12. Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
Parker
I woke up feeling things I hadn’t felt in a long time. Anticipation. Excitement.
Last night was weird on so many levels. If someone had told me a few hours earlier that I would not only help Madison get away from a creep that couldn’t take a hint but also offer her to fake date me, I would have laughed in his face.
It still felt weird for the level of contempt we had for each other, but the thrill I woke up with this morning? Playing pretend with Madison would be way more fun than the stupid fishing.
She had always gotten my mind off things. Maybe experiencing the fake dating thing with her would help me move on. I would be reminded of the appeal of really committing to someone and by the end of her stay in The Gem, I would be ready to date someone I would have a real future with.
Or the entire charade wouldn’t make a difference, but at least I wouldn’t lose anything while trying.
There was just one problem. I had only two friends. Now I had to fool one and keep the other in the dark. I wouldn’t break my promise to Madison and tell the truth about our arrangement to her brother, but I also didn’t want Ryan finding out I was dating and telling Jessica about it.
I had to tell Tyler I was dating his sister and that he should keep his mouth shut in front of Ryan. The good thing was that Tyler already knew about my fucked up relationship with the Montgomerys, so he would understand. Or so I hoped.
There was only one way to find out. I took my phone from my nightstand and shot Tyler a message.
Me: What would you say if I told you I was interested in your sister?
His answer surprised me.
Tyler: Respect, man.
Me: ?
Tyler: Every man brave enough to date any of my sisters has my respect. But especially that one.
I could definitely see his point. Madison was far from wife material. At least by my standards. There had to be men somewhere who would like the thrill of sleeping next to her, not knowing if she would chop their balls off in the middle of the night, but that wasn’t me.
Me: No threats against me breaking her heart and you breaking my skull ?
Tyler: Man, no amount of physical pain I could inflict on you would even come close to what Madison would do to your psyche.
Tyler: And since when are you dating? And my sister, of all people? Isn’t she the worst person to date for your situation?
I smiled. Tyler was right. Madison was the worst choice for a rebound. Except she wasn’t really a rebound, but he had to think we were really dating.
Me: She’s the only one to take my mind off it all.
And that wasn’t a lie one bit. She distracted me a lot. Not in the way I wanted Tyler to think, but she disrupted my everyday life, which, in my case, was a good thing.
Tyler: I guess that’s something.
I had to move on with my actual request, so I typed again.
Me: I know it’s a lot to ask, but would you keep it a secret for a while?
Tyler: You don’t want Ryan to say something to Jessica.
I was a douchebag. Not only did I lie to Tyler, but I also asked him to hide my relationship with his sister like she was a dirty little secret.
Me: Yes.
Tyler: Okay. Your relationship with the Montgomery family is your business.
Me: I just need some time.
Tyler: It’s your life, man. No judgment.
Me: Thanks.
Me: Can I ask for one more thing?
Tyler: Shoot.
Me: Not to mention my past to Madison. She knows nothing yet. Though I’m pretty sure she suspects there is something going on with Jessica. But I want to be the one to tell her the story. If we get to that phase.
Tyler: Sure. I get it. It’s a tough story to tell.
Me: Thanks, Ty.
Tyler: Anything for the man screwing my sister.
Sex with Madison was something I didn’t want to focus on. Not since I got a hard-on from watching her half naked in the hot tub.
Me: You really have no shame.
Tyler: That’s part of my charm.
I finally got up from bed and got ready for work. My assistant greeted me with a worried look on her face.
“Good morning, Mr. Wilson.”
“Good morning, Katie. Is everything okay?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing, sir.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re late, sir. I thought you might be sick.”
I was late? Was I sick? I glanced at my phone. “No, Katie. I’m not sick. And I’m on time.”
“Yes, but…You’re always here early.”
That was true. Instead of her waiting for me in the mornings, I was the one waiting for her. I used work to distract myself and not let my mind go to a dark place.
One more reason to give it my all to the fake boyfriend charade.
“I’m fine, Katie.”
She nodded, and I slipped into my office.
I didn’t have a clear expectation of Madison and how she would approach our new deal, but by lunchtime I found myself disappointed nothing had happened yet.
The mature move on part would be to call her, but then I would look too eager for my liking. I preferred her perceiving our arrangement as something I was doing for her benefit and not something that might help me fix my issues around dating.
So I made Katie call her instead and summon her to my office.
When Madison came into my office in one of her form fitting dresses, looking like sin, I suddenly felt the need to position myself as her boss first and then her fake boyfriend, so I confronted her before her ass had touched the seat of the chair I pointed for her to sit in.
“We need to come up with a solution to the seating arrangements issue,” I said, my tone flat. If my choice of topic surprised her, she didn’t let it show.
“Oh? What makes you say that?” She asked in a sweet voice she only used when she wanted to annoy me.
“You suggested a Christmas wedding to Matthew and Sheila.”
“I did.”
“And how are you planning on making that happen?”
“Their guest list is shorter than Annie’s.” She paused. “But I agree we should come up with a solution.”
“Any ideas that won’t turn the hotel into a construction site?”
“That’s excessive.” Madison cleared her throat. “I contacted an architect.”
I closed my eyes and drew a deep breath, willing myself not to lose it. I had to come to terms with the impending changes. There was no way around that. But her making decisions without me was unacceptable. “You went behind my back.”
Madison ignored my accusation. “I sent him pictures of the gardens and told him we want minimal changes.”
“We?” I asked.
“Yes. We. It’s true I only care about the weddings and not the hotel itself, but I have no interest in changing the scenery. I just want to do my job properly. ”
I rubbed my temple. “That will be a noisy endeavor.”
“Postponing it would only create more problems in the future. We will close the hotel for a few days. It’s not like we are going to build an entire building. I’m sure you can afford to pay a little extra to get it done as fast as possible.”
“Do you want to be in charge of the project?”
“Me?” She frowned. “What if you don’t like the result?”
“You have a lot of flaws, Madison, but poor taste is not one of them.”
She stared at me for a moment, then nodded. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“I wouldn’t go as far as calling it trust, but you’re welcome.” I laced my fingers together and placed my hands on top of my desk. “Now, another important topic we failed to discuss last night.”
“I’m listening.”
“We can’t let anyone here think we’re dating. This has to be for your family’s benefit only.”
Madison waved me off. “Don’t worry about that. I’m not eager to become the subject of ridicule around here, and sleeping with the boss is something I don’t want associated with my name.”
“Great. I’m glad we’re on the same page. When are we breaking the news to your mother, then?”
“I’ll deal with that. I think I will keep her at bay for a few weeks.”
Disappointment washed over me. I thought the sham would take a sizable chunk of my off-work hours.
“Okay,” I pretended that was fine by me. “I assume you know your brother and I are friends. I informed him I was interested in you. It felt like the right thing to do.”
“That’s fine. I don’t care what they are actually thinking. I just need my mother to back off. ”
“Good,” I nodded.
“Is that all?” She asked, ready to stand, and I just nodded again.
“Madison?” I called her, just as she was opening the door to leave.
“Yes?” She only half-turned in my direction.
“Don’t go behind my back again. That’s the exact reason I don’t trust you. You’re always sneaking around. It’s unnerving.”
A smug smile formed on her lips. “Got it. No more scheming.”