Chapter 10
Daniel
Ispend the morning trying to focus on actual work and failing miserably. Every time I close my eyes, I see Bailey in that emerald dress. Whenever I try to concentrate on financial reports, I remember how she kissed me back on the terrace.
Lottie appears in my doorway at noon with her tablet and her no-nonsense expression.
“The photographer will be here at two. They’re setting up in the executive lounge. Wardrobe sent over options for both of you.” She pauses. “Are you listening to me?”
“I’m listening.”
“You look distracted.”
“I’m fine.”
“Daniel.” She sits down across from me. “This shoot is important. It’s for the business section of Forbes. The article is about successful partnerships in business. It’s the perfect platform for you to convince everyone now.”
“I understand the stakes.”
“Do you? Because you’ve been weird since the gala. And Bailey has been avoiding eye contact with you for three days.”
I look up sharply. “You noticed that?”
“Everyone has noticed that. You two were all over each other Thursday night, and now you’re acting like strangers.” She leans forward. “What happened?”
“Nothing happened.”
“That’s a lie.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Uncomplicate it before two o’clock. The camera will pick up on tension, not the good kind.”
She leaves before I can respond.
I pull out my phone and text Bailey.
Me: Shoot at two. Executive lounge. Are you okay with this?
Three dots appear, and then her response.
Bailey: It’s part of the job.
Me: That’s not what I asked.
Bailey: I’ll be there.
Not exactly reassuring, but I don’t bother her further.
At one forty-five, I head to the executive lounge. The space has been transformed into a photo studio, with lights on stands, reflectors, and a backdrop that looks like a modern office but is somehow softer.
The photographer is a woman in her forties with sharp eyes and an easy smile. “Mr. Williams. I’m Diana. We’ll make this as painless as possible.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Your girlfriend should be here soon. Wardrobe wanted to touch base with her first.” She gestures to the setup. “We’re going for a natural, intimate, successful couple. Think power partnership, not fashion editorial.”
“Understood.”
Bailey arrives at two on the dot. She’s wearing a different dress from the gala. This one is navy blue and fitted, subtly showing off her curves. Her hair is down in soft waves, and she has minimal makeup on her face. She looks professional, beautiful.
“Hey,” I say quietly.
“Hey.” She won’t quite meet my eyes. “So we’re doing this.”
“We’re doing this.”
Diana claps her hands together. “Perfect. You two look amazing together. The camera is going to love you.” She positions us near the backdrop. “Bailey, stand here. Daniel, right beside her. Closer. Closer. Perfect.”
I’m standing close enough to smell her perfume. The same scent from the gala.
“Okay, let’s start simple. Just look at each other like you’re having a private conversation and I’m not here.”
We turn toward each other, her eyes finally meeting mine.
“This is weird,” she whispers.
“Extremely weird.”
“I feel like we’re in a toothpaste commercial.”
I bite back a smile. “At least our teeth look good.”
She laughs just as the camera clicks rapidly.
“Beautiful,” Diana says. “That’s exactly what I need. Keep talking. Keep that connection.”
“What should we talk about?” Bailey asks quietly.
“Anything. Everything. Tell me about your weekend plans.”
“I don’t have weekend plans.”
“Then make some up.”
“I was thinking of going to that new art exhibit downtown,” she improvises. “The one about contemporary animation.”
“I didn’t know there was an art exhibit about animation.”
“There isn’t. I’m making it up like you said.”
“You’re terrible at this.”
“You’re the one who dragged me into fake dating.”
“Fair point.”
Diana circles us with the camera. “Perfect. Now, Daniel, put your arm around her waist. Bailey, lean into him slightly.”
I slide my arm around her waist. She stiffens for a second, then relaxes against me. The fit is perfect, natural, and like we’ve done this a thousand times.
“You okay?” I murmur near her ear.
“I’m fine; it’s just weird being photographed.”
“Pretend the camera isn’t here.”
“That’s impossible. The camera is literally right here.”
“Then pretend we’re somewhere else. Just the two of us.”
“Where would we be?”
“I don’t know. Somewhere you’d actually want to be.”
She’s quiet for a moment. “The park. Sunday morning. Coffee and pastries. Watching people.”
“That sounds perfect.”
“Bailey, look up at him,” Diana instructs. “Like he just said something that made your heart skip.”
She looks up at me. Her eyes are soft. The guard she usually maintains has dropped completely. My pulse kicks up hard.
“Hold that,” Diana says. “Daniel, hold her like she’s yours. Like you’re not letting go.”
