Fool Me Once | T. Drake ✔

[01] Dinner Date

He had spent the whole day poring his eyes over that document.

It was a well-written contract, specifying all the terms and conditions of the agreement between the two parties. Their type of relationship and boundaries were all stated clearly and judging by that, especially the last line, Roxanne Donnelley definitely did not want that fake dating to develop into anything more.

However, surprisingly, she was not that fazed by the press making a huge deal out of the relationship. It was stated in the contract that it was better if they were seen in public together and then followed a list of PDA that was permissible.

Tim felt his cheeks tingle at the thought; no wonder she had been very thorough with the contract despite the strange nature of their agreement.

But he knew contracts were shady if not read carefully. And the more detailed the person proposing it was, the more risk there was for the person signing it.

So ever since he had returned to the Manor, he had locked himself up in his room, studying the contract with minimal distractions.

Normally, he would never get involved in a fake relationship with someone but there were high stakes that once so he had to make an exception.

Bruce had selected him for the task himself and he knew he had to prove himself worth his trust. Also, he would be giving him off from patrol so that he could better observe the Donnelley siblings and carry out his duty as a bodyguard to Roxanne.

He knew Bruce would never put him into a situation he couldn't get out of and he also knew that it would be very important to him because he only chose Tim for the tasks that he couldn't afford to go wrong. The urgency of it all suggested that just as Roxanne Donnelley urgently needed a bodyguard, Bruce Wayne was also onto something related to her family and needed them to be under observation.

In that case, if he signed the contract, he would be doing both of them a favor.

But he couldn't put his own life in jeopardy either so he was painstakingly going through every written word, noting down the things he had to ask Roxanne on their next meeting. The foremost of those would be permission to add a few points to the contract.

He had noticed that even though it was all concise and comprehensible, there were a few things he needed to be very clear on so that they wouldn't be used against him in the future. And Tim was the sort of person who was always prepared for whatever the future may hold so he was already thinking of ways to get out of the contract if things went south.

Besides, he was not only thinking in terms of his own safety. His points if added to the contract would benefit both.

Giving his notes a last look, he closed the diary and placed it along with the contract into a safe under his bed. If Roxanne was as reasonable as she seemed, she might not have any problem with his proposition. If things didn't go the way he expected and she refused, then he would tell her he could not work with her.

He doubted she would let him walk off just like that. She needed him and wasn't aware that he too needed that deal to be able to keep an eye on Romero. He could use that to his advantage but would also make sure that it did not end up in a worse situation for her later on.

***

Red was definitely her color.

She was dressed in a crimson gown with a plunging neckline, showing off that delicate lariat necklace with her initial carved in it resting against her skin. Her lips matched the shade of her dress and her hair were let loose, falling over her shoulders freely.

She could have any man she wanted and yet she settled on a fake relationship with Timothy Drake.

But then he wasn't that bad of a choice, in fact, he was quite the opposite.