Page 55 of Billion-Dollar Attitudes

Chapter Seven

Amber

"I thought about postponing the wedding," Sicily said, swallowing the bite of her sandwich. "But Daniel said no. He said that was exactly the kind of thing that fed this psycho, and we weren't going to put our family on hold for him."

I nodded. “Daniel’s right. You deserve to be happy. And let's face it, until this creep is caught, you will be in this situation either way. He'll be there regardless. So you might as well be happy in the meantime. Be the family you want to be."

She glanced up at me. "You're in a sentimental mood today. You okay?"

I shrugged, knowing I needed to tell her about Ryder but knowing her response would be less than enthusiastic. "This is all just so stressful, but I'm not going to put that on you."

Sicily rolled her eyes. "Knock it off. When is life not stressful? You are my best friend. I'm here for you. Is this about what's going on with work?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Actually, I think I found a way to make them happy."

Sicily looked enthused, taking a bite of her pickle spear. "Nice. What is it?"

"So, when I called you the other night, I wasn't at home. I actually went to that meeting with Ryder and got wasted. Like within forty-five minutes, I had made a scene and thrown a drink on him."

"Oh my god, was I your one phone call?"

I laughed. "No. Ryder was going to call you, and I didn't want you to worry anymore that day, so I begged him not to. He took me back to his place. I threw up a hundred times and passed out. I guess during that time, before passing out, I told him about what was happening. When I woke up, he told me he would do it. He would be my pretend husband to help me out."

Sicily looked perplexed. "Ryder said that? He never came across as the kind of guy that would just help out a stranger with a legally binding marriage."

I knew I wasn't giving Sicily the whole story, but I didn't want her to know that we had wild, crazy sex beforehand. It made it sound like I was trying to manipulate him, which I wasn't. The sex just happened, and it was probably the best I had experienced in a very long time. "I guess he felt bad for me or something."

Sicily shook her head. "This is really dangerous. I mean, what if they find out?"

"How would they?" I asked. "I mean, they don't know Ryder outside of the media. And the only people that will know are you and the guys. So it won't be forever. It'll just be until after I've signed my contracts for the job, and we'll make the divorce believable."

Sicily took a deep breath. "I think this could be really bad for you. But you are also a grown woman, and I support whatever you think is best. Just be careful, you know? These things can hurt people's feelings, and you could end up without a job."

"If I don't do it, I'll be out of a job," I said. "And as far as feelings, I don't see how. It's totally a business deal. We are making an agreement. That's it."

Sicily shrugged. "I'm here if you need me. Does that mean you have to get married before I do?"

The fact that we had a lot to get done hit me like a ton of bricks. "Shit. Yeah, I guess so." I dusted off my hands. "You mind if I jet? I gotta go talk with Ryder and get things set into motion."

Sicily smiled. "Of course."

I kissed her on the cheek and grabbed my bag, hurrying out of the café. If it was nothing but a business deal, then why in the world was I so nervous about seeing him? I shook off the thought, figuring it was nothing more than fear of the fact that I was about to pull off the biggest hoax of my life, but I was doing it for my father and the company.

I headed to Ryder's office building and checked in at the front. They called up, and a few minutes later, a smiling woman in a business suit met me to take me upstairs. "He wasn't expecting you, but he said it was fine."

I nodded, looking at the floor numbers as we headed up to the top floor. "Yeah, something came up, and I had to speak to him."

The woman just smiled, and I felt almost nervous like she knew it was all a big lie. She didn't even know who I was. I was already feeling guilty about something that hadn't even happened yet. When the elevator reached the top floor, the doors opened, and I followed her down the hall to Ryder's office. He was on the phone but waved me in. I quietly shut the door behind myself and took a seat, looking around the office.

"Yes, of course, Ernie," he said into the phone. "Those reports are up to date with the latest information I have…yes…sure…No problem."

Ryder hung up the phone and rubbed his face, looking across at me. "Some people just don't know how to have a short conversation." He looked me up and down, and I felt my cheeks blush. "What are you doing here? I see you got into your house okay."

I nodded. "Yeah. I had a spare key I had forgotten about. We aren't open on Saturdays, but it seems you are."

He chuckled. "Yeah. I work half days on Saturday. So I get a lot done without the distractions of all the people in the office."

I nodded. "So, assuming you are still okay with helping me with my problem, I thought I could stop by and tell you about my plan."

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