Page 23 of Just One Fake Date

The stewardess he’d dated once strolled toward him, hips swinging, effortlessly elegant and inescapably French. Her dark hair was twisted up and she wore a little black dress beneath her raincoat. Her make-up seemed minimal, except for her perfect red lipstick. Her legs were long and she was beautiful. Any straight guy would be glad to have Giselle smiling at him the way she was smiling at Ty, and the other guys passing through the lobby were all taking a good look.

Ty wished she was anywhere else in the world.

“Looks like you won’t be eating alone, after all,” Shannyn whispered wickedly, as if she was glad to see Giselle. “I call that kismet.” She winked at him, then strode away with purpose.

Before Ty could follow, Giselle was in front of him. She dropped her hands on his shoulders and leaned close to press a trio of kisses to his cheeks, effectively blocking his view of Shannyn’s departure. Her perfume surrounded him as if she was staking a claim and Ty wasn’t surprised that she didn’t even acknowledge Shannyn’s presence.

He also wasn’t surprised by the mercenary glint in Giselle’s dark eyes, now that he was looking for it.

“Naughty Ty-lair,” she murmured with a smile, rapping a finger on his chest. “To not answer my calls.” She clicked her tongue and tugged his tie a little as she scolded him.

Ty glanced over her shoulder, but Shannyn was already leaving the building. She’d pulled up her hood and was moving quickly. In a heartbeat, she’d disappear into the crowd of people in the streets, indistinguishable from the others in the rain.

He wanted to chase her, to stop her, to convince her to linger.

Giselle placed a fingertip on Ty’s chin and turned his face to meet her gaze. There was assessment in her eyes and he knew she wasn’t as oblivious to Shannyn’s presence as she might want him to believe. “Whenmes amismentioned the restaurant they wished to try tonight, I knew it was close to your club. I could not pass by without inviting you to join us.” She slid her hand across his chest, then put her hand into his elbow in a proprietary way. Her touch didn’t make him simmer like Shannyn’s did. “Tell me you will not decline an evening together.”

“I have to,” Ty said, extricating himself. “I need to work.”

“But I have missed you so.” Giselle pouted but Ty didn’t find her expression as attractive as he was obviously supposed to.

“We talked about this months ago,” he reminded her. “It’s over. We agreed.”

“I did not agree. You insisted. You were so cruel!”

“You agreed.” Ty held her gaze. “I remember perfectly.”

She inhaled a little, eyes flashing. “It’s a woman’s right to change her mind.” She leaned closer to whisper. “Let me change yours, Ty-lair.”

“You can’t. Excuse me.” He stepped back before she could press her case and changed the subject. “What restaurant are you going to?”

She named it, her tone sullen.

“It’s great,” he said, making his tone official. “You’ll love it. I hope you have a wonderful evening and a good trip back to Paris.”

Ty smiled thinly and retreated to the office, not looking back when Giselle exhaled a hiss of frustration. He heard her tap her toe but ignored her. He shut the door behind himself and surveyed the files strewn on the desk, unable to escape the sense that Shannyn had gotten away.

And that he didn’t like it one bit.

Ty-lair.

There was nothing like a little compare-and-contrast to take the bounce out of Shannyn’s step. Or a walking talking reminder of the fact that Tyler had a revolving door on his bedroom. One thing hadn’t changed in twelve years.

Which just meant she was right to insist they never were together again.

Of course, she wanted more. It had been good. It had been great. Sex with Tyler had been better than all her college fantasies.

And then some.

But she was not going to be seduced.

Shannyn sat on the subway, her messenger bag cradled in her lap. She could feel the weight of her camera and held it safely captive. She knew she should think about work, maybe review her shots and upcoming schedule, but it was impossible not to think about the glamorous Giselle. It couldn’t be a coincidence that Giselle had a whole lot in common with the women Tyler had dated in college, and was also the exact opposite of Shannyn. The other woman’s arrival, and her familiarity, was a timely reminder that Shannyn’s fake date with Tyler was a step outside his usual preferences.

It also was an emphatic reminder that theirs had been a one-off.

Shannyn had just surprised him. Tyler was a healthy male, so wasn’t going to turn down sex, but he wouldn’t have chosen Shannyn of his own volition.

Very cute.

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