Lauren wondered how long it would take Chase to contact her. After their interesting interaction and conversation at the charity event, they’d left things at an impasse. He’d told her to call his assistant, and she’d told Chase to call her.
And what the hell did he mean by we’ll come up with a mutually satisfactory way to resolve this situation, anyway? In her mind, there was only one way to settle things, and that was by him stepping up to be her fake boyfriend for a weekend trip home for her sister’s wedding. There was no other reason for her to have bid on him.
She got the distinct impression that Chase was a man used to making demands and getting his way, and because of that she didn’t expect a call on Monday. She wasn’t even surprised when Tuesday went by without a word, either, which meant he was most likely waiting for Lauren to pick up the phone and ring his assistant so he wouldn’t have to talk to her.
It was now Wednesday afternoon, and as Lauren sat in her office at the Meridian and reviewed a vendor list for an upcoming wedding, she estimated she had a few more days that she could wait Chase out. She had every intention of forcing him to step up and follow through on the obligation he obviously had no desire to fulfill as a purchased bachelor—even though, for some reason, he’d agreed to step into Neil Pierson’s vacant spot, all for his half-sister, Billie.
From the little she’d gleaned about Chase in the short time she’d been in his presence, she’d learned the man was a paradox. Indulgent when it came to Billie, but a formidable, assertive opponent in other aspects of his life, like business. He clearly wasn’t used to anyone bucking his authority, but Lauren was equally strong-willed, and she refused to let Chase dictate how this “arrangement” would go.
The grumpy, cantankerous Chase Gossard was not Lauren’s first choice of a date. Not by a long shot, but since she’d been given a sourpuss lemon, she was going to do her damnedest to make sweetened lemonade out of Chase, and their situation. She’d always been a “look on the bright side of things” kind of girl, and this predicament was no different.
In fact, she was so confident that Chase would be accompanying her to her sister’s wedding, that when she spoke to her mother and Gramps on Monday to check in, she’d actually dropped his name to them. And after googling him and discovering he was a successful and wealthy corporate financial advisor, and partner at a prestigious investment firm in Manhattan, she’d mentioned that to them, as well, impressing the hell out of her family that she’d landed such a catch.
So, yeah, there was no way she was going to let Chase back out and leave her hanging out to dry, facing yet another humiliating rejection from a man, as far as her family would be concerned.
The ringing of her cellphone startled Lauren out of her thoughts. She glanced at the display, expecting a business call, and was surprised to see the name “Chase” on the display, which she’d typed into her cell, along with his office number.
Feeling a bit victorious that he’d broken first, she put the call on speaker and answered with a cheerful, chipper, “Hello.”
“Hi, is this Lauren?”
She frowned at the unfamiliar female voice on the line, just as Skye walked into her office. Lauren lifted a finger to let her friend know to wait a second while she replied to the caller on the phone. “Yes, this is her.”
“Oh, good!” the woman said in a friendly, enthusiastic tone. “I’m calling for Chase Gossard. I’m his personal assistant, Victoria.”
Irritation quickly replaced Lauren’s momentary glee. Across her desk, even Skye’s brows rose in surprise. “Could he not call me himself?” she asked, trying her best not to take her annoyance out on Victoria, who was just doing her job.
“Well, he really didn’t see any need for that, since I’ve taken care of all the arrangements for the weekend you purchased,” she said, clearly an assistant who was efficient in smoothing ruffled feathers.
Except Lauren was far from placated. “I’d like to speak to him directly about that, please.”
“Oh, no need,” Victoria insisted blithely. “I’ve booked a weekend for you and a person of your choice at Casa Cipriani in Lower Manhattan. You’ll enjoy a stay in the Verrazzano two-bedroom suite, along with the butler’s package, and a complete spa day. Fine dining is included for both nights, along with a Broadway show, and a twenty-thousand-dollar shopping spree at Oscar de la Renta on Madison Avenue.”
Holy shit. Lauren’s head spun as she listened to Victoria’s spiel, while Skye’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped open in shock at what the other woman was offering… a weekend of a lifetime that most women would be thrilled to have.
