Yours for the weekend...

give or take forever.

Desperate not to be single at her sister’s wedding, Andrea Payne offers to pay a total stranger to be her date. But the hunk who turns her down is Gage Fleming, the man who just hired her! To keep her on the job, Gage says yes. But when their ruse turns to real passion, they must choose—end it now...or make it last?

A former job-hopper, JESSICA LEMMON resides in Ohio with her husband and rescue dog. She holds a degree in graphic design currently gathering dust in an impressive frame. When she’s not writing supersexy heroes, she can be found cooking, drawing, drinking coffee (okay, wine) and eating potato chips. She firmly believes God gifts us with talents for a purpose, and with His help, you can create the life you want.

Jessica is a social media junkie who loves to hear from readers. You can learn more at jessicalemmon.com.

Also by Jessica Lemmon

Lone Star Lovers

A Snowbound Scandal

A Christmas Proposition

Best Friends, Secret Lovers

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Temporary to Tempted

Jessica Lemmon

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09223-4

TEMPORARY TO TEMPTED

© 2019 Jessica Lemmon

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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Version: 2020-03-02

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Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

Twenty

Twenty-One

Twenty-Two

Epilogue

About the Publisher

One

Prospect number seven was not going well.

Andrea Payne’s eyelids drooped as Dr. Christopher Miller yammered on. At this rate hell would freeze solid and Satan would win a gold medal in figure skating before she found an appropriate plus-one for her sister’s wedding.

Her sister Gwen was the second to last of the Payne women to marry, which left Andy dead last. Not that Andy had ever been anywhere near walking down a runner in a wedding gown, but this marriage would widen the gap already setting her apart from her married—and one soon-to-be married—sisters.

Years ago, when she’d moved to Seattle, Andy had set out to prove that she didn’t need a boyfriend; didn’t need anyone. She’d set out to prove that in business, in life, she could stand on her achievements and skills.

In her family, charm and poise were worth more than achievements, and for that she could blame her mother, former Miss Ohio Estelle Payne. Andy would settle for relationships with high-paying clients, thank you very much. There was a contract between them, after all. That was sort of like marriage.

She returned her attention to her date, boredom having set in a while ago. It was a shame he wasn’t going to work out. On paper, Christopher was everything she was looking for in a date for her sister’s wedding. He was a doctor, well-dressed, nice-looking and comfortable talking about himself.

Really comfortable.

“Anyway, I was able to help out a patient in his time of need, which is what this job is all about.” He arched his eyebrows and pressed his lips together, trying to appear humble. “He was lucky I was there.”

Womp.

She’d tried her ex-boyfriends first—a whopping total of three of them—over the last month and a half before resorting to a dating app that had resulted in three other duds and “lucky number seven,” Christopher here.

She gulped down the last of her chardonnay and flagged the waitress for a refill. Her date never broke stride.

“It wasn’t the first time I’ve been tasked with removing a mole, but it’s never an easy fight, and far more dangerous than anyone would imagine.”

She sucked in air through her nose and plastered on what she hoped was a genial smile while surreptitiously checking out her surroundings. She’d noticed a trio at the bar earlier, and her attention returned there again. A guy and a girl who hadn’t taken their eyes off each other and another guy who was there as a third wheel but didn’t seem particularly bothered by it. She’d assumed he was waiting for his date while he had drinks with the couple, but then Andy noticed him flirting with the bartender. Maybe she was his girlfriend, though nothing between them hinted that they knew each other on an intimate level.

People-watching was one of Andy’s favorite pastimes. She enjoyed making up stories about strangers, testing her observation skills. She only wished there was a way she could find out if she was right about her instincts.

The single guy—a gut call—at the bar was handsome in an earthy way, his light brown hair winding into curls here and there like it was in need of a trim, his shadowed beard a far cry from Christopher’s sharply shaven jawline. Where Christopher resembled a firm pillar in a Brooks Brothers suit, the guy at the bar was in an approachable button-down pale-blue-and-white checked shirt, his tie—if there’d ever been one—long since tossed, and the sleeves cuffed and pushed to his elbows. He was drinking a bottle of beer, an expensive IPA if she wasn’t mistaken, and that made her like him more.

“Andy?”

She jerked her attention to Christopher, who was a dark-haired, poor man’s version of Chris Hemsworth. Not bad for a girl who was desperately seeking a date, but something about the good doctor was bothering her. Particularly that he was full of crap. Brimming with it, in fact.

How would she tolerate the entirety of a four-day wedding with him?

“Lost you there.” He smirked and then continued the story of his latest medical triumph, talking down to her as if she still held her first job working part-time at a perfume counter. Not that he’d know what she did for a living. He never asked. If this bozo knew who he was trying to impress, he’d shut his mouth like a sprung bear trap.

She wondered what ole Christopher would say if he knew she was the Andy Payne, master of marketers. Sultan of sales. The oft-sought-after, rarely duplicated expert who was essentially a puff of smoke.

Everyone thought she was a man...on paper. She’d kept her identity a secret from everyone—including the many publications who’d interviewed her.

The New York Times.

Forbes.

Fortune.

That random mention in Entertainment Weekly.

Andy Payne was known for whipping companies into shape, and throughout her illustrious five-year career she’d managed to garner the attention of others with a clean black-and-white website and zero personal or identifying information about herself. When she showed up at the company, they knew on sight that she was a woman, but by then they were under her spell...and they’d signed a nondisclosure agreement.

Mostly she worked with men and, as she’d experienced in her first attempt at beginning a business as Andrea Anderson (last name chosen for alliteration), complete with a mauve and silver website filled with flowery words and cursive fonts, male clients didn’t want to pay her what she was worth.

Enter her new identity. Andrea was easily changed to Andy, and she used her real last name. She let her clients’ assumptions that she was male work in her favor.

“...not that I need another house in Tahiti.” Christopher offered a smug smile and leaned back in his chair. Apparently, that was her cue to swoon or something.

She’d wasted enough time. First on her exes and now on the Find Love app. The wedding was in two weeks and she didn’t have time for another round of failed interviews disguised as dates.

