Playing Pretend by Cassie-Ann L. Miller

Nineteen

Liam

Pacing backand forth in front of my desk, I take another gulp from my tumbler. I avert my eyes from the office wall clock glaring down at me, reminding me that it’s not even ten a.m. yet.

I’m officially a day-drinker.

Can you blame me, though?

I finally said ‘fuck it’ and kicked Ross to the curb. I decided that enough was enough after the crayon-loving fool made an idiotic clerical error that could have cost the company tens of thousands of dollars in a contract for Wild Garden Inc., one of our biggest clients. Thankfully, Sera—who’s one of the most junior employees in the goddamned company—caught the mistake in time. I gave her a raise and a promotion on the spot.

On the personal front, my friends are acting like idiots. Not to go into details but Jace and Wyatt are arguing with each other, pounding their chests and being halfwit cavemen these days, and I’m somehow expected to play mediator.

Then there’s the fact that I’m preparing to give some motivational speech at the community center all while secretly working behind the scenes to get the place shut down as per Varner’s request.

But my biggest headache? Eliza Jenkins, of course.

It’s been almost a week and she still won’t take my calls. Meanwhile, the outcome of the hotel resort project depends on her cooperation.

I’m not a complete psycho. I know that I’m making a huge ask of Eliza with the whole let’s-pretend-to-be-married thing. My attempts to get her back as my secretary have gone nowhere, so why the hell would I expect her to marry me, right? But if she’d just answer my damn calls she’d know that I’m willing to make it worth her while.

I grab my phone and dial her again. Straight to voicemail. This woman is so stubborn.

It’s time for me to accept that I’m not going to get anywhere with this on my own. As much as I’d rather handle this situation by myself without involving anyone from my office, Varner’s team is putting pressure on me to move forward with the project. My stall tactics with them won’t work forever.

I need help.

I hop up to shut my office door and dial up our in-house lawyer. Nadia Chester is sworn to professional secrecy, and I know I can trust her with any personal or business-related matters.

She struts into my office a few minutes later, looking confident, polished and a tiny bit dangerous in her smart business suit and scarily tall heels. I fill her in on how what was supposed to be a quiet outing to grab myself a beer after a Paragons game quickly snowballed into a big fucking shitshow and how Eliza’s cooperation is now essential to the closing of this hotelier deal. Meanwhile, I have no fucking idea how to get in contact with the woman.

Nadia leans back in her chair and exhales a weighty breath when I’m done unloading my stupidity onto her.

“What are my options?” I dare to ask.

The lawyer momentarily purses her lips. “From a legal point of view, there’s nothing I can do. This isn’t a legal issue. It’s a moral one. It’s a matter of how far you’re willing to go to close this Varner deal.”

I press my eyes shut. Dammit. I really stuck my foot in my mouth blurting out to Varner that I’m married to Eliza.

It’s just that, in the heat of the moment, it seemed like the only viable option. The hotel suite was trashed, I was shirtless and my ‘employee’ was parading around half-naked in the early hours of the morning.

It was not a good look.

Telling Varner we’re married was my stupid attempt to legitimize the shady situation. Because I couldn’t have him thinking that I’m just as reckless as Rocco.

Now, I’m in this mess. “So you’re telling me I actually have to marry that woman?”

Nadia shrugs subtly. “If you want the deal to close, then yes, it appears that you do.”

I’m tempted to bash my head into my mahogany desk. “I was banking on you having some sort of escape route for me.” I grimace at the wall beyond her shoulder. “Can we at least expedite the process?”

“Usually something like this would take time,” she informs me sagely. “With background checks, requesting medical records, that sort of thing…” she checks the calendar on her phone. “I’m confident I can push to have it completed in fifteen days.”

“We don’t have that kind of time,” I snap.

She holds up a hand. “Liam, you’re a billionaire. You can’t just go marrying a stranger.”

“Varner thinks I’m already married. To a woman I can’t even get ahold of.”

“If you want to get this done quickly, I can try to speed up the timeline.” The lawyer gives me a furrowed squint as she says it. “But I don’t think—”

“Do better than try,” I bite, “I need Eliza’s compliance. Fast.”

“Liam, you really should trust me on these things,” Nadia says, visibly annoyed that I’m questioning her advice. “I’m general counsel for Kline-Simmons. Securing the company’s best interests is my priority.”

But my anger trumps hers. It’s my name on the company letterhead. “I need this handled, Nadia. Now.”

For a moment, she pauses, not phased by my rough tone. She’s one of the few people who doesn’t even flinch at my errant mood swings.

Probably because she knows all the legal ways to ruin my ass if I really piss her off.

Her perceptive eyes sweep my face up and down, mentally evaluating me. “Fine,” she says, abruptly rising to her feet. “Consider it handled.”

Without another word, she turns and rockets out the door.

I massage my temples. Although I fully trust Nadia to handle the situation, I can’t imagine how she’s going to pull it off. Eliza Jenkins is mouthy, headstrong and she cowers to no one’s demands.

How the hell will I cajole this stubborn woman down the aisle?