Being in the hospitality business, Lauren knew that Casa Cipriani was an exclusive members’ club and hotel, and their suites were an obscene amount of money per night, without butler service. Add in a spa day, fine dining, a Broadway show, and a twenty-thousand-dollar shopping spree, and the cost for the weekend was almost beyond Lauren’s comprehension.
Then again, for a wealthy businessman like Chase, it was nothing more than a piddly little write-off. A drop in the bucket. And if she accepted, he could wipe his conscience clean and consider his bachelor auction duties done and over with.
She wasn’t about to let him off so easily.
“I just need to know what dates work best for you and I’ll handle everything else,” Victoria said, when she was finally finished trying to wow Lauren with her long-winded sales pitch.
Very calmly, despite the urge to scream, Lauren asked once again, “Can I talk to Chase, please?”
“I’m very sorry, but he’s not available.”
Lauren ground her teeth and called bullshit. “Is he in the office?”
“Yes, but—”
“For the afternoon?” Lauren stood and retrieved her purse from the bottom drawer of her desk.
“Yes, but—”
Perfect. “I’ll be by to speak to him within the next hour.”
“I don’t think—”
Lauren disconnected the call, not caring at all what Victoria thought. This issue was between her and Chase, and clearly required a face-to-face conversation. If he thought he could buy her off, he was sadly mistaken. Out of pure principal alone, she was going to make him follow through on his end of the deal.
“Are you really going to his office?” Skye asked as Lauren pulled out the business card Chase had given her, which had his building’s address.
“Yep.” She opened the Uber app on her phone and ordered a ride, just as her cell rang again with Chase’s name on the display. She sent the call straight to voice mail, not in the mood to deal with platitudes over the phone.
Skye bit her lower lip as Lauren swept past her and out of her office. “Should I be worried?” her friend asked from behind her.
Lauren laughed, even though there was nothing funny about what was about to go down between her and Mr. Grumpy Pants. “No, but Chase Gossard should be.”
Because Lauren Connelly wasn’t anyone’s pushover, and she wasn’t about to start now.
* * *
Chase was in the conference room reviewing a client’s investment portfolio with one of the firm’s junior financial advisors, when he heard raised voices coming from his personal assistant’s desk. Frowning, he paused mid-sentence, and the silence between himself and Gary gave him the chance to overhear the conversation happening just down the hall.
“I’m really sorry that you made a trip here,” Victoria said, sounding flustered, when she was normally so composed. “But I already told you on the phone that Mr. Gossard is not available. He’s in a meeting for the afternoon and asked not to be interrupted.”
That was true. While reviewing the portfolio with Gary, and discussing stock options and other investments for their multibillionaire client, Chase had told Victoria to put all his calls on hold for the afternoon. The last thing he’d wanted was constant distractions diverting his attention.
“That’s fine,” a familiar female voice replied, and there was no mistaking the determination in her tone. “I have nowhere else I need to be for the rest of the afternoon, so I’ll just sit right here in this reception area and wait until he is available, because I’m not leaving until I’ve spoken to him personally.”
Yep, there was only one woman in his recent memory who’d shown such tenacity when it came to dealing with him. Lauren Connelly. Except he had no idea why she’d shown up at his office, when he’d instructed Victoria to call Lauren with what he felt was a very generous offer, in lieu of any weekend with him.
A minute later, his personal assistant walked into the conference room, her face flushed. “I know you said not to bother you, but Lauren Connelly is here,” she said, keeping her voice low.
“I heard,” he said wryly. “Why is she here? Didn’t you get in touch with her earlier about compensating her for the bachelor auction?”
She nodded, wringing her hands together. “Yes, but she wasn’t very happy about the offer, and now she’s insisting on speaking with you personally. She’s adamant that she’ll wait for however long that takes.”
If it had been anyone else who’d been that forward and making demands, he would have been annoyed, but it didn’t escape his notice that he was more curious, than irritated, when it came to Lauren.
