4. Evan #2
“Because this isn’t about sex. Getting a dance or touching you in a sexual way would create a power imbalance. I wanted to start things on neutral terms.”
He blinked, confusion clouding his features.
“I asked you here because I have a job offer for you,” I told him, plainly.
“Yeah, you said that.” He sat up straighter. “But what is it?”
“I need someone to pose as my partner.”
“Partner? Like romantic partner?”
“Yes. My boyfriend to be exact.”
“Why would someone like you need to pay someone to pretend to be your boyfriend?”
“Someone like me?” I asked, not bothering to hide my grin at his exasperated expression.
He rolled his eyes and heaved a huge sigh. “Really? You’re fishing for compliments? Fine. You’re hot and rich. If you can’t find someone then there’s no hope for the rest of us.”
“I can find a man. In fact, I find plenty of them.”
Nick smirked. “I bet you do. So why do you need to hire someone?”
“Because this relationship is for a specific purpose, and I need full discretion.”
His glare was back. “Cut the dramatics and fancy words and just tell me what the heck you want.”
“I need someone I can bring to events and introduce as my boyfriend. My father is retiring soon, and he’s put a caveat on my inheritance of his company.”
“What kind of caveat?”
“He’s old-school and believes the only way someone can be successful in life is if they’re successful at home. To him, that means a family.”
Nick’s eyes bugged out. “A family?” he yelped.
“Yes. But that’s not what I need from you.
I’ve been pretending to have a boyfriend for the past several months to appease him, but in order for the ruse to work, I need to produce this boyfriend and fool my colleagues and family into believing we’re madly in love.
Toward the end of the contract, I’ll announce our engagement, and that should satisfy my father’s micromanaging until I get my inheritance. ”
“And once you get it?”
“We’ll have a very public breakup. Once the papers are signed, we’ll have a very public breakup. I’ll get to keep my inheritance, and no one will bother me about settling down while I’m nursing a broken heart.”
“That’s…” He blinked rapidly. “Rich people have weird problems. How long is this job for?”
“Three months.”
He gave a slow nod. “So how does this work?”
“You just play the part of my boyfriend. I’ll provide you with everything you need, including a driver and an appropriate wardrobe.”
“Wardrobe?” He perked up. “Okay, what else? It can’t be that simple.”
“Most of the events will take place in Seattle, and a few will be out of town. You’ll need to travel with me and spend a portion of the time living in my house.”
“In your house ?” he squeaked.
“It would be for optics and convenience. You’ll have your own space and be on your own schedule.”
“I can’t just pick up and put my life on hold for three months. I have a job. Hopefully two jobs. And what about my roommate? I have bills and—”
“All that will be taken care of. As part of our deal, I’ll prepay six months of your expenses now, and another six months when the job is complete.”
“ All my bills?”
“Yes. All of them, including your full rent for both you and your roommate.”
“But what about my jobs?”
“I’ll be paying you more than enough. You won’t need to work for a long time,” I assured him.
He rolled his eyes. “Typical rich-guy answer. Money aside, I can’t leave my bosses hanging.
I’ve been at the café for five years. I like it there.
What’s my manager gonna do if I take three months off?
She can’t just hire a temp. And what about the club?
I like working there. It’s my happy place.
You might have money coming out of your asshole, but I don’t.
I need to think long term because whatever you’re going to pay me won’t last forever. ”
“You won’t have to quit,” I said, impressed with his work ethic and strategic way of thinking. “I’ll work around your schedule the best that I can, but you’ll have to make an effort to work with mine.”
He resumed gnawing at the corner of his mouth, thinking. “Okay. What else?”
“What do you mean, what else?”
“I mean, what else do you expect of me? To look pretty and bat my eyelashes at you in public?”
“Essentially.”
“And in private?”
“I have no expectations for when we’re not in public.”
“Really?” He pulled a face. “How much is the pay?”
“One thousand dollars a day, another five hundred per event you attend, and a fifty-thousand-dollar bonus if we’re successful.”
He gaped at me. “You’re insane.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You’re gonna pay me over a hundred and fifty grand to be your boyfriend?”
“Yes.”
“How many events are we talking?”
“A minimum of two per week, but no more than four.”
“That’s…” He looked at the ceiling, calculating. “That’s an extra ten grand, minimum.”
I refrained from correcting his math. “What do you say?”
“I say I don’t believe you.”
“You don’t believe me,” I echoed.
“Why would you pay me that much money to be arm candy? There has to be more to it.”
“There does?”
“Obviously.”
“I already told you sex isn’t part of this.”
“You say that, but we both know that’s just to cover your ass.”
“When I make a promise, I mean it. I’m hiring you as a service provider to play a part. I have never, and will never, pay for sex.” I met his gaze and held it.
He swallowed hard, his blue eyes rounding out. “This… Is. A lot.”
“I understand. I don’t expect an answer now. I have a contract for you to look over that has all the details laid out so you can make an informed decision.” I pulled a packet of papers out of my desk drawer and handed it to him.
He scanned the first page. “I don’t speak legalese. Can I show it to Quinn? He understands this kind of stuff.”
“You can have him look over it, but you’ll both need to sign NDAs first.”
“Why?”
“Because of how sensitive this information is. Again, I need full discretion.”
“You’ll have to talk to Quinn. I can’t make that decision for him. But I’ll sign if he does.”
Picking up my phone, I called Vlado.
“ Yeah ?”
“Can you send our other guest in?”
“ You got it .”
A moment later the door opened and Quinn came in.
“Everything okay?” he asked Nick.
“Yeah. I think?” He waved the contract as Quinn approached. “I need help with this, but we both have to sign NDAs.”
Quinn put his hand on Nick’s shoulder and squeezed. My stomach soured at the casual, easy show of affection.
“What exactly is going on?” Quinn asked me.
“I offered Nick a job posing as my boyfriend.” I was taking a risk by revealing so much, but it was a calculated one. Quinn was the gatekeeper here, I needed to earn his trust. “That’s the contract. It details what I expect, and what he can expect.”
“And the NDA?”
“To protect everyone involved.”
“And you want me to sign one before I read the contract?”
I nodded.
He peered down at Nick. “What do you want to do?”
“I think I want to sign it.”
“Then I’ll sign too. But”—he pinned me with a hard look—“signing the NDA and reading the contract is not an acceptance. He’s allowed to say no if there’s anything in there he doesn’t agree with.”
“Of course.”
“You sure about this?” he asked Nick.
“Yes.”
“Okay. Let’s do this. Where do we sign?”