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“Then there’s the very real sense you’re setting me up.” Not so much a sense as a fact. If he planted one rumor, he could plant many. And that seemed to be his intent.
“How so?” He had the nerve to look confused.
She refused to believe he was that clueless.
“I complain about a story on the internet about us and suddenly there’s a photo of us up there, complete with a new quote from you.” An annoying quote. One that didn’t say anything yet managed to say a lot. “I called them and denied that we were together and you...actually, I don’t know what you were doing when you talked to the Insider.”
“I was being a gentleman.”
She took a few steps. Hovering there in his office gave her confidence. “You mean the I-don’t-kiss-and-tell thing? Oh, please. You were toying with them because it amused you.”
“Admittedly, I’m not often at a loss for words, but I’m not sure what to say to that comment.”
“You could admit you set me up to be featured on the Insider. Again.” The sound of a cough and rustling had her turning around.
Jackson stood there with his attention focused on Derrick. “Do you need anything from me, sir?”
“No, but it would be wise to stay close by in the hall in case Ms. Gold brought a weapon.”
She had forgotten poor Jackson was still there. Hearing the door click behind her as he left, she tried not to fidget. Now it was the two of them temporarily trapped in a room bigger than her entire apartment.
Rather than retreat, she stepped forward. Followed Derrick’s trail until she stood on the opposite side of his desk and watched him slip into his chair. “As if I could have gotten anything through the two rounds of security.”
He leaned back. “I find myself a bit more careful these days.”
“These days?”
“Since your brother stole from me then turned around a few days later and tried to throw the scent off him by taking public shots at me.” Derrick motioned toward the chair next to her.
“So, that’s it. The rumors, the photos, the fake social news suggesting we’re together.” She dumped her purse on the seat but remained on her feet. “You’re coming after me to get even. This is some sort of weird revenge.”
Derrick nodded. “A fascinating theory.”
That really was the only explanation. Even though money had always been tight, Noah wasn’t the type to steal.
“I see the dramatic streak runs in the family.” Derrick’s exhale filled the room. “Lucky me.”
Right. I’m the dramatic one. “Says the guy who has a private butler and an office set off from everyone else.”
“Security.”
Everything inside her froze. “Excuse me?”
“Jackson is my head of security.”
She relaxed but not much. Something told her she needed to be on her toes with this guy. He might talk smooth and look like he stepped out of her hottest fantasy, but that didn’t change the facts. He was a ruthless jackass. “Do that many people want to kill you?”
“My family has significant business interests. That sort of thing tends to attract trouble.”
She’d never been called that before. “Are you referring to me as the trouble?”
He shrugged. “Let’s hope not.”
She’d taken about all of the put-her-on-the-defensive moves that she could stand. It was time to get to the point so she could run out of there. “Mr. Jame—”
“I believe I asked you to call me Derrick.”
That’s what she called him in her head... “Do you think that’s wise?”
“I’m afraid you’ve lost me.”
“You and my brother are locked in some sort of public pissing match. You’re threatening him with lawyers. He’s making you look bad on the internet, which has bled over to traditional media.” She put her palms on his desk and leaned in. “What I’m saying is that fake rumors or not, we’re on opposite sides of this battle.”
His gaze skimmed over her. “We don’t have to be.”
He hadn’t moved but the heated words swept over her in a caress that had her shaking her head and standing straight again. She not only needed to be careful with Derrick, she needed body armor.
She blocked out every other thought and concentrated on the guy she’d come to think of as cold-blooded. “Has anyone ever pointed out your cryptic way of speaking?”
“Then let me be clear.” Derrick balanced his elbows on the edge of his desk and leaned in toward her. “Your brother took money out of my business accounts and is going to go to jail unless I step in and save him.”
“No, that’s not—”
Derrick held up a finger. “There’s nothing to debate. That’s a fact.” He let his hand fall again. “But I am willing to help him.”
She could almost feel a trap closing over her head. The need to bolt overtook her but she forced her legs to stay still. “Why?”
“Most people would ask how.”
She refused to be taken off guard by double-talk. “I’m not like everyone else.”
“I’m starting to see that.” Derrick watched her for a second. His gaze moved over her face in the silence. After a visible inhale, he began again, his voice louder and more firm. “I will help your brother but he has to do something for me.”
“You don’t like that he’s making you look like a complete jerk, maybe even a bit incompetent.” She got that.
Derrick fired Noah eight weeks ago, exactly two weeks before she lost her job. Noah’s videos started out as a way to let off steam. Then he gained followers. A lot of them. He even managed to make money off his internet work, but she had no idea how.
He’d become a symbol for the “little man” fighting against the corporate machine. As his following grew, so did his stories about Derrick and the company.
Blame it on Noah’s baby face or his sarcasm, but media and online sites had picked up the battle. Then Derrick’s lawyers had made contact...and so had the prosecutor’s office about the missing funds.
And now Derrick had the Insider and its gossip network working for him.
“I have shareholders and business associates,” Derrick said.
“So, this is about money.”
Derrick’s frown deepened. “Isn’t everything?”
Not an unexpected answer, but still... “It worries me that you don’t know how scary that question is.”
“I’m proposing a quid pro quo. I make your brother’s legal issues disappear. He shuts down his site and I assist him in finding other more profitable and appropriate ways to channel his technology experience.”
