Irresistible Billionaires by Summer Brooks
Clara
Iran a hand through my hair while Zach "got ready," so we could go back to work. The thought of having his lips on mine again sent warmth through my entire body. I still felt weak from my time with him, but I couldn't let my minor lapse in judgment turn into anything more.
Well…lapse in judgement might be a bit of a white lie. Once the hormones raced through me, and I convinced myself that I needed him to want me in at least one way, I let it all go. I talked to him exactly how I thought he would want me to. And I moved exactly how I thought he would enjoy. I didn't know at the time that he would actually be into it, but I wasn't going to complain. After that orgasm, I was already starting to feel less robot and more human again.
But with the human, came the second thoughts. What he'd said about the wedding planner made the whole arrangement feel too real, and I didn't like it.
How am I going to lie to Bella and Sarah? I'll have to call them to tell them after work today. If I don’t plan what I need to say beforehand, they'll know I'm not being honest.
My thoughts circled back to Zach as I heard the water run in the bathroom. If I let him get too close, I'd just be hurt when it was all over. I needed to find a fine line between lust and attachment. I grabbed a brush from the nightstand and ran it through my hair, staring at myself in the mirror as I fixed my ponytail. My face was still slightly flushed. I clapped my hands on my cheeks.
Snap out of it. Lust is not love, Clara. Lust is not love.I repeated those thoughts to myself like a mantra, but damn, his hands on my body had been even hotter than I'd expected. I still wanted more of him.
Knowing he didn't feel that way about me should have been a deterrent. But let's be honest, he's fucking hot. I didn't really give two craps whether he wanted me the same way. Besides, something about me had to have caught his eye, otherwise his huge…
"Knitting needle," Zach said, coming out of the bathroom.
My brow furled and I looked up at him. "Uh…what? Oh, yeah I have them pretty much everywhere."
"I stepped on it," he chuckled. "Granny is setting booby traps."
***
After we got back to work, we spent the rest of the day avoiding each other unless Zach's father was around. I kept receiving training from the guy who had taken me to the marketing meeting, but my heart wasn't in what he was saying. I took notes mechanically. My mind kept circling back to what I would say to Sarah and Bella. Of the two of them, Sarah seemed like a better place to start. She was a little more laid back than Bella.
Bella's confrontation with Zach in high school came to mind, and I laughed.
My trainer turned to me and glared. "Is there something I'm doing that's amusing you?"
I tried to turn my laugh into a cough. "No, sorry. It was just allergies. You were talking about our marketing plan for this quarter, right?"
His eyes widened, and he nodded. “Sorry for snapping. I thought you weren’t paying attention.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I smiled. Even when I was spacing out, I could absorb the information I needed for the job. I'd done that kind of thing for so long that it was second nature.
I pointed at the figure on one of the charts he was showing me. Maybe talking about marketing would take my mind off Zach's touch and my future conversation with Sarah and Bella. "Hey, the numbers from this month seem a little off. Look at the budget here. It looks like we overspent on online marketing during that month. Either that or there was a mix-up with the numbers from accounting."
He snatched the papers from my hand and skimmed over them. "You make an excellent point. I'll ask accounting to run the numbers, and I'll make a copy to hand over to Robert Stone." He gave me an appraising look. "Nice job. I'm impressed. Keep looking over the numbers while I take care of this."
I nodded, and he walked off. We'd spent the rest of the day talking shop about marketing strategies, looking at numbers from this year and last, and meeting with Zach’s dad about possible marketing strategies. By the time work had finished, I was eager to get out of the office, but I started to fill with dread at the thought of being that much closer to talking to Sarah about the wedding planning.
How am I going to convince her we're getting married out of the blue when a couple of days ago I was talking about being over him? This will not be pretty.
After driving home in a daze that surprisingly didn't result in any car accidents or traffic tickets, I parked in the garage near my complex and dragged myself to my apartment. I fumbled with my keys and dropped them.
"You don't want me to lie to Sarah either, do you?" I mumbled to the keys. I probably sounded like a lunatic to my neighbors, but at that point, I didn't care.
