Playing Pretend by Cassie-Ann L. Miller

Forty-Three

Eliza

I can barely keepmy focus. My attention flitters around like a dizzy squirrel and my insides are doing ballerina twirls again.

I’m at my desk today and Liam is at his. After this morning’s mind-blowing sex, we both know that trying to work on the Varner file alone in the conference room would spell disaster.

And by disaster, I mean h-o-t s-e-x.

We came in to work a little late. But since we’ve mostly been working one-on-one on the resort project, I doubt anyone noticed that we sauntered in here together, wearing identical cunning smiles. Him, with an extra pep in his step. Me, with a blatant limp.

Every time my eyes meet his through his open office door, we end up grinning at each other like idiots. Idiots with a poorly-guarded secret.

Oh, god. It’s gonna get out.

Someone in the office is going to figure out what’s happening between Liam and me. But with every heated smile we share, I give fewer fucks what anyone has to say about it.

So far, rearranging the man’s calendar has dominated my day. I’m trying to move his commitments around to accommodate the logistical mess we made with our early morning sex-a-thon. My insatiable husband-boss has no idea how much extra work he created for me.

But if I’m being honest with myself, I don’t mind at all. The multiple orgasms more than make up for it.

I lick my lips now and give in—again—to the temptation to gaze at him over my shoulder through his office door. His eyes meet mine. When his lips curve upward with that I know your dirty, little secret grin, bolts of happiness zip through my veins.

He’s so pretty. I could stare at him all day. So with my hand propped under my chin, I set out to do just that.

Until I hear a light chuckle nearby.

“You’re gonna sprain your neck, twisting around to stare at the man like that all day.” I glance up to find Desiree walking by with a big cup of coffee clenched in her hand and a stack of files clutched beneath her arm.

“Oh, I…just…um, I…”

She holds up a hand appeasingly. “Girl, do your thing. Nobody’s judging you. Let’s be real. Good dick is hard to come by these days.” She yawns and goes on her merry way, sipping on her coffee.

My whole face is heated up. I bite down on my bottom lip, willing my stupid grin to quit. I feel like a silly teenager with a crush.

I turn back to the calendar on my computer but before I can even type out a word, a familiar female voice fills the office.

“Hello, hello…” the woman sing-songs loudly, her heels clacking against the wooden floors.

I lift my head—as does everyone else in a fifty-foot radius—to find Charlotte Varner pageant-queening her way through the office. I shrink down in my seat a little with each exaggerated sway of her slim hips. But she’s carrying a larger-than-life gift basket and she’s headed straight for my cubicle.

“Eliza, hun!” she croons, setting the heavy basket down on my desk, and swooping in to peck my cheek. “After having such an amazing time at dinner last night, I decided to drop by with a little gift for you and Liam.”

I want to yell at her. I want to open my mouth and yell at her that she’s the most annoying person I’ve ever met. But my tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth and it won’t budge.

Liam stalks out of his office and stands beside my desk. “Charlotte?”

He looks confused. Same here, Hubby.

As Charlotte gushes to Liam about what an amazing time she had at dinner, I peer into the gift basket.

Pricey champagne. Decadent chocolates. Rose petals. And, holy hell? Lacy g-string lingerie neatly draped over a box of flaming hot, cinnamon-flavored aphrodisiac candies.

So, there goes my plan of trying to make it look like this gift basket is just a present congratulating us on the pending agreement with Varner Resorts. This is definitely not a gift to celebrate a long and enduring business partnership.

Dammit.

Charlotte wraps Liam and me up in a hug. She speaks too loudly. “You know I’m a hopeless romantic and I couldn’t resist the urge to throw together a little special something for the happy newly-weds!”

She keeps on talking but all I can hear is the deafening roar whistling between my ears.

I stand there, wearing a plastic grin, as my gaze darts maniacally around the office. Everyone’s eyes are on us.

No one is working. No one is talking. No one is moving. They’re just all staring at the spectacle with different degrees of confusion, shock and suspicion.

A crease lines Charlotte’s forehead as she finally picks up on the weird energy in the air. “Liam. Eliza. Did I do something wrong—?”

Before she can say anything more to dig our hole deeper, Nadia rushes out of her office, bursting into the main office area. “Hurray to the happy couple!” She claps loudly, squealing in a high-pitched voice. “Hurray!” It’s all very over the top.

The company’s in-house counsel weaves through the desks and cubicles, making wide eyes at the rest of our coworkers, silently encouraging them to join in. Gradually, applause kicks up around the room until the place is in an uproar of cheers.

Holy fucking hell!

“Yay! Congratulations to us,” my husband deadpans. He shifts around Charlotte, offering me a hand. His eyes scream with a mix of annoyance and mild amusement.

I’m right there with him on this crazy train that’s already crashed off the bridge. We’re hurtling into the river below, and there’s nothing we can do but hang on tight.

So I do.

I reach out, placing my hand in his as he pulls me against his ribs. Side-by-side, we gaze outward at the rest of the office, grateful as hell they’re playing along.

But when this train smashes into the water below, Liam and I will have some serious explaining to do.