Andy hated to admit it, but in a deep dark corner of her heart she longed to be more like her sisters. She desired praise and approval from her mother. She wanted not necessarily to “fit in” but she would love not to stand out. In this case that meant appearing happily coupled off and avoiding needling observations from family members like that cousin at her sister Carroll’s wedding.

I wish I was brave enough to show up at a wedding alone. If I didn’t have a date, I would’ve just stayed home.

It wasn’t enough to have a cardboard stand-in by her side, no, no. Andy needed to impress. Ideally her date could thwart those sorts of comments before they started.

Sadly, as impressive as Christopher believed he was, he wouldn’t cut it as a proper wedding date.

Still. He was all she had. Time to get real.

“Christopher. I selected your profile because I need a date for my sister’s wedding. The gig is three nights, four days in amazing and luxurious Crown, Ohio. Your airfare will be covered and your hotel room will be separate, but also covered. You will be tasked with being my date, pretending to find everything I say amusing, and impressing my mother and father. You’re skilled at bragging about how great you are but I will also need you to recognize that I’m in the room if we have any hope of pulling this off. Are you up for the mission I’ve presented you, or do you want to call it a night?”

He watched her carefully, an uncertain look on his face. “Are you—You’re serious.”

“As a heart attack. Which I hear you know a lot about.”

“You want me to pretend to be your boyfriend.”

“Yes.”

“At a wedding.”

“Yes.”

He leaned forward and squinted one eye, his lips pursing as if deciding if the trip to Ohio would be worth his time, energy and effort.

Andy’s palms were sweating. Not because she was excited by the doctor, but because her search might finally be over.

Then the idiot blurted, “Do we at least get to fuck?”

Yeah. They were so done.

“Good night, Christopher. I’ll take care of the check.”

“Wait, Andy—”

She tossed twenty bucks on the table to cover their drinks and marched to the ladies’ room. The money would cover the single drink they’d each had and then she could go home and—

And what?

She was flat out of solutions. She had no close guy friends she could ask. Hell, she had no close girlfriends who might help her make a plan. What she had was money and prestige.

Just the thought of showing up at Gwen’s wedding alone pissed her off. She refused to fail. It wasn’t in her nature. Plus there was one other itty-bitty reason why showing up with a date was preferable.

One of her ex-boyfriends had been invited. She’d stooped low enough to call, which was bad enough, but then she learned that he was dating Gwen’s best friend who was in the wedding. So that was gross.

Matthew Higgins had greeted her like no time had passed since they parted. Well, well, well. If it isn’t her royal highness.

The Ice Queen. That was her.

Thank God she hadn’t asked him to be her date. She’d played it off like she’d simply thought of him out of the blue and wanted to “catch up” and then ended the call before she died of humiliation.

At the double sink, she dug through her purse for her lip gloss, which evidently she’d neglected to pack in her clutch. She sighed in defeat. It’d been a long month.

A long life.

Around the time she’d dated Matt, she’d been sure she’d wind up marrying eventually. Until he repeatedly teased her about her lack of warmth. She wasn’t enough for him, and as much as she wished she could refute that, she’d also seen evidence in her family of what she was lacking. She wasn’t as bubbly as Gwen. She wasn’t as bold as Kelli. She wasn’t as stylish as Ness. She wasn’t as athletic as Carroll. As one of five girls in the Payne family, Andy was the unofficial black sheep. She’d just as soon not draw even more attention to their differences by becoming the last single one. Yet here she was.

For all the confidence and kick-ass-ness she possessed at work, she didn’t want to be singled out or excluded from couples’ activities.

Plus, nothing chapped her ass more than giving up.

She peeked out of a crack in the swinging door of the ladies’ restroom to watch Christopher exit the bar. Thank God. Also, her twenty was still on the table, which was a plus. The last guy had taken her money and left, and she’d had to pay the waitress again.

There were no good men left in this city.

In the world.

“I can’t catch another bouquet without a date,” she whispered to herself. As humiliating as it was to catch the blasted thing—that her sisters always aimed her way—nothing was more humiliating than returning to the table with the flowers in hand and no date in sight. Guests always looked on in pity, as if she was going to die alone.

Her gaze snagged on the attractive guy at the bar and her back straightened with determination. If she was right about her observations, he was single. He was also sort of flirting with the bartender which hopefully meant he was looking.

Approaching him would be a random shot, but so had approaching every other guy she’d been out with. Maybe instead of taking home the cute bartender, he’d agree to bail out the too-serious, frosty, desperate-for-a-wedding-date single woman hiding in the ladies’ room.

Probably not.

But Andy wasn’t a failure.

She wouldn’t allow failure.

She stepped from the restroom and spotted him—alone. The guy with the attractive facial hair and almost boyish curls. Except everything about the sculpted jaw and rounded shoulders screamed man. He was alone. Which meant the couple he’d been with had gone elsewhere.

Now was her chance.

Maybe her last chance.

“Money,” she muttered.

She didn’t have time for a get-to-know-you chat followed by the prospect of a date followed by her warming up to mention, “Hey, so my sister is getting married in two weeks...” She had to cut through the small talk and arrow straight to the point. Cash would make that a hell of a lot easier. She opened her clutch to count her credit cards. Five. That should be enough.

She rounded the corner to the ATM at the back of the bar, a plan in mind and a glass of good chardonnay in her belly.

She would take the simple approach and ask him if she could pay him to come with her to Ohio. Enough with faux dating and weighing the odds. She needed a date, and hopefully this guy needed a couple grand.

On a mission, she slid the first of five credit cards into the machine and punched the withdrawal button.

She would find a date to Gwen’s wedding.

And she would find him tonight.

Two

Gage Fleming finished off his IPA and tipped the bottle’s neck at the bartender. “I’ll take the check when you have a second.”

Seattle had come out of a long winter and cool spring, and was now firmly entrenched in summer. The energy was different during the hot months. The skirts were shorter and the nights were longer, and for him, the workdays were longer, too. He hadn’t left his desk until well after seven thirty—hadn’t gotten here until well after eight thirty. Given the hellacious week he’d had at the office, it didn’t surprise him that he wasn’t as upbeat as usual.

