home. He’s paying me for the flower thing, but for the dad thing, we get the Mercedes introduction.”

Darcy frowned as she tried to make sense of it. “Okay,” she stretched out the word. “The whole setup is weird, but it gets us to Mercedes, and that’s all that matters! This is it, baby!”

I hadn’t even allowed myself to feel excited about the scenario because I was still processing what I’d agreed to. Seeing Darcy so hyped up reminded me that it was a pretty good deal.

As long as I didn’t have to spendtoomuch time with the bosshole.

Darcy flopped back on the couch beside me. “You’ve barely told me anything about this guy, other than how much you hate him. What does he look like? How hard are you going to have to fake it to look like you’re actually into him?”

I exhaled and felt my cheeks turning inexplicably warm. “It turns out Vincent Forde is like…jaw-droppingly hot. Picture a sexy vampire, but add about twenty pounds of muscle. He’s got this broody, intense, bad boy aura around him. He doesn’t just look at you, he looksthroughyou. Like, into your soul, as if he’s about to consume it. Dark hair, light eyes, cheekbones for days…basically the total package, if you like scary-smolder.”

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