Fake Summer Wife

Holding her snugly in my arms with my hand over her mouth, she stiffened for a moment, then relaxed against me.

If she truly wanted to leave, I’d release her in a heartbeat and take her home, of course. The turmoil in her eyes said that she was confused and unsure, but she wasn’t afraid in the slightest.

“When the building is finished, this floor is actually going to be a restaurant on the other side, and a lounge on this side,” I murmured into her ear. “Where we’re sitting right now is going to be the dance floor area of a cocktail lounge.”

“Hmm,” she muttered with a nod.

“So I thought that having cocktails and ice cream here while lounging was a good idea.”

Claudia’s head swiveled as she looked up at me, then nodded. I released her mouth, turning her so that she snuggled into my shoulder.

“Just listen, baby,” I said, stroking her back. “I don’t know what you’ve heard about your father’s Mayoral campaign, but the only people who are backing him are basically lowlifes. All of the people with actual power are putting their support behind Mayor Bennett to run another term. There’s no way in hell that your Dad is going to win. From some of the rumors swirling around, he might even be forced to drop out of the race.”

“Really?” she asked eagerly.

I placed a finger over her lips. “Silence, prisoner.”

“Oops, right. Sorry.”

“You have no idea how good you’ve already been for my business, Claudia. I have work lined up that is going to keep me busy for the next three months. I have requests for proposals that are going to fill the company’s dance card until the middle of next year.”

Claudia’s beautiful blue eyes were wide as she mouthed the word, “Wow.”

“The Oxfords are dying to have us come to their party, where there’s going to be three directors of a wealth management company I’ve been dying to talk to. Instead of a formal meeting in a cold boardroom, which I hate, you and I can get to know them over burgers and beer.” I paused. “Okay, with those people it’s likely to be ultra rare whiskey and some kind of exotic bacon-wrapped fillet mignon. Whatever. The thing is, all of the wives adored you and want you in their social circle.”

“Really?” Claudia’s fingers fluttered to her throat, reminding me that her hand was bare. Strange how that nearly made my stomach turn over.

“I’m going to have to hire another assistant just to keep track of everything,” I continued. “But I will cancel every event if that’s what would make you happy. I just want you, Claudia. I need you in my life. I would sell the family business in a heartbeat if it meant that I could keep you.”

“I would never ask you to do that,” she whispered.

“I know, baby. I just need you to understand that you are the most important thing in my life. The fact that you happen to be incredible for business is simply a strange, wonderful fringe benefit. Even if you wanted to be with me without any of the corporate events, that would also be fine. Please, just tell me you’re not going to give up on us.”

My lips brushed against the top of her hair, then I tilted her back to stare into her eyes.

Her bottom lip quivered. “You’re not worried that Dad’s reputation is going to rub off on us?”

“Not at all. I’ve checked into it, and nobody is taking him seriously. They found out he has a criminal past. He ran several companies into the ground. The news of this is just starting to get around now. His entire reputation is destroyed, or about to be, and nobody knows that you’re related to him.”

“Jessica does,” she said in a tiny voice.

“Jessica took a wild guess,” I said, trying to chuckle to lighten the mood. “And what do you think her reputation is like? She dresses like a deranged prom queen, talks too loudly while openly insulting people, and basically burns bridges everywhere she goes. Trust me – not a single corporate wife would ever invite her anywhere. I seriously doubt we’ll ever run into her again.”

I brushed my lips against Claudia’s forehead. “I want to thank you again for making sure she stopped calling. Jessica will finally stop annoying me. I really appreciate that.”

“So if she does say anything, they won’t believe her?”

“Absolutely not. And there is no online connection anywhere between you and your father.”

“You checked up on me,” she smiled.

“Yes, I did. Just to prove to you that everything is absolutely fine.”

Claudia’s eyes shone up at me. “Thank you.”

“We sort of did things out of order by playing husband and wife without really dating,” I said slowly. “But there’s no reason why we can’t go back to the beginning. Let’s just date. Hang out.” I gestured around the echoing bare-bones space we were sitting in. “Let’s lounge a bit more.”

“Except at parties where we have to pretend to be married.” Her fingers began to fiddle with the edge of my shirt.