Page 8 of Making It While Faking It
But Achilles’s expression doesn’t wane. “Right, right…” he whispers thoughtfully.
The way he continues staring at me has rendered me speechless. Is that attraction I see in his eyes? If so, then why the frown? Gosh, he’s so hard to read. But tingles of sensation fluttering through my heart and lady parts scare me. Especially when in one flashing moment, I admit to myself that I would fuck him. I seriously would. He smells divine. He has the sort of looks that make men envy him and women crave him. And his body… he’s a bona fide Adonis. I can visualize the ripple of his abs and see them pushing against the fabric of his suit jacket.
The thought makes me swallow a gasp and stare at the floor.
No, I can’t. I just can’t.
“Are you…” he starts but the doors slide open.
The welcome sight of my uncle Xander fills the frame and steals both of our attention.
“Treasure Chest,” Xander says, unfolding his arms from his chest and holding them out to receive me.
“Xan,” I sing and then kiss him on the cheek, and then we give each other a heartfelt hug. I haven’t seen my uncle since Christmas either. But I love that he’s always so happy to see me. He smells a lot like Achilles and my dad—it’s a rich man’s scent.
Xan leans back to get a look at me, and his smile is tight. His eyes jump around my face as if he’s trying to get a read on how I feel about signing away my freedom.
“You okay with this?” he asks.
“I am,” I say, reassuring him with a smile. I really am okay with it, but I just want this part to be over already.
He nods stiffly and then looks up at my future husband. “Good afternoon, Achilles.” Just like his expression, Xan’s voice is all business.
“Good afternoon, Xander.” All business there too.
Apparently, cutting a deal together doesn’t mean the Groves and Lords will automatically become best buddies. I recall how much Achilles and my cousin Max, who is co-CEO of GIT along with my dad, hate each other. It wouldn’t be a stretch to believe that Xan, who normally doesn’t have a hateful bone in his body, would dislike Achilles in support of his only son.
Achilles impatiently checks his watch. “We should get this over with. I have meetings.”
Xan’s left eyebrow quirks up as if he’s curious to know about the meetings Achilles is referring to. Then Xan asks me to lead the way. As the two men walk behind me, they quickly engage in a spirited back-and-forth about Achilles’s cousin Nero. Xan wants to know the point of the documents that Nero had sent over late yesterday afternoon.
“Ask him,” Achilles says in dismissive tone as we enter Xan’s main office.
“Why can’t you let TRANSPOT go? It was just a pipe dream my father had,” Xan replies.
“If it’s just a pipe dream, then give us what we want, and it all stops.”
I can’t see them because I’m taking in an eyeful of the better part of Xan’s large office. But I can feel them glaring at each other. Our families have been fighting over TRANSPOT since forever. It’s some sort of technological possibility, the merging of computer technology and astrophysics. That’s how my grandfather explained it. Basically, that relationship will create software that’s able to make 3-D image projections into solid figures. It’s a complicated invention, at least to me it is. My cousin Paisley, Xan’s only daughter, a beautiful nerd, has been working on the software since high school. I think she’s actually getting close to making it happen. I’m indifferent about it all. I’m not a computer person. I’m a restaurant owner, which is why I’m here saving my restaurant.
But I had forgotten how breathtaking Xan’s office is. First of all, he has stellar views of the Hudson to the south and the rest of Manhattan to the east and north. The solid furniture like his desk, the long conference table, end tables, and large block coffee table are made of the finest light beechwood. The sturdy furniture is upholstered with gray tweed fabric which he pairs with bold pops of modernity like colorful abstracts and contemporary bar lamps on the walls and arcing floor lamps positioned throughout. Combined with the breathtaking views, Xan’s office is the perfect place to hang out all day and get a lot of work done. I think I’m going to follow his design lead when I finally have my money and start renovations on my restaurant. The changes will happen fast, starting today.
“Let’s sit,” Xan says, lowering himself into one of the large armchairs facing a long sofa.
I thought Achilles would take the chair adjacent Xan’s. That’s what my dad would do. He calls it “never losing the advantage.” The man in the big chair has the power. But instead of matching Xan pound for pound, Achilles sits next to me on the sofa, and rather close too.
I work to keep my breaths even as Xan says that since I’ve been engaged to Simon for three months, it will sound more believable if the marriage between Achilles and me is announced early September.
Achilles’s sharp grunt signals he disapproves. “No. The sooner the better.”
Smirking wryly, Xan asks, “Why the rush?”
Achilles leans forward. “Why are you dragging this out? That’s not the deal.”
Oh gosh, my head feels light. I try very hard to maintain my patience. Part of me wants to run away from this situation as fast as I can. I want to get this over with. And I don’t want Achilles and Xan to blow up this deal.
“Can we just get this over with?” I blurt. “No one who knows Simon or I expected us to actually go through with it anyway. Plus, he’s a cheater. He cheated on me.TRMhas already posted about it, and now everybody knows.”
Silence sticks in the air. I don’t look up to see the pity on their faces. I’m the one who chose to become involved with a cad like Simon Linney. He’s not the kind of guy a girl gets involved with if she’s expecting a solid happily ever after.
