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WORK WITHOUT DANE WASN’T the same. Allyson glanced at the clock on the wall. Only a few minutes left before her day would be over. She hadn’t seen Dane since he dropped her off at her place on Saturday and, despite their differences, she missed him terribly.
They hadn’t been able to spend any time together on Sunday because he was so busy choosing a good nurse for his father, and she had spent the afternoon at brunch catching up with old college friends. It was probably for the best. If they spent every waking moment together they’d never live their own lives. Besides, he had called on Saturday and Sunday night which he usually did. He called her every night, and that little ritual always warmed her heart no matter how on edge she was feeling.
Still, she missed him. Working overtime to help get Nicholas Handel comfortable with his new job took up all her time, but it wasn’t the same without Dane.
Finally, the clock struck seven and she grabbed her bag on the way to the restroom. She got into a stall, ready to get changed into the black dress she’d packed. She hoped it made her look sexy. The saleslady had said it did. Tonight was the first night they’d be going on a date in public. No more hiding. No more faking. Dane was going to be taking her out to show her off.
Her stomach did little flips at the thought of being on his arm for all the world to see. Maybe if people saw how happy they were together, high society would finally accept them. And then maybe his mother would accept them, too. More than anything, she wanted Liliana to be on their side. Otherwise Dane might be hot- headed enough to cut her off—and Allyson refused to be the reason Dane’s family was torn apart.
As she slipped out of her work clothes, she heard the restroom door open and the clicking of heels on the floor.
“Can you believe the nerve of her? To walk around here like she’s done nothing wrong?” Allyson recognized the voice. It was Francesca, one of the new administrative interns working at Prescott Global. Francesca’s family might have lost a great deal of its fortune but she was still from an old Massachusetts family, which was why she’d been able to pull a few strings with Dane’s mother to get her internship.
“That Allyson Smith is a cheap tart,” purred Katherine Handel, her accent unmistakable. “You know I told her that to her face last week?”
Allyson nearly jumped at the sound of her name. She bit her lip, hoping that the two catty women wouldn’t realize she was eavesdropping in the stall.
“Did you?” Francesca asked, sounding scandalized. “Good. Someone needs to tell her the truth. Her relationship with poor Dane is so fake. I know the rumors that they’re dating for real now, but come on.”
“It’s true,” Katherine said. “She admitted it to me last week after I practically forced it out of her. The gold-digging tart is sleeping with him.”
“Honestly, what do people expect when they hire these middle-class?” Fran said snootily. “That girl’s probably never been on a date before Dane.”
“Darling, you can’t expect our kind to be the help,” Katherine said. “You’re doing the lowly admin work for now to get your foot in the door, but remember that girls with breeding have to stick together. Don’t get caught trying to befriend the likes of Miss Smith.”
Allyson felt her entire body shake with fury. The nerve! She knew that Katherine was a snob but the fact that Fran was, too, angered her. Allyson had been so welcoming to the new intern and this was how Fran talked about her behind her back?
“Oh, I won’t. My brother got cleaned out because of a gold-digging tramp, and I’ll be giving Allyson the cold shoulder inside and outside of work,” Fran said. “I’ll make sure she’s blacklisted and nobody in East Coast society will be caught dead inviting her to anything.”
Katherine laughed cruelly. “Can you imagine her at one of those soirees? She’d look like a fool. I saw her trying to dance at the gala a few weeks ago. She looked ridiculous. Everybody laughed behind her back.”
Tears stung the back of Allyson’s eyes. She had felt so beautiful in Dane’s arms. But to know that people had actually laughed made her heart hurt.
“Can you believe she tried to pull off a fake marriage?” Fran giggled. “Who would believe that Dane would end up with a girl like that?”
“Oh, she’s not clever enough to actually end up married to Dane,” Katherine said. “It’s all about wealth and power for her, so she’ll be off with the next rich man who catches her eye.”
“You know the staff absolutely hates her.”
“I know,” Katherine said. “The senior administrative staff gossip about her behind her back. They all say she got a good contract because she shagged the boss.”
“Eventually, Dane’ll figure it out,” Fran said. “He’d never stay serious about some common girl like her.”
“Absolutely not,” Katherine said. “It’s obvious he’s supposed to be with someone a little more...refined.”
“Someone a little more British?” Fran laughed.
