She was going to rent a man with her business savings. Suze Orman would be so pissed off at her. “But she might be a little proud of me for negotiating a semi-bartering deal and saving some money. After all, this is an emergency,” she muttered on her way home.
Over the next two days, she readied for Lake Placid. She passed on the details to her ‘new boyfriend.’ Cole planned to pick her up and then they’d drive up together. Since Cole had appointments in the city and documents to gather for her, they didn’t meet again. Instead, they agreed to discuss their performance during travel time.
The morning Elle waited for Cole to pick her up, she finished unplugging appliances and securing her place when she heard a loud rumbling, rattling her brownstone windows. The noise wouldn’t have been so bad if it was late morning or early afternoon, but it was seven-thirty in the morning on a Sunday, and the roar of an engine echoed through the sleeping streets of her neighborhood. Before she peeped through the window, she knew it was Cole.
She had offered to rent a car, but Cole insisted on driving his vehicle. Little did she know it was noisier than a freight truck revving at high speed. She peered down the street as a white Dodge Challenger muscled into view. The exhaust either had to be custom or his car had muffler problems.
Elle opened the door before he even exited the car.
Cole climbed the front steps with pep. “Good morning.”
He dared to kiss her and Elle jerked back, not because he moved to kiss her but because he was the finest specimen of man she had ever seen. He was dressed in a thick cream turtleneck sweater, dark blue jeans, and brown boots. The frigid air carried enough of his narcotizing scent to stun her.
“Y-your car is so loud.”
“Good morning to you too, Cole—mwah.” His lips puckered against the air.
“Sorry. Good morning. It’s just…your car woke up half the neighborhood.” That and I almost ripped your clothes off.
“They’ll live. Plus, you’ll like it.” He raised his eyebrows a few times.
She pulled on her coat. “You know there is snow where we’re going, right?”
“I have snow tires.” He grabbed her luggage and a few bags of presents. “Is this everything?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Cole’s mood bordered between pretty chipper and hyper. Was he always like this so early in the morning? When she got in the car, she saw two to-go cups in the holder.
“Coffee?”
“Double espresso,” he corrected.
“That explains it.”
“I got you what you had at the coffee shop. I hope it’s okay.”
She picked up the cup and hovered it over the center console. “You remembered?”
He shrugged. “That’s what fake boyfriends are for.”
She again thanked him as they rolled onto the road.
Cole navigated the less busy city streets. “Mind if we take the scenic route? It’ll give us more time to rehearse.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Though she had invited him, he had taken charge of getting there. She still wasn’t sure about his vehicle but had other concerns on her mind, like getting to know her new fake boyfriend.
Several hours later, Elle’s head whirled. She had been tanked on coffee and flat-lined. She and Cole had stopped at a rest stop to stretch their legs and take a potty break. Since they left the house, they loaded up on data about one another. Most of which was basic facts chronicling how they got to the present, but lacking depth.
Cole pulled into the parking lot of an inn about two hours out from their destination. He turned off the ignition, got out of the car, and stretched. “Hungry, sweetness?”
“Starving.” Elle followed his lead and reached down to touch her toes after exiting the vehicle.
The inn had a cozy, rustic restaurant. Upon entering, holiday wreaths and twinkly lights decorated the space, and the smell of savory grilled food filled the dining area. Her stomach growled in approval. They were seated and handed wiped down plastic covered menus.
Elle settled for a quiche and salad combo, while Cole ordered a burger, fries, and a side salad.
“Is this what you like for breakfast?” Cole asked after handing over the menus to the waitress.
“No, I sometimes will make a smoothie-to-go during the week.” Elle thought about her busy workweek. “But on the weekend I like to make more elaborate meals like a frittata, pancakes, muffins…. You?”
“I normally make a protein shake after I work out in the morning and then have poached eggs with toast or a goat cheese and spinach omelet. I get more creative at lunch or dinner, but to stay in shape, I keep it pretty much the same.”
Elle made a mental note about his food preferences but wasn’t sure this one would stick until she replenished her body with some food. Her mind struggled with pushing away the thought of Cole working out, sweaty, and half naked.
“I know you have a Trinidadian background, but do you also cook that type of food?”
“Sometimes, but so many people in my family make it better than me. Put it this way, when it comes to cooking Caribbean food, I’m not your last resort, but definitely not your first. I’m a better baker, I think.”
“Fair enough.”
“Do you cook?”
“I’m pretty good in the kitchen. I took a class with one of my clients. Learned a few knife skills and some foundational recipes that can take a dish from okay to wow.”
