Page 4 of Falling for My Billionaire Fake Date

Jake – Is this a Goddess?

I’ve been here with Ryan and his friend Brittney for the past five or ten minutes, and I must say I’m enjoying the company. It feels good to unwind, especially after the jolt at work, thinking Marty was in labor. That was a shock, but now I’m laughing at myself as the total, complete, and clueless bachelor I am about such things.

John and Marty are a wonderful couple and I count them as friends, not just as Marty being my assistant. I know she’ll be back after a few months of mommy time but I’ll miss her.

The search for a temporary replacement is a pain, in my opinion, so I’ve been asking Ryan and Brittney to be on the lookout for someone they think could fill the position. It’s always doubtful that such an outreach actually works, so I’ve resigned myself to the usual and tedious interview process.

It’s truly one of the worst parts of my job, so I typically avoid being directly involved unless I’m hiring an executive or my ownassistant. Otherwise, I have department directors handle their own hires with HR helping with the intake paperwork.

Cut it out, I chide myself. Get with the program, Jake, and stop worrying about work. Tonight is supposed to be about a casual night out. I’ve got to get focused, even though I detest blind dates.

The conversation turns to the evening ahead. I tell them that I’m impressed with the bar. This place is beautiful and quite classy. It’s much different than many other places around the area, and I wonder out loud how it got its beautiful ambiance. Both of them reply in unison that Aurora is the developer and designer.

This makes meeting her a bit more enticing. Maybe this woman, who I’ve already been told is ‘without warts,’ has something more than the beauty they’ve described going for her. Maybe she’ll be as interesting to talk with as to look at, the latter as promised by Ryan. He told me that neither he nor Britt have told her about my wealth. That is always a concern for me. I want to be interesting to someone without my wallet being a consideration.

I’m not a snob, but I do expect someone I date to be able to hold up her part of an intelligent conversation. Not that I have dated much in the past few years, but some of the women I’ve taken to dinner seem to be able to talk about fashion, the who’s who in my social circle, and other tedious topics, but nothing really substantial.

Maybe if this Aurora has the wherewithal to create, open and manage a place like this, she may be more than I expected.

My casual indifference to the evening is beginning to change to anticipation for a better-than-usual blind date. Ryanis telling some sort of story about his last date when I see a vision coming up the stairway. From the distance I can make out a woman with long golden hair making her way past the top step and looking our way.

She looks like a goddess wrapped in a gorgeous blue dress, golden hair flowing with a bright smile on her face. Please let this be the one we’re waiting for. I never want to look like a puppy waiting to be patted and told I’m a good boy, but man alive, this is truly a vision walking toward me.

I hope I can actually say something intelligent, because right now I’m entranced.

Chapter five

Aurora - Tongue Tied… and then

I really want to say something, anything, but it seems my tongue has gone on a vacation and left me here to just gape at him. The thing that captivates me most are his eyes. You’d think he was wearing a very light swipe of kohl on his lower lids, his dark eyes are piercing, intense, and captivating.

Even though I can see the playful glint in his eyes, they look sort of guarded. He is sitting, but I can tell he is tall, probably around six feet. He has broad shoulders, clad in a round-necked, black, long-sleeved shirt, and rocks the look with a laid-back confidence.

His hair is dark and tousled, falling in a slightly messy yet stylish way. His jaw is chiseled, complimented by a hint of stubble, giving him a rugged and masculine appearance. His lips are full and curved into a slight smile. He looks like he was created out of a fantasy novel for women.

It seems as though I’ve lost the ability to use my tongue for the moment. I have been gaping for a while, so not wanting to seem rude, I mutter an excuse and walk away to my office, situated behind the VIP section.

I hope no one notices my shaky legs as I enter my office and switch on the light. I just need to sit down on the couch and take some shaky breaths.

What’s wrong with me? It’s not like I haven’t seen my own fair share of handsome men, and I have never once allowed myself to be fazed to the point of being tongue-tied. I am a confident woman, not a blubbering college girl crushing on her professor.

Aurora, go back in there, smile, and say hello. Get your act together and stop hiding in your office.I give myself a mini pep talk, willing myself to get back out there and handle the situation like the adult I am.

I grab a bottle of cold water from my mini fridge to calm my nerves. The water runs down my throat, leaving a very cool and refreshing trail behind. Feeling like myself again, I walk back to their table, my strides are sure and more confident.

Clearing my throat, I say what I hope is a cheery hello. Brittney looks at me with a smile, but I can read the question in her eyes. “I’m fine,” I mouth back at her.

“Glad you could join us at last, Rory.” Ryan greets me with a silly grin on his face, winking at the same time.

“Please, don’t call me that,” I laughingly tell him. He knows my dislike for the nickname but that doesn’t ever stop him.

“You look beautiful tonight, Aurora. Come, take a seat. Ignore Ryan,” Britt says, while stink-eyeing Ryan. I laugh and smile at her in thanks.

Ryan clears his throat, and I look at him, unintentionally catching his friend’s eyes. I feel something drop in my stomach. Gone is the laidback guy I saw some minutes ago. Now he looks . . . different. His dark eyes are startlingly cold. Gone is the playful glint in his eyes. He looks a little bit tense, and his lips are downturned in a little frown.

“Jake, Aurora. Aurora, Jake,” Ryan says, after clearing his throat, exchanging glances between us while making the introductions.

“He is the friend I told you about, Aurora. Jake works at the new construction company across town that opened just last month. I invited you both to the grand opening, remember?”

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