Page 1 of Falling for My Billionaire Fake Date

Chapter one

Aurora - I Just Don’t Do Blind Dates

“How did I let you talk me into this again?” I grab the gown I’d thrown on the bed before I run into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Walking back into my closet with the gown, I hold it up and look into my full-length mirror.Nah, I think to myself. I’m not feeling the gown.

“You had better not be considering swapping that gown for jeans and a shirt,” my best friend, Ryan, shouts on the other end of the phone.

“Or maybe sweats and her old ratty t-shirt,” my other best friend, Brittney, laughs on her end of the phone call.

I shake my head and smile to myself. It has always been this way each time I agree to go for an outing. My friends ensure we have a conference call if they can’t be with me physically. It’s to ‘prep’ me up, they say. But I’m sure they just want to make sure I don’t bail on them.

“And you agreed to come with us tonight to have fun. Yunno, F-U-N. You don’t want to spend another night talking to your hundred cats, do you?” Brittney asks, and answers what she considers a hilarious question with a laugh.

I shake my head, eyes to heaven, only to hear Ryan pipe in: “And please, don’t hide in your office, pretending to do paperwork as soon as we get to your bar,” he grumbles.

I think they have something up their sleeves, especially with how they are bugging me to wear that gown—the backless, short gown they had gifted me just two months ago.

Well, I’ll have to disappoint my friends again tonight. I have no plans to mingle anytime soon. I guess I’m going to have to do exactly what Ryan warned me about: Hide in my office tonight.

“I don’t own or talk to a hundred cats. I have just one cat, and I definitely do not talk to him on Friday nights.” Thankfully, they can’t see me scratching his ears as I speak. He must know we are talking about him because he raises his head high and jumps off the bed, turning to tell me that he is done with me for now.

Ryan booms out a laugh, announces he is just about to leave his place, and exits the conference call.

“Are you planning on ‘walking’ me to the bar via the phone, Brittney?” I ask her, and she laughs.

“I just want to make sure you wear the gown. You know, Ryan is bringing his friend who is total eye candy, and you wouldn’t want to burn his eyes off with your appearance in sweats and your old t-shirt, would you?”

“Ryan is bringing a friend? Which friend is that?” I ask, knowing the only friend Ryan has, aside from me, is Britt. And yeah, the plenty of girls he calls, ‘just friends.’

“Oops, you were never meant to know that! Bye, see you soon, Aurora!”

And the line goes dead.

Chapter two

Jake – A Favor for a Friend

“Ryan, I just don’t have the time or the inclination to be out until all hours on Friday night. I’m tired this week and have so many projects that I’m juggling at work,” I reiterate, for the twentyish time on this phone call alone.

“Yes, I hear you loud and clear, but . . . Oh, for Pete’s sake, I’ll come. But it had better not be a waste of time. I’ll commit to ten o’clock but no later.”

“You, of all people must know how hesitant I am for any female companionship just yet after what the unnamed person put me through. Yeah, I know it’s been a long time, but you know how bad it was,” I explain, yet again.

Good grief, this supposed ‘knock-out gorgeous’ friend who Ryan wants me to meet had better be worth the effort.

Ryan just cannot stop his urging. His retort is a great effort at convincing me. “Jake,that’s just the reason you need to get back into the swing of meeting new people. New women. And I promise you, Rory is well worth meeting.

Yes, I mean Aurora, sorry. I’m just used to calling her all sorts of nicknames. She’s a knock out both inside and out. Sure, yes, I know you think I’m biased and you’re not wrong. She’s a super good friend to both me and Britt, but that doesn’t mean she’s got warts or anything.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop laughing, but the thought of describing her that way just cracks me up, Jake. Honest and true, she’s beautiful and I think you’ll really get along. She’s not looking for any long-term relationship either. No, no, I’m not making that up to get you to come. She went through a similar thing in her past, too. Okay, later.”

Talking with Ryan is always weird. He’s off on this thing and that. I sure hope he is being honest and not trying to set me up with anything that I’m not ready for.

After a quick knock, my office door pops open, and two of my marketing team members enter, apparently looking for some answers. Rosey and Lynette are two of the top performers here at the company.

When we began making plans to expand into this part of the state, they asked to be part of the new location. They were eager to transfer for similar reasons—neither currently encumbered with any significant other, and both have family nearby. It is a win/win for me as they know the processes we prefer and are both open to new ideas.

With this and several other meetings behind me, I figure it’s time to get home and maybe take a run. But looking out the window, it may be only a quick jump into the car through thepouring rain. Drats! My apartment building has a great exercise room, pool included, but I yearn for the fresh air after a ten-or-so-hour day at work. Today, however, it’s going to be inside or nothing.

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