The Italian's Fake Fiancée

11

    "If I do, my sister will have me where she wants me. Rosa is very greedy," Leo said. "She has been heading the company for eighteen years. It's only right she should step down for me to complete the other half, as has been agreed on. But from what I have heard she intends to remain there. And for her to succeed, she would have to shine a bright light on my irresponsibility. Focus on my flaws and make sure everybody is of the idea I can't handle the company as she can."
   
    "If that's the case, can't you think of someone else who might fit into that role."
   
    "What do you mean?" Leo mumbled coming to sit across Wesley on the double row white couch fighting the urge to turn his wristwatch over and check the time. Well aware time was running...and it was running pretty fast.
   
    "Like a past girlfriend. A woman you've had a fling with?"
   
    A thought crossed Leo's face, but he dismissed it at once. Alberto had said the same thing, however, he would die a hundred times before he thought of using any of his past girlfriends.
   
    Those lying, cheating skanks. He won't give them the pleasure of knowing his life was in disorder. And his past flings rarely lasted long enough for him to know where they lived.
   
    Aside from the girl he had been with four nights ago. Who he knew where she worked and could offer money to act as his fake fiancée he didn't know the address of the other girls. However, this girl he was talking about can hardly hide her emotions. He had discovered that when after having sex with her, he had asked her to leave. The woman who had claimed understood his terms very well had dissolved into a pitiable cry.
   
    It was messy.
   
    Going with a girl like that would be courting trouble because it would be hard to get rid of her after all the charade was done. She was those clingy types that can't keep their mouth shut. She would have them found out in no less than two days.
   
    No. He needed a smart woman. Someone with a backbone and smart enough to evade Rosa's many questions because he expects she would have a lot to ask and not exactly in a nice way.
   
    More like direct, cut and blunt. And anyone who wasn't used to that always found themselves in a foul mood.
   
    It wasn't a good sight.
   
    After a substantial amount of time of thinking and going through candidates in his head one after the other, Leo shook his head and groaned. "I can hardly think of anyone suitable. Oh, God! Its like am being punished."
   
    Wesley chuckled. After saying that Leo had reached for a bottle of wine on the table when Wesley halted his approach, resting his hand on Leo's hand.
   
    "What of Paige?"
   
    Leo almost dropped the bottle. "What?" He turned inquiry eyes to his friend's bronze face. "What does my P. A have to do with this?"
   
    "Paige, what about her?" Wesley asked ignoring Leo's latest question.
   
    So he did hear right. Leo frowned. "I did not involve her in this because I didn't want her to know," At Wesley's attempt to talk he said, "I know I know. You want me to ask if she knows another agency who could offer their services to me but for your information the fewer people who know about this the better."
   
    When he finished talking, Wesley was looking at him and shaking his head, a huge grin on his face.
   
    "You moron I am talking about Paige she can be the fake fiancée."
   
    Instant denial rose in him, and he quenched it in one second. Deciding to see where this would lead. He tried to picture the whole thing. But for the life of him, he couldn't see himself pretending to be in love with his P.A.
   
    "She will not want to do it," he muttered at last with a frown of disapproval. "And she's too innocent to dabble into that kind of deception. What if she messes it up?"
   
    "We just have to pray she doesn't."
   
    "That isn't very reassuring," Leo stated.
   
    Wesley shrugged. "Unless you have someone else in mind, or you wish to go to the family gathering alone, am afraid you don't have an option."
   
    Leo saw a picture of himself coming back alone. Everyone would still see him as irresponsible. And with the bad luck of his sales going down just three weeks before he was to attend his family gathering, he would be twenty-nine all over again. A laughing stock. There should be a way out of this. Perhaps he can do this. Leo mused. A strange light appearing in his eyes.
   
    On seeing that his friend chuckled, "I see you are finally reaching some conclusions on your own. Care to share."
   
    Leo turned to Wesley. Just as he was about to answer his phone rang, and he picked it up. It was Rosa.
   
    "Hello."
   
    "Father wanted to know when you will arrive." No greetings, no hellos straight to the point. Typical Rosa.
   
    "Tell him am on my way."
   
    "That's what you said two hours ago," a sigh. "You know, it's not mandatory for you to come, little bro." Hearing that word Leo's hand tighten on his phone, Rosa didn't call him little bro out of affection or anything like that rather than to irritate him. She enjoyed doing that. Surely she was ten years older than him, but did she have to call him little bro at every opportunity she got.
   
    "You can sit this one out brother mine. Seriously, no one wants to see your disgraceful attitude at the palazzo." Her voice rose an octave and Leo's mouth tightened with irritation, and he said with more vigor than he wanted to.
   
    "If I said I will be there, then I will be there." He switched off his phone.
   
    I'm calling Paige," he announced
   
    "Finally," Wesley whistled. "Some actions."
   
    *****
   
    Paige arrived at Leo's house and was ushered in by his manservant to the living room, which was filled with several people she did not know hovering over Leo as though waiting on instructions from him. Wesley was busy with his phone but at her entrance had stopped to eye her, returning the look to his friend.
   
    Leo came over then and took her by the hand, drawing her into a seat in his living room. He was wearing a fashionable suit the color of dark chocolate, worn with a fawn T-shirt. His hair was slightly tousled as though he had run his hand through it. Though with a slight touch and little rearrangement, it would all be in place.
   
    Earlier today she had been in bed ashamed at what she had done at the club. Naomi had told her Leo had carried her to his car. Of course, she couldn't really recall that happening what she remembered was her hugging him in that dark corridor. Mortified at actually crossing that line and hugging him, Paige had refused to leave her bed mortified at what Leo would think of her.
   
    Thank God he was travelling to his family in Italy, she had thought. By the time he comes back, they would be so pass this episode he wouldn't remember it. If he did, then she would simply deny it. Simple. It was as simple as ABC D.
   
    Happy with that assessment Paige had walked out of the bed when her phone rang. She dived to the bed. She knew that ringtone it was the one she had set for her boss.
   
    When she picked it. Leo said he wanted her help. He wanted her to be his fake fiancée, he would tell her the details when she comes to his house. Paige didn't know what he was on about but what she knew was there was no way she was going there. However, when she had heard the sudden distress, and near panic in his voice, she had jumped into the shower and had her bath in records time. In less than Forty-five minutes she was there.
   
    His proposal was bizarre and yet somewhere in her mind, she was thrilled. Not much had been said to her over the phone and there was even less had been said to her since she arrived disconcerted by the strange people hovering around there.
   
    As she watched, Leo pulled a stool close to her and sat down. Turned and signalled a woman and a gay blond guy standing there to stand outside, and the other two by the door to leave too.
   
    When they left, Leo turned to her and held her shoulder, Paige followed that action with her eyes. When she turned to him, he was looking into her eyes. Paige felt a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. Well aware of the presence of his friend sitting just right around the corner. Was this the moment she would embarrass herself by blushing?