9. West
Chapter 9
West
“ H ow do we play this at work?” Amelia asks as we sit in the back of my town car on the journey.
I adjust my tie, glancing sideways at Amelia. She’s fiddling with the buttons of her top; an anxious habit I notice more these days.
Her eyes dart to me. “I mean, do we tell people or keep it a secret?”
I chuckle. “Just tell them we met at Henry’s party, and we’ve been in a secret relationship for six months. And now I’m happy to take our relationship to the next step. And you’ve moved in with me.”
Her brow furrows. “And if anyone mentions Felix?”
“He was your roommate, nothing more,” I reply. The name sits heavy between us, but we can’t afford to linger on that.
“That should work.” She exhales, relief washing over her features. “I’ve kept him under wraps pretty well at work.”
I smile at her confidence and check the time on my watch. Ten minutes until we hit the office.
“You remember you have an appointment with your father at ten?” she reminds me, shifting gears back to business mode.
“Be careful because once he knows, he’ll be relentless.”
“Yeah,” she replies, her smile fading slightly as she looks away again. “He’s probably going to grill me about you. And I don’t know that much about you, not really.”
I lean back in the leather seat, studying Amelia’s perfect profile. “Well, let us fix that. What do you want to know?”
She turns to face me, her eyes brightening with curiosity. “Tell me about your family. I know you have got a brother, East, but are there others?”
“Yeah, there’s East. Then there’s my younger brother, Dash. He’s nineteen and studying at the Omerta Academy, and so is my younger sister.”
Amelia’s brow furrows. “Omerta Academy?”
I hesitate, weighing how much to reveal. “It’s an elite college. Caters to children of high net worth individuals. Some mafia and secret society families send their kids there too.”
Her eyes widen. “Mafia? Secret societies? That sounds intense.”
I shrug, trying to play it off. “It’s just a fancy school with some interesting clientele. Nothing too crazy.”
“Tell me about your sister?” Amelia prompts, clearly eager for more information.
“Arabella. She’ll be twenty-two soon. She finishes college this year. She’s training to become a lawyer.”
Amelia nods, processing the information. “So, four of you in total. That must have been fun growing up.”
I snort. “Fun isn’t exactly the word I’d use. East and I are close in age, but Dash and Arabella are much younger.”
A wistful look crosses her face. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have siblings.”
The car slows as we approach the office building. I glance at Amelia, noticing the slight tension on her shoulders. “Are you ready for this?”
She takes a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. “As I’ll ever be. Let’s give them a show, shall we?”
I straighten in my seat. “If my father questions anything, let me handle it.”
She bites her lip, contemplating something deeper than our fabricated story.
“You think he will believe us?”
“Doesn’t matter if he does or doesn’t.” I shrug. “What matters is how convincing we are in front of everyone else, because he will start asking around.”
Amelia leans back in her seat, crossing her arms as if shielding herself from a scrutiny that doesn’t yet exist.
“I guess it helps that no one really knows much about me outside of work,” she says quietly.
I glance over at her again. There’s definitely something about her. The more I think about her, how guarded she is, and she’s somehow found herself in this absurd arrangement with me.
“Exactly,” I reply firmly. “You’re Amelia Ross, my girlfriend of six months. And once I told you about Elizabeth and my father’s plan, you decided we couldn’t live in secret any longer. You pushed my hand to tell me how I felt about you.”
She grins. “And you knew you couldn’t live your life without me in it. And got down on one knee and promised to love me forever.” Her expression softens for a moment before that familiar guardedness returns.
“Damn. I need to get a ring.”
“Oh, a ring,” she whispers, almost to herself.
The car pulls into the parking garage.
My driver opens the car door. I get out and extend my hand to Amelia. She takes it, her fingers trembling.
As she steps out, I’m aware of the security cameras watching our every move.
Amelia’s eyes flit around, but I give her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Follow my lead,” I murmur.
Leading her through the lobby with our fingers intertwined. I feel like this is how we are supposed to be.
When the elevator doors slide open, I pull her close and wrap an arm around her waist as I press a kiss against her temple. She stiffens for a moment, then relaxes into my embrace. “I’ll kiss you randomly. Get used to it.”
“I will get used to it,” she says as we step into the elevator.
The doors close and I turn to Amelia and rest my finger under her chin, tilting it up to gaze into her eyes. “Ready?” I whisper.
She nods, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.
The elevator dings as we reach our level. I take a deep breath, then step out, keeping Amelia tucked firmly against my side.
At the receptionist’s desk, I pause and turn to Amelia.
This has to look real, and without warning, I cup her face in my hands and press my lips to hers. She lets out a soft gasp, but then melts into the kiss.
The receptionist’s eyes are on us, but I don’t care. All that matters is Amelia at this moment, and making sure everyone believes the game we are about to play.
When we finally part, a pink glow covers Amelia’s cheeks and her eyes sparkle. “Wow,” she breathes.
I grin, then turn to the receptionist, who is staring at us, mouth open, surprised.
“Good morning,” I say, flashing her a charming smile. “My week got so much better because Amelia finally agreed to take our relationship to the next level.”
The receptionist blinks. “Relationship?”
“I have to admit, it was a shock when he proposed.” Amelia gives her a shy smile, then glances up at me. “But I’m so happy.”
“Come on, Princess,” I say, making her gasp at the term of endearment.
“Okay, my king,” she whispers.
