Page 28 of Counterfeit Connection

The tension immediately releases from his body. His shoulders sag forward with an inhale and exhale. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. “You’re right. Please hear me. What you’re offering is a get out of jail free card for me. I can’t allow that large of a debtto go unpaid. Kaitlyn, would you accept a get out of jail free card of your own in return?”

“What do you mean exactly?”

“Allow me, at the end of this ruse, to forgive all your student loan debt. That would make me feel better. We’d both be rid of our albatrosses at the same time.”

The room begins to spin a little and I feel nauseous. I reach behind me wildly, looking for a surface to sit on and end up perched against the small desk.

“I… Griffin… that’s…” I exhale slowly, trying to find my words because my mouth is suddenly full of marbles. “That’s thousands and thousands of dollars. It’s my salary a few times over.”

“I know speaking about money makes people uncomfortable, but I’m going to be very blunt with you. Can you handle that?”

I nod. “Yes.”

He closes the distance between us and gently takes my hand in his. “I am a very fortunate man where finances are concerned. I have a lot of money, and am able to freely do with it whatever I want. Trust me when I say this, Kaitlyn. I can afford it.”

My lower lip becomes an unexpected dessert. It’s a nasty habit, but I chew on that when a pen cap isn’t available. What seemed great in theory a couple of minutes ago, now sounds terrifying. I can see that Griffin is looking at me as a lifeline. How can I claim to hate bullies above all else if I can’t walk the walk?

“I’d want a formal contract. I’d also want it reviewed by people we each trust, and a standard NDA. I don’t want anyone to know but us. Secrets are best kept…secret.”

“I’d like to offer another perspective.” Griffin slowly comes toward me, perching on the edge of the chair facing the desk. As the weight of his body sinks back, he gently takes my hands. “You’ll want one person who knows. I can be a lot. The life I lead can be a lot. I wouldn’t want you to feel cut off or disconnected, let alone feeling like you’re lying to the entire world. I have afeeling not being completely up front with your family will be hard enough for you. Just think about it.”

Gillian’s face immediately pops into my head. “You’re right. I’d want my sister to know, otherwise, she’d think I’d lost my damn mind.” I can hear her now. “Pixie! What in the hell are you thinking? Did you fall off Rocket and hit your head? Jason and I are boarding a flight right now to come shake some sense into you!”

“I think telling her would be a wise decision.”

I squeeze his hands a little and look down at our interconnected fingers. “Shit,” I whisper. “What am I going to do about work?”

He ponders a response for a moment. “You can handle asking for some time off with Elliot, yes?”

“I’m sure that wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Good. Allow me to handle your other boss. I have a feeling I can make him see things my way where you are concerned.”

I can’t believe this is really happening.“Did I really just agree to let you pay me to be your girlfriend?”

Chapter 9

Griffin

I think I slept for a total of about three hours on and off. Kaitlyn finally fell asleep after the first draft of our contract was outlined on hotel stationary. She wanted to have as many details as we could come up with before her legal brain would turn off and allow her to sleep. Somewhere near four, I was able to fold the duvet over her while I retrieved the extra blanket and slept on the sofa near the fire.

Several thoughts kept swirling around in my head. Would we be able to pull this off? Will I be able to keep her safe from the ugly side of my life? Would this be enough to back my father into a corner? All of these things are massive unknowns. I don’t do well with them.

Just after I punch my pillow and pull the blanket over my head to keep out the impending sun, a soft groggy voice waves over me from across the room. “Good morning.”

I pull the blanket down and see my sleep-deprived savior clinging to the robe still wrapped around her. “Good morning. I’m sorry if my fist fight with my pillow woke you.”

“It didn’t. I woke up and didn’t know where I was at first.” She smiles. “May I join you next to the fire?”

“Of course.” I sit up and open my blanket for her to climb into. She carefully curls up in the blanket next to me. Her fingers play with the edges of it as if it’s a nervous habit.

“Sooooo…I’m more of a slow to wake up kind of person. I need like two cups of coffee to be a normal human who won’t rip your soul out at first glance. I sleep on the right side of the bed or starfish in the center, depending on my mood. I have cold feet and I like to snuggle.”

“Wow.” I laugh. “That’s a lot of information.”

“We need to know these things. I feel like there needs to be quizzes.”

“Quizzes, you say? I was very good at those in school.”

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