Page 7 of Faking It with my Bestie's Billionaire Brother

"She's got stakes in the company, so she deserves to know."

Sure, that’s the reason you did it, I thought cynically. We both knew that I wouldn't be quite as likely to shut him completely down if Penny got in my ear. As much as I loved the man, he played dirty. Sometimes, I wanted to punch him in the face for it. But at the end of the day, he always had our best interest at heart, even if he was willing to do a few weaselly things in the process.

"Might I make a suggestion?" Ralph asked.

I laughed. "Like I could stop you, you old windbag," I groused. If anybody else heard the way Ralph and I talked to each other, they would think we were cold, callous men, but it was just the way we interacted.

"Perhaps when you go to talk to Ava, you show up with some flowers and a bottle of your finest."

I snorted out a laugh. "Yeah, that's just not the kind of woman Ava is. She smells a rat a mile off and would probably find the whole thing insulting."

"Well, then, it sounds like you already know her quite well."

"No, not that well at all, actually. Although, I guess I will be getting to know her soon enough," I said dryly, already concerned by the way the thought excited me.

Chapter five

Ava

"Don't forget, I want you all to start thinking about who you want to pair up with for your next project. Have your answer ready by the next class. Enjoy your weekend," I said to the herd of children, who were currently pushing papers into their backpacks and almost running out of the classroom, barely even remembering to call out their goodbyes in their rush to leave.

I'd managed to make it through the whole day and I was only distracted a few thousand times by my thoughts of Spencer from the night before. I really needed to get a hold of myself. If lusting after somebody like Spencer Ashbury wasn't a sign that I needed to get out more, I didn't know what was.

I was winding my way through the tables, pushing chairs in and making sure that the kids put all their tools away before they left when I heard somebody enter the classroom. "What did you forget?" I asked.

I whirled around when I heard a deep voice respond, "My sanity, apparently."

Spencer.

I felt my eyes widen and then immediately tried to calm myself. I didn't know what the hell he was doing here, but it was almost as if my images from the night before had summoned him here. Not that it could be possible; otherwise, I would've already met Tom Hardy by now.

"Mr. Ashbury? If you're looking for Penny, she's probably out front by the buses, making sure all the kids really get where they need to go."

He looked behind him, then stepped further into the room, closing the door behind him, and it made my inner alarm go up a notch.

"I'm not here to see Penny. I'm here to see you."

"Oh?" I hated how breathy it came out.

"Yes, I came to invite you for dinner. I have a proposal that I need to discuss with you."

I couldn't help but snort. "Seriously? What on Earth could you possibly have to propose to me?"

His fingers fidgeted with his cufflinks, taking me back to my vision of the night before and making wonder what those long fingers were capable of all over again.

I cleared my throat. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea," I said, turning away from him and busying myself with gathering up the remaining supplies.

"It wasn't really a request, Miss Moretti," he said sternly, and a strange combination of irritation, adrenaline, and lust waged a war inside of me.

I turned to him, my eyes narrowing on him. "I'm not so sure I like the way you put that, Mr. Ashbury." I emphasized his name and crossed my arms over my chest, still clutching the sculpting tools in my right fist. "Last time I checked, it is modern times, and a woman has some say in what she does and does not have to do. Dinner is outside the purview of my job, and I think you'll find that I do my job excellently, thank you very much, and—"

He put his hand up to silence me. "Yes, Miss Moretti, I hear nothing but good things about your job performance from my sister. It has nothing to do with that. It's of a more…personal nature."

I narrowed my eyes at him in confusion. He hastened to add, "Look, I can't get into it here, there's too many people around, but…it concerns Penny, and as much as I hate to admit it, I could really use your help."

"Penny? Is she okay? What is she not telling me?" I asked, my irritation giving way to concern.

He put up a placating hand to stop me from bombarding him with more questions. "She's fine, but there are some things that are happening which could put her in a bad position. Regardless of our feelings for one another, I think we can both agree that we don't ever want that to be the case with Penny."

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