Page 103 of Between Love and Loathing
He narrowed his eyes at me, and I felt like my insides were being pried apart. Cade didn’t seem to know social boundaries at all. He didn’t look away, didn’t comment, didn’t even look apologetic as he stared. “You know that fake dating Dominic is helpful, but your bakery would have been on everyone’s radar anyway. You’re talented with your marketing and how you pushed it. And so far, the reviews are not at all negative. The resort is going to prosper.”
“Um…” I almost melted into a puddle at his words, but I didn’t have time to dwell on them as my mother and Anastasia approached.
They congratulated me, gave me a hug, and my mother whispered that she wanted to have lunch the next day. All smiles and no frowns or sneering.
Sometimes, I just wanted to believe. I didn’t want to give into my gut feeling. I wanted to suppress it and hope. The abused get great at that—focusing on the good rather than the bad.
I let Dominic steal me away to my seat as the MC announced that there would be speeches before dinner. We sat at linen tables set up under a tent. The Hardy brothers stole the show, each of them giving a speech thanking my stepfather, Declan thanking his wife, and Dominic taking a bit more time to thank each one of us. He smiled at me, and the few approved cameramen took pictures over and over as he said, “Clara’s been a bit of the yin to my yang. The black to my white, if you will.”
Everyone laughed at that, but my heart beat a mile a minute. This wasn’t planned. He wasn’t supposed to talk about me, yet he thanked me specifically, as if my input truly meant something to him. When his gaze cut to the ocean halfway through, I turned and saw her.
Natya Fitch.
“The white and black, curves and straight lines are the balance in my resort. The spectrum of color represents inclusivity and I wouldn’t have come to the realization that this specific Hardy resort needed that without Clara. I wouldn't have come to the realization that it needed anything, just like I thought my life didn’t need anything either. She changed that by consistently challenging me, provoking me, and persuading me to take the risk. I’m indebted to her for that, but I get to spend the rest of my life paying her back for it. So, to her and to the rest of the team, we’ve done it. It’s been an honor to work with you all.” With that, he handed the microphone to what appeared to be another shareholder and made his way back to our table.
I didn’t say anything as he sat down next to me. How could I when he’d directed that whole speech at her? Was he putting on a show just for her to believe? If so, that somehow hurt my heart most even knowing that’s what I’d signed up for.
Somewhere along the way, I’d started to believe something different, and now I wasn’t sure if he’d meant any of it. Could it have all been fake?
The question swirled in my mind over and over, turning into a tornado rather than dying out as just a breeze of a thought. I didn’t know if any of it was true or if he’d been flaunting a love he didn’t have for me in order to push hers further away. When I glanced at Dex, his eyes were ping-ponging between us. “Just so we’re clear, the casinos have agreed to the deal in Vegas. The lawyers are drawing it up as we speak. Their team just walked out.”
“I saw them leaving as I was giving my speech,” Dominic said without much emotion. Which was fine since I was feeling all of it for both of us. Playing pretend was something I’d loathed until I’d loved it, and now I was back to loathing feeling a damn thing when I wasn’t sure if he felt for me the way I did for him.
Instead, I focused on the plate of food in front of me as a soft, sultry voice started from the stage.
“What the fuck?” I heard Dex mutter. Then louder, “What the actual fuck?” His eyes were filled with fury as he slammed a hand down on the table and glared at his brothers.
Each of them shook their head until Dex’s eyes skirted from Dimitri to Dominic, who pointed back to Dimitri. “It was mostly his idea,” Dominic said.
Dimitri’s smile grew. “She’s a good singer, bro, and she needed a few gigs. Pretty sure your casino is going to hire her too.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Dex stood abruptly. “You know I hate her.”
But he turned to look at Keelani, his muscles tense, as she stared right back at him. Her voice held edge as she hit a high note, never breaking eye contact. So much emotion was in the song and as she sang, half the audience whispered about her range.
When her song finished, Dex stormed up to the stage as she mumbled she’d be back after a break. He waved her over and she rolled her eyes before sauntering to the edge of the stage where he grabbed her hips and plucked her right off it.
Dimitri chuckled. “He’s going to cave one of these days.”
Dominic cracked his neck and shook his head. “We’re probably playing with fire, Dimitri.”
“Am I?” His brother glanced at me and then to the back of the tent where I knew Natya had been. “Or are you?”
With that, Dimitri got up to leave, and Dominic cleared his throat. “Want to dance, cupcake?”
I took a few breaths, reminding myself that I was here to make an impression. This was the solidifying of our relationship before we separated. The world would know Dominic and I were together, and the resort’s reputation wouldn’t suffer, even if suddenly I didn’t want to pretend anymore.
I didn’t know what I was pretending. Whether I was his girlfriend or whether I enjoyed pretending to be his girlfriend when really my heart was crumbling as I considered the fallout.
I put on the face everyone wanted to see, reminded myself that I’d painted on cat eyes with a little extra concealer, curled my hair again and pinned it up so that only a few soft tendrils fell over my shoulders. I looked the part tonight. I had to act it too. I ran my hand over the necklace that was pure elegance and no cupcakes. Today had been about my bakery, but tonight I’d thrown on Valentino’s just so I could complete the look and then I slipped on the dress Dominic and I had picked out together.
Tonight was about the resort.
I knew the reopening of the resort would be talked about in every magazine, on every news station, and the approved press on the beach were snapping pictures through the night. When Dominic pulled me to the dance floor, the flashing continued. His fingers skirted up my neck before he murmured against my lips, “Did you like my speech?”
“It was a good one for show.” My stomach dipped and twisted as his hands dug into my hips.
“What if it wasn’t for show, little fighter. What if now this is just for me?”