I chuckle as we head toward my office. When she reaches her desk, I lean down and whisper in her ear, “You’re doing great, Ames.”
She rolls her eyes. “Hopefully, we can keep up the charade when your father gets here.”
“Don’t think of it as a charade. You have to believe we’re real,” I tell her.
She smiles.
I glance down at my watch, groaning. “My father will be here in thirty minutes. I need you to be in my office five minutes beforehand to go over a few things.”
She gives me a nervous smile.
I feel the same way.
I take a deep breath and make my way to my office, my mind racing. This situation is so surreal. Just yesterday, Amelia was my quiet, efficient assistant, and now she’s my fake fiancée.
I run a hand through my hair as I sink into my chair.
I glance at Amelia.
What the hell am I doing?
Dragging her into this mess when she deserves so much better than this.
And I promised myself not to pursue her until I knew I wouldn’t be a rebound.
I enact the blackout glass and bang my head on my desk.
Later, a soft knock on the door interrupts my thoughts. “Come in,” I call out.
Amelia pokes her head in, offering me a tentative smile. “Your father is due any time now?”
“Come here.” I gesture to the chair across from my desk. “I just wanted to go over a few things before my dad gets here.”
She nods, perching on the edge of the chair. “Okay, what do you need?”
“Well, first of all, thank you for agreeing to this.” I lean forward, meeting her gaze. “I know it’s a lot to ask, and I appreciate you going along with it.”
“Of course.” She gives me a reassuring smile. “I’m happy to help. And it’s not like I had a better option, right?”
I wince at the reminder of her living situation. “Still, I feel terrible about putting you in this position. But I promise, I’ll make it up to you.”
I will once my father is happy with my relationship. I’ll date her properly. Without any devious plans.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s a win-win.” She waves a hand dismissively. “I’ve got somewhere to live. I can do this. Now tell me what I need to do.”
I nod, grateful for her understanding. “Okay, well, the basics are that we’ve been dating for six months and recently took our secret relationship to the next level. You know who my family is. I know you don’t have any.”
Amelia sighs. “Is there anything else I should know?”
“Just be prepared for my dad to grill you on every aspect of our relationship.” I grimace. “He’s not going to make this easy for either of us. Nothing you say is a mistake, so don’t wince.”
Amelia nods, her expression determined. “I can handle it. Don’t worry, West, I’ve got your back.”
I smile, feeling a surge of gratitude. “I know you do, Ames. Thank you.”
A knock at the door interrupts us, and I take a deep breath. “That’s my cue. Are you ready?”
Amelia squares her shoulders. “As I’ll ever be. Let’s do this.”
She runs around to my side of the desk, hitches her skirt and straddles my thighs. Our eyes connect as her weight settles onto my lap, her warmth seeping through the fabric of my suit.
I glance down to see her electric blue panties. Lace and see-through.
“Are you trying to turn me on?”
She smiles. “Am I?”
I groan as she leans in, her eyes searching mine. Slowly, she presses her lips against mine in a chaste, closed-mouthed kiss.
The door creaks, startling us both.
Acting on instinct, I grab her hips and pull her closer, my fingers digging into her soft flesh.
Amelia gasps, her body pressing against mine.
“Oh my God,” she mutters as she shifts on my lap, pressing against the growing bulge in my pants.
A raspy breath escapes her lips as she leans back, looking at me.
Unable to resist any longer, I slam my lips onto hers in a passionate kiss. My hands roam her back, pulling her even closer and letting our tongues dance.
I lose myself, forgetting about my father, the company, everything, but Amelia.
“What the hell is going on here?” my father yells.
I glance over Amelia’s shoulder, still holding her body against mine with one hand while I lift my wrist. “Oh damn. Is that the time?”
“I asked you what was going on?” Father demands again.
I clear my throat, trying to regain my composure. “Father, I need to explain something...”
“Please do,” he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
I take a deep breath, my arm still wrapped around Amelia’s waist. “The reason I can’t go along with your plan of marrying Elizabeth Jameson is because I’m in love with Amelia. I’ve asked her to marry me.”
My father’s eyes narrow, disbelief etched across his face. “You expect me to believe that? After I saw the photos of you coming out of that...that club?”
Amelia shifts in my lap, her eyes meeting mine briefly before she turns to face my father. “Sir, that was my fault,” she says, her voice steady despite the slight tremor in her hands. “We’d had an argument, and I needed to dance and let off some steam. The club is discreet, you see. West learned I was there and followed me. That was me dancing on the table–purposefully annoying him.”
I nod, picking up where she left off. “But we’ve made up now. We love each other, and we are not going to continue our relationship in secret anymore. That was what our argument was about. I never thought I was ready to go to the next level until I nearly lost her.”
My father’s gaze flickers between us. Shock mixes with his narrowed-eyed skepticism. “How long has this been going on?”
“Six months,” I reply without hesitation.
He runs a hand through his hair, sighing heavily. “I can’t believe this. My son, engaged to his assistant. It’s like something out of the romance novels your mother insists on reading.”
Amelia tenses in my arms, but I squeeze her, reassuring her. “It may seem sudden to you, Father, but it’s not, and we’re certain about this.”
He stares at us for a long moment, then shakes his head. “Your mother will be delighted to organize your wedding,” he says, his tone resigned. Or perhaps he’s testing me.
I swallow hard, realizing the implications of our lie. “Let us get engaged first,” I say quickly, hoping to buy us some time.