Her shoulders seized at the mention of his client. It sounded like they were dating, but wouldn’t what they were doing now fall into the same category? She willed herself to neutralize the bit of jealousy grating on her nerves and toyed with the timepiece dangling from her neck.
“Let me see if I remember.” Elle recalled the facts he told her in the car. “Your mom is white, Irish and your dad is black from the Dutch side of St. Thomas and they met in New York where they lived and had you. Then they moved the family across the globe for different missions, settled in England for a bit where you went to high school. Then you went to college here in the states?”
“Good memory.”
“I’m not horrible with details it’s just that we have so much to remember and little time. It’s worse than any kind of speed dating, ever.” Elle rubbed her forehead.
“You’re doing great. So,” Cole continued. “The whole way up, you told me who is who in your family and some basic facts. Now, I need to really get to know you. Tell me something very few people know about you.”
“I like to tinker with watches.” Her eyes followed her food as the waitress set it down. Elle gave thanks.
“That’s one I haven’t heard before. Sounds complex.”
“It kind of is because it requires precision and if you mess up one thing it will ruin the others. Everything’s interrelated.”
“How’d you get into that?”
“When I was younger, my Grand-dad showed me. He was a horologist. I’ve recently finished one I built from scratch. About three years in the making.”
“Did you make it for yourself?”
“No.”
“A gift?”
“Sort of.” She ate a few bites of food and felt better. She didn't want to share the details about the watch with Cole because the watch was for someone who wasn’t in her life. “How about you? What do few people know about you?”
“I’m kind of a nerd about astronomy. I like to camp and stargaze,” he delivered through discreet chews.
“Really? That’s pretty Zen. I expected cigar collecting or rock climbing or something similar.”
“Your judgment and preconceived notions work to my advantage. I’ll always surprise you with the contradiction. However, to your credit, I do that stuff, too. I’m actually excited to snowboard at the lake.” Elle had noticed the snowboards attached to the top of his car when he arrived.
“Hello? Not so preconceived if you actually do those activities, Cole,” she chided him. “You any good? At snowboarding?”
“I’m decent.”
Elle doubted that Cole was just decent at anything. “So what would your mom say is your best feature?”
“My butt,” he replied without hesitation.
Elle almost choked, and then laughed when she recovered. She would agree. Between his firm ass and his lips she didn’t know which one she wished to experience first. She had left sex off the table but they never agreed that it wasn’t a possibility between two consenting adults.
“You?” Cole interrupted the racy path her thoughts were taking.
“My eyes. From afar they’re black but when you get closer they give off this gray ring. I have no idea where I inherited it from but it’s the strangest thing. Other than that my mom would tell you I have skin as smooth as butter.”
“Your mom knows what she’s talking about.” He studied her face and figure.
Elle’s next exhale was so heavy it felt like a twenty-pound kettle bell was on her chest. She didn’t respond and when the bill came, she closed out the check and they left.
They stepped back into the frosty winter air of upstate New York.
“Let’s take a quick walk through town.” Cole clasped her gloved hand and she jerked it away.
Cole stopped moving.
Elle braved to speak but the fresh taste of the cold air froze her tongue.
“That’s the second time you’ve done that today,” he noted.
That he was keeping score hit a nerve. “It’s a reflex.”
“To what? Me? Touch?”
“I don’t know.”
She lowered her eyes and bit her lip because she did know. Every time he touched her or attempted to, she lost herself in his magnetism. She was scared as fuck that it would spiral out of control. Simply put, she didn’t trust herself with him.
“Take my hand and walk with me.” Cole held out his hand, beckoning her to him.
Elle hesitated but then intertwined her red and white cotton covered hand with his black padded one and managed a smile.
“See, that’s not so bad.”
“I guess not.”
They strolled through the town, passing a few gift shops with holiday inspired windows. Townsfolk shopped with their families or strolled with a lazy Sunday feel, and tourists snapped photos of the picturesque landscape.
“Let’s see if we can graduate, a bit.” He let go of her hand, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and placed her arm around his waist.
Her shoulders crept up to her ears.
“Relax, Elle. It’s just my arm.” His amusement rumbled in his chest.
She eased her shoulders down and held him a little tighter. Holding him felt as natural as their conversations and she had to remind herself that it would be convincing to her family to not pull away.
As people passed them, she couldn’t make eye contact. Blatant head shifts marked her obvious avoidance.
“Look up with confidence in our relationship. If not, it’ll look like we’re having an affair or I’m beating you, and I’ve never participated in either.”
She laughed nervously at his tutorial and did what he instructed. “This is harder than I thought it would be.”
“It just takes time,” he encouraged.
