Page 89 of Role Play
“Being?” Forrest prompts, intrigue lining his voice.
“I’m not so into it.”
He scoffs. “Good to know.”
“No, no,” I say, cuddling closer into him. “I mean it’s not the luxury that makes this night magical. It’s all the effort you put in. That’s the secret sauce. I think I could do that with a different genre.”
“So no billionaires for your bestseller?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think so. I’d be chasing trends, forcing it. It’s the eternal struggle—write for the market or write for yourself.”
“Sounds familiar,” he murmurs. “Do what pays the bills or do what feels right.”
The parallel isn’t lost on me—his escorting versus the legal career he walked away from. We’re both compromising in our own ways, both trying to find our paths.
“Write what you love. It’ll work out, Sora. Don’t worry too much. I got you.”
We fall into a comfortable silence, still moving together beneath the stars. The yacht rocks gently beneath our feet, the lights of passing boats reflecting on the dark water. A server appears briefly with champagne flutes, but Forrest waves him away. Everything falls away.
“So I had one more thing planned for this evening, but now I don’t know if I should do it, since you’re over billionaires and all.”
“Try me,” I hum out.
He guides me toward one of the plush sofas that line the deck.
I sit down, arranging my dress carefully around me. The fabric shimmers under the deck lights and I’m distracted like a fish by my own shininess. I can see my breath, the evening air chilly, but I don’t tell Forrest that. He’d offer me his coat, and I don’t want my ensemble disturbed. I feel like a princess tonight, done up like I’m Cinderella headed to the ball. I only have a few more minutes until the clock strikes twelve. I’ll let him go, I swear. But right now I’m savoring every second.
Forrest stands in front of me, looking uncomfortable.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“From what I learned, a lot of billionaire romance books have that big proposal moment—the girl softens the bosshole, he hassome big, sappy declaration of love, and then of course, that fat diamond he gives her after promising he’ll take care of her forever.”
“Oh yes, painfully cliché, and the ring is always the size of her fist, even though she’s not into money of course.” I clutch my fingers together in a tight ball proving my point.
“This one isn’t quite the size of a fist.”
“What?” I ask, my voice coming out higher than intended.
His eyes lock with mine as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small velvet box. My heart stops, then restarts at double speed.
“I wanted to give you that big movie moment—is this going too far?”
Yes,I think. “No,” I say, desperately. “Just do it.”
“Nike style, I like it,” he says with a grin, then his smile disappears. Clearing his throat, he drops right back into character. “Sora, little conch shell, Cho-Cooper,” he begins, opening the box to reveal a ring that catches the light like a miniature sun. “I know this might seem sudden, but in my experience, love only happens when you truly let it. For a man like me, who has everything money can buy, I knew I had absolutely nothing worth keeping until the moment you walked into my life.”
I stare at him, unable to breathe. I’m well aware these are theatrics, so why is my treacherous heart still pounding like it might explode?
“You challenge me,” he continues, “you inspire me, you make me see the world differently,” he continues. “And for fuck’s sake…your tight little pussy?—”
“Don’t ruin it,” I hiss.
He laughs, a rumble from deep within his belly. “My point is, I will wake up every single day for the rest of my life grateful to be alive as long as you’re beside me. Will you marry me?”
“Did you ask my dad?” I bumble out, trying to be funny, even though my watering eyes are quite real.
“Definitely not.”
