The Billionaire's Proposal

Hoping they’ll butter you up for a little surprise I have for this evening.

Also hoping you’ll wear a certain dress...’

- Nick

“What dress is he talking about?” Stacy asked, her mouth full of chocolate.

I opened up the box and peeked inside, completely unsurprised at this point, to see that it was a compilation of all my favorites. The corners of my lips curled up into a secret smile as I reached down to extract a piece of caramel—popping it into my mouth.

“I don’t know,” I answered evasively.

She nodded and returned to her coffee, while I chewed on the caramel with a secret grin.

Truth be told, I happened to know exactly what dress Nick was talking about. It happened to be sitting in a Dior bag underneath my bed. The same bag I hadn’t touched since the day the two of us went shopping.

Before I discovered Ella and ruined the whole thing.

Before he dumped Ella and replaced her with me.

“So when exactly did this whole thing with you and Nick happen?” Stacy asked, waving the others away, as she looped my dark hair around a curling iron. “I’m assuming it’s some last-ditch publicity effort to replace that model from Oklahoma.”

The smile faded from my face as I nodded quickly.

“Yeah it’s...it’s just a convenience, you know?” I closed the lid of the truffles quickly and settled back in my chair. “He still needs a steady ‘relationship’ for the next three months.”

Stacy chuckled under her breath, snapping her fingers for a sparkling water.

“Talk about dedication to your job. I hope you’re getting paid overtime for this.”

There was nothing wrong with what she was saying. Knowing Nick, her wry sense of humor was perfectly justified. And yet, I couldn’t help but chafe against the words.

“It’s no big deal,” I said defensively, trying to keep my voice light as a woman popped up out of nowhere and began painting the nails on my other hand. “Nick and I have known each other for a long time. If he needs a favor—I’m more than willing to help.”

“Yeah—but you kissed him,” Stacy countered. “And it was a very Oscar-worthy performance.”

I paused a beat.

“What can I say? I’m a very good actress.”

“But you kissed your boss.”

“So? It’s just a crazy day’s work. Do you know how many stunts I’ve had to put up with? It’s the price of working for Nick.”

She snorted, wrapping another lock of hair around the iron. “So...you of all people should know how many places that mouth has been.”

The defensiveness fell away, and it was my turn to laugh.

“Oh—coming from you!” I shook my head, earning a slap on the wrist from the manicurist trying to get me to hold still. “The woman who slept with half Greenwich Village.”

She chuckled as well.

“But it’s not the same thing. It’s not about how many people he’s slept with—it’s about the fundamental way he approaches relationships.” She caught my eye in the mirror, studying me appraisingly. “Nick doesn’t date with any intention of a future. The man lives in the moment. In the seven years that I’ve known him, I’ve yet to see him take anyone or anything seriously. His last name sums him up perfectly...HUNTER. He’s a hunter.”

My mouth opened, but for one of the first times, I could think of nothing to say.

She was right. Absolutely right. Nick was a notorious bachelor. He had an international reputation for goodness sake. It didn’t matter whether he’d signed the chocolate card himself, it would be a cold day in hell before Nick Hunter found someone who could hold onto him.

“Good thing it’s just a fake relationship, then,” I said.