Page 26 of The Sweetmate
“As my publicist. Mypersonalpublicist. Exclusive. Name your price. But I’m your only client.”
“Afraid to share?”
“After that kiss? I’ll never share you.” He allows more of his weight onto me.
I feel his arousal and my body responds. His words should infuriate me more—this man has no right! He basically conned me into going with him, took my choice away.
Knocking him down a peg feels like self-preservation at this point. “You can’t buy me. And even if I were for sale, you couldn’t afford me.”
The challenging smile he gives me only makes me want to spite him. The need to poke him and irritate him has me spewing whatever comes to mind. “I’m tempted to walk out of this room, go down to the lobby, and share my lips with every willing person down there just to prove you can’t determine whom I’m shared with.”
His grip on me tightens only a hair. The devilish smirk he gives me sends shivers throughout my body. Casey’s strong hand leaves my wrist and travels down my body to land possessively on my thigh. Every spot on my body tingles from his touch. We’re both still fully dressed, but I feel exposed lying underneath his stare.
“Let me rephrase that. You’re your own boss. Do whatever the fuck you want. But I’d never willingly share you. Because I’m a selfish prick. I don’t deserve you, but neither does my uncle. Name your price,cupcake.I’ll go bankrupt at the opportunity to continue working with you.”
A moan threatens to escape my throat. This is too overwhelming. I’m not experienced enough with romantic partners, but I am in being a professional publicist. I’ll not double as an escort. “Fine.” I swallow hard. “But we keep our boundaries.”
“The media now believes we’re a couple.”
That’s true. “In public, I’ll be your girlfriend. But we’re not in public.”
A borderline predatory grin stretches across his handsome face. “We can be.”
With an annoyed groan, I shove against him, and this time he allows me to crawl out from under him. As much as it pains me to walk away and feel the loss of his touch, this manis used to women falling at his feet. I won’t be one of his many conquests. I refuse to sleep with myfirsthigh-profile client.
“I’ve never been an exhibitionist, but I’m an adventurous guy. Wait, where are you going?”
“To bed.”
“Want me to join you, honey? Couples share a bed! And we shouldn’t go to sleep angry!”
The man is as charming as he is frustrating. A maniacal laugh escapes me. “This arrangement begins tomorrow. Tonight, I’m still an employee of Brunner PR and you’re the client.”
I hear his groan behind me. He isn’t the only one suffering. I quickly slam my bedroom door shut and lean against it.
Casey’s low voice calls out. “Just so you know, at Cupcake PR there are no rules or restrictions on what you can do with the client.”
Cupcake PR. That’s cute. Against my will, my fingers touch my lips. I haven’t even had time to process our first kiss. It wasn’t awkward, which is extremely rare for me. It’s like we’d done it a thousand times. My body simply molded into his and our lips and tongues moved in sync.
Then when he held me down…
The possessiveness of not wanting to share me with anyone else…
My thighs clench together. I’m desperate for relief. It’d be too easy to open this door and invite him in here. But I must be strong. I’ve worked too long and hard to become a respectable publicist. Plus, if we crossed that line, there’d be no returning. He would have his fun and then move on to another. And I wouldn’t survive watching him with someone else after having been his object of affection. I might not even deal well if he moved on tomorrow.
Looks like neither one of us is good at sharing.
I pull out my phone and look up Shell Island, Florida. Can I really accompany Casey there and be his fake girlfriend doubling as his personal publicist? Does this mean I have to quit my job at Brunner PR? Casey made it clear that he didn’t want me as anyone else’s assistant during this time. This is a huge risk. I’ve been with Brunner PR since I graduated. Am I going to throw away my career? Or would this elevate my career? Where am I going with Brunner PR? After all the years I’ve put in, I’m miserable and barely made any headway. However, Casey Riis as my personal client could either be a disaster or my big break. Cupcake PR could become a legit business. After all, why not start my own publicist company? It all depends on if I’m brave enough to take the risk. I scroll through the photos of beaches and beautiful landscapes. It looks like paradise.
Five days in a luxury resort with Cakes with Casey celebrity chef Casey Riis and being his fake girlfriend. That doesn’t sound like much of a risk but more of a dream. If I can keep my head on straight and separate my emotions, I just might be able to have my cake and eat it too.
Screw it.
I grab my laptop and take it to my bed. I’m going to send my resignation letter. This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for. Everything has led to this moment. Somehow teaming with Casey and helping him is also the key to my success.
Once I’ve submitted my letter of resignation with Brunner PR, I take my phone to log into Casey’s socials. I captured a photo of him winking. He looks ridiculously handsome, but the best part is he’s in the moment holding up a whisk and mixing bowl. As much as I want to believe this is mostly about helping my career, I can’t ignore the way my heart flutters every time I look or think about the man winking at me on my screen. Obviously, this man is the type to chew someonelike me up and spit me back out. Yet there’s such a boyish and almost innocent charm about him. Despite his incredible charisma and god-like body, he isn’t as shallow as I suspected. His eyes are sincere, and his touches are gentle. I want to explore more. Could we become actual friends? Is there the scary possibility for more? Will it all be a giant mistake or the greatest adventure of my life? Either way, I owe it to myself to try. I can do this. I post the photo with the simply the caption, “You’ve got this.”
Little does anyone know, this is more of me reassuring myself with the post, but it might also help others. No matter how risky and unsure your day seems, you’ve got this. I’ve got this.Hopefully.
