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My mouth snaps shut. There’s just so much to explain. Literal years to explain. Our whole history together, the situation with my aunt, how desperately I need the money, how desperately Jenson needs me…
Not you,the voice in my head reminds me.Just someone to fill in a gap.When he doesn’t need you anymore—
I cut the thought off before it can continue and shake the fog away.
“It’s…complicated.”
“Well, try to explain it. Because I don’t want to work for a liar, and you’ve been lying to me, one way or another.” She crosses her arms.
“Okay. Yeah. First, I’m sorry, Adrian. None of this was planned.” The apology only makes her face go blank with dread, and I rush on. “Jenson and I…we have a history. A long one. And when I came to Dupont, we weren’t in a relationship—I didn’t even know he was here.”
“But you did know him? Before you got here?”
“Yes.”
“That explains why he was watching you all the time the first few days.” She mutters the words, but my eyes snap to hers, confused. He was watching me? “So?” she prompts.
“I ran into him my first day here, and I thought…or I didn’t think…ugh. I don’t know. I guess I thought everything would be fine. I really, really need this job, Adrian.”
I take her hands, practically pleading with her, and her eyes soften.
“Why? No offense, Mel, you’re good at this, but it doesn’t really seem like your kind of gig.”
I almost laugh but swallow the bitter sound down. “You’re not wrong. It’s the money. I have a family member who’s really sick, and there are a lot of bills.”
Her lips go from a frown to an unhappy pucker. “Okay, I can get that, I guess. My dad…” But she shakes her head, trailing off. “I get it. I’m still not connecting all this, though—what does this have to do with you and Jenson being together? You’re not, like, a sex worker, are you?” Adrian whispers the last part, then rushes on. “Not that I’d judge you if you were, it’s just…an odd choice to bite the hand that feeds you and—”
“I’m not,” I interrupt, a grin on my face at the absurd idea.
Isit absurd? I did sleep with him. More than once.
“This has to stay between you and me, Adrian, okay? You know Roy is retiring soon. Jenson—”
“Wants the company.” She doesn’t look or sound surprised as she says it. “From what I hear, it’s him or Zach.”
“Exactly.” I’m hesitant to keep going, unsure how she feels about either man. But I have to believe in Jenson—even if he’s different from the guy I grew up with, I have to believe there’s still good in him.
“Jenson is trying to convince Roy that he’s the better choice, not just as a leader, but to really take care of the company. And everyone working here.”
Our eyes meet, and I can see in hers that she understands. Whether she’ll say it aloud or not, Adrian at least knows that putting Zach in charge would be a bad idea.
“The problem is, Roy doesn’t think Jenson is settled down enough. So when we ran into each other, and he realized I was staying in Boston pretty permanently, he made me a proposition.”
The light slowly goes on in Adrian’s eyes as they widen.
“You two are faking a relationship.”
I nod. “Yeah. I’m sorry. Honestly, I assumed it would be over pretty quickly and that no one would care.”
Adrian tosses her head back and laughs, her dreads dancing. “You thought no one would care? Mel, half the female population at Dupont would die to have a chance with Jenson Sharpe. You’re officially enemy number one by being his fiancé.”
I groan, leaning back against the wall. “I honestly didn’t realize.”
“What, that he’s hot? Rich? Got that ‘bad boy’ attitude going on, like he’d be really great at punishing you?”
A flush goes through my body, but I keep a straight face. “Trust me, growing up, Jenson wasn’t exactly a bad boy. He was in the math club.”
Adrian grins and takes my hands again, squeezing them in solidarity. “What exactly are you getting out of this, Mel?”