He glanced at Gary, a young up-and-coming advisor in their firm, who had a few financial tabs open on his computer. “Let me handle this issue, and then we’ll finish our discussion,” Chase said, standing. “In the meantime, come up with some viable stock options for our client, and we’ll analyze those opportunities when I get back.”
“Will do,” Gary replied, and began tapping away on the laptop’s keyboard.
Chase followed Victoria to the reception area, and as soon as Lauren saw him, she popped up from where she’d been sitting on one of the couches. Her chin lifted stubbornly, and her back straightened, as if she was squaring off to do battle. With him, apparently.
“I know you’re a busy man, but I’m here to tell you that I’m not accepting your bribe.”
Her word choice made him blink in surprise. “My bribe?”
“Isn’t that what that big, fancy weekend package was all about?” she asked, bristling as she strode toward him, then stopped a few inches away. “A bribe so you wouldn’t have to spend a weekend with me?”
She clearly wasn’t happy with the arrangements he’d told Victoria to make, and whatever Lauren’s reasons, he’d rather not have an audience while they discussed them. “Why don’t we finish this conversation in my office, where it’s more private?” he suggested.
“I think that’s a good idea,” she agreed with a decisive nod.
Trying to be a gentleman, he touched his hand to her lower back to guide her down the hall to his office. The silky fabric of her blouse was cool against his fingertips, which quickly gave way to the warmth of her skin beneath. He could have sworn he heard her suck in a breath as he increased the pressure of his palm and ushered her into the room. And that reaction gave him a great sense of satisfaction because he found he liked shaking up this woman’s composure and throwing her off-kilter.
As soon as they were inside, she bolted away, severing the connection between them. But when she turned around to face him, her cheeks were a pretty shade of pink and her eyes reflected that same attraction they’d shared the night of the charity event.
He moved to the front of his desk and instead of sitting behind it, he leaned his backside against the edge, affecting a casual air. “Have a seat, please,” he said, waving his hand toward the two chairs a few feet away.
“I’d rather stand, thank you,” she replied, moving closer, refusing to give him a superior position.
He tipped his head at her. “So, was the weekend package not to your liking?” he asked, because that was the only reason he could think of why she was there. “I would have thought the shopping spree at Oscar de la Renta would have clinched the deal, but I’m more than willing to negotiate the terms.”
In his experience, most women could be very happily incentivized by the things his money could buy. Chase honestly thought it was a generous offer, and far more pleasant than an unromantic weekend spent with him. Though she was a beautiful woman, he didn’t do relationships, so he didn’t think there was any reason to go on a date with her at all. Despite the fact that her willingness to stand up to him intrigued him. Not to mention, now he was curious about the kind of woman who turned down the extravagant weekend he’d offered.
Her chin lifted a fraction, and irritation flashed in her eyes. “This isn’t a business transaction, and you don’t get a free pass by trying to buy me off,” she said, shocking him by jabbing him in his chest with her index finger to make her point. “I don’t need a fancy, ridiculously expensive dress, or an extravagant spa day, or a stay at an exclusive, hoity-toity hotel. I need a goddamn date to my sister’s wedding and—”
The frustration in her voice rose as she spoke, and he grabbed her wrist, cutting off her tirade before she could poke him in the chest again. He should have let go immediately, but couldn’t resist caressing his thumb over that pulse point at the base of her palm, which had the interesting result of momentarily distracting her. Her lips were parted mid-sentence, and he took advantage of the interruption to speak before she did again.
“Well, that’s unfortunate, because I hate weddings, and I’m not boyfriend material,” he said, and finally released her hand.
He was surprised to see the fire in her eyes flicker with the barest hint of something more vulnerable. “You owe me a weekend. You, Chase. I won you, fair and square.”
Stalemate, he thought, as he stared back at her, both of them refusing to back down.
Her gaze narrowed ever so slightly, and what appeared to be a sly smile curved her kissable lips. “Of course… I could mention to Billie that you tried to buy me off?” she asked in a challenging tone.