“Sure thing.” Shelly was petite, wearing a ball cap with her ponytail sticking out of the back. Her lashes were thick, and her lips were shiny with gloss. Cute as she was, he didn’t plan on asking her out. Even though she was his type, from her shapely calves to her low-cut V-necked T-shirt with the bar’s gold-and-red emblem on it. Even though she’d been offering her smiles freely and borderline flirting back with him, Gage wasn’t feeling it.

His best buddy Flynn and Sabrina, his other best buddy turned Flynn’s girlfriend, had taken off a few minutes ago. Gage hung around at From Afar, finishing his beer after a long week and what felt like a longer workday.

He’d been friends with Flynn, Sabrina and Reid—who wasn’t in the country at the moment—since college. Sabrina being in the mix was nothing new. Her being in love with Flynn and vice versa: totally new.

Gage had said yes to the after-work beer, not thinking it’d be any different than any other hangout they’d had before. It had been different, though, since the couple couldn’t keep their hands or eyes on anything in the room but each other. But he couldn’t begrudge his friends. A few months back, Flynn and Sabrina had slipped from the friend zone to the in-zone. Flynn was the happiest he’d been in a long while.

“Here you go, sweetheart.” The cute blonde winked at him and moved away to greet another patron.

If he wasn’t mistaken, that lifting feeling in his chest was relief at his decision not to dance the dance with her. Flirting was easy—hell, second nature—to him. Asking her out wouldn’t be an issue. He had it down. He’d heard yes more times than no, and often heard “Yes!” shouted with exuberance later the same night in his bed.

Over the past few weeks, however, he’d noticed he was tired of the game. Going out on a few dates, a round or three of spectacular sex (or okay sex—but even okay sex was pretty damn good), and then finding his way out before things progressed to anything serious... If they got that far. Lately, he’d grown tired of the awkward parting in the middle of the night or the next morning. Tired of the walk of shame.

Thirty years old was too young to be this jaded.

You’re just tired after a long week. Don’t analyze it to death.

He leaned forward to pull his wallet from his back pocket, ready to pay and take his gloomy self home, when he noticed a stunning vision striding toward him. He froze, the scene unfolding in slow motion.

Strawberry blond hair washed over slim shoulders in a waterfall of color, bright against the narrow black sheath dress draped over her slender form. Electric blue eyes flashed with determination. She was long-limbed, her walk confident, and her full pink mouth was set in a firm, unsmiling line. One eyebrow was arched and she homed in on him like he was the target and she was a missile.

With his next breath, his libido returned. Lust slammed into his solar plexus and dried out his mouth.

Which made no sense.

In those heels, in that dress and with no smile to speak of, it was obvious he was in the presence of a way-too-serious woman. He’d had a close call with a woman like this one in his past, and he’d since decided that cute, bubbly bartenders were more his style.

Even so. Intrigued and more than a bit curious, he shoved his wallet back into his pocket when it became clear that this striking woman was coming right for him.

This one, he’d dance with. If only to shake things up a bit.

He’d buy her a drink, turn on the Fleming charm and see what happened. It’d been a while since a woman had snagged this much of his attention. Whether it was the strawberry blonde’s determination or the set of her small shoulders, he couldn’t be sure, but he couldn’t tear his eyes off her. How could anyone look that damned delicate and at the same time like she ate nails for breakfast?

He didn’t know. But he was going to find out. Something told him that she’d be worth it, no matter the cost.

“Shelly, I’ll have another IPA after all,” he said to the bartender, and as the strawberry blonde placed a manicured hand on the back of the bar stool next to him, he smoothly added, “and whatever she’s having.”

“You got it.” Shelly dipped her chin at the strawberry blonde. “What’ll it be?”

Strawberry yanked her gaze from Gage, her expression almost shocked that the bartender was talking to her. “Um. Chardonnay.”

Shelly fetched their drinks and Gage turned to greet his guest, pulling the stool out for her to sit.

“No. Thanks,” she replied coolly, almost like the “thanks” part was an afterthought.

Instinct told him that she wasn’t as cool and calm as she pretended to be. If she was actually the man-eater she portrayed, she’d look him in the eye right now. Instead, she appeared to be steeling herself for some sort of proposition. Maybe she’d had a bad breakup, needed a little rebound.

That he could do.

“Can’t enjoy your chardonnay without having a seat,” he replied easily, patting the stool with one hand. Her eyebrows slammed down over her pert nose and she pegged him with an expression that bordered on fury.

A zap! hit him low in the gut. A warning drowned out by intense curiosity.

Let’s tangle, honey.

A glass of chardonnay and a bottle of beer appeared in front of him, and without breaking away from her fiery blue gaze, he handed over the wine. Strawberry’s nostrils flared, but she took the glass, tipped it to her lips and had sucked down a third of it by the time he’d lifted his bottle.

Yep. She was definitely here on a mission.

She set the glass down with a loud clink. “I’ll pay you two thousand dollars to spend a weekend with me.”

Gage lowered his beer without taking a sip. His mouth was poised to say the word what but he didn’t have a chance to say anything before she was opening her purse and showing him the contents. Stacks of twenties were packed into it, facing every which way like she’d robbed a convenience store before propositioning him.

“I’m attending a destination wedding in the Midwest in two weeks. Your flight and separate room will be paid in full. I’ll give you two thousand dollars to go with me.”

Just as he’d settled on the notion that this beautiful creature was certifiably insane, a flicker of doubt lit her expressive eyes.

“I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend for the duration. I know Ohio doesn’t sound scenic, but Crown is a beautiful, quaint town. And there will be food,” she added with a touch of desperation. “Really good food.”

Her throat moved as she swallowed thickly, her outer layer of surety and confidence flaking away.

Seemed he was right about her being on a mission, but damn, he’d been wrong about her not being a man-eater. She was so similar to his ex, he wouldn’t be surprised if she pulled off a mask to reveal Laura herself.

He took a long slug of his beer and then swiped his tongue over his bottom lip. This woman was either crazy or desperate or both. Figured. He should’ve known a woman this beautiful would be nuttier than a sack of trail mix.

“Well?” Her eyebrow arched again, her too-serious expression snapping seamlessly into place. “I don’t have much time, so I’d appreciate an answer.”

Was she for real?

He’d never imagined she’d march over here and demand to...to...hire him to be her date, let alone expect him to agree without so much as a casual introduction. For all he knew, she would lure him in with promises and then steal his identity.

