Would you take the deal of a lifetime? Even if it meant you have to be a rich man's fake fiancée for a year? Well, Ivy took that deal. She's gone years without the need of a male partner in her life, but when it comes to it, money can solve all her...
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"Ya' know when you said we would be going shopping, I thought you meant me and your secretary," I confess, fiddling with the stitching along the sides of my denim jeans.
Theo looks up from his phone, which has been glued to his hand and stealing every ounce of his attention since we entered the car, "Why?"
I shrug, turning my head to face the window, "Don't you have an empire to run?"
"I do, but that doesn't mean I can't make time for my lovely fiancé," he says.
I must remind myself that his words mean nothing, this is purely contractual between us. Yet, my heart thumps louder in my chest at his tone, at his choice of adjective. He thinks I'm lovely?
"If we are to convince the public of our relationship, we need to be seen together. What better way to get started than me carrying around your bags and doting on you like a devoted boyfriend?" he adds on, effectively preventing my heart from feeling anything.
It's smart, I should have assumed that's what he meant from the start.
"Right, good idea," even though he's made his intentions clear, why do I feel so—bothered?
He was only being a decent man. I shouldn't mistake his kindness for anything else. I can't afford to.
"Mr. Raven, we've arrived at the plaza," Larke tells us from the driver's seat, the car coming to a steady stop.
Theo shuts his phone off and slides it inside his suit pocket, "Thank you, Lars, we'll be a while."
Larke nods to Theo as he reaches for the door handle and pushes it open, quickly exiting the vehicle in one smooth motion. I shuffle to exit behind him. He has his hand extended for me and I take it.
I find the feel of his calloused hand in mine, so rough and large, to be warm. I like it.
His fingers swallow up my palm as he helps me out of the car. He uses his other arm to shut the door behind us and taps on the glass twice. Larke pulls away soon after, leaving me and Theo to the bustling city street.
Theo turns his head to look at me, our hands still stuck together, "Where to first?"
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"Miss! You would look absolutely divine in this! You must try it on," the sales clerk shouts for me from the other side of the curtain for the tenth time.
This is the third store we have walked into, and just like the others, I was immediately overwhelmed by the luxury. Straight from the jump there was a swarm of women that surrounded us, like hungry hounds they could smell the money and treated us like royalty.
Theo was indifferent to their hungry stares, but I knew better than anyone that these saleswomen were desperate to hustle us. For fucks sake, I ended up leaving the first two stores with five bags filled to the brim with rich people shit.