That sounded somewhat reasonable, which scared her. “That’s the entire deal you’re offering?”
“No.”
She beat back a wave of disappointment. She’d taken care of her brilliant brother for so long. Tried to keep him occupied and out of trouble. The idea of having someone else handle that job sounded really good to her at the moment. With her life in shambles and the need to find a new job nipping at her, she loved the idea of having one less stress to deal with.
“I haven’t told you what I get out of this,” Derrick said.
Her heart sank. She held in a groan before it could escape her lips. “You did. He stops running the site.”
It might sound easy but it wasn’t. Noah didn’t have anything else right now except for his anger at Derrick and the attention from his videos. It was the “thing” that kept Noah going. It also provided him with more attention and praise than he’d ever gotten.
“The damage is done. He’s lied and caused me what could be irreparable damage,” Derrick said.
His words pounded her but she kept her shoulders up and her back straight. “That sounds like a legal term.”
“Because it is.”
That meant more fighting. More lawyer fees on top of the ones for her employment attorney. “I thought you were worried about the lost money.”
“There are bigger issues here.”
She couldn’t imagine money being a side concern. “Noah is a kid.”
“Noah is twenty and a genius.” When she opened her mouth to respond, Derrick talked right over her. “You are twenty-nine, which means you’re old enough to know he’s looking at criminal charges and civil repercussions for the money, which I’m willing to overlook right now.”
“I’m going to pretend I know what that means and jump ahead. What is your part of the quid pro quo? Because you don’t strike me as a guy who does things to be nice.” That wasn’t quite true. He’d hired Noah and ignored his lack of a degree and questionable people skills. But he’d also had security escort Noah out of the building months later. Now that she knew how that felt, she had even more sympathy for her brother. “What do you want?”
“You.”
A weird, high-pitched ringing filled her ears. She shook her head but it refused to die down. “What?”
“The carefully placed stories about us have been aimed at diffusing some of your brother’s damage.”
“In other words, you’re using me to somehow make yourself look better.”
He shrugged. “That’s not the way I’d put it.”
“Of course not, since you’re clearly clueless about women.”
That had him sitting straighter. “Excuse me?”
Bull’s-eye. The idea that she’d found the one thing sure to grab his attention—questioning his success with women—filled her with relief. “You’re letting people believe we’re together and—”
“Dating. People are starting to believe we’re dating and that your brother doesn’t like it and is trying to break us up by launching false charges against me.” Derrick looked far too pleased with himself. “Which was exactly my plan.”
“That’s ridiculous.” She could think of a lot of other words to describe it but kept the conversation G-rated.
“I thought so, too, when the PR team suggested it, but I guess the public does like a good love story.”
A scream rattled around inside her. “Did you ever think to ask me first?”
“No.”
The quick response had her sputtering. “That’s really your answer?”
“I called you lovely in my interview with the Insider, which I think we can agree was a bit of a stretch since you looked ready to punch me the first time we met in person.”
“Oh, you picked up on that?” Good to know.
“Let’s get down to it.” He leaned in again. Didn’t break eye contact. “We’re talking about a business arrangement.”
“Who is?”
“You will pose as my girlfriend for an appropriate length of time, short though because the timing is important here. Long enough for us to sell that we’ve been dating. Then you’ll act as my fiancée and—”
“Wait.” That ringing in her ears turned into a loud clanging sound.
He stared at her. “I haven’t finished explaining the plan.”
When his PR team said he’d needed to create a diversion, it made sense in an abstract sort of way. But they could not have meant her. He—they—didn’t even know her. And no way did they mean an engagement.
She suspected they’d talked about him finding a life outside the office. She tried to direct him there. “I’m sure there are women in town who would want to date you. It’s tough out there and my brother isn’t exactly highlighting your good side. But you have money and you’re...you know...”
He studied her now, like how he might study something on the bottom of his shoe. “I have no idea what you’re trying to say.”
“Well, your face is...fine.” As in perfect and compelling. Way too kissable.
His eyes widened. “Fine?”
Because space seemed like a good idea she stepped away from the desk. Tried to draw enough air into her lungs and head to be able to breathe again. “Don’t rich people travel in packs? I’m sure you can hang out at your country club or polo club, or wherever it is you go for fun, and find a nice woman who—”
“I am not hard up for a date.” He sounded stunned at the idea.
“Well, there.” She almost clapped but decided that was too much. “Good for you.”
“I am, however, on the wrong side of your brother’s ill-advised rant.” He made a face that suggested he thought she should be picking up on his point a bit faster. “I explained this to you at the hotel.”
“You said you needed good news to balance out the bad.” That made sense, which only made her wariness tick up even higher. “So, hire someone to pretend date you if you don’t want an actual girlfriend.”
“It needs to be you. You provide a reason for your brother’s specific attack.” When she tried to stop him, he kept right on talking. Rolled right over her. “We put on a very public show. We get people to see us as a couple, get engaged—not for real, of course—and we neutralize some of the damage your brother has done.”
“A fake fiancée.” She said the words nice and slow, thinking he’d stop her because he had to be kidding.
Never mind that she could barely stand him. Sure, she’d spun wild daydreams about him. Even imagined what he might look like without that serious suit and the fancy office, but come on.