Or my kidneys.

The answer was an easy no, but he wouldn’t let her off the hook without making her explain first. He opened the edge of her purse with his index finger so he could examine the cash inside as he pretended to consider her offer.

“How will payment work? You just hand me all the money in your purse and then I give you my phone number?”

“No. Of course not.” She snatched her bag out of his reach. “Then I’d have no guarantee you’d show up. I’d give it to you at the wedding.”

“Why would I clear my weekend plans and fly with you to Ohio on a promise of two thousand dollars if I don’t have any of it?”

A frown muddled her pretty face. “You can have half. But I need your phone number. And your address. And your word.”

Unbelievably gorgeous and absolutely crackers. It was a shame.

“But I need your answer now.”

“Right now.” His gaze locked on her pink mouth and he had a moment of regret for not getting to have a taste of her lips. To feel how silky that red hair was against his fingertips. He lifted his beer bottle, delaying. The kissing and fingers in her hair were an impossibility but his curiosity to watch her reaction still burned. He was trying to decide what she would do when he said no. Would she slap him or scream at him or run from the bar?

“Yes, now,” she said through her teeth.

Damn. Maybe he could convince her to stick around after he shot her down.

“I can’t help you out, Strawberry. I don’t particularly like the Midwest. And despite what first impression I must’ve given you, I don’t need two thousand dollars. But if you’d like to finish your wine—”

That long swath of hair flicked as she turned on her heel and tromped toward the exit. Option C it was. She left behind a plume of softly scented perfume and a fantasy that lasted the rest of the week. One about long, silky hair and a parted pink mouth. About her beneath him naked atop those bills scattered over his bed...

Whoever she was, she left an impression. The way looking at the sun left bright light burning behind his lids for a while.

Gage turned back to his beer. Even though Strawberry was a little nutty, he honestly hoped she found a date to that wedding in Ohio.

Three

“Today’s the day.”

Gage rubbed his hands together and then fired up the espresso machine in the executive break room.

“What day’s that?” Reid, back from his recent trip home to London, asked.

“The day that Andy Payne guy comes to save Gage’s rear end,” Sabrina answered as she tipped the half-and-half into her mug.

“Not my rear. Our rears,” Gage corrected. “This is going to help boost sales, yes, but this will also take some of the pressure off Flynn.” He grinned at Sabrina. “You’re welcome.”

Last year Gage had come up with the perfect solution for the senior staff at Monarch Consulting, who had been giving Flynn holy hell. When Flynn’s father died, leaving Flynn in charge of the company, a lot of the men and women who were used to the way Emmons had run things hadn’t taken too kindly to Flynn. Gage’s suggestion—brilliant suggestion—was to focus on sales, create a huge boom in business, which would satisfy shaky investors and give a needed boost to everyone’s bonuses. It was hard to complain when extra money rolled in.

“Oh, I’m welcome, am I?” Sabrina chuckled.

“If it’s gratitude you want, mate, just ask,” Reid commented.

Gage didn’t want gratitude, but he did want results. The company had felt as if it was teetering on a foundation of marbles last year and he hadn’t liked it at all. Monarch Consulting was the workplace Gage had called home since college. He didn’t want to work anywhere else. He loved what he did, loved his friends and in no way wanted to end up working at a fish hatchery like his parents. Flynn’s success as president ensured all of their successes.

Flynn stepped into the room, picking up on the conversation. “Let me guess. You have your panties in a wad of excitement over the arrival of the guy made of smoke?”

The guy who was the key to stabilizing Monarch, bringing in extra money and a business boom?

Hell, yes.

Andy Payne was a fixer of sorts who was known for not being known. He’d been interviewed but never filmed, and his About page was devoid of a photo or any description of him as a person. Gage wasn’t sure if he bought into the hero-worship BS surrounding Andy Payne’s reputation, but the man’s results were rock solid. Every employee had signed nondisclosure documents before Payne’s arrival.

Plus, if this Andy guy was half as good in person as he was on paper, Monarch would be set and Flynn’s leadership would go unchallenged. Succeeding was the only option. Gage had never taken a backwards step since he’d set foot in Monarch and he wouldn’t start now. He had goals to double the company’s revenue, and making his sales department shine would tuck in nicely with that goal.

It was a big goal, but Andy Payne was a big deal. With his help there wasn’t anything standing in Gage’s way.

* * *

Andy strolled into the Monarch building wearing her best suit. Bone-colored, with a silky black cami under the jacket, her Jimmy Choos an easy-to-navigate height. She had to work in them, after all.

She’d never understood any woman’s desire to sacrifice form for comfort. She wasn’t a fan of compromise.

Andy hadn’t accepted her fate from the weekend, either. Yes, she’d quit the dating app that’d been a total waste of resources. And, yes, she had felt the sting of embarrassment about propositioning a handsome stranger at a bar, but that didn’t mean her search was over. There was still a chance, though slim, to find a stand-in date. Maybe she would meet a nice guy on her way out of this very building. Or maybe at the resort.

Doubt pushed itself forward but she fervently ignored it. Instead she allowed herself to feel the familiar thrum of excitement as she rode the elevator up to the executive floor. First days were her favorite.

She’d done extensive research on Monarch, noting that the only photo of the staff was one gathered outside the front of this very building, their faces tiny and nondescript. If businesses were to entrust Monarch with their well-being, they needed to see the trustworthy faces who worked here.

Unlike most businesses, Andy had worked hard to keep her identity under wraps. She had no qualms about pulling a bait and switch on day one. By then everyone was invested and her reputation had preceded her. She never blatantly led her clients to believe Andy Payne was male, but much like the assumption that a surgeon was always a man, so, too, was one made that the wild success of her Fortune 500 business must be attributed to someone with a penis instead of a pair of breasts.

The pay gap that existed between men and women didn’t exist for her, thanks to her subterfuge. Her clients paid what was asked, and it was too late to pull the plug once the contracts were signed. She wouldn’t apologize for it.

She was absolutely worth it.

She was the best at what she did and she endeavored to leave every business better than she’d found it. Monarch was going to be another link in a long chain of satisfied customers.

