Page 13 of Fake Dating Mr. Prince
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AFEW HOURS LATER,I struggled to shove my body into a temporary uniform. I’d been hired on the spot. As excited as I was about getting the job—and the sign-on bonus—I was not thrilled that they didn’t have a uniform that fit me. I’d been promised tomorrow would be different.
I had to go down a size. My only saving grace was that it was a sweatpants and sweatshirt combo in dark blue. I thought it was a little weird that we had a uniform if they were going this casual. My new supervisor said it made picking out the staff easier in a building this size.
I didn’t have a lot of experience working outside the family business, but getting this job was easy. I’d completed the online application before I arrived. Thankfully, I had a copy of a recent background check from when I’d volunteered to tutor children at our local elementary school this year.
No one seemed to recognize or care that my other job listed on my application was in direct competition with the people that owned this building. It was probably because I wasn’t working personally for Prince Industries but rather a subcontractor.
Once they said I was hired, they shuffled me to a separate room for their two-hour training and a quick meeting with Human Resources to fill out the paperwork.
Now, I was on the sixth floor cleaning with four other girls. We divided up our spaces after being told that most people had gone home and we needed to discreetly work around those who were still here.
I popped in my earbuds and put my phone in my pocket. As I moved from office to office, I developed a rhythm and worked faster. Most of the spaces were relatively neat, and only a few looked like they hadn’t been touched in a while.
Soon enough, I had one more office to go, then I was done for the night. Once I got closer, I noticed the lights were on.That’s odd. I checked the time, and it was nearly ten o’clock. I’d have thought everyone would be gone by now.
I pushed my cart through the doorway and scanned the ample office space. It was by far the nicest and largest office I’d seen tonight.
The view alone was exceptional. Whoever worked here must be important to have such a nice office with the perfect view of the downtown skyline. I’d accidentally left my floor plan in my purse in the employee lounge or I would have looked up who worked in this swanky space.
The room was just as spectacular as the view. It was as though someone had recreated an office right out of Architectural Digest. There was a seating area in the front and an impressive desk further back centered in front of a row of bookcases that seemed more decorative than functional with books and knick-knacks artistically placed.
It was a little too modern for my taste. But this room represented what Iwouldhave someday. That was why I was here in the first place—to make my dreams a reality.
I grinned and for a moment, let myself imagine thiswasmy office. Happiness fluttered in my chest. Taking this job was the right decision. I’d get the money I needed without selling my soul to my stepmother. I just needed to work hard and sacrifice a little for now. It would all be worth it in the end.
Even though the light was on, no one was there. I called out just to be sure. When I didn’t get a response, I ran my fingertips across the arm of the buttery leather couch. It was soft and smooth and perfectly matched the two tan armchairs placed on the other side of the glass coffee table that sat in between. After another gentle caress of the leather, I began to wipe down surfaces, take out the trash, and vacuum the rug. There was no sense in standing there, getting caught daydreaming.
Now fully immersed in my cleaning, I shook my hips—my butt shifting from side to side while an upbeat song played through my earbuds. I threw in a few shoulder moves too. I loved dancing, especially when I didn’t have an audience who could witness my lack of coordination. Since I was confident now that I was alone in the office, I cut loose.
I noticed three other doors along the wall after I finished tidying up and decided to peek. The first was a small closet with a few personal items. I closed that door, not seeing anything I needed to straighten or clean. In fact, most of the office had been relatively neat.
I moved to the next door and shimmied my shoulders a little, really getting into the song. Pushing open the door, I held the spray bottle to my lips, pretending to use it as a microphone.
“And I—” I stopped dead in my tracks, screamed, and automatically hit the sprayer on my bottle a few times in a poor imitation of a defense.
Blinking, I backed up, trying to take in what was happening. I was in a bathroom. Standing in front of me was one of the hottest guys I’d ever seen, wearing nothing more than a towel. And I’d sprayed an all-natural vinegar cleaning solution at his very naked and very gorgeous body.
I couldn't stop myself from staring.
It can't be.
My body froze.
Standing in front of me was the guy I’d met at the ball.
My one-night stand. Someone I never thought I’d see again.
He was even more handsome than I remembered. His medium-length black hair was tousled in some spots and slicked back in others as though he’d quickly ran his hand through to dry it off. Tiny lines of water dripped down his tanned face and chiseled cheekbones. His hooded brown eyes stared back daring me to do something about my discovery.
The water slowly dripped further down his body and my breath caught. His shoulders were so broad, reminding me how dainty I felt standing next to him. The roped muscles in his arms flexed when he grabbed at the towel around his waist. I remembered quite well what was underneath that towel, and my mouth watered for more of it.
The visible strength in his arms gave me no doubt that he could easily lift me up and pin me against the wall. Hell, he pinned me just fine against a bed not that long ago. I squirmed, picturing one of my favorite fantasies, wishing that I’d been bold enough to suggest it during our night together.
My eyes continued to track the water that dripped down his body. A few drops got caught up in the light dusting of hair covering his chest that ended in a V. It created the perfect path for my eyes to follow. A particular rivulet of water taunted me as it slowly flowed over his well-defined abs. The shimmery beads highlighted each tightly corded muscle, drawing my eyes from one to the next.
I swallowed hard. I wanted to follow that line of water with my tongue. Abs were my weakness, and I already knew I very much liked where his V led. My cheeks were on fire, and my nipples pebbled in arousal. I pressed my thighs together to stop myself from moving closer to him.