He groaned, because this woman had somehow managed to find his one weakness. Pleasing his half-sister. As far as Billie was concerned, Chase was slated to go on a weekend getaway with his winner sometime in the future, and he’d been fine to let her believe that ruse.
“Why is this so important to you?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “That you want me, a complete stranger, to accompany you to your sister’s wedding?”
She glanced away and exhaled a deep breath, shedding more of that earlier bravado. When she met his gaze again, she drew him in with her now open and earnest expression. “Because my sister is marrying my ex, and I don’t want to show up alone and endure looks of pity from the guests,” she revealed.
Shock rippled through him. That was the last reason he would have expected, and he could see how much that confession had cost her by the pained look in her eyes. Despite wanting to remain unaffected, he found he wasn’t immune to this vulnerable side she’d given him a glimpse of, because it was real.
“And technically, you aren’t a stranger, because my parents think we’ve been dating for a while now,” she added with a smirk. “I’ve already told my family all about you, Chase Gossard, and that I’m bringing you home for the weekend. So, yeah, that’s why I bought a bachelor, and now it has to be you who takes me.”
He dragged a hand along his jaw and swore beneath his breath, knowing he’d be a real asshole to refuse after hearing how personal this was for her. “Fucking great,” he muttered.
She tipped her head to the side, regarding him curiously. “Why did you agree to do the bachelor auction for Billie if you had no intentions of following through?”
It was a fair question, but his reasons were personal and private and between himself and his half-sister. “I thought I’d followed through spectacularly,” he said in a droll tone, then shook his head. “Do you know how many women would kill for the kind of weekend I offered you?”
She shrugged, causing his traitorous gaze to drop to the rise and fall of her breasts beneath her silky blouse. “I’m not just any woman.”
“Clearly,” he said, realizing she was the complete opposite. An anomaly for him when he was used to females expecting those lavish things his money could buy.
“Answer my question,” she said softly, refusing to let him off so easy. “Why did you agree to do the bachelor auction for Billie if you had no intention of following through?”
Her pretty eyes stared directly into his, and he shifted his backside against the desk, bracing his hands on the edge in order to resist the insane urge to grip her hips and pull her forward. Toward him, until her figure molded against his—just to feel how her curves aligned against his body. Everything about her was so authentic and natural, from her full lips and those freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks, to her small but firm breasts, to the perfect swell of her hips. She didn’t rely on collagen, or silicone, or any artificial enhancements to amplify her beauty and he found that incredibly refreshing and attractive.
She was waiting patiently for him to reply. Considering how open and honest she’d been about her own uncomfortable predicament, and how genuinely caring she seemed about his answer, he decided to share a part of himself he normally wouldn’t.
“I agreed to stand in as a replacement bachelor because Billie rarely asks me for anything.” Of course, his reasons went a helluva lot deeper than that superficial explanation, but divulging even that much of his relationship with his half-sister with anyone was huge.
“And…” He exhaled a breath and opted for even more honesty here. “I guess I just didn’t think through the whole ‘weekend’ thing, and spending it with one woman. I don’t date. I’m not… personable and charming or one to show a woman a good time outside of the bedroom,” he said, giving her his own smirk in return. “And I’m self-aware enough to know it’s wrong to lead any woman into thinking I’m something that I’m not, or that I’ll give them more than just… companionship for a night or two.”
Her brows rose, and he didn’t miss the awareness swirling in the depths of her eyes. “Well, at least you’re honest. But that doesn’t let you off the hook. You weren’t my first choice of a bachelor, but I’m stuck with you, so I’d appreciate it if you’d accompany me to my sister’s wedding.”
She said it with a soft, teasing smile, the earlier tension between them all but dissipated, and damn if that playful look on her face didn’t make his own defenses crumble a bit—what the hell was up with that? When she’d walked into his office, he’d been so adamant about doing whatever it took not to spend a weekend with her, and now, after learning she was trying to save face at her sister’s wedding to her ex, his attitude had shifted.