With a flip of her hair she exited the elevator on the executive floor. Three huge offices with glass walls stood empty, a front desk staffed with a young blonde woman in front of one of them. Andy was early, so probably the executives hadn’t come out of the coffee or break room yet. Muted voices and laughter came from an unseen room in the back.

One of those voices likely belonged to Gage, the senior sales executive who’d hired her.

“May I help you?” the assistant asked.

Andy addressed her by her name, advertised on the nameplate on the front of her desk. “Hello, Yasmine. Andy Payne for Gage Fleming.”

“Andy Payne?”

“That’s me.” She grinned.

“Oh, of course, Ms. Payne. We have you set up in the conference room as you requested.”

Yasmine quickly recovered from her surprise at discovering that Andy was a woman. Good for her.

In the conference room, Yasmine pointed out the projector and offered to fetch Andy an espresso.

“Americano, if you can.”

The other woman dipped her chin in affirmation and left.

Andy unloaded her bag on the table—a rigorous sales plan and a dossier on Monarch minus details on the man she was meeting, since she’d learned virtually nothing about him via the website.

Done right, they could implement her suggested changes in the week and a half she had before she would have to fly to Ohio for Gwen’s wedding.

Gag. Just the thought of that bit of unfinished business rankled her.

But Gage Fleming had hired Andy on her merits at business, not based on whether or not she was datable. She shoved aside all thoughts of the wedding and focused on what she did most—what she did best—fixing companies.

Flynn and Sabrina left the haven of the break room, Gage and Reid following behind. On their walk to their offices, Gage asked Reid, “How was your trip?”

His British friend, coffee mug lifted, grinned. “Grand.”

“Because of...”

“Suzie Daniels. A pretty American in a foreign land who needed companionship from a local who was willing to show her a good time.” Reid rested his palm over his heart. “I showed her repeatedly. Lucky lady.”

Gage had to chuckle. Reid was a playboy and a half, but he was also a nice guy. No doubt Suzie Daniels had kissed him farewell and hadn’t regretted a single minute of their time together. Gage hadn’t been as fortunate with his past hookups. He must throw off a serious boyfriend vibe. The women he dated always wanted more, always wanted it too quickly and weren’t happy when he declined. The last woman he dated had told him he’d wasted her time and said she wished she’d never met him. Ouch.

“And your weekend?” Reid asked, stopping next to Gage’s office.

“Went to From Afar with Flynn and Sabrina on Friday night for a drink after work. After they left, the strangest thing...” Gage fell silent when he spotted a flash of red hair in the conference room. And when her head lifted slightly and he caught sight of her profile, he recognized her instantly.

She was the woman who’d attempted to buy him like a suit off a rack. The more he’d thought about that interaction the more it had bothered him. Not because he felt cheap or used, but because the beauty who’d invaded his dreams had truly believed the money was going to seal the deal with them. As if she didn’t have enough confidence to strike up a conversation about what she needed, but instead felt the need to offer him cash.

“Holy hell.” Gage grabbed Reid’s arm and dragged him back into the hallway they’d just exited, Reid complaining since he’d sloshed coffee onto the carpet and narrowly missed his shoes. Gage had done a good job of spilling his own coffee on his shirt. Hot liquid burned through the pale blue button-down, and he swore.

“What just happened?” Reid shook coffee droplets off his fingers.

“She’s stalking me.” Gage scrubbed at his shirt with one hand.

“Who?”

Reid peered around the corner and Gage slunk farther into the hall. When he’d concluded that the redhead was “crackers,” he’d thought he’d been half joking. Apparently, he hadn’t.

“That’s the woman I was just going to tell you about,” Gage whispered, though there was no way she could hear him from the conference room. “She approached me at the bar Friday night and offered to pay me two grand to spend a weekend with her.”

Reid’s eyebrows lifted, wrinkling his brow. “And you said no.” He stole another peek and regarded Gage dubiously. “Why?”

“Because she’s insane?” That seemed the only reasonable explanation now.

“You’re the insane one, my friend, if you didn’t snap her up and have your way with her right there on the bar top. Hell, I wouldn’t have charged her at all.”

“The offer wasn’t for sex. It was for me to fly to Ohio and attend a wedding. She wanted me to pretend to be seeing her or something.”

“Oh.” Reid’s disappointment was obvious. “That’s not the same thing at all.”

“No. It’s not.” Gage returned to the break room and set his mug aside. He grabbed a dish towel and scrubbed at the coffee stain low on his shirt.

Reid wasn’t far behind. “What’s she doing here?”

“I have no idea.”

“Gage?” Yasmine stepped into the break room. “Andy Payne is here to see you.”

“Perfect timing.” Gage gestured at his soiled shirt. “Tell him I’ll be right out. Who’s the redhead?”

Yasmine blinked. “Andy Payne.”

“Andy Payne is the fixer, love,” Reid told her gently. “We want to know who the vixen in the cream-colored suit is.”

“Andy Payne,” Yasmine repeated with slow insistence and enough confidence that Reid and Gage exchanged glances.

“She’s Andy Payne?” Gage asked, still trying to wrap his head around the idea that the woman who approached him at the bar was the “guy” he’d hired to whip his sales team into shape.

“Surprising, right? How sexist are we?” Yasmine shrugged. “I thought Andy was going to be a dude, too.”

Reid smiled to beat all. “I believe I’ll go with you to meet this Andy Payne, Gagey. Do bring up Friday for my benefit, yeah?”

“No,” Gage growled, his head still spinning with the new information. “I’ll go alone to meet...her.”

As he exited the break room, he muttered, “Again.”

Four

The projector was positioned, her laptop open and the PowerPoint presentation cued up.

Andy tidied the bound sales plans—one for her and one for Gage. She’d arranged herself at the head of the conference table and placed the report to her left elbow at the corner. She found it easier to coordinate a plan when they weren’t facing each other from opposing sides.

Sometimes these meetings went smoothly, with the managers or CEOs who’d hired her easing into the adjustment as they learned that Andy Payne was the female currently introducing herself. Other times, they reacted angrily and accused her of pulling a fast one on them. Mostly it was the former.

