Page 3 of Boss Level

Dominic knelt at my feet, and pulled a tiny box, like a ring box, from his jacket pocket.

My heart dropped into my stomach. Thank Goddess he closed the door. “Please don’t do this.”

Instead of complying with my request, he opened the box. The ring that sat inside was simple but stunning. Low profile, platinum, inlaid with diamonds and rubies. Even in the low light of my office, the light glinted off the gems. “You didnotbuy that for a fake engagement.”

“No. It’s my grandmother’s.” He pulled it from the box.

Notthatring. Not the one he was supposed to give his wife someday. The one he kept in a safety deposit box instead. He wasnotholding out that same ring and offering it to me.

“This is only for show.” Dominic grasped my fingertips. “To get me through holiday parties and negotiations. You don’t have to be there all the time, and I’ll owe you in return. Fake marry me?”

Not the most eloquent proposal ever, but I didn’t want it to be. “Wow, you really know how to romance a girl.” I couldn’t find my answer. Why was this such a difficult decision to make?

“I can seal the deal with a kiss instead.” Dominic searched my face. “Or beg. If you’ve ever wanted to see me do that, this is your one and only chance.”

As tempting as that sounded, I still didn’t know what to say.

2

dominic

Despite this being a very fake proposal, I held my breath in a very real way as I waited for Judith’s answer. This was a stupid idea long-term, but the arrangement didn’t have to last more than a few weeks. We’d go to some parties together, I’d land this contract, it would lead to other contracts, and she’d dump me going into next year.

I resisted the urge to drop my hand into my pocket, to run my thumb along the watch I kept there, as I studied the petite woman sitting in front of me. The way wisps of auburn escaped from a low ponytail and teased her cheeks. Her green eyes, dark with thought. The fact that she looked fierce and imposing doing something as simple as thinking, and yet I knew how much kindness lay beneath it all. The lengths she’d go to for her friends and employees.

She was truly beautiful, and I’d be lucky to call her my fiancée, if only for a short while.

“Yes.” At Judith’s answer, I let out a long exhale.

I rose to kiss her on the cheek. “Thank you. I will work to make sure you don’t regret this.”

“You’d better.” A hint of teasing slid into her voice, and she tugged me to my feet. “I wouldn’t do this for anyone but the two of you, and I want to go on record as saying it’s a supremely bad idea.”

It was a horrible idea. I was doing it anyway. I grasped her fingers and brushed my lips over her knuckles. “It’ll be a laugh. As in, we’ll all laugh about it when it’s over.”

“But you’re very limited in when you can have me next week,” she warned.

“Of course.” I wouldn’t expect otherwise. Right as she was making the biggest move of her career? I wouldn’t pull her from that. “But tonight?” I plucked a wrinkled cherry tomato from the wilted salad on her desk, and tossed it at her trash can. “Tonight I’m taking you out for a real meal, before you reach the climax of the bedlam.”

She moved her food out of my reach, and raised an eyebrow. “Tonight, you’re leaving my food alone, regardless of your opinion, and you’re letting me finish my work. I’ll give you tomorrow night.”

I slid the ring on her finger, and it fit perfectly. Did her breath catch?

No. That was the romantic in me. “I’m holding you to that. I’ll send you details, don’t stand us up.”

“I would never.” Her shock and offense were exaggerated.

“You would frequently.” And I was fine with that. She was as married to her job as Xander and I each were.

She shook her head with a smile. “I’ll be there tomorrow. Cross my heart.”

I left her to work, and headed home. The traffic was moderate, but I didn’t have far to travel. The deeper I got into The Aves, the farther up the side of the mountain, the more the snow lingered. Holiday lights reflected off the patches of white, and seemed to warm the chilly evening with their promises of brightness and warmth.

This was my favorite time of year, and the decorations added to my joy. I might put on a gruff exterior for business and everyday life, but I was a softie when it came to peace on earth, good will toward men.

I wouldn’t make this request of Judith for me, the same way I hadn’t asked Xander to keep our relationship on the down low for me. Roger, the man who’d started our law firm with my father, was also my father’s best friend. Roger had come out to his colleagues in an era where people didn’t do that, and it destroyed his career on the other side of the country.

He started over here with my father, but it was hard for Roger to rebuild. I knew the world was different now, but a lot of our clients weren’t. They were Roger’s age, and to them business still ran that way.

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