“Naturally,” Katherine said. “Besides, if he doesn’t dump her, high society will force his hand. It works all the time. We almost always close ranks before these gold-diggers make it to the altar.”
“Too bad my brother was too much of a drunken wastrel to even notice all that when he got hitched to his gold-digger,” Fran said bitterly.
“We’ll protect Dane, don’t you worry,” Katherine said reassuringly. “As long as he dates that tart there’ll be no more business deals, no more favors, no more invitations to events. He’s not dealing with the likes of my weak, pathetic father. You East Coasters are cutthroat and ruthless. He’ll be frozen out, and you know Dane hates being stood up, too.”
“What powerful man doesn’t?” Fran asked.
“He’ll be through with her soon enough,” Katherine said. “And when he dumps her, she’ll be isolated. Nobody on the staff will want to be near her when they see that she has nobody with power to protect her.”
Their heels clicked on the bathroom floor as they exited, leaving a horrible silence in their wake.
A tear slid down Allyson’s face. Everything Fran and Katherine had said seemed to confirm Dane’s worst suspicions. Suspicions that their problems really were high society and the press. Worse, doubt started to overwhelm her. What if they were right? What if all the upper class completely rejected her? Deemed her unworthy? If they rejected her badly enough, Dane might be too embarrassed to be seen with her. She had felt like a princess at the gala, but if everyone else in Dane’s world thought she looked like a fool maybe he would see how unworthy she was.
More tears slid down her face. Somehow, she pushed her pain aside long enough to put on the little black dress and put on the gold heels that Dane had bought for her weeks ago. Then she walked out of the stall and went to the sink to splash water on her face.
She glimpsed herself in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, and her face was pale. Quickly, she reached for the makeup in her bag and somehow managed to use enough concealer and blush to make herself look presentable.
As soon as she stepped out of the bathroom, her cell phone vibrated. She grabbed her phone from her handbag and found that Dane had sent a message. He was already downstairs waiting, and wanted to know if he should come upstairs to pick her up. That probably wasn’t the best idea, considering that the staff seemed to hate her. Seeing them together might just make the staff even more upset so she texted back, asking him to sit tight and wait for her.
When she got to the executive end of the underground parking lot she found Dane leaning on his car, waiting for her. He was so tall and handsome it stole her breath away. His wavy blond hair was freshly cut, his black Italian suit perfectly tailored.
“Damn, you look gorgeous.” His blue eyes raked over her body, taking her in, making her tremble from just the heat of his gaze.
“So do you.” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed her lips to his.
He pulled her closer, his huge hands splayed across her back, burning her through the fabric of her dress. She nibbled on his lower lip, tasting him. He groaned. All the worried, anxious thoughts in her mind evaporated as he slipped his tongue into her mouth. The kiss was hungry, desperate. Exactly what she wanted. What she needed.
Right now, she didn’t want to think about how small Katherine and Fran had made her feel in the bathroom. She didn’t want to be reminded of what a spectacle she must have made of herself at the gala. She just wanted Dane’s reassuring arms around her. Wanted to feel held. To feel beautiful and desirable. The way he always made her feel. Even if he was crazy for feeling it and would probably come to his senses when he realized how unworthy she was, right now she needed his craziness to make her feel special again.
Allyson ended the kiss and pulled out of his arms. Without a moment’s hesitation, she headed over to the passenger door of his car and opened it.
Dane stared at her, curiosity burning in his eyes. “Why do you want to sit in the passenger’s seat?”
She reached for him, pulling him by his lapel until he was so close to her she could smell the delicious, masculine scent of his cologne. “Get in the car with me,” she said, hoping she sounded as sultry as he made her feel.
He arched his eyebrow and flashed her a knowing smile. “I think there are cameras down here.”
“The windows are tinted,” she breathed. “Nobody can see anything.”
She slid into the passenger seat of the car and Dane followed, shutting the door behind him.
He took her mouth with his, the bruising kiss like a brand on her lips. She angled her head to deepen the kiss. Her arms reached up under his black jacket to wrap around his torso. Even through his clothes she felt his strong, hard muscles underneath her fingertips. The secret place between her legs throbbed. This gorgeous, sexy man was hers. All hers. Maybe for forever if she found a way to get out of her own head. Found a way to stop doubting that they really could get to the altar despite everything.