I threw open the door and clicked on my phone to see I was at five percent battery. "I guess it has to charge first. Anything to delay the inevitable for a little longer, right?"
I plugged in the phone and then plopped down onto the couch to watch a funny show while I waited for my phone to get enough charge to use it.
Once I was two episodes into watching The Good Place, I decided it was time to give Sarah a call.
When I went to grab my phone off the charger, I saw that I had a missed text. "Hey. How did your interview at the job go?"
Dangit. I hadn't filled Sarah in on the new job, and now I was about to drop this bomb on her. Fun times. The lie burned in my throat. I forced myself to keep my voice even as the phone rang, but it cracked when I finally spoke.
"It's going well. I got the job, but that's not why I'm calling." I paused, unsure of how to continue.
When the silence dragged out for too long, Sarah piped up with, "Did the call drop, or are you trying to ramp up the suspense? Either way, say something before my anxiety gets the best of me and I start imagining you with robot arms or something."
I fiddled with the engagement ring on my finger as if touching it would give me some strength. "So. Can we meet up in person to talk about it? It's about Zach."
After hearing the worry in Sarah's voice, I knew we couldn't have a conversation on the phone. "Sure. Should I call Bella?"
I sighed. "No. I'm not ready to tell her just yet. I thought I'd break the news to you first."
"All right, but you're starting to worry me. I'll be over in a few minutes. I was just finishing up at work."
"That's fine. I'll have a drink ready for you when you get here."
"Okay. It's going to be that kind of talk, huh? See you soon."
I heard the click of her ending the call, and I went into the kitchen to whip up something strong for us both. There was still some leftover tequila from last time they had come over, and I went heavy-handed on the booze.
This is going to be a long night.
I had finished making our drinks and was nursing mine when Sarah arrived. I swung open the door, and when she saw the drink in my hand, her eyebrow shot up. Then her eyes gravitated to the ring on my finger.
She narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "What is going on, and why do you have what looks suspiciously like an engagement ring on your finger?"
I forced a laugh and then pointed to the kitchen. "Go ahead and grab your drink because we're celebrating tonight."
Sarah eyed me suspiciously but went into the kitchen to get her drink, anyway.
When she padded back into the living room, I was sitting on the couch. "You'll want to sit down for this news; otherwise, you'll probably pass out from shock."
Sarah batted her eyelashes in mock innocence. "Well, alcohol and telling me to sit down… Are you having a shotgun wedding because some guy got you pregnant or something?"
She plopped down onto the couch next to me, and the urge to tell her the truth itched at my throat, but I knew the walls had ears. I couldn't risk losing the money or security that the deal would give me.
I laughed. "You're half right. I am getting married, but I’m not pregnant."
Sarah's eyes widened, and she grabbed my arm. "Seriously? Who is it? I need to know now. And wait…how in the hell have you been dating someone long enough that you're engaged and I didn’t know about it? It wasn't a marketing job, was it? You signed up to be a mail-order bride. I've failed you."
I rolled my eyes. "Good Lord. Come on now. I have secrets, too, I guess. You know him from high school. We were talking about him the other day." I gritted my teeth together in a forced smile.
Sarah gripped my arm harder. Her tone became edged with concern. "Don't tell me. Is it Zach?"
I smiled. "Yes, it's Zach."
She raised an eyebrow at me. "Uh…come again? Didn't he not remember who you were, even though we all went to high school together? How is it that you're suddenly marrying him?"
I resisted the urge to bite my lip, a nervous habit of mine. I played with the ring on my finger instead. "We had a great date shortly after that. He told me he remembered me from high school and that he'd liked me back then too. That was when he proposed to me." I held out the ring for her to view, but she still seemed concerned.
"Look, I know you've liked him a long time…but one date and engaged? That sounds like something I'd read on a tabloid cover. Are you sure you know what you're doing? I mean, everything in me wants to just slap the hell out of you right now."
I nodded and placed my palm on hers. "I'm sure. I really care about him." On the inside, I gagged.
You care about getting something from him and about the money he's going to give you,
"Sorry. I'm just surprised. I thought you were over the crush you had on him. You said you hated him. And he made that big of an impression on you during one date that you just…poof…pledged your life to him? Does he make you drink fruit punch each day? Maybe make you take some sort of pill?"
