Page 30 of Never Fake Date the Financier
Adrian smiles. “Oh, you wanted something with meat?”
I can feel my soul leave my body. No. He better not…
He smiles. “Kidding. I got you a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate shake.”
I’m not sure if I want to punch or kiss this man again. Maybe kiss him so hard it feels like a punch? Whatever.
“Don’t you dare do that again.”
That smile. Dear lord…
There’s another knock, and I scramble away from Adrian and head for the door. As much as I like kissing Adrian, I like eating something other than root vegetables and rabbit food even more. It takes only a matter of moments for me to spread out the food on the table and dig in.
I take a single bite. One single bite before there’s another knock on the door.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I wipe the ketchup and mustard from my chin and snatch a dangling piece of bacon. I can feel Adrian’s eyes on me. I should be a little more self-conscious about looking and sounding like a bulldog with asthma eating spaghetti, but I’mfamished.I’m on the verge of starvation.What good am I for this whole plot if I’m dead?
Adrian sighs before heading for the door.
I take another bite, but nearly choke when I hear a woman’s voice. It’s bright and airy and thankfully not Lillian’s.
“I told you about the pictures, Adrian,” she says as the sound of her heels striking the ground grows louder.
I swallow the bite of my burger as quickly as possible, but it gets lodged in my throat. Shit. Shitshitshitshit. I choke-cough, panicking as I look around the room. What should I do? Hide the food? Launch myself onto a chair for a self-Heimlich maneuver?
Is this how it all ends?
Something takes over, and I rush to the bathroom, clipping a chair and face planting onto the hard ground. Noises no man or woman should make explode from me as I watch the half-chewed burger fly from my throat and land in front of the woman who’s looking at me as though I’ve just clubbed a baby seal. I have no doubt that I look like a mess after what I just did to that burger.
“Oh dear,” the woman says.
I try to respond but it comes out less like English and more like the sound of a wounded animal.
Adrian rushes over to me and helps me to my feet. “Are you okay?” he asks with the same concerned look on his face that he had on the plane. He holds my face in his hands, his thumbs strumming my cheek. It’s sweet until I realize he’s trying to wipe condiments off my face.
“I’d like to curl up in a ball and die,” I whisper.
He kisses my forehead, and almost instantly, my embarrassment melts away. Well, until I realize the woman who just witnessed me hacking up a half-eaten burger is Adrian’s mother. And she is stunning for her age.
“Gabriella,” she coos. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” I say, brushing myself off as Adrian helps me to my feet.
Thankfully, we don’t linger on my near-suffocation, and Trudy steers the conversation toward safer waters.
“I wanted to meet you sooner, but you’ve been so busy. How’s the film? It’s all wrapped up now, I suppose.”
I try hard not to sputter as I side-eye Adrian before giving Trudy a noncommittal. “Yes. It’s been a hectic time for me. But I’m glad we’re finally able to meet. Adrian’s told me so much about you.”
“He has?” Trudy asks.
“Oh, of course,” I say, leaning into Adrian. “What was that story you were telling me earlier?”
“I don’t recall,” Adrian says, tightening his grip on me.
Trudy beams at us. “I’m so happy for you two,” she says. “When I found out about Max and…” she pauses. “Well, it’s no matter now.” She pats Adrian on the arm. “Now finish getting ready. We have pictures to take in fifteen minutes. We have a short window before we need to leave for dinner.”
“Pictures?” Adrian asks.
