Page 22 of Pretender

He presses his hands together, tapping his fingers on his chin. “Please?”

My breath catches and I blink at him. He’s begging. He seems desperate.

Maybe if I… No, I need to put myself first for once.

“You’re my client, Aiden. I’d look a right fool.”

He appears positively nauseous now, and I want to make it stop for him. Make him happy again.

“I sort of already told my mum that I’m seeing you.” He bites his lower lip again and his eyebrows curl up. He’s making puppy-dog eyes at me.

Oh, hell no.

He seemed genuinely desperate before, but I’m not falling for that. I’m not a fool.

I fold my arms across my chest.

“I’m sorry, but you’ll just have to find someone else. I don’t mix work and social life.”

“It’d be a fake date. A business arrangement, if you will.” He shrugs.

Of course…

It makes sense now. Linnea, the pitiful divorcée on the verge of losing her company, she’ll say yes to anything.

That emotion in his eyes, I can’t interpret it as anything but pity. It reminds me of Halloween.

Not. Thinking. About. It.

“No, I’m sorry. What will everyone assume when the only client I have is someone I’m also dating? It’s preposterous, Aiden,” I say, trying to keep my voice down, so I throw my hands up for impact.

He squeezes his eyes shut. “Shit. You’re right.”

“I don’t see how this is an arrangement that will help me in any way. It’ll hurt me more than it helps you.”

When he glances back up at me, there’s something in his expression I’ve not seen before. He looks lost. Helpless.

I hate how it pulls at my resolve.

“Why is it so important for you to have a date? Can’t you just say we broke up?”

Aiden sighs, rubbing his neck, his shirt straining around his muscles. He’s too close.

“My mum was so happy for me,” he says, his eyebrows curling up again and I struggle to tell if it’s real or fake. Maybe it’s an authentic expression I’ve never seen. He drops his arm. “I don’t want to break her heart.”

Oh. My eyes find his.

“You’d have to, eventually. You weren’t planning on fake moving in and fake marrying me, were you?” A laugh escapes me, realising how ridiculous it all sounds.

“I didn’t think that far.” He nibbles his lip, a sheepish grimace spreading across his face. “Not sure you’d like my flat, actually.”

“Oh, we’d definitely not live there where you’ve been with all your women on every surface.” I slap a hand over my mouth. “That was rude. I’m so sorry,” I say through my fingers.

Aiden’s eyes are wide, but he laughs and shakes his head. “You really need to stop reading that blog.”

He steps up one step, very close to me now, meeting my gaze straight on.

“Please think about what I could do to make it worth it for you. I really hate disappointing my mum.”