"No. God. I know its sudden, but it’s…right." I shrugged. "I thought I was over it too until we went out." I blushed. That part wasn't entirely a lie. I definitely wasn't over Zach yet, but I still wasn't his biggest fan either.
Sarah let out a long sigh. She picked up her drink and took a sip. "How did your parents react? Have you told them yet? What did your dad say?"
I laughed. "They're just happy that I found someone. You know how much my dad wants to see me get married, and Mom wants grandkids yesterday."
Sarah smiled. "So true. She used to ask you about every guy friend you had. She'd always ask if he was your new boyfriend."
"Ugh. I remember that."
We both went silent and took some more sips of our drinks before Sarah spoke again. "So…when is the wedding planning going to happen?"
"Zach said it'll be this weekend. Do you want to come with me?"
Sarah nodded. "Of course. I want to support you, plus it might be fun to help you pick out the flowers and decorations. And of course, stare Zach down and try to make sure he isn't an alien in a human suit."
"Ha, that's cute that you think you'll get a say in this. I know how bad your taste in flowers is."
Sarah pouted. "Well, do I at least get to tease you and Zach when I see you together."
"I would say no, but I know you’re going to do it anyway."
She eyed me suspiciously for several moments and then shrugged, lifting her glass. "Well, I guess I need to say congratulations, even if I'm bewildered. And I'll do you the honor of joining you to meet the wedding planner."
***
I waited until the day before we had to meet the wedding planner to tell Zach that Sarah would be joining us. When I sent him the text, he responded right away.
"Did you tell her about our arrangement?"
"No, I didn't. It's okay for her to go, though, right?"
"Sure, but make sure you don't tell her about the contract."
"Okay. Okay. I won’t tell her."I sent the message and then deleted our texts.
By the time we got to the meeting point for the wedding planner, my hands were sweating, and I struggled to sit still. Zach held my hand in an effort to calm me down, but that only set me even more on edge. Being that close to him made it even more obvious that it was fake.
Hopefully, Sarah doesn't pick up on the tension.
When Sarah arrived, I ran over to her and gave her a hug. "It's so good to see you. This is Zach. You probably remember him from high school."
Sarah pulled back from my hug and narrowed her eyes at him. "I remember him all right. Zach, can I talk to you for a second?"
Before I could stop her, she pulled him away from me, but she was loud enough that I could still hear her talking. “I’ll kick your ass if you hurt my friend.”
I smiled. I guess she’d taken Bella’s place for the day.
When she pulled him back over, he was making a what just happened face. "Well, it's nice meeting you, Sarah. The wedding planner is just over there. Today we're just picking out colors for flowers and deciding on a color scheme. Nothing huge."
But Sarah beamed like she'd just won the lottery. "That sounds great. Let's go pick out the flowers and stuff."
She tried to pull me along by the arm, but I stopped her from grabbing onto me and just followed along beside her. Sarah loved everything wedding. It was probably why she hadn't asked as many questions as I had half expected her to. Her excitement was almost catching. I let go of a bit of my anxiety and allowed myself to enjoy looking at the different options we had for the big day.
It was tiring, smiling, and pretending everything was fine the entire time. Having Zach close by didn't help. Sarah pointed at one of the images in the book. "What do you think about this color to go with the flowers we picked out?"
She held up the book, and I took it. The tablecloths were a stunning light blue that would perfectly match the hydrangeas we'd selected.
"I love it." I turned to Zach. "What do you think?"
Zach held up his hands in surrender. "You know I'm not exactly great with color coordinating, but if you like it, I'm happy with it." The smile that spread across his face made me blush, and I wondered if it had been genuine.
Probably not.
When Sarah saw the blush on my face, she chimed in with, "Stop flirting and just get a room."
Zach laughed and put an arm around my shoulder. "We'll do that a little later, right hun?" He winked at me.
I plastered on a smile. "That is if we have any energy left after all this planning."
