Page 15 of Ignacio

Hands on her hips, Delta did a slow turn, taking her time to complete another thorough examination of her appearance in the mirror. As much as she enjoyed the comfort of sweatpants and jeans, at heart, she was a girly girl who loved dressing up for industry parties and red carpet events.

Her team applauded.

“You’re going to be the talk of the red carpet—in more ways than one,” Rochelle said with a wink.

Part of the agreement between her and Ignacio had been to tell as few people as possible about their fake relationship so the truth wouldn’t leak. Her publicist knew, and so did her inner circle—her parents and her sister. He had agreed that only his manager and personal assistant would be told.

“So the two of you are really back together?” The question came from her hairstylist.

“We are,” Delta said, infusing her voice with enthusiasm—the way a woman in love would.

Lying was never easy, and it was especially difficult to do to people who cared about you, but she forced a smile to her lips.

“Oh, I’m happy for you!” The nail technician gave her a quick hug.

“Thank you.”

What a nightmare it was going to be when they “broke up.”

Rochelle checked her phone. “Okay, everybody, we gotta go. The limo is pulling up. Pierre, you’re riding with me. Let’s go, people!”

There was a flurry of activity as they all grabbed their belongings. Delta picked up a bluish-gray stone from her dresser and dropped it into her purse. Her good luck charm. Then shehustled out of the dressing room with everyone else and crossed the floor of the bedroom suite into the hallway. Vivian’s door cracked open as they passed her room.

Delta immediately stopped and spread her arms wide, showing off for her sister.

Vivian gave the expected bright smile. “You look gorgeous!”

“Thank you!” Delta blew her a kiss and caught up with her team.

Holding Pierre’s arm, she carefully walked down the stairs and out the front door as a white limousine pulled into the circular driveway.

As soon as Delta saw the vehicle, every muscle in her body tightened. Ava, her bodyguard, hopped out of the front passenger seat wearing a dark pantsuit the same color as her buzz-cut hair.

Then Ignacio emerged from the back of the limo. Delta’s chest tightened and, annoyingly, her heart tripped over itself. She hated her reaction to him. It was innate, automatic, instinctual. She had zero control, which angered as well as disgusted her.

He moved with the smooth, relaxed gait of a man accustomed to commanding the attention of those around him. He wore his hair down around his face, his appearance scrumptious in a charcoal Tom Ford suit that draped perfectly over his body. His crisp white shirt was undone at the collar, lending an air of casual sophistication to his appearance.

When he stopped in front of her, she straightened her back.

“You…” he paused, as if trying to find the right words.

Something in his eyes flashed—a vaguely familiar expression she had seen in the past. An expression that was usually the prelude to passion-filled whispers and a fiery toss beneath the sheets as their bodies strained against each other. His hand at her throat. His lips on her neck. But he schooled his featuresinto an impassive expression, causing her to think she must have imagined what she saw.

“You look amazing.”

If she didn’t know better, she’d believe he meant the words by the way his eyes scanned her body, coming to rest on her exposed left thigh before making their way back to her face.

But the sentence had been spoken without emotion, in a perfunctory manner—as if he felt obligated to say it instead of there being any sincerity behind the compliment.

“Thanks,” Delta said tightly, if for no other reason than for appearance’s sake.

Ignacio slipped his hand to the small of her back, the heat from his touch penetrating the material of her dress and raising the temperature in her blood.

He lowered his lips to her ear as if he were whispering a naughty secret. “Remember to smile. We’re supposed to be madly in love and experiencing the excitement of our newfound relationship.”

She fought the shiver that undulated through her body as his warm, minty breath brushed her sensitive skin.

He wanted fake. She could be fake.

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