They’d hired her for her expertise, and that was what she reminded them of when she arrived. She’d only had three men ever react poorly and had only ever lost one job because of it. The sexist bastard. No matter, her contract was ironclad and nonrefundable. She’d bought a weekend spa retreat with the money that particular time and had no qualms about enjoying her paid leave.

She sat on the edge of the padded chair and turned her head in time to see a man rapidly approaching the conference room. She recognized the scruffy jaw, the slight curl to the longish hair on top of his head...and the answering recognition in his caramel-brown eyes.

She stood slowly, feeling her jaw drop to the floor as he shut the conference room door behind him and looked down his nose at her. Although she wasn’t that much shorter than him.

“You’re Andy Payne,” he said flatly.

Her mouth still agape, she managed a stunned nod. Warmth seeped from her cami, over her décolletage and up her neck. No doubt she was turning a stunning shade of pink while he watched her.

And he did watch her. Carefully. And unhappily.

As quickly as she could move, she slapped the lid closed on her laptop and yanked the cord free from the wall. “I’m—uh,” she said as she hastily stacked the reports. “I have to...um...”

She yanked her bag off the chair but the strap caught, scattering the pages in her dossier on Monarch to the floor along with several pens, her cell phone charger and a tube of lipstick.

This was going well.

She crouched to the floor to sweep the contents of the bag back into it. “You must be Gage.”

“In the flesh.” He knelt next to her and picked up one of her pens that had fallen to the floor.

“I didn’t know you were you when I approached you on Friday or I never would’ve done it,” she said as she gathered her things. A lock of hair swept over her eye and she blew a puff of air from her lips to move it.

“You don’t say.” His eyebrows flinched slightly, but some of the anger simmered away, his expression almost bemused as his eyes roamed over her face.

He was stupidly attractive. Even more so in a suit. Even with a coffee stain on his shirt that looked fresh. That attraction was all the more reason why she couldn’t stay another moment. She’d never be able to look him in the eye again after she’d... God...offered to pay him to be her date.

“I’ll refund your money for the consultation contract.” She snatched the pen from his hand and stood. He stood with her and the view of the rest of him was finer than it had appeared on Friday night. His muscular chest pressed the confines of his shirt, a dark blue tie in place and knotted just so. His slacks were navy as well, and a brown leather belt bisected his waist. His shoes matched—expensive and shiny.

“First you want to hire me, now you want to give me a refund. You offer to pay me an awful lot.”

She blanched.

“And the hell you will.” He folded his arms over his impressive chest. His unsmiling mouth pursed. “I hired you to do a job. You’re not running out on me just because you—”

“Don’t say it.” Her eyes sank closed and she palmed one burning-hot cheek. Was it possible to die of humiliation? “I know what I did and I apologize.” She reopened her eyes and turned them up to his. “Please tell me you didn’t tell anyone about it?”

“I told my friend Reid. He works here. You’ll meet him later.”

“You told someone?” Her voice was edging along hysterical and she forced herself to calm down. “You could’ve kept that to yourself.”

“Is that a joke? A gorgeous woman approaches me in a bar and I decide to stay one drink longer to get to know her and then she offers to pay me two grand for my companionship? It’s a hell of a story, Andy.”

He thought she was...gorgeous? And he’d wanted to get to know her?

It was far and wide two of the most flattering compliments she’d heard in a while.

“I didn’t know you were the Andy Payne when I told him. I thought you’d tracked me down at work, and that you were going to... I don’t know, try and reconvince me.”

That was fair.

Why would he assume she was here for any other reason? She’d been on a mission to achieve her goal on Friday and had—incorrectly—assumed that when she ran from that bar, mentally vowing never to return, she wouldn’t see Gage again.

She hadn’t asked him his name, either.

“I wasn’t myself that night. I was angry about my date not working out and then I noticed you—” She snapped her mouth closed before she accidentally said too much, and then rerouted the conversation. “This is no fault of yours. I’ll go directly to my office from here and refund your money immediately.” She added the laptop and reports to her bag and pulled it over her shoulder.

“No deal.” He stepped in front of the door and blocked her path.

“Step aside, Mr. Fleming.”

“Not going to happen, Ms. Payne.” His nostrils flared as he pulled in a breath. “I hired you. You agreed to do a job. I know you’re the best—I did my research. You’ve been cited as an asset by hundreds of companies, and I’m not letting you go because you made a mistake and now you’re uncomfortable. We have a contract. I was told your fee was nonrefundable.”

That was true. Normally. “I’ll make an exception.”

A warm, gentle palm landed on her upper arm. His voice was equally gentle when he said, “I don’t want an exception. I want you to stay and double or triple our numbers like you promised. This is important.”

His words were sincere. And a good reminder that she prided herself on her work ethic. She never let clients down. She worked tirelessly for them because their businesses mattered. Employees had families to care for, and when she made their companies more money, the companies in turn lined the pockets of those hardworking men and women. What she did wasn’t about fattening up greedy CEOs. She did this work for the people. All of them.

And right now Gage looked like someone who needed her help.

“Did you find a date for the wedding yet?” he asked.

She blinked, stunned by the change of topic.

“I’ll go,” he said. “You stay here for the time you promised and I’ll go with you to Ohio to your sister’s wedding.”

“But—”

“I suspect you’ll insist, so I’ll let you take care of the room and flight, but you can keep the two grand.” He dipped his chin in a show of sincerity. “Okay?”

As much as she hated to admit it, his offer was really, really tempting. She had to face reality, and the reality was that she was no closer to finding a date for Gwen’s wedding than she was to sprouting wings and flying there on her own steam.

A bigger part of her was tempted simply because of Gage. He was attractive, and had found her attractive, and she wouldn’t mind spending more time getting to know him. Of all the dates she’d set up in an attempt to find a companion for Gwen’s wedding, Gage, from his warm brown eyes to his shiny leather shoes, was the only one who’d made her heart flutter. Dr. Christopher certainly hadn’t wanted to get to know her better. He hadn’t even had the decency to turn the money down.

Even so, she found herself answering, “I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“Too bad. You already did, on Friday night. Now I’m accepting.” He lifted her bag off her shoulder, his fingers leaving behind an imprint of heat she couldn’t ignore. He set the bag on the conference room table, pulling her laptop out and extracting the reports, one of which had an ugly crease on the otherwise pristine cover.

