Page 16 of Fake it for Keeps

6

HALLIE

Iheld my pen over the signature line, the tip hovering just above the paper like it might burst into flames if I made contact.

Was I making a huge mistake? Was I really about to sign my life away for the next six months to a man who’d already broken my heart once?

I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, like I was holding two giant conch shells to the side of my head. The conference room felt too small, too warm. I could feel Della watching me expectantly, waiting for me to commit.

And Colt.

I glanced up, and my stomach dropped.

He was staring directly down my sweater shamelessly. The bastard wasn’t even trying to hide it. His hazel eyes were locked on my cleavage, a small smirk playing at the corner of his mouth like he knew exactly what he was doing and didn’t care that I’d caught him.

Heat flooded my face, part embarrassment, part anger, and a tiny, traitorous part that felt something else entirely. Pride.

Still got it, baby.

I gritted my teeth and looked back down at the contract.

Take his money. Break his heart. Get even.

The words crystallized in my mind, sharp and clear. That’s what this was really about, wasn’t it? Yes, I needed the money for the beach house. But the real prize, the thing that would make all of this worthwhile, was watching Colt Jesson fall for me the way I’d fallen for him all those years ago.

And then I’d walk away.

Just like he had.

Take his money. Break his heart. Get even.

It would be my mantra. My North Star for the next six months.

I could do this. I could play the part of the loving fiancée, the blushing bride, the devoted wife. I could make him believe every word, every touch, every smile. And when July came around and the contract dissolved, I’d collect my final payment and disappear, leaving him with the same hollowed-out feeling he’d left me with on that beach.

The plan was perfect. Simple.

All I had to do was sign.

How hard could it be?

I thought about his type. The endless parade of women he’d been photographed with over the years. Models. Actresses. Instagram influencers with impossibly tiny waists and perfect skin. He went through them like tissues, fucking them and leaving them without a backward glance.

But that was the key, wasn’t it? He only left because he got what he wanted.

So I just wouldn’t give it to him.

No sex. No matter how much he pushed. He could turn on the charm and look at me with those hazel eyes that promised me pleasure I probably shouldn’t even be imagining. I’d keep that line firmly drawn, and it would drive him crazy. Men like Colt weren’t used to being told no. The chase would consume him.

And I’d have all the power.

He might think he was in control, that because he was paying me, because he’d set the terms, because he was Colt fucking Jesson, that he held all the cards.

But he was wrong.

So long as I kept my legs closed and my heart locked up tight, I’d be the one calling the shots.

“And you understand this is a marriage in name only, correct?” I said, looking him straight in the eyes. “There will be no perks.”