Page 9 of Faking with the Bad Boy Billionaire

"Got it. Tiptoe around the boss. Who else?" He focused on his food, but Josephine knew he was paying full attention.

"Lana." Josephine took a moment to try and figure out how to discuss Lana with him. "Well, Lana is a lot like Mia was in high school. Just a full-grown woman version of her slapped inside the body of a model."

"There is another Mia out there in the wild?" He almost choked on his food when he asked. Josephine knew Steven and Mia did not get along, so that he would hold back a lot with Lana. He would still be kind and whatnot, but she knew this would not be easy for him.

"Sort of, but not really." Josephine took a drink of her wine and then another bite, trying to avoid all eye contact.

"Great." He looked up at the ceiling, and Josephine knew he was already regretting doing this.

"When you think of Hank, think," Josephine searched her mind for the name of the creepy football friend, "Preston. Easy on the eyes, fun to be around, pushes to date me too hard, and sometimes pushes the buttons to see what he can get away with."

"So, what you are telling me is that I came up here to do this, and there is built-in competition waiting for me?" Steven swallowed his wine in almost two large gulps.

"There is no competition; we are engaged, remember?" Josephine shot an eyebrow to the ceiling, waiting for a response.

"Oh! That reminds me." He stood up, disappeared into the room, and returned with a little black box. He took her hand and got down on one knee, making her insides tingle. "Josie, my best friend since childhood, my long-lost partner in crime, will you be my fake fiancé?" He smiled brilliantly at her, and she just about fainted at how surreal the sight of him on one knee in front of her was.

"Absolutely." It came out almost a whisper, and she watched him slide the ring into place. "This thing could take someone's eye out." She stared at it for what felt like hours, wrapped around her finger.

"That it could, so swing lightly if you have to." He was trying to make their circumstances comfortable for both of them. They were taking another step further into uncharted territory with one another.

"Yes, sir." She swore she saw his eyes darken slightly at that, but she brushed it off.

The rest of the night was filled with questions about what to expect at the agency dinner and the event. Most were basic once he knew who to watch out for. They tucked in and settled for the night, watching some reruns on TV. They kept catching each other staring and shifting multiple times before Steven called it a night.

The next day was filled with work for them both. She worked out of the office, and he worked out of her kitchen once he returned from another meeting. They gave each other space but were still on the same coffee schedule. They would praise one another for being so on top of things, but at around six, she sped into the room, yelling about being late for dinner.

"It is okay; get dressed, and it is fine if things are not perfect. We can say we were busy getting in some alone time before we went to dinner." He was trying to bring some comfort and ease to her. She was getting more and more nervous as things got closer.

"Right. Fun missed time activities, got it." Josephine pulled her little black dress with the deep V on it from its hanger and pulled it on, followed by her black do-me pumps, as Lana likes to call them; she whipped on her necklace and earrings, let her hair fall down, and stared at the ring on her finger. She walked into the hall and knocked on his door. He opened it up and let out a low whistle.

"Well, aren't I the luckiest fake fiancé in the world?" Josephine smiled at his praise and turned around, showing the undone zipper. She had never been excited by recognition from anyone else, but from Steven, it sounded right. It felt right.

"That you are; a little help would be appreciated." He helped zip her up the rest of the way before running his hands over her bare shoulders. She knew he could see the goosebumps that trailed after his touch. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, give me two minutes." She nodded and finished throwing on light makeup so they could run out the door.

When they arrived at the agency dinner, everyone was enthralled with Steven. She hung tight to his arm, not wanting to answer anything by herself, so there was no chance of slipping up. Lana and Hank both made introductions, but they were clearly a little more mischievous than friendly that night with all the questions they asked. Josephine was glad they had known each other so long that answering them was not a problem.

Back at the apartment, Josephine took off her shoes and padded barefoot to the kitchen.

"Well, that wasn't so bad. I am pretty sure your boss undressed me with her eyes a few times." He chuckled.

"Pretty sure we all did," Josephine said low enough so he couldn't hear her. If there was one thing she could not deny, he looked deliciously good. The next night would be the actual task. They couldn't make introductions and hide behind the meal to avoid deeper conversation. They must be more open to questions and act like an all-out couple. This meant she would have to ask him for a couple of moments of straight affection, which would be an exciting conversation for them both.

Chapter six

Steven

Thenextdaywentpretty similar to the one before, except they had paced themselves on work to prepare for the Rushmore Childhood Cancer Research Society Event. He studied up on who would be there throughout the day. He wanted to ensure his homework was done so there were no slip-ups that would make Josie look bad. With that in mind, he also considered how she looked at the agency dinner the night before. He almost did not let her leave the house. The idea of keeping her there with him was tempting, but he knew she would never go for it. At least, he thought she wouldn't.

"Hey, so we should talk about something." Her voice pulled him straight out of his thoughts of her the night before and placed them on her at that moment.

"Shoot."

"We will need to be a little more affectionate tonight. We really have to sell this." Steven felt his throat go a little dry, and he watched her stumble through the conversation. "Me just hanging onto your arm and us doing gentle hand-holding is not going to sell this."

"So what are you proposing for sales?"

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