“Time we don’t have. We’ll be with my family in a few hours.” The muscles in her neck seized up again.
“Actually, we’re staying at the inn tonight. I made the arrangements yesterday.”
“Sorry?” Did he just tell her they were spending the night here? Together? Baffled, she tripped over her feet. Cole steadied her by angling her to stand before him and capturing her other hand.
“We’re close enough. If we leave early tomorrow morning, we’ll make it to the house for breakfast.”
“B-but, but why are we staying here for the night?”
“We need to learn about each other, share another meal, sleep in the same bed. I need to know your routine, how you behave when you do them and you need to learn the same about me. We won’t learn everything, but we can at least not be awkward.”
Nerves gripped her lower belly. A night with Cole? “But we were doing a good job in the car, weren’t we?”
“Yes, but most of what you told me was about your family. I can probably pass a test on who’s who, but you and I need work.”
She didn’t deny that she jumped every time he showed her any pretend affection and her face no doubt broadcasted her uneasiness.
“Are you cool with that?”
She wasn’t sure, but part of their deal was she could ask questions to clarify his suggestions, but was required to follow his instructions. “I’ll have to let my family know. They’re expecting us in a few hours.”
“Tell them.” Cole lids squinted and he paused. “Tell them I surprised you with a romantic evening and we’ll meet them for brunch in the morning.”
Damn he was good. “O-kay.” She was wary about their stay, but she trusted his experience and stuck with the plan.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this, Elle?”
Her lungs filled so much she thought they’d bust. “Yes. I’m okay with it.”
They returned to the inn and checked into their room. Elle could feel Cole studying everything she did from organizing her toiletries to folding her clothes. She labored to complete her tasks, because watching him was like art in motion. He was truly a beautiful man and she sweated over sharing the room and a bed with him.
She searched for her sleepwear when she spied, out of the corner of her eye, Cole removing his clothes. Toned arms lifted his shirt and his strong torso angled, emphasizing his muscular abdomen. She could tell he worked out by the athletic thighs and chiseled calves. She drank him in and her breathing increased. Perhaps he was changing into something more comfortable, but when he shucked his underwear she gasped and turned away.
A moment later she felt his hand at the base of her spine and she leapt a foot forward.
“Elle.” His voice was low and husky. “Turn around.”
“You’re naked.”
“That’s the point.” He spun her to face him, her resistance weak. He tapped her chin. “Look at me.”
She tried to do as he commanded, but his body called for appraisal.
He stepped back to give her a better view of him and even rotated so she could see the round tightness of his rear. When he faced her again, she zeroed in on his swinging cock, heavy between his legs. The slightly curled hair surrounding his member was short, like it had once been cut or shaved.
She licked her lips as if tasting him from afar.
“When your cousins ask you about sex with me, which they will, you should blush and bite your lip just like you’re doing now. Not because they asked you the question, but because you know my size and have experienced its pleasure.”
She understood. This was another tutorial. “Got it.” Her mouth was dry from arousal.
He leaned against the nearest wall. “Your turn.”
“What?” With shallow breaths her alarm resonated as no more than a whisper.
“When I stare at you from across the room, my expression should reveal that I am very familiar with every naked inch of your body—what material your lingerie is made of. How do you take your bra off? Straps first or unhook the clasp from behind? These subtle subconscious actions are not in our control and are based on our experiences.”
“The experience of me in my birthday suit in front of you?”
“Yes. Just like I am.”
She stared at his unrobed brilliance. If he had the balls to go commando, she did too.
“All for the cause, I guess,” she muttered as she undressed.
She slid her jeans and wool socks off before pulling her cowl neck sweater over her head. The matching red satin bra and panties were all that was left. Elle stole a glance at Cole who recorded every bend, shrug, and lift she made when removing her clothes.
“That’s nice.” His soft compliment had her chest rising and falling with speed.
She stripped out of her bra by tending to the straps and twisting it around enough to unhook the clasp. Her breast hung heavy. The room was cool, and her nipples tightened at the lack of barrier. The heat in her rose as she wiggled out of her panties and the last of her protection was gone. She placed her intimates on a chair with the rest of her clothes.
Cole approached, stopping only inches before her. “If I’m going to pretend to be your boyfriend of a few months, you can’t act like you don’t know me or that you dislike me.”
“I don’t dislike you.” Her eager response confused her and she pursed her lips together. She didn’t dislike him, just everything about his gigolo lifestyle and the lies she’d tell her parents. She knew she was a hypocrite, but she couldn’t help it.
Cole held her shoulders and rubbed them with his thumbs. “That’s good to hear because the quickest way to resolve that problem is to fuck.”