Page 3 of Faking with the Bad Boy Billionaire

"Okay, what is this favor?" Steven felt the smirk pulling at his lips because he could hear her stumble with whatever she was trying to ask him.

"I need you to be my fiancé at this charity thing for my work." Her words caught Steven off guard. He momentarily forgot how to swallow the scotch he was drinking, and it started burning his tongue. He swallowed and coughed a bit at the request Josephine had asked of him.

"I'm sorry," Steven wiped quickly at his mouth, "your what?" He could hear her pouring something in the background, wine if he knew her well enough still, and waited for her to tell him she was kidding.

"Fiancé." She just said one word. There was no punchline, takebacks, or laughter on her end.

"Josie, what is this favor really?" Steven leaned back in his chair and smiled, hoping he would still get a punchline or even have someone jump out saying,"Gotcha!"but it never came.

"Nothing else. Just that. Fiancé for a day." She was quiet for a moment. "Ish."

"What does the 'ish' mean, and why me? Why for this event? Can't you just tell everyone that you are single?" Steven does not get a single response for a solid minute.

"You know what, forget it," he heard her slam something down on the other end, "this was dumb. I will see if I can find a reputable dating service for this."

He let out a low groan, wondering how much this would come back to bite him. "Josephine Price, if you don't answer my questions, I will not be leaving you alone until you do, and we both know I am capable of driving you up a wall."

"I just need someone for work things. I am tired of being set up on these terrible dates with terrible men that I don't pick for myself, guys I would NEVER pick for myself. Today, I may have told everyone I was seeing someone, and it got to that point."

"So, how many shots were had before you got to that point," Steven asked, knowing she was about to dodge that question.

"That is not the issue here," he smirked at how right he was, "I need someone because I was unaware of the charity event coming up, and I said I would see if my guy could come along. Now I have to find a guy."

"And the 'ish'?" Steven poked at the timeline of more than just one date, the favor being asked of him.

"The 'ish' is just for public appearances. It would benefit us both to not be seen as a boring spinster and a reluctant playboy." She said the last part quietly, hoping he would have missed it.

"I am anything but reluctant. I am pleased with the status I have." He took another small swig of the scotch and heard her giggle on the other end of the call.

"Yeah, okay." Silence on both sides as they thought through what was all discussed.

"How long would you need me to keep up the charade for, Josie?" He looked at his calendar, noting days that this might benefit them both.

"I don't know. Can we start with this and see how it goes before we fully indulge in how this can work at multiple events?" She was trying to back peddle on the deal because she sensed he was coming up with a plan of his own. Steven knew he was being assessed by his childhood friend.

"Let me think about it and get back to you." Steven knew it would drive her crazy, but he knew she would wait for his answer regardless.

"It is next week, so the sooner the better." She sounded a little anxious to Steven, and that made him smile.

"Get some sleep, Josie. I will call you back." Steven hung up the phone, knowing he would either get the silent acceptance from her tonight or a barrage of texts for hanging up on her.

He knew that his friend would never have asked him unless she was absolutely desperate for help. She trusted him with this colossal favor that he was sure he would never ask her to repay. The problem with this entire thing was that they are both public figures, in different ways, of course, and having his image entirely changed by a favor might have become an issue for him.

Steven sat there with his drink, sipping and staring off, thinking about it for close to an hour before finishing up with what work he did have and heading home. The entire ride, his mind kept going back to Josie and the sound of her voice. He had always done whatever she needed him to. She was the only one there for him growing up. They had been through it all together. The chaotic family problems, the bad breakups in high school, and everything else. While their friendship was no longer as close as it once was, they still knew they could depend on each other in an emergency.

Steven had just laid down in bed when his phone went off with a text alert.

"Please don't forget," I asked. It was stupid.

Not stupid. I get why you asked me. I just got home. I'll be sure to call you tomorrow.

Night.

Goodnight, Josie.

Steven chuckled to himself before flipping the phone face down on the nightstand. He knew right away from the call she was at least drinking, but now he was sure she was drunk when she called. He needed to talk to her when she sobered up to be sure this was what she still wanted help with.

He couldn't sleep that night, well, that morning. He tossed and turned, picturing her in his mind and what she was doing on the other end of the phone. He imagined her movements, how she was drinking, what Josephine was wearing when she got home from wherever she had been. He still pictured that shine in her eyes. It was always there, pushing the darkness out of his own. He couldn't help himself. Everything about her had him wishing they were as close as they used to be. Maybe helping her out with the fake fiancé bit would get them there again. He eventually fell asleep with thoughts of Josie still racing through his mind.

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