Bad Boy (An Indecent Proposal) - J.C. Reed Page 0,7
a wibbly-wobbly, friendshippy kind of thing with a ‘nice’ guy who was willing to help out a girl in need. What Chase and I had was a contract, a legal binding one with the whole lawyer and court crap hovering over my head, with terms and all that shit. I had been stupid enough to sign the darn thing, agreeing to stay married to the jerk for one full year and have sex with him in exchange for helping me get my mom’s letters. The sex he got, meaning I was off the hook. As to the married part?
I groaned.
That one would backfire big time. I couldn’t divorce that bad boy for the next twelve months—unless Chase agreed to it, which I doubted, given that he had more hidden intentions and probably more backup plans than the FBI.
My eyes fell on all the energy packed food in the minibar.
Maybe, if I got real fat, real fast, maybe he’d be so concerned about his reputation that he’d divorce me in a heartbeat.
The thought pleased me so much, I pushed a whole handful of chips into my mouth.
I needed to fatten up this goose, and the sooner I started, the better.
Heck, I’d stop shaving my legs, too, and look up on Google habits that would make him beg me to cancel our agreement.
“So let me sum up,” Jude said slowly, her mind obviously still processing the big news. “You are married, you have an agreement, and things are going well.”
Ah, the bliss of denial.
“Were,” I corrected with my mouth full. “They were going well, Jude. All in the past. Thou shall not live in the past.”
“I don’t understand, Laurie,” Jude said, taken aback. “If things are going well and you still have an agreement, why would you break it off?”
God, she definitely didn’t get the ‘past’ part.
I shrugged. “It’s complicated. Let’s just leave it at that.”
“So what? All things are complicated, especially relationships. You don’t give up on them, just because the road ahead is a bit bumpy. That’s the beauty of challenges—you overcome them.”
I cringed at her choice of words as I pushed another handful of chips into my mouth. “I know, but trust me, this one isn’t worth saving. Besides, in all your wisdom you forget that one tiny detail: Chase and I were never in a relationship.” I trailed off to let my words sink in, feeling stupid that I even had to explain the situation. “You know this is a fake marriage, right, Jude?”
“Of course I do.” Her voice came out all shrill and defensive.
“So, why exactly do you care?” I asked.
And why exactly did I care?
Because you like him more than he likes you. More than you’d ever admit to anyone.
“Why?” Jude asked, jolting me out of my thoughts.
“Why what?” I asked, confused. “Why it’s a fake marriage?” I began to massage my temples. We were definitely losing focus here, and that was the last thing I needed. “We hired him, remember?”
“No.” Jude drew out the word. “Why did you break it off?”
Oh, for crying out loud.
Why wouldn’t she just drop it?
“Because we’re not a suitable match.” I shrugged again. “Because he’s an asshole? Need I go on?”
“No, I know you. You’re not telling me everything.” Her words rendered me silent. “Something must have happened between you two. Come to think of it, Chase sounded upset. Just like you’re upset now.”
I snorted.
“I’m not up—” I stopped mid-sentence. Oh wait! Did she just say Chase was upset? “Was he crying or what?”
No idea why, but the thought of Chase crying over me brought on a hysterical fit. I couldn’t imagine a stone cold god like him shedding a single tear over any woman, and certainly not over me. Except maybe the kind where he was bent forward, slapping his knees, laughing hysterically over my stupidity.
“I’m serious, Laurie,” Jude said annoyed. “I could tell.”
“Of course you could.” I tossed the empty chips wrapping aside and grabbed another one.
Holy shit, I thought, as I tore it open and peered inside.
There were like five chips in there.
Talk about charging airport prices for half a fried potato.
Was that even legal?
But then, was it even legal for Chase to be that hot? Whoever updated the dictionary should also include a section for guys like Chase with the description: hot and dangerous bad boys who liked to melt your panties and toy with your heart only to discard of it the moment they owned it.
“Are you listening?” Jude’s voice penetrated my thoughts. I rolled