Eliza was getting tired of people hurting Juliet. She wouldn’t stand for it.
“It’s fine. Really.”
“No, it’s not. I don’t know what happened, but you’ve got to learn to stand up for yourself. Don’t let them walk all over you.”
Juliet sniffled. “I know. So, enough about me and my drama. Tell me what’s going on with you.”
“No, I will tell you more when we get to Mackenzie. She’s already got our favorite table. I have so much to tell you about.”
****
“I’m not crazy, am I?” Preston asked his friends.
Adam and Natasha both looked at each other before turning their gaze toward him. They had been his friends since college. They met while going to some activist event about female rights, or something like that. He couldn’t remember for certain. All he did know was that they ended up at a bar, ranting and talking about putting the world to rights, and were somewhat inseparable since. Where he’d stayed a playboy, his friends had found themselves in love with one another, and he’d been best man at their wedding. The ceremony had been so amazing. Other than his parents, he’d never seen a couple so deeply in love.
He wasn’t jealous of them though.
Love came to those who wanted it.
The women he knew were only after money or a way of furthering their career, and right now, he was at the top of his game. He didn’t have any room in his life for distractions of any kind.
Not in the female form.
Not in any form.
He was happy with having women who were of an equal mind. They just wanted sex.
“You’re talking about asking your PA to play the role of your fake fiancée?” Natasha asked.
“No, of course, that’s not crazy. I mean, who would think asking anyone to be fake is crazy?”
“Both of you are mocking me,” he said.
His friends burst out laughing.
“I’m sorry, man,” Adam said. “But do you hear yourself?”
“I hear myself perfectly. You don’t know what it’s like,” he said.
“I’ve met Eliza,” Natasha said. “She’s not your usual kind of woman.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he asked.
“First of all, she works for you. She’s got a brain between her ears. She’s not a model, nor an actress.” Natasha held her fingers up. “Do you need me to keep going?”
“Come on, man, since when did this happen?” he asked. “She’s your PA. Do you think you’re going to make this work?”
He sipped at his water.
It was rare for Adam and Natasha to have any time for lunch, but they’d called him up out of the blue. He had no choice but to cancel the remainder of his meetings himself because he’d sent Eliza off for the day, and now he sat with the two people who made sense in his world.
“I need to have a date, otherwise, it will be an endless supply of women back at home, and believe me, I do not want to be home while they parade them in front of me. If I wanted to marry any of them, I wouldn’t have left.” He groaned. “My life sucks.”
Again, his friends laughed.
“And you think of employing your PA to do it?” Adam asked.
“Sweetheart, you do know how this goes, right?” Natasha said. “They make movies about this kind of thing. You and Eliza close together, playing the role of fiancés.”
He shook his head. “Not going to happen. I will not fall in love with Eliza. She’s … she’s a good PA, but she’s not my type.”
Natasha looked at Adam. “She is so your type, Preston.”
He frowned. “Are you kidding me right now? You just said yourself she isn’t my type.”
“Yeah, but then I started to think about it. She’s not your type because she’s totally your type.”
“How did you marry this woman?” he asked, looking at Adam.
Adam cupped Natasha’s cheek. “With ease, mate. I realized I didn’t want to be without her. She is my soulmate. My very reason for existing.”
“And I’m going to throw up,” he said.
Natasha laughed. “She’s blonde and beautiful. You and I both know Eliza is exactly what you want. She has the curves, and I’ve seen you smile a great deal when she’s around. She makes your life easier. You know it. It’s why women don’t make you feel like settling down, but Eliza is different. She’s the person that makes you think about getting married, falling in love, having kids, settling down, and turning into your parents.”
“I hate you guys, and I hate my sister. My life is perfectly organized, and it doesn’t need anyone else or anything else.”
Again, his friends just laughed.
They were still laughing as the maître d’ brought over their meal. It was such a good place to eat. He’d read the reviews on this place, and seeing as he was a carb lover himself, he pretty much ate here every single night.