It was true that he didn’t want to disappoint Billie if she discovered he hadn’t followed through on what was expected of him, but he realized that he also didn’t want to let Lauren down, either, because shockingly, he genuinely liked her. And it didn’t hurt that there was true chemistry between them, which couldn’t be said for the other women he’d dated lately.
As he’d said, he wasn’t anyone’s knight in shining armor, but Lauren wasn’t asking him to be one. She just didn’t want to show up to an unpleasant situation alone, which he could understand. Playing her pretend boyfriend was a simple enough thing to do. It was one weekend out of his life, and then he could consider his obligation to Billie, and to the Future Fast Track bachelor auction, and Lauren, paid in full.
“Okay, I’ll grant you your weekend and play the part of your boyfriend,” he said, doing his best to dedicate himself to the ruse, even if it was something outside of his comfort zone. He wasn’t a man who half-assed anything once he committed himself. “Where do we go from here?”
Her shoulders fell, her relief nearly palpable. “The wedding isn’t until next month, so we have a few weeks to figure out the specifics. Why don’t we set a day and time to meet up and discuss things more in detail?” she suggested. “Maybe get to know each other a little better so we can sell the whole relationship thing and we don’t look like two total strangers who just met?”
He nodded in agreement and did a quick mental rundown of his schedule. He had a business dinner this Saturday with an out-of-town client, but he was free the following weekend. “How about dinner at my place next Saturday?”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Your place?”
He shrugged. “I figure we’ll both need time to learn some things about each other to make this fake relationship look authentic. We’ll have more privacy at my apartment, we can take whatever time we need, and we don’t have to worry about anyone listening in to our conversation.”
A pleased smile curved her lips. “Okay, next Saturday it is.”
He pulled his cell phone from the front pocket of his slacks and used his fingerprint to unlock the screen. “What’s your number? I’ll text you from my personal phone so you can reach me directly, instead of going through my assistant.”
She flashed him a cheeky grin. “Well, now I feel special.”
An unexpected chuckle escaped him before he could stop it. “You should.”
Her grin remained as she rattled off her number, and he shot her a quick text message so that she now had his. As soon as he tucked his phone back into his pocket, she stepped right up to him and enveloped him in a hug before he realized her intent.
Shocked by the warm and endearing gesture because he was unused to that kind of open display of affection outside of Billie, he felt his body stiffen as she wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing all those sensual curves right up against him as he’d envisioned only minutes before. He forced himself to relax, and tentatively, his own hands slid around her waist, instinctively returning the hug.
Or maybe he just selfishly wanted to be close to her, to soak up her vivacious, accepting personality, despite his attempts to keep his guard up. His hand slipped down to the slight indentation at the base of her spine, much lower than was probably appropriate, and he inhaled a deep breath. God, everything about her was so warm and soft and fragrant. Heat shot through his veins, along with something far more intimate. The lust and desire was a given, but the connection he felt in that moment with Lauren was unprecedented and threw his equilibrium off-kilter.
The embrace only lasted a few seconds before she released him and stepped back. “Sorry, I’m a hugger,” she said impishly, clearly having sensed his initial discomfort. “But you need to get used to being touchy-feely with me, if we want to make us look believable to my family.”
She’d put him through such a range of emotions in such a short span of time, and his head was still spinning from that embrace, that all he could manage was a grunt as a response.
She laughed softly, as if understanding. “Thank you for doing this for me, Chase.”
He cleared his throat and found his voice. “You didn’t give me much of a choice, did you?” he said, injecting a bit of humor in his tone.
Despite everything he’d put her through, Lauren’s eyes held a mischievous little sparkle. “You still could have said no, or made some excuse not to do it, but you didn’t. You’d better be careful, or else I’m going to think you’re actually a really nice guy beneath that grumpy façade of yours.”
With that sassy retort, she turned around and walked out of his office, leaving him with the tantalizing view of her hips swaying and her firm ass outlined in her fitted black pants… making him wonder what the hell he’d gotten himself into.