Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Nell
“You snorted, you bitch.” Simone laughs her ass off just like I do.
We are sitting at my place having brunch, and I am telling her about the way Keith and his pet skank reacted when Romeo pretended to be my boyfriend.
I snort again, making her laugh harder before falling off the sofa we are sitting on. My stomach tightens, and I am gasping for air.
My cheeks hurt from laughing because come on, laughter is great medicine to help blow away any shitty thoughts that your ex-husband planted in your head.
Fuck that prick.
Oh no, I did that and look where it got me.
“Okay,” I gasp. “Okay.” I try to get my breathing back under control.
I blow out a breath to calm myself and sit upright, trying to get more air into my lungs. Drying my eyes from of my laughter tears, I let out about sigh, then smile seeing Simone compose herself.
“Oh fucking hell, babe, I needed that.” She huffs, chuckling.
Getting back to the sofa, she sits across from me, both of us mirroring each other cross-legged.
“So, this Romeo is hot with a capital ‘H’?” she asks, and I nod.
“Like, so fucking hot. He has dark blond hair that is unruly curly, you know like the blond from that Navy cop show.”
“NCIS LA?” I nod and click my fingers at her.
“That’s the one. Add him in a suit that fit him like a glove. Like it was made just for him.”
“Damn,” she says, looking at her phone. Her eyes widen then she turns the phone around to face me.
“That him?”
There in all his hot glory is Romeo De Massy. My body heats seeing him on the phone but the image does not do him justice.
“He is way hotter in person and damn, he smells good.”
“So, let me get this right. This man” —she holds the phone up for me to see again— “came to your rescue when dick-man and his pet skank decided to harass you. He said that you owe him, so you have to be his date for a family wedding with an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii, and all you have to do is pretend to be his woman.”
“Yep.” I sip my orange juice, my mouth suddenly dry.
Every word she speaks sends a wave of excitement and nausea through me.
Within seconds of me texting Romeo and agreeing to the deal, my freakout started. What the hell am I doing agreeing to this? I have seen the women he has been photographed with; I did my research before Simone came over.
Romeo De Massy is a womanizer. He dates supermodels, underwear models and fuck, I even saw one article say that he was dating some singer.
If I'm being honest, I know I am going to get my heart broken.
But for a man like Romeo, maybe it's worth the risk.
My stupid ex-husband always made me do reckless things I never wanted to do, and now, even though we're not together anymore, I still find myself getting swept up in situations I can't control.
Fucking shitballs.
There is a knock on my door, making us both jump.
Jumping to my feet, I rush to the door, swinging it open to reveal a man dressed in a sharp black suit. He smiles at me warmly, and I see that he is holding a black envelope.
“Nell Bana?”
I nod. “Yes. Can I help you?”
“Just being you is enough, Miss. This is for you, from Mr. De Massy.” Tilting my head, I regard what he just said.
“Romeo send me this?” I ask, taking it from him.
“He did, and now that you have it, my job here is done. See you soon, Miss Bana.” With that, he leaves.
I lean forward, watching as he walks down the hallway, and I close the door but do not step back far enough, so the door hits me on the side of the head.
Fuck me.
Thank fuck no one saw that.
“What is it?” I turn to find Simone standing in the middle of the room. I wave the black envelope at her.
The paper has a premium quality and conveys an aura of money. The matte finish, complemented by glossy edging, presents a refined, rich appearance. Turning it over, I carefully open the sticker and remove a black card featuring Romeo’s crest.
The card displays an elegant typeface, with the initials RDM positioned above a fine line.
“Damn, sugar tits. Fucking open it already.”
I grin and open the card. I gasp, my hand going to my mouth seeing the black, shining Amex card looking back at me.
“Holy fucking shitballs, babe. He gave you his rich-boy fucking credit card.”
“There is a note.” I hand the card to Simone, who examines it like she has discovered a dinosaur tooth.
“How long ago, sis, did you agree to this?” she asks me, mouth agape as she stares at the little plastic card in her hand.
“An hour.” My voice is low, in awe.
I stare at the note, letting the words run around my head.
Nell, as I said our deal will be all expenses paid.
Here is my card; please buy yourself a nice dress for the wedding.
And some other clothes for events which are listed below.
Get some new everyday outfits, plus some bikinis.
