I gulped, my eyes fluttering to his face, and then back down to his crotch. I couldn’t stop staring for the life of me. How big was it? As long as my arm, from wrist to elbow? How would it feel inside? And shamefully, my mouth watered then, cunt beginning to drip.
But I made myself reply.
“Um, how can I help you?” was my tiny squeak. “What can I do?”
Those blue eyes gleamed.
“Well, I have is a unique problem you see. Something that might be up your alley.”
My face flushed. Did he mean sucking his woodie? Squeezing him tight in this back office until he erupted, my hand was covered with hot male jism?
No.
Couldn’t be.
We just met.
We hadn’t even really met met, he was just a customer in the store.
So I took a deep breath.
“What’s that?” I asked in a voice that trembled.
What could he possibly want?
The man grinned wolfishly then.
“I need a fake fiancée.”
There was no way I heard him right.
“What? I’m sorry?”
He said it again but it didn’t make any more sense the second time.
“I think you’d be perfect for that role.”
Shocked, I stared at him with my mouth open. It was the craziest idea ever.
“You don’t even know me!” I managed in a feeble voice.
“I don’t need to know you,” he drawled, eyes assessing my curvy figure. “I saw what how you handled Bowzer. You have the exact qualities I need for this project.”
I gaped at him. No way were my dog whispering skills relevant to a fake fiancée role.
“No, I don’t think so,” my words came, head shaking slowly. “That doesn’t sound right. Maybe you just need some rest. The dog must be wearing you out.”
This time Mr. Lincoln laughed, tipping his head back and flashing that bright white smile.
“God damn, you’re cute.” He chuckled again the sound rolled over my body, making me shiver. Why oh why did the sexy ones have to be crazy? Because this was a lunatic proposition for sure.
But then Evan upped the ante.
“I’ll pay you ten thousand dollars to pose as my fiancée for a month,” he growled, blue eyes harsh.
My mouth dropped open. What? Ten thousand was inconceivable. It was more money than I’ve ever had. It was what I made in a year, working part time at DoggyMart.
“What?” I gasped. “What? What?”
I wish I could say something smarter than one word on repeat. But the offer was over-the-top insane and totally flabbergasting. This guy must be really crazy. And now I was trapped in the back office with him. Oh shit. How to get out of here? I needed to escape. Was there any way I could call out to Leah for help without him knowing? Was this kind of insanity violent? His eyes were nice though. Not kind, but safe. But I bet people thought the same way about serial killers before they chopped them up too. So I took a deep breath.
“Listen,” I said, hands up placating him. “We don’t know each other. You don’t know me. This can’t be right. There must be other women you can ask.”
But the alpha cut me off.
“Naw, that’s a no go,” he growled. “Like I said before, you have a way with aggressive animals and I’m guessing it’s the same with people. My father is the human form of Bowzer, a scary SOB that’ll bite before asking any questions. Just like you did with Bowzer, I think you’ll have a way with him too.”
I was completely taken aback.
“Even if I did agree, your father is a man, not a dog!” came my protest. “I can’t do it. No way.”
Evan’s smirk came back full force then. Because he knew exactly which buttons to press. Reaching inside his jacket pocket, the billionaire pulled out a checkbook and pen before scribbling something and ripping it out with a flourish.
“Here,” came his grunt. “Does this change your mind?”
My eyes went round, dollar signs cha-chinging before my gaze. Because it said ten thousand dollars, the four zeroes like round o’s staring at my face.
“Tell me your real name, Maggie, and I’ll fill it in nice and legal. Or you can do it yourself,” he rumbled persuasively.
And shamefully, my tongue answered.
“It’s Margaret Lake,” was my breathless whisper.
In a flash, the alpha scribbled.
“Here,” he grunted. “Ten g’s delivered to Margaret Lake. Does that help?”
Again, I was speechless. This was a lot of money. So much more than I’d ever seen before. I could do a lot with it. Pay my tuition at the college for the next couple of semesters, pay rent. Wow. Maybe I could even take more classes at the college and get my degree faster. I blinked at him in shock and stood there stiff and lifeless.
The billionaire’s brow quirked.
“Do we have a deal?”
My fingers tightened around the check and didn’t want to let go. The cash could change everything. God, I didn’t think I could say no. So I didn’t. I bit my lip. And before I knew it, the answer was out.