Bad Boy (An Indecent Proposal) - J.C. Reed Page 0,9

learn all the ways I could please him.

I could still taste him. He had been bigger than I ever imagined, and pulsating with energy—ready to burst, for all the world to see.

Nothing had given me more pleasure than pleasing him—until we fucked.

That had blown my mind completely.

“Why did you break up, Laurie? Just tell me because you’re killing me here.”

Closing my eyes, I sighed.

That was going to be so difficult.

“Jude,” I whispered. “Chase isn’t who he says he is.”

“What do you mean?” she asked. “No one’s ever who they say they are.”

“No, this is different.” I paused, preparing my words. “He’s involved in some real bad ass shit,” I said, remembering the call he received. “I don’t think he’s an actor. All the information we found on Google was fake.”

“Of course he’s not an actor.” She didn’t even sound surprised.

My heart gave an almighty thud as the realization dawned on me. I opened my eyes, disbelief flooding through me.

“You knew?” I asked, taken aback.

I could almost hear her nodding. “Yes, I knew. Or how else do you think I made up his ad?”

My heart stopped, then started to race.

I pulled myself up from my lying position.

“What—” I started slowly, my voice breaking. “What ad? Jude, what are you talking about?”

“His online profile,” she explained. “I set it up to get you interested enough to hire him. He’s not a professional; just some guy.”

I sucked in a sharp breath.

Jude was behind it.

The truth hit me like a train.

Hard.

Fast.

The entire situation felt so surreal, it seemed like a bad dream.

A nightmare from which I’d wake up and realize Jude hadn’t betrayed my trust.

“Why would you do that?” I whispered. “And behind my back?” My voice was quivering; my body was shaking. My head was pounding so hard, it felt like a sledgehammer was crushing my skull from the inside.

“Laurie, that was the only way,” Jude said.

“The only way for what?” My voice broke again.

“To help you,” she explained.

“What the fuck!”

“I’m sorry I did it, but you needed to get married,” she explained. “When you just wouldn’t shut up about needing a husband, I decided to do something about it. It was my duty as your best friend. If you knew what I was up to, you wouldn’t have hired him, but someone needed to get you a fake fiancé to help you out. It needed to be convincing and yes, I thought if he pretended that he was an actor you’d think he was a professional and that it would all work out.” She took a deep, loud breath and let it out slowly. “My point is, I was just trying to help you, so don’t be mad.”

I shook my head and closed my eyes, feeling like everything I had known in my life was a lie. Here I’d thought I couldn’t trust Chase. Turned out I couldn’t even trust my own best friend.

“Laurie, are you still there?”

I pulled up my knees and buried my head between them, letting the phone drop to the floor.

My own best friend had set me up with Chase behind my back. I had no idea who was more stupid: Jude or I?

Chapter 5

“Laurie, say something. Please don’t be mad at me. I tried to help you, I really did,” Jude said, sounding emotional when I picked up the phone again.

Was she crying?

Because it sure sounded like it.

“I’m not mad,” I whispered, feeling weak. “I’m just trying to figure out why you did it. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” My grip around the phone tightened so hard, I feared I might just snap it in two.

“Laurie,” she repeated my name as if it was some kind of mantra. “I’m sorry. I really am. I don’t know what happened between Chase and you, but I’m sorry for meddling in your affairs. I thought the letters were important to you.”

“They are.”

It was true. They weren’t just important to me. They were all I wanted.

For years, it had been my priority to acquire them. To get them, I had been willing to give up my inheritance just to have something personal from my mother, to read something about her, from her.

“So.” I let out a deep breath. “Let’s get a few things straight. He’s not an actor?”

“No. I created a false profile and linked him to a real actor.”

“Well, how did you find him?”

“Through Facebook.”

Where all the creeps hung out and you could chat with any one of them at your convenience.

Nice one.

My throat tightened as I