Million Dollar Christmas Bride - Holly Rayner Page 0,23

for a relationship. But Bianca had to admit to herself that if the opportunity for a steamy encounter with Jackson Wylde came up, she might take it.

“That’s what I think, too,” Jackson said. “And that’s what’s so special about Bianca. For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m with someone who really has my back. Someone who will stand by me no matter what.” He chuckled in that relaxed way of his. “Actually, I don’t think she even knew who I was when we met at the dog park. Did you, honey?”

Bianca shook her head and laughed, too. She looked at Jackson as she said, “Not a clue. To be honest, when you mentioned that you took your dog to work with you, I pictured you in a little cubicle.”

“Ha!” Mary said. “Far from it. Jackson, are you still working from the headquarters your father set up?”

Jackson nodded. “That’s right. The downtown building.”

Mary turned to Bianca. “I’m sure you’ve seen the place. Jackson’s father had an ego the same size as the high-rise he bought for his company. Of course, he just had to have one of the tallest buildings in the city, and of course, he wanted the top office in the place.”

“I can’t complain about the view,” Jackson said.

The waiter arrived with Bianca’s wine. She was glad for the brief distraction as she composed her own commentary on Jackson’s office, which of course, she’d never seen. She decided to keep her statement vague, so she said, “I love how Rufus acts as though he owns the place.”

Jackson laughed at this. “He does sometimes ride the elevator on his own. Everyone knows to shuttle him up to the twenty-sixth floor if they find him wandering.”

Bianca giggled at this imagery as she reached for her glass of wine.

Another couple joined the table and took seats in the empty chairs to the left of Mary. She engaged in a short conversation with them.

Bianca was relieved for the brief reprieve from the performance. She felt that she was holding up her end of the bargain, and doing a good job of it, too. Really letting herself believe she was Jackson’s fiancée helped. However, she couldn’t help but note that the bread that sat in the middle of the table looked completely unappetizing. Her stomach, she noticed, was tied up in knots.

She knew it was due to the undercurrent of tension that she felt, due to the lies that kept tumbling from her lips; even though she was trying not to think about the truth of what she and Jackson were doing, her subconscious couldn’t be fooled. The guilt sat heavy in her stomach, making it impossible to feel hunger. At least all of this will be over in a few hours, she thought.

“So, when is the big day?” Mary asked, once she was able to return her focus to Bianca and Jackson.

“Soon,” Jackson said casually. “Oh look, the food is coming out. Mom, did you order the fish or the steak?”

Bianca reached for the cloth napkin that was folded near the edge of her plate. She busied herself by unfolding it, and then folding it again. How is Jackson going to keep up this ruse? she wondered. Now his mom is going to expect a wedding!

Well, he’s going to have to deal with the consequences on his own, she thought. I agreed to help him out for one night only.

Hopefully, he doesn’t expect me to keep this up with him. Does he?

Chapter 8

Bianca

“Come on, Peaches!” Bianca called out in the direction of her bedroom. She was fairly certain that Peaches was lying somewhere amid the pile of sheets and blankets that lay in a jumble on her bed. “I can’t be late for work again. We gotta go now if you want to get some playtime in!”

Sure enough, the dog’s head emerged from the pile of flower-printed comforter, and then her body followed. Peaches leapt off of the bed and bounded toward the door.

Bianca yawned as she grabbed the leash. Jackson had dropped her off around midnight the night before, but she’d stayed up until two just trying to process the events of the evening. Peaches liked to rise with the sun, which meant Bianca was functioning on only a few hours of sleep. She was due to work the three-to-eleven evening shift that night, and she had a feeling it was going to be a struggle.

Maybe the fresh air will help, she thought, as she ushered Peaches out