Page 2 of Billionaire in Disguise

“What did you say?”

Adrianna gasped and pivoted, relaxed only slightly as the speaker pushed herself off the neon yellow wall. She sucked in a breath of orange-scented air, management’s newesttorturework-improving technique, and cringed at the bitter taste. “Don’t do that, Chloe. I thought you were Mr. Dobbs.”

Chloe merely shook her head before sitting on one of the round rolling stools. Too fast, as she rolled forward, and then to the side, then back again. With a whoosh, the stool went down, and then up, bobbing her blond curls like a slinky. “Why can’t we get normal chairs like everyone else?”

“Because these keep you alert and effective, ready to build the technology that changes the world.” With a deep voice, Adrianna rattled off the Knight Technology memo, which arrived the day her sturdy chair had been replaced with a tiny stool that didn’t cover half her–

“Ass.”

“What?”

“Dobbs is an ass. Why do you care if he sees you on your cell phone? You deserve your twenty-seven minute lunch.”

“Haven’t you heard? Our lunch allotment has decreased to twenty-six minutes. For our benefit, of course.”

Benefits noted thus far:

1. A delightful tangle of hunger pains and indigestion

2. Increased budget for antacids

3. Running to the ladies’ room had become a spectator sport.

“I can’t afford to lose this job, at least not yet.”

“You know my opinion.” Chloe patted down her smart aqua pantsuit and lowered her voice. “I have an interview today.”

Adrianna smoothed her own floral dress. Everyone was searching for a way to escape Dobbs’ Dungeon, the Ft. Lauderdale office of Knight Technology and remnant of her dream job. It had started so well, with fantastic pay, excellent work conditions and the chance to join the cutting-edge leader of the industry. Then Dobbs arrived, and everything changed.

Chairs shrunk. Lunch hours shrunk. Management complaints skyrocketed. Yet still she endured. She didn’t want a job at any company. As soon as she saved up enough, she’dbuildone.

“Back to earlier.” Chloe peered at Adrianna’s cell phone. “I must have misheard. I thought you said–”

“Read it.” Adrianna held out the offending device. “When you finish, you can help me find an island where I can hide for the next six months.”

Chloe took the smartphone with one red-manicured hand. Her eyes darted back and forth, eyebrows rising almost as high as the purple polka-dotted umbrellas hanging off the ceiling. “You have a boyfriend? Where did you hide him? Are you getting married? Can I be your maid of honor?”

“No, in my imagination and only if you want an invisible groom.” Adrianna took the phone back and dumped it in her purse. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Chloe folded her arms across her chest. “Explain.”

“The e-mail is from my mother. I may have inadvertently given her the idea I had a boyfriend.”

“How did you inadvertently do that?”

“I told her I have a boyfriend.” Adrianna grimaced. “Now she wants to meet my boyfriend, and she would be disappointed to learn he’s existence challenged.” She thumped her fingers against the particle board desk. “I can’t believe how many times she’s asked about him.”

Chloe blinked. “Your mother still makes you eat four and a half vegetables a day. Why wouldn’t she ask about a boyfriend?”

“Just because she says something doesn’t mean I listen.” Adrianna discreetly pushed aside her spinach, broccoli, carrot, asparagus and half a tomato sandwich. “In a few days, I was going to tell her we broke up.”

“A few days.” Chloe exhaled slowly. “I’ve had a dozen boyfriends that lasted that long. Just tell her you didn’t like him after the second date and–”

“Six months.”

Chloe stopped. “What?”

“It’s been six months.”Give or take three.“I said it as a joke, but she sounded so happy, I didn’t have the heart to tell her the truth. I planned to eventually come clean, but I kept procrastinating. Now she’s mentioned it to family, friends, work colleagues, the supermarket janitor, her dermatologist, the accountant and the mailman.”

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