My arm tightens around her waist automatically. My other hand comes up to brush a strand of hair from her face. For a moment, I forget we’re pretending and there’s just Bailey looking at me like I matter. The camera keeps clicking.
“You’re blushing,” I murmur.
“Shut up.”
“It’s cute.”
“Daniel—”
“What? It is. Your cheeks get all pink, and you try to hide it.”
“I’m going to kill you when this is over.”
“Looking forward to it.”
Diana laughs behind the camera. “You two are adorable. Okay, let’s try something different. Sit on the couch. Get comfortable.”
We move to the leather couch they’ve positioned nearby. Bailey sits first. I settle beside her, close enough that our thighs touch.
“Bailey, tuck your feet up. Daniel, put your arm around her shoulders. Like you’re watching a movie on a Sunday night.”
I do as instructed. She curls into my side naturally. Her head fits perfectly in the space between my shoulder and my jaw.
“Tell me something true,” I say quietly.
“What?”
“Something true. Something you’ve never told anyone.”
She’s silent for a long moment. “I’m scared this is going to end badly.”
“This photoshoot?”
“This arrangement. Us. Everything.”
“That makes two of us.”
“Really? You always seem so controlled. Like nothing scares you.”
“Everything scares me. I’m just good at hiding it.”
She tilts her head to look at me. “What are you scared of?”
“Letting people in. You.”
“I’m scared of you, too,” she whispers.
“Good. We can be scared together.”
Diana snaps several shots in rapid succession. “Perfect. The chemistry is incredible. Just a few more setups and we’re done.”
The next twenty minutes blur together. We pose by the window and against the desk, then we stand close with our hands intertwined. Every position is harder than the last.
Bailey’s perfume surrounds me with every breath. Her warmth seeps through my clothes where our bodies press together. The easy way she leans into me feels natural. Right.
When Diana positions us by the window with the light streaming through, she tells Bailey to rest her hand on my chest. Bailey does so, and I feel the contact everywhere.
“Perfect. Don’t move,” Diana calls.
And I realize I don’t want to move. I don’t want this moment to end. I don’t want Bailey to step away and remember we’re supposed to be pretending.
I want to stay frozen in this exact moment, where she’s touching me and looking at me, and the rest of the world doesn’t exist.
“That’s a wrap,” Diana announces. “These are going to be stunning. The article should run next month.”
Bailey steps back immediately. The loss of contact jolts as cold air rushes in where her warmth had been.
“Thank you,” she says to Diana with her professional smile back in place.
“My pleasure. You two are naturals.”
If she only knew.
We collect our things in silence. The elevator ride down to our floor is quiet, the space humming between us with tension.
Bailey’s shoulder brushes my arm as we walk, and once again, the brief contact sends electricity shooting through me.
I feel it in my fingertips, in my chest, in places that have no business reacting to such an innocent touch.
The elevator doors open on our floor and she exits first without turning back.
“Bailey—”
“I have work to finish. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She’s gone before I can respond.
I stand in the elevator as the doors close again. My pulse is unsteady, and my control is fraying. Everything I’ve been trying to keep contained is threatening to spill over.
This was supposed to be simple: a business arrangement, a mutually beneficial transaction.
When did it become this?
I return to my office and try to work. The afternoon drags. Every email feels meaningless, and every phone call is background noise.
All I can think about is the way Bailey had felt against me. The way she’d looked up at me with those soft eyes. The way she’d admitted she was scared of me.
By seven, I give up. I gather my files and head for the elevator.
On impulse, I take a detour past the design floor.
Her workspace is still lit. She’s hunched over her desk, completely absorbed in whatever she’s working on. I should leave and give her the space she clearly needs, but instead, I move closer.
Her computer screen shows an animation. A girl made of paper folds herself into different shapes: a bird first, wings spreading wide, then a boat floating on water, and then a flower blooming petal by petal. Each transformation is fluid and beautiful.
“That’s incredible.”
Bailey jumps and spins around in her chair. Her hand flies to her chest. “God, Daniel. You’re going to give me a heart attack.”
“Sorry. I saw your light on.”
She quickly moves to minimize the window. “It’s nothing. Just something I’m working on.”
“That wasn’t nothing. That was beautiful.”
“It’s not finished.”
“It’s still beautiful.” I step closer to her desk. “You have real talent, Bailey. Not just in graphic design. In actual art.”
Her cheeks flush with color. “It’s just a hobby.”
“It shouldn’t be. This is what you should be doing full-time.”
“We’ve had this conversation already.”