What a metaphor for Andy herself right now. She’d come in here neat and poised and now felt more than a little bent.

He opened the laptop screen and took the wrinkled report and sat in his seat. She again considered refusing his offer. Her pride told her to bolt and never look back.

There was only one problem. She needed him.

Almost as much as he needed her.

Five

Gage had to hand it to her. Andy knew what she was doing.

A week later, he sat at a conference table with Flynn and Reid and his right-hand guy on his sales team, Bruce, reviewing the numbers. The numbers were good.

Really freaking good.

“Bonuses will look great this quarter,” Bruce commented, his smile wide. A thirty-nine-year-old father of seventeen-year-old twins, he could use the extra money. Both of Bruce’s daughters would be graduating and going to college soon.

“Share the good news,” Gage told him. “That’s all I have. Flynn? Reid? Anything?”

“Not on my end,” Flynn said. “Just, good job.”

Reid echoed the sentiment, shook Bruce’s hand, and then Bruce left the executive floor with some really good news for the sales team.

“She’s as good as she claims,” Flynn commented to Gage. “Andy.”

“She is.”

“And bloody fast,” Reid commented. “I’ve never seen anyone swoop in and offer suggestions that work immediately.”

“She’s amazing,” Gage admitted. She was also all business. She strode in here Monday through Friday to train, observe and then meet with Gage on her findings. He’d done some observing of his own—of her—and he couldn’t escape the idea that she’d walled part of herself off.

Last week, when he’d walked into this very conference room, she hadn’t been determined and all business. She’d been flustered and embarrassed. She’d been human. He liked witnessing that human side of her—the flush to her cheeks as her seriousness chipped away leaving her open vulnerability visible. She was able to get shit done, took no crap from anyone, and yet he’d noticed a shier, more withdrawn part of her.

“Are the two of you still on for the wedding arrangement?” Reid asked, a troublemaking twinkle in his eye.

“I agreed to help her out so she wouldn’t walk. You’d have done the same thing. It’s only a weekend.”

Four days, technically, but he was trying to downplay it. He’d agreed so she wouldn’t walk out, yes, but he’d also agreed because learning that the woman from the bar and Andy Payne were the same person had intrigued him in a way no other woman had in years. He wanted to cash in on his fantasy vision of her beneath him, sure, but he was also curious as hell why she felt the need to pay someone—him, specifically. She’d hinted that day in the conference room that there was something about him that had drawn her in. Why him? What had she seen across that bar that made her approach him?

In the time she’d spent at Monarch he still knew next to nothing about her. She was as uncrackable as a sealed safe. He still wasn’t sure what he was supposed to “do” at her side at the wedding. What role was he to play other than a date who danced with her or fetched her a glass of champagne? He needed to find out, but in order to do that he had to get her out of Monarch and into an environment where she wasn’t so...distant.

“She’s not light and bubbly like the women you’re used to seeing. Maybe a wedding will loosen her up.” Reid stood.

“She’s serious about her job but that’s not a bad thing,” Gage said in her defense. He rose from his chair and Flynn followed suit.

“It’s not,” Flynn agreed. “She’s a hard-core professional. Does everything she says she’s going to do, and follows through like a boss.” The description sounded like Flynn himself.

“I was just pointing out that she’s the opposite of the type of woman you gravitate toward.” Reid narrowed his eyes. “Lately.”

What Reid was not-so-subtly hinting at was that Andy was, at first glance, a lot like Gage’s ex-fiancée.

He didn’t want to talk about Laura any more than he wanted to bring up politics at a dinner party. He’d admired her strong work ethic and serious nature. In the end, he’d believed in them more than she had.

She’d broken the engagement, coldly stating that he wasn’t enough like her. He had a case of the “toos.” He was too likable, too fun and too easygoing. She’d claimed she needed someone “serious” about the future. The corrosion of that engagement was his biggest failure.

Gage hated failure.

He’d been sure that Andy was that same kind of woman—cold, calculating—until he’d witnessed her flustered. Seeing that chink in her armor had drawn him in rather than pushed him away. He hadn’t completely understood it. After the hell Laura’d put him through he’d be smart not to pursue Andy at all.

But he’d never been one to back down from a challenge, and Gage sensed there was warmth and gentleness underneath Andy’s rigid exterior that had yet to surface. The more of her flaws he exposed, the more he proved that the attraction wasn’t some masochistic repeat of the past with Laura, but some new, fascinating layer to Andy herself.

He liked that she had an imperfect, human side that rarely showed, that she was a mystery waiting to be uncovered. That she didn’t have it together 24/7. Plus she was downright sexy. If he found an opening to show her how sexy she was, he’d happily oblige.

Not that his agreeing to be Andy’s wedding date had been totally magnanimous. He’d needed her to stay on at Monarch for both appearances and results, and a few days in Ohio seemed a small price to pay.

Flynn and Sabrina had left the office around five. Now that Flynn had a girlfriend in Sabrina, he rarely worked as late as he had before. Reid had a date as well, so he’d packed up and followed them out. That left Gage alone in the executive corner of the office, waiting at his desk for Andy’s daily report, which came at around 5:30 p.m.

She strolled in wearing her office attire of black pants, low shoes and a silky white shirt. Her gold jewelry was simple and understated, except for the large-faced watch, which she glanced down at before she entered.

Mouth a flat line, determination in her eyes, she stalked toward him like a hungry lioness. Much like the first time he’d seen her, he watched her approach with an even mix of intrigue and attraction.

Could he uncover the fun, flirty girl under that armor? Was there one?

“Your team is exceptional, Gage,” she said, skipping over a greeting. “Which is in no small part thanks to you being a dedicated, earnest leader.”

His eyebrows lifted at the compliment he wasn’t expecting. But then she spoke again and made it obvious that she’d come in here with an agenda.

“I have an itinerary, your plane ticket and a few other details to cover for this weekend’s wedding if you’re available for a quick rundown. I know it’s last-minute, but I’ve been busy.”

All business, he thought with a smile. He’d always enjoyed a challenge but, he was realizing, lately he’d pursued challenges professionally rather than personally. He hadn’t chased women who’d challenged him since Laura left. Then again, Andy had been the only one who’d tempted him to do so since.

