Page 17 of Falling for My Billionaire Fake Date

I can’t believe my ears when he asks me to be his girlfriend, popping the question out of the blue. He looks genuinely shocked, his eyes widening in slight panic and confusion, as if he hadn’t planned on dropping that bomb on me. I notice his reddened face and his nervous attitude.

To be sure I hadn’t heard wrong, I ask him to repeat the question. I half-expect him to make a snide remark or burst out laughing while pointing at my shocked face and rudely telling me it was just a silly prank.

But he repeats the question, rolling his lips nervously. Jake has been nothing but a true jerk to me since we met. He has never so much as said a kind word to me. But I feel that zapping in my stomach again. Confusion, shock, and another feeling I refuse to identify, are all warring through me.

Then I see something flicker in his eyes as he becomes more guarded than ever. The rude expression I have come to associate with him returns and gone is the humane attitude I had gottena glimpse of. The guarded warmth I had seen in his eyes was shuttered with a blank look.

“Why did you ask me to be your girlfriend then?” I say, through clenched teeth, making no sense of his attitude.

One minute, he is acting all confused and genuine and the next, he is being all rude and closed off again.

“FAKE girlfriend, Princess. You keep forgetting the fake part of it,” he says sarcastically, raising a finger to stop me as I open my mouth to tell him what I think of his absurd question and condition.

He continues. “You see, I’m in a little jam at the moment. My mom will be coming to Birchwood this coming Saturday and I need a convincing and willing lady to act as my girlfriend. With no questions asked.”

“Little Jacob lied to mommy about a girlfriend?” I ask, snidely. His eyes narrow and he clenches his fist. But I am in no way done with him.

“Are you that despicable that you have to lie to your mom to present a fake girlfriend? Of course, you have to! No sensible woman will come within a mile of you,” I add.

“What did you say? You want a girl to present to your mom? A willing girl with no questions asked? Like a sort of shiny puppet? And you think I’d be perfect for the job? You’ve got another thing coming, Jacob. If you think I’m desperate enough to take this job, you’re absolutely wrong! You can take your job and look for some other sucker to fill it!”

I explode this all in a single breath, telling him exactly what I think of him and his insane offer. Snatching my folder from his desk, I stand up and march out of his office angrily,not giving him the satisfaction of seeing the angry tears gathering under my lids.

Storming to my car, I dial Brittney’s number, and she picks on the first ring.

“Hello, girl!” she greets cheerily, dragging out the phrase. “How did your interview go?” she asks excitedly. I could only breathe over the phone, words eluding me.

“Aurora, hey? Are you there?” she asks, worry seeping through her tone. I clear my eyes, willing the tears to not roll down my face.

“You knew Jake was the CEO all along, didn’t you?” I ask, through gritted teeth, my voice breaking at the end of my statement. Brittney sighs, her cheery mood disappearing in the vapor of her sigh.

“Before you get mad at me, give me a minute to explain myself, okay?” she says, her tone even and calm. “Where are you now, Aur?” she asks.

“I’m in my car, going back to my shops. You know, the ones I’m fully content with?” I bite out sarcastically, my tone coated with shards of ice.

She sighs, and I feel a little bit guilty because it’s not her fault that Jake’s such an idiot. All she did was try to get me a stable job. She knew I’d never give it a thought if I knew Jake was the CEO.

“I’m sorry, B. I didn’t mean to take it out on you,” I apologize.

“It’s okay, Aur, I deserved it, I guess. Let’s meet at your bar, I’ll be waiting for you. Drinks on the house!” she finishes cheerily, and I smile.

“Drinks on me, you mean?” I ask, mentally drawing air quotes around the pronoun.

I grin, knowing what’s coming next.

“Exactly what I said, boss lady! Drinks on the house – A.K.A, you,” she says, laughing.

“See you soon, B.”

“Aur, I’ll text Ryan to meet us there. Drive safe!”

Disconnecting the call, I feel a little bit better. As I leave the company’s parking lot, I glance at the topmost floor and see a figure standing by the floor-to-ceiling window. I blink, and he is gone. I must have imagined it.

Without dwelling more on that, I zoom out of the parking lot, promising to never set foot in there again.

Chapter fourteen

Jake – Mom and Bella Arrive

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