Page 17 of Brazen
My heart was going fast, but I gazed at him. “Can I ask you a question?”
He sipped his plain black tea. “Go for it.”
Goosebumps grew on my arm. I hadn’t realized I would be nervous. I met his stare. “What happens if you’re found out that you hired me?”
He put down his cup and stared at his plate. “Then I have to quit, and I have no more backup plans.”
Charlie was a mystery. I blinked. “Why do you have to quit?”
He folded his hands in front of him. “Because I bet Kir I’d prove I was responsible, or I’d quit.”
I’d been so self-involved and accepted the deal without asking this question. I put honey on my toast. “It’s that extreme with him?”
He stared at me as he had cheese and walnuts on his toast. I then took an avocado slice and had a perfect piece of breakfast.
He blinked. “When he was studying for school exams, I was the one outside looking to run away on my motorcycle, on my Jet Skis, mountain-climbing adventures… basically, anything that didn’t take life seriously. He also did sports, but for him, it was to forget what was on his mind; for me, it was my life.”
That fit in with the devil-may-care version of him I’d let into my life earlier. Now my lips thinned, and I swallowed air as I realized I'd thrown my lot in with him despite what I knew about him. So I had to be mature and honest. “I’m afraid if we’re caught and I take a job, this job that your dad helped me land, then I’d lose it all again.”
He sat up. “I could ask him today if he did anything.”
“Thank you.” My heart pounded.
We ate our breakfasts, and I hoped I would land another advertising job. It was the one thing I’d ever been good at.
As we finished, Charlie placed his napkin on his plate. “Are you ready?”
“For?” I asked.
He blinked. “My parents.”
I tensed. I’d never been taken home to meet anyone’s family. I knew it was coming, but I hadn’t realized we started our ruse, as I asked, “Your what?”
He stood. “I told you last night.”
All I remembered was how he'd made my friends laugh whenever they’d tried to be serious. He had a gift. “I’m at a loss for what to wear.”
He shrugged. “Suntan lotion.”
I raised my eyebrow. “That’s it?”
He pointed at the door. “We’re flying to the private island, and there will be clothes there to pick from.”
My jeans and long sleeves weren’t beach anything. I shook my head and tugged on my shirt. Then I returned to my room and quickly found a Fendi printed floral and Prada sunglasses. This looked beachy. Then I reached for the Jimmy Choo sandals and headed to the door.
“You look great.”
He was waiting for me and directed me up a flight of stairs. I took a breath. “Thank you.”
My eyes widened as we reached a helicopter, then I looped onto his arm and stood still. “Charlie, can I ask you to be serious before we leave?”
He put his hands in his pockets and nodded. “Sure, what’s going on?”
The crew started the engine. I wasn’t sure he heard me as I shouted, “I have a string of bad relationships where the men I let in my life all… treated me like I was fun for the party but not the kind a guy built a life with or brought to his parents. Why do you think I can pull it off?”
He directed me inside, and when the doors closed and the sounds of the blades lessened, he sat back. “You’re cute and sweet, and you ask questions about my interests without judging, and I like being near you. The fact you easily won over those designers in Paris means you’re good in crowds with me at your side.”
As we took off, I clutched my seat and closed my eyes. Nothing in this lie felt safe at all, including his answer. When I finally glanced at him and we passed the Manhattan skyline, I said, “For now. I mean this is all fake, and parents generally have more protective instincts when it comes to their kids.”