Make them sexy to show off that body I know you are hiding under the baggy clothing I saw you in.
I look down at my baggy stained T-shirt and grimace.
You are the date of Romeo De Massy; you must look the part. So please do not worry about the amount that you spend. Believe me, I can afford it, as I am sure that you already know. You are a smart girl, so I can imagine that you looked me up online. I need you to play the part of mine.
My body tingles in all the right places reading the word ‘mine.’ I know that I am not his but hell, a woman can dream, right? I mean, have you seen the man?
I read on.
We're going on a date this Friday, so please pick out something stylish to wear. I can't wait to see you again and feel you in my arms, even if it's just for the week.
See you soon, Romeo.
I hold the card to my chest, and close my eyes. I am his for a week, and I can already feel my heart doing stupid flips like a drunk gymnast.
“He wants me to go shopping for the wedding.” I whisper.
I'm uncertain about the significance of the note on his card. He has expressed eagerness to see me again, but is that to format a plan for the wedding or does he really want to see me?
Damn it. I knew this would happen.
He has been on my mind since our last meeting, which has even resulted in a few messed up coffee orders.
“So you get to spend his money, fuck him for a week in Hawaii, and then come home and go back to normal. No strings attached?”
I nod to her, my stomach knotting up.
“Girl, you get all the luck. Shit.” She sighs dramatically. “I suppose we need to go shopping. Oh no, what a dreadful fate we must endure,” Simone says with a fake bored tone, and I laugh.
We giggle like school girls falling into each other while we rush to my bedroom to get ready.
Once we are both showered, not together obviously, we get ready and head to the malls. I am not known for having any clue what is trending or what expensive clothes look like; give me Target or H she is like a mini road rage hellhound when she is on the road.
Yelling at people to get out of her way, or to learn to drive. It is hilarious as well as stressful as I think one day we will end up crashed into another vehicle.
We park the car and head inside. Music plays softly; chatter almost overpowers the sound.
“Okay, we will start in there.” She points to a store that has mannequins in the window that look hotter than me.
“Can I help you?” The store assistant looks down at us, and I feel like I have been propelled into the Pretty Woman movie.
“Not really; we are just looking for now. My girl here needs a few outfits for a vacation wedding.” Simone fills her in on the details, but she has her nose up in the air, looking at us with disgust.
“I do not think that we have anything to your taste.”
Oh yes, definitely a Pretty Woman moment.
I give her a tight smile and pull Simone out of the store.
“That is fine, I am sure that I can spend my money at another store,” I snipe, but Simone has a different idea, and I cringe.
“Oh, fuck no. Listen, you stuck up bitch. She has money, lots and lots of money and you have fucked up. I will tell her man how you treated her.”
I tug on her arm, but she fights me, and the woman’s face goes pale when she realizes her mistake.
“Who is her man?”
“Like fuck I will tell you now. You can wait for him to respond to this bullshit treatment,” my friend snaps.
My shoes slip on the shiny tile floor and I fall, knocking over a mannequin that crashes into another rack, scattering clothes everywhere. I hear a gasp followed by Simone's unmistakable cackle.
“Hahaha, fucking karma.” My face heats up from embarrassment.
I shout my apologies as we rush from the store. My stomach is twisting and knotting from what just happened. You would think that I would have grown out of my misfortune of mishaps journey.
Simone grabs my arm, running from the store cackling like a fucking witch around a cauldron.
We pause to catch our breaths, standing against the wall in the hallway leading to the restrooms.
“Regardless of her bitchy attitude, we can find quality clothing elsewhere. However, Romeo comes from money, babe, so we have to select high-end attire,” Simone observes as she surveys the stores.
My heart pounds hard against my rib cage and my palms sweat as I touch my side, wincing from the bruise I know is forming. Simone notices.
"You hurt?"
"It's just a bruise," I reply, waving her off.
“You are like a fucking peach, babe. Come on, let’s go spend some money.”
I nod to her, take a deep calming breath, and follow her out. We hook arms and walk, pointing out which stores we need to go in and have a look around.
We stop at a classy store that also sells beachwear, shoes, purses, and accessories. The helpful assistant finds everything I need in one place. Though I'm shocked by the price, Romeo told me not to worry. I just hope we can do this without heartbreak.