“What are you doing right now?” he asked her.

“Now?” Her eyes widened slightly.

“Yeah. Now. Dinner?”

She shook her head like what he was saying didn’t compute.

“Are you hungry?” he pressed.

“Yes.”

“Are you busy right now?”

“I’m always busy.”

He waited.

She shrugged and affected an unaffected expression. “Fine.”

“Great. I’ll drive.”

“Where are we going?”

“Why? Are you picky? Have allergies?”

“No.” She frowned.

“Then don’t worry about it.” He winked, enjoying throwing her off-kilter.

He needed a little more fun in his life and Andy definitely needed a little more fun in her life. He liked that she seemed unused to a man strong enough or willing enough to take her on. He just liked her, dammit, though he wasn’t yet sure why he liked her this much.

* * *

In the immediate seconds following Gage’s invitation to dinner, Andy wanted to blurt out that she needed to change first. Thankfully she resisted that very female urge. Just because Gage was playing her date at the wedding didn’t mean he was one tonight. She would pretend they were an item, enjoy the reprieve from her family’s judgment, and relish showing up an old ex-boyfriend who thought she’d been carved from a block of ice. But she’d keep the boundary lines very clear in her head. Gage had agreed to be her date for one reason: because he’d needed her expertise at work.

Without something to gain, he wasn’t interested in her—he’d turned her down that night in the bar, after all.

Still, being around him was a rare exception she admitted she was tempted to enjoy. She was a hard sell to any man—even without the offer to pay him. A man who was both professional and not intimidated by her success was a rare commodity. Like finding a unicorn.

Even though her arrangement with Gage wouldn’t last any longer than her sister’s reception, Andy figured it’d be good to get to know him so that her family wouldn’t suspect she’d bribed him to come. The only thing more humiliating than showing up at her sister’s wedding with a fake date would be everyone learning that she was faking it.

But the stray thought about changing for dinner with Gage had rocked her. Why would she care what he thought of her appearance if they weren’t doing this for real? She’d long ago accepted that a forever-and-ever relationship wasn’t going to happen, and yet something about Gage—about his charm and kindness—made a small part of her wish this was real.

He wasn’t intimidated by her. If anything, the more prickly she was, the more laid-back he seemed to become. Laid-back and yet more than a little commanding.

It was an odd mix. She didn’t have him figured out yet.

Which was why she’d spent the weekend writing up the wedding itinerary and finalizing the details of their arrangement. She needed to get them on the same page, and fast, if they had any prayer of pulling this off.

At least she’d have Gage by her side when she inevitably bumped into her ex-boyfriend Matthew. The thought of him smugly pointing out that she was as frigid as she’d always been irritated her.

She wished she didn’t care. Wished she didn’t want to rub her ex’s nose in her business success—and her relationship success—in spite of the label he’d given her years ago. But she did.

She was only human, after all.

Gage chose a fairly high-end restaurant downtown for dinner. With its black tablecloths and dim lighting, candles in the center of the table and à la carte menu, it was a touch more romantic than she’d counted on. Maybe she should’ve insisted on going home to change rather than continue in her casual work attire—if only to fit in with the well-coiffed crowd.

The host pulled her chair out for her and she sat, lifting the menu to study the options.

“Wine, Andy?” Gage asked. “Or should I call you something else in public to protect your secret identity? Bruce Wayne, maybe.”

“Ha-ha.” She lowered the menu to give him a slow blink. “I’ll stick with sparkling water, but thank you.”

When their waiter came by, Gage ordered a bottle of Cabernet alongside her sparkling water.

“We never finished the first drink we had together,” he pointed out. “Tonight would feel stuffy if we didn’t indulge.”

She did indulge—one glass had the rigors of her workday melting off her shoulders like butter in the hot sun. There was something about Gage that brought out her relaxed side. Maybe it was his own casual attitude. How he could wear a suit in a fancy restaurant as well as he did and still smile as genially as if they were lounging on his sofa together...it was beyond her.

Andy had accepted that she simply wasn’t the fun, carefree type. Outside of this agreement with Gage, she couldn’t imagine snagging his attention. And yet being around him felt strangely comfortable—which was probably why she didn’t hang around him at work. She didn’t want to be unduly comfortable and slip up—she had a job to do. She couldn’t pretend to be able to live up to his fun, easy-going standards. That simply wasn’t who she was. Except that she needed to be really comfortable around him at Gwen’s wedding for this charade to work.

After they’d eaten their dinners, they settled in to finish off the wine, Gage resting one masculine hand on the rim of his glass. He lifted it the same way and gestured to her with the stem.

“Let’s hear the plan.”

Was it any wonder he was fantastic at his job? He exuded confidence and charm, and if she were a twitchy CEO in search of a consulting firm, she’d buy an air conditioner from Gage in the wintertime. Just to urge forth that sincere, pleased smile.

To please him in general.

That thought brought forth another, one of pleasing him in a physical way. With her touch, with her kiss.

Alarming, since Andy had just tasked herself with keeping things between them strictly professional. Why did he have to be so damned attractive? Why did he have to be so damned likeable? Why did he act as if he liked her so much in return? That was the real lure. He seemed to like her just as she was—prickly and unapproachable, rigid and serious. She really wished he’d have let her pay him so the lines weren’t so blurry.

“I emailed you an itinerary,” she told him, firmly setting the conversation back on solid ground.

“When?”

“In the car on the drive over. Do you want to cue it up so we can review it together? It covers the schedule in detail, including what time each event starts and where we’ll be staying. I left your airline ticket at my apartment but I can bring it to Monarch tomorrow.”

“Those aren’t the kinds of details I need from you, Andy.”

“No?” She wasn’t sure what else there was. Unless... “I did type up a detailed family member list, but that seemed like overpreparing. If you and I were really dating, you wouldn’t necessarily remember all their names.”

“Those aren’t the details I need, either.” He shook his head, took a sip from his wine and swallowed.

When his tongue stroked his lip to catch a wayward crimson drop, she pressed her knees together under the table. His mouth might be the most distracting part about him.

“I need to know,” that mouth said, lazily pronouncing each syllable, “how much physical affection you’d like from me.”

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