His big hands reached up her thighs, past the hem of her short dress until he stopped at the flimsy fabric of her panties. That made the throbbing between her legs intensify. One touch from him and she was already wet and hot, desperate to have him. He pulled away, breaking the kiss so he could gaze into her eyes.
“May I?” he asked, his deep voice husky with unmistakable desire.
“Yes,” she gasped out. “Please.”
Raising her hips to help him along, she watched him tug at her panties and pull them off expertly. She licked her lips, craving him so intensely she could hardly think straight. Quickly she reached into her bag for a condom and tore the wrapper open with her teeth. She moved with a certain desperation, like this might be the last time.
“You know, I was thinking now that we’re getting married I could start taking birth control pills soon,” she said.
He was breathing heavily. Like he’d been holding his breath through all the excitement. “Right. We should get tested first. But, you know, someday we won’t need any birth control when we’re ready.”
“To start a family?” she asked, her voice thick with emotion.
“To add to our family,” he reminded her gently. “We’re already a family now.”
Tears pricked the back of her eyes. Happy tears that made her so emotional her heart warmed. Desire for him unlike anything she’d ever felt took hold. He reached down to unbutton and unbuckle his belt and Allyson quickly reached to pull his pants down.
The sight of his erection made her heart beat in anticipation. Made her face flush until it felt like her whole body was on fire. She sheathed him with the condom and he groaned at her touch.
“Are you ready for me?” she whispered in his ear.
“Yes,” he choked out.
She put her hand on his hard chest and positioned herself to straddle him, his erection against her thigh while he sat back in the leather seat. As she hiked up her dress she stared into his eyes. Saw the lust and desire flash in their blue depths.
Very slowly she lowered herself onto him, taking the thick, hard length of him into her wet heat. He groaned and gripped her waist. He was so big that he stretched her, filled her with so much pleasure that it made her cry out. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and clung to him so tightly her cheek was against his. The stubble on his jaw burned against her cheek, driving her into a frenzy.
Allyson started to ride him slowly at first. Bliss took hold. She moaned loudly. This was what she wanted. Every time she gave herself to him, whatever doubts and fears she had melted way. With Dane, her body always came alive with the pleasure he gave her.
The sound of his ragged breathing spurred her on. Made her rock into him faster and faster. As his grip on her waist tightened, she knew she was giving him the same pleasure he gave her. Her pace quickened until she was fast losing control. She slammed down on him again and again, the sensation of his rock-hard shaft sliding in and out of her unbearably exquisite.
Her body started convulsing and she clenched tightly around him. He let out a guttural groan and she knew that he had found his release. Pleasure gripped her, and she came right after him with a cry of his name.
They held on to each other for what felt like ages, their labored breathing the only sound in the car. Finally, she pulled away from him to retrieve her panties. As she pulled her panties on she heard Dane say the words that made her laugh: “We’re lucky my car is soundproof.”
* * *
THEY MANAGED TO CLEAN themselves up enough to look presentable, from inside the car. Then he drove them down to Chez Vous, the best restaurant in town. Dane had gone to college with the owner and he hoped that, combined with the ambiance of the place, would put Allyson at ease.
A hostess led them to their seats, and after pulling out Allyson’s chair he took his seat across from her.
“It’s really nice here,” she said, looking around. The restaurant was dimly lit, the red and dark-brown décor bathed in golden light. Everything was dark wood or red velvet, giving the place an elegant and vintage quality.
One or two patrons glanced their way, no doubt interested in who he was taking out for the evening. He recognized some of the diners as acquaintances of his parents, but he decided to focus on Allyson. This night was to put his fiancée at ease. To show her that, despite their differences, they could find a way.
“I’m glad you like it,” he said.
A waiter appeared to hand them their menus and, after quickly rattling off the specials, he disappeared.
She opened her menu, stared down for several moments, and then frowned.
“Something wrong?”
“I...this is a bit embarrassing.” She blushed.
He arched an eyebrow. After their little escapade in the back of his car less than twenty minutes ago, he really couldn’t imagine anything that could make Allyson blush. “What’s wrong?”
She closed the menu. “I don’t understand what any of this means.”
“I can help you—”
“No.” She sighed, and started toying with the diamond ring on her gold chain. The engagement ring. “That’s just it. You can’t. I’ve worked for you for years, yet I still don’t really fit in. I’m not some upper-class heiress. I never will be. I’m sorry, Dane, but I can’t do this.”