An array of binders were fanned out around us. The wedding planner stood before me with yet another flower arrangement. "What do you think of this one?" He held out an arrangement with sky-blue hydrangeas and white roses.
I wasn't a fan of the large white roses mixed with the hydrangeas. I moved the flowers around a little and grabbed the vase from him, placing it on the table. "I like the colors, but I was thinking something smaller for the white flowers. I want the focus to be on the blue hydrangeas but with a small pop of white."
He nodded. "Of course. Let me find some smaller white flowers. Were you thinking stephanotis or lily of the valleys?"
I shrugged. “Bring both over, and we can go from there.” Then, I turned back to images of tablecloths and decorations we'd been looking at. "I definitely want a sky blue for the color scheme, but I'm not sure what we should do for the theme. Any ideas?"
Sarah looked at the different decorations. "With all the pale blue, maybe a beachy theme could work?"
I shrugged. "That's not a terrible concept." I looked through some other colors that resembled white sand on a beach. "We can pick out some decorations that look like white seashells on the beach, and that can be our pop of color."
When Sarah realized she'd gotten to contribute to the theme, her grin widened. "I'm shocked you let me contribute something. Knowing you, I thought I would watch hell freeze over before getting a say in your big day."
Zach's eyes widened in mock shock. "Clara controlling? Never."
I shoved his shoulder. "You're one to talk."
He batted his eyes. "So, you admit that you're controlling."
I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm not controlling. I just know what I want and trust my judgment more than other people's."
Sarah laughed. "You're controlling but in denial. Got it."
"Sarah, you're supposed to be on my side." I groaned.
"Sorry, Clara, but he's spot on this time."
I laughed, and the rest of the wedding planning went off without a hitch. That was until we'd finished for the day and Sarah insisted I tell Bella about the wedding.
"I know you're nervous about telling Bella, but she cares about you just like I do. Just tell her the news."
Zach's eyes twinkled with amusement. "You haven't told Bella about the wedding yet?"
My shoulders slumped, and I stared up at Sarah with pleading eyes. "Can you tell her for me?"
Sarah shook her head. "Nope, this is all you. It's your news to give."
Zach chimed in again, and I resisted the urge to smack the smug look off his face. "She's inspired fear in Clara. Now I'm curious to know what she's like."
Sarah held out her phone. "Just tell her now and get it over with. You can even use my phone."
I sighed. "All right. All right."
I picked up my phone and dialed Bella's number.
She answered after the first ring. "Hey, Clara, what's going on?"
I shifted on my feet. "Um. I have something to tell you. Please just tell me you won’t yell or scream before I tell you."
Her tone went flat. "No promises. What's going on? Do I need to bail you out of jail or something?"
I paused for a couple of moments, and Sarah took that as her cue to urge me on. "If you don't tell her, I will."
Irritation laced Bella's voice. "Tell me what? And is that Sarah with you?"
I bit my lip. "Yes. Sarah was with me today to help me out with picking up stuff for the wedding planner." I held the phone away from my ear and heard an ear-splitting scream.
"The what!? Did someone hit you on the head? Who are you getting married to so soon? Last I checked, you weren't even dating anyone. In fact, last time I checked you were basically running away from every eligible man in the city."
Zach giggled, and she stopped screaming.
"Did I just hear a man? Who is that?"
I had to basically expel the words from my body, and they came out in a squeak. "Zach."
"What are you doing with that jerk? Don't tell me he's the one you're marrying!"
"Uh. Well, about that. Turns out he isn’t such a jerk after all."
The line went dead for a moment. "So, what I'm hearing is you probably had sex with him, and now all is forgiven. Nope. I'm meeting with you tonight, and you'll have some serious explaining to do. Bye."
"Wait, Bella. I—" The line went dead. She'd hung up on me.
Zach was laughing so hard beside me that he was tearing up. "Well, I wasn't disappointed. I can understand why you were hesitant to call her now.” He reached out and patted me on the shoulder. “Good luck talking to her tonight."
I narrowed my eyes at him, and we went our separate ways for the day. Dread set in at the thought of seeing Bella in person. How did I ever think I could pull off a marriage with a guy that they both knew I had barely spoken three words to my whole life?