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I covered my mouth at the white lie and then gulped my drink.
Britney said, “Have fun, you two.”
We stepped out of the bar and into the limo with me on his arm. I giggled. Once I’d composed myself, I said, “I can’t believe everyone’s buying this.”
Kir slipped in beside me. “Why wouldn’t they?”
The door closed. As the car headed out, I asked, “Is it wrong I’m enjoying this?”
He shook his head. “No, not at all.”
As we neared his building, I sat up. “Wait. We didn’t ask your brothers much about their plans.”
We stopped, and he said, “It’s better to talk about it at the wedding.”
We headed inside. A doorman called the elevator. We were back in his place overlooking Central Park within seconds. He closed the door and took off his shoes, and I did the same. It was his house, and it was a small thing to get used to. The huge shoe closet reminded me of the movie Clueless, when Cher was searching for her outfit.
I wandered in and stared at Kir. He was honestly great to be around. I smiled at him. “Get some wine. I’m not tired. I’m too excited. I’ve never been an actress before.”
He headed to the kitchen. “Me either. I think I like being a little bad.”
I waited by the window and gazed down at the city. Everything felt far away from up high. The only way this would be better was if we were telling the truth, but that was impossible.
When he came back, I took the glass he offered and said, “We’re making you reckless after all, but seriously, today was great. It’s hard to believe I have work tomorrow, and then we’re off for the weekend adventure.”
We settled on the couch and sipped our wine. Neither of us said anything, but it was nice to be next to him. His body heat made me more relaxed. I realized I trusted him implicitly, which was crazy because we were lying through our teeth. No one should have believed us. I wasn’t part of his world, and it should have been obvious.
I looked over at him and realized his eyes were closed. I put my glass down, picked his up off the floor, and put it on the table, whispering, “And you’re sleeping.” I found the throw and placed it on him. “Good night, Kir.”
It was nice to take care of him, even in a small way, as he’d done so much for me.
Chapter Ten
Kir
* * *
I finished my shower, bounced on my feet, and got dressed. The night before, I’d had a great time. That morning, we went over the weekend plans. Then she texted me on her lunch break that she wanted to see her sister that day, so we’d added it to the packed schedule. I had the helicopter ready.
The second she came home, I met her and asked, “How was your day?”
She laughed and kissed my cheek. “Everyone is super nice to me, and they think I know your brothers.”
I shrugged. “Well, that can’t be bad for the interview.”
“You look nice. I need to change.” She waved for me to go with her, and I followed her as she swayed. “If they’re taking over the company, then I’m truly at a loss about what to do.”
As she stepped into her room, I stayed at the door. She gazed at me as I asked, “What do you mean?”
She left the door open and grabbed a green-and-yellow dress for the hospital and the party. She moved so I couldn’t see her changing. “I’ve been so focused on getting the promotion that I never really thought about the overall performance of the company. My life has been all about my sister.”
I wasn’t sure what to do, but I backed away. We weren’t dating, and I refused to pressure her to be with me. I waited in the living room.
She came out and smiled at me, and I did the same and said, “I’m glad you’re letting me come visit your sister.”
Then we grabbed our shoes and headed out the door as she said, “She wants to see you, and we’re off to Connecticut, so I want to see what the doctor said.”
I directed her up to the top of the building as the helicopter was the fastest option we had. She froze at the door when she saw the staff waiting for us. I offered my hand, and she took it.
