Page 9 of The Southern Submission

“Payton, no. This isn’t like saying I don’t want anything to drink and you still buying me a coffee. This is insane.” She shakes her head and squeezes her eyes shut like she can remove the crazy idea from her head. She’s not even remotely on board, more resistant than I anticipated. Now I have to go for broke.

“Damn, Muffin, I thought you had more integrity than that. You can’t even hold up your end of a deal when it’s still fresh. I’m glad I didn’t wait a few weeks to cash in. Who knows what sort of excuse you’d have given to not own up to it then? I knew you couldn’t be trusted. It’s the journalist in you that’sjust looking for a story and not caring about the corners you have to cut to get there.”

I’m playing dirty, but I don’t care. I need her to buy in right fucking now, and I have a feeling calling her integrity into question will be exactly what does it. Ainsley’s cheeks grow pink and her eyes narrow into angry slits.Bingo.

“How fucking dare you,” she hisses, her finger rising between us and pointing in my face. “I’m fully capable of paying you back for your stupid favor. If you want to use it on me pretending to be your girlfriend so your sister-in-law stops trying to set you up, fine, it’s your favor. There’s no way she’s going to believe it, and you’ll have used it up and I’ll be rid of you for good.”

Her finger jabs me in the chest on her last word and I catch it there, using her forward momentum to pull her into me while looping my other arm around her back. I quickly tip her face up so I can kiss the corner of her surprised mouth, angling my head so it looks like a far more intimate kiss than it is to anyone on the other side of my body shielding Ainsley from the rest of the café. The gasp of surprise she makes is even sweeter when I lick it from her sweet, coffee-scented lips.

Five

Ainsley

What in the actual hell is going on? Payton Olsen just kissed me. In public. Is this real? Did he lace my coffee with something and I’m hallucinating?

“Pretend to enjoy yourself. Harlowe’s coming and you have to sell this with me. Be a good actress,” he whispers, dragging his lips along my jaw and feathering soft kisses to my ear. “Say very little if you want.”

His voice is an unexpectedly soft caress to go along with the brush of stubble on his face as it skims against mine. I can’t help the shiver it drags out of me no matter how badly I want to shove him away and run right out of here and away from whatever spell he’s weaving over me.

I’m vibrating with confusion andlust, it seems because how do you have a man like Payton, a perfect stranger who is absolutely beautiful, suddenly scoop you into his arms, sort of kiss you, and thennuzzleyour face and whisper in your ear like he’s your lover and feel any other way? Jesus, I need a cold shower and to get the hell away from him.

One of those I can make happen. I straighten my arm, pushing against his chest, and he finally relents, letting me go to reveal Harlowe standing in front of the table with a shocked expression on her face.

“What the fuck?” She places her hands on her hips and narrows her eyes as she looks between us.

I look up, not sure how to handle this incredibly awkward situation, then back at Payton. It’s his freaking circus, so he gets to drive the clown car. He smiles wide and wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me against his chest. A chest that is hard with muscles and smells of expensive cologne with notes of sea salt and something warm, like amber, which happens to be a heady and delicious combo that invades my nose and sends my head spinning again. He kisses the top of my hat and I’m relieved at the shelter it creates as I duck my head down and escape the appraising look Harlowe is giving me.

“Harlowe, this is my girlfriend, Ainsley Montgomery. Ainsley, this is my sister-in-law, Harlowe Olsen. I wasn’t planning on introducing you two just yet, but you’re fucking relentless and forced my hand today because you wouldn’t listen to me when I told you I didn’t need you to set me up with anyone.”

He’s so casual and sounds perfectly at ease, not at all like he’s making this up on the fly. I risk a glance up at him, wondering about his ability to spin any situation. He can’t be trusted if this is his default. I turn back to Harlowe with a neutral expression, trying not to give away my feelings of distrust when I’m supposed to be performing.

Harlowe’s mouth is open and she abruptly sits in the chair across from us. “No fucking way. I don’t believe this.” She raises a manicured finger at us. “Why wouldn’t you just tell me?”

“You don’t know the meaning of privacy. You’re all up in my business and live your life in the public eye. I don’t. I’m perfectly capable of finding my own partner and just wasn’t ready to tell you.”

Payton looks down at me and smiles in such a soft way it makes my heart drop into my stomach. This dude is way too charming and good at faking it.

“Things with Ainsley are new. We don't want to rush anything and I didn’t want you scaring her away.”

He says the words like he means them and I stare into those cerulean eyes, trying not to look too bewildered by the whole situation. I’m supposed to be selling this with him. That’s how I’ll be able to pay him back and get past this incredibly weird day. Here goes nothing.

“Pumpkin and I are taking things slow,” I say, giving him a smile and a stupid nickname of my own. “I’m a bit old-fashioned like that.” I smile at Harlowe now. “It’s really nice to meet you, despite the circumstances.” I reach out my hand toward Harlowe and she eyes me hesitantly before shaking it.

“Sorry we ruined your plans with your friend. You should probably let her know she doesn't have to show up, after all. That’d be embarrassing for everyone.”

Harlowe narrows her eyes at Payton. “How convenient to have yourgirlfriendright here when you need an excuse. This seems a little too advantageous if you ask me. When did you meet, exactly, and why was she sitting here like she didn’t know you until I told you I had someone coming to meet you?”

Oh, shit. Are we that bad at convincing her? My brainscrambles as I look for any way to get myself out of this favor to Payton. I think of the story for the Gazette I was just working on. The truth is often stranger than fiction. I twine my arm around Payton’s and lace our fingers together as I send him a smile to let him know I’ve got this one.

“We met at a real estate summit two weeks ago. I was covering the new regulations set in place for downtown development and Payton happened to be there due to the new Olympus International real estate venture. He was so obnoxiously commanding and I couldn’t take my eyes off him, even though he was annoying as hell with his perfect smile and easy answers for everything. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.”

I tip my head at Harlowe and her lips twist a bit like she’s trying to hide her smile. I look at Payton and he’s eyeing me warily, letting me take the lead when he told me to say very little. At least I’m going with a plausible story. Wewereboth at that summit, even if he had no idea who I was at the time.

“I bumped into him as I was trying to leave the conference room, and he knocked my coffee out of my hand, then insisted on buying me another. I refused at first because I was mad, but he was very persuasive, and we ended up talking at a coffee shop for hours, arguing over everything, and finding common ground in the most unlikely places. One thing led to another, and now here we are.”

Payton’s smiling at me like he’s proud of the story I’ve created for us. A shiver runs down my spine and I fight the urge to scowl at him just to cover for the unwanted butterflies he’s giving me with this whole situation. He’s the worst.

“He is obnoxious and annoying. You’re right about that,” Harlowe says, smirking at Payton but relaxing back into her chair, and I think she’s buying our story. “I wish you had told me.” She pouts, grabbing for her phone and typing outa quick message, hopefully calling off the arrival of her friend for Payton’s sake. Maybe I can help sell this even more.

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