Page 47 of The Billionaire Mismatch

“And you wouldn’t be. Not really. You just need her to think that’s what’s happening,” he says.

“And why exactly should I do that?” I ask.

“Because if you ‘date’ her and not just fuck her and drop her, you prove all her accusations wrong. But if you break it off before anything gets serious, you prove her point, and she wins. I hate to say it, but you’re in deep, Luca,” he says.

“It’s only been three dates,” I argue.

“You made s’mores,” he says flatly.

I take in a breath and let it out. I hate to admit it, but Matt isn’t wrong. My reputation is on the line. And unfortunately, whether I like it or not (and believe me, I do not), my dating life directly affects my reputation. And my reputation affects my job.

“You’re the King of Love, remember?” Matt asks as if he can hear my internal monologue.

“Don’t ever say that again. Also, I want to see Hayden’s work,” I say.

“Peyton,” he corrects me.

“Whatever. I didn’t hire her. HR did. And if her work isn’t solid, I want her gone. I don’t need another Sadie muddying up the water around here,” I mutter, but Matt just laughs.

“I think it’s a little late for that,” I say. “But seriously. I can’t deal with more drama. I don’t want any drama.”

“So date Olivia. Just until you can prove to everyone that you aren’t who people think you are.”

Matt’s phone rings, and he makes his way out of my office, leaving me with his words and a million other annoyingly invasive thoughts.

He’s right about one thing. I need to be careful. But that’s not the only thing sticking with me. I haven’t been in a relationship in a very long time. And even if this isn’t real, even if I am just playing along with it to prove her wrong and protect my relationship, it feels dangerous. Vulnerable.

Like I won’t be able to protect myself.

And I don’t know how to feel about that.

I’m also not so sure I’m not as bad as everyone thinks I am. And as much as it angers me that she might be using me for her work or revenge or whatever it is Olivia is doing, the idea of using her doesn’t sit well with me either.

Chapter 16

Olivia

“You know,we don’t always have to go somewhere fancy to eat,” I tell Luca as he silently drives us to the mystery destination for date number four. “Believe it or not, I usually just grab salads or sandwiches at grocery stores or get Thai takeout. And if I have a really wild hair,I’ll hit up a food truck,” I tell him and watch his face scrunch. I just laugh.

“Well, we might have to do that from the looks of things,” he mutters.

“What do you mean?” I ask. Then I look up at the road. “Oh.”

The highway traffic is backed up so badly that people are being rerouted off of every main road.

“Rush hour?” I ask.

“I’m thinking it’s a bad accident,” he says, spitefully following the snake of cars headed onto the back roads. Then he lets out an irritated sigh. “Well, so much for our reservation.”

“It’s alright,” I insist. “Like I said, spontaneity is my middle name.”

“I thought it was second-hand footwear…” he says.

“Was that a joke?” I ask. “Did you just attempt to be funny?”

“It wasn’t funny. It was factual,” he says, and I narrow my eyes.

“Oh really? Because I see the hint of a smirk,” I say.