Page 26 of Fake Marriage with the Billionaire

She started the car and put the car in drive. There had to be a better way around this. She couldn’t let this happen again. Somehow, they were going to have to find a way to keep to the business at hand.

Chapter Ten Richard

In the sober light of day, Richard realized what a mistake the night before had been. He didn’t know what was wrong with him. One second they were arguing and the next…

He was sitting in his office, thinking about it, trying not to think about how good she felt when his fingers were inside of her. Maybe it had just been too long for him. He remembered standing in the den after she’d left in a flurry, listening to the empty house and thinking that he shouldn’t have let her go. He should have convinced her to stay the night with him…

This was getting too deep for him. He was going to have to figure out how to get past this obsession he was developing. They were never going to be able to get anything done as long as they were too busy pawing each other.

It was the house. That was it. Being completely alone in that big house was the whole problem. They were going to have to find a way to meet in a way that didn’t compromise either of them in any way.

When it got to be close to lunchtime, he texted her.About tonight. I was thinking that we should meet in public this evening instead of at my house.

He waited for a response, watching the screen for the three dots to appear. When they didn’t, he typed,What happened last night can’t happen again. I know we said that before, but this is serious now. We should keep ourselves out of situations that would allow for that kind of behavior.

He waited. No ellipses. He finally sighed and turned to his computer. The weekly financial reports were looking back at him all this time and he’d just been staring back at them absently. He couldn’t keep his mind on his job…

Finally, his phone buzzed. He opened it and saw her text message back.Agreed. Why don’t we meet up at the park on Fifth?

He blinked. The park on Fifth…he knew it. He’d never been there, but he knew of it. There were usually quite a bit of people all through the area, especially towards the end of the day. It was the perfect place to meet.

Sure,he texted.Sounds like a plan. Seven o’clock tonight.

He started to put the phone down when it buzzed again. It was Stella saying,Don’t wear a suit.

He frowned, looking at the message. Richard understood what she meant, but at the same time, he wasn’t sure what he should wear for a day at the park. If not a suit…maybe jeans? He didn’t even know if he owned a pair of jeans.

He called his secretary, “Mary, could you do me a favor and get me some casual clothing for this evening?”

“Casual clothing, sir?” she asked. “What’s the occasion?”

He paused. He didn’t really know how to put it. Then he realized that he might as well start planting the seeds of his subterfuge while he could. “I’m going for a walk through the park with my fiancée. I need something…comfortable to walk in.”

“Oh!” she said in a surprised voice. “Well, certainly. I’ll pick something up on my lunch break.”

“Good. Thank you.”

He hung up and smiled to himself. Telling Mary was as good as telling the entire floor. Maybe even the building. He suspected she was about to go around and whisper to all her friends about the fiancée that no one knew he had. Soon, it would get back to Rebecca and rattle her cage. He only wished he could see her face the moment someone told her about his ‘fiancée’.

Mary eventually got his clothes - a pair of jeans and a nice neutral-colored t-shirt -- leaving him to go about the rest of his work day uninterrupted. By the end, he changed into his casual clothes and left work, heading for the park on Fifth.

He didn’t know the name of the park, but fortunately, his driver did, so he got there right when the clock turned seven. When he got out of the car, he spotted Stella sitting on a bench next to a large willow tree. As soon as she spotted him, her eyes widened. She stood up looking him up and down.

“Nice threads,” she said. “I didn’t know you owned normal clothes.”

He rolled his eyes. “Let’s get this over with,” he said with annoyance.

They started walking together, following a path that led around the park. Richard didn’t say anything for a moment, looking at the vibrant green of the grass and of the flower beds near a pond in the center of the park. They passed benches with couples and families sitting in them and feeding the birds by the water.

It was calm and peaceful and…nice. Richard didn’t realize how nice it really was. He should have been taking walks in the park all along.

“This is pretty nice, huh?” Stella said. He looked at her and realized that he’d been smiling. He cleared his throat, wiping the grin from his face.

“Too late,” she said with a laugh. “Totally saw it.”

“So,” he said, changing the subject, “did you read through the binder at all?”

She nodded. “I still say you need a lot of addendums. I’m supposed to be engaged to you for damn near a year and I feel like I don’t know anything about you.”

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