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And that's something I knew best.
"That engagement thing was quite a good joke," I began.
Isabella giggled. "How did you even come up with the idea of introducing me to that man like that? He wasn't exactly pleased about it."
"Oh, that's a long story," I waved it off. I didn't want to talk about Abigail now. Definitely not.
"And straight to fiancée. I thought you men preferred things to be non-committal. Why not girlfriend or acquaintance?" Isabella looked at me. An expression I couldn't quite interpret had entered her brown eyes. Caution? Vigilance?
I could understand that. She wasn't wrong. Many men preferred things to be non-committal. Me first and foremost.
"Well," I began and immediately paused again. At this moment, I would have liked to take another sip of whiskey, but to my regret, the glass was empty. I wouldn't allow myself more than one whiskey tonight. That was also one of my principles.
"Yes?" Isabella looked at me questioningly.
"I introduced you as my fiancée because I think you would do an excellent job in that role."
"I beg your pardon?" Isabella's eyes grew large and round. She couldn't have looked more astonished.
"I introduced you as my fiancée because I think you would do an excellent job in that role," I repeated.
"I... I don't understand," Isabella now stammered, while her cheeks turned even redder than before. "You want... uh..." She didn't continue.
"In a week, my brother is getting married. We don't get along particularly well. Family doesn't mean much to him. For this reason, I want to prevent my grandmother's entire inheritance from falling to him. And I can only do that if I bring a fiancée to his wedding. That's my grandmother's condition." I had decided to come clean with Isabella about the whole thing. Anything else was pointless. She had to play her role convincingly at the wedding, and she could do that best if she had all the necessary information.
"And you want..." Isabella's eyes widened.
"Since I'm unattached..." I began and gestured to the empty living room, where nothing indicated the presence of a woman. Logical. There wasn't one. I continued: "Since I'm unattached, I need someone who can credibly appear as my fiancée at my brother's wedding."
"Wow." Isabella stared at me. "What a... what a plan." She slowly shook her head. What did that mean? Did she find the plan completely harebrained? Would she hit the roof with anger any moment? Or... was she also just looking for short-term pleasure, just like me?
The thought that we might possibly be pursuing the same goal felt strange, even if I couldn't say why.
"You shouldn't do this for free, of course," I hastened to say. "I would pay you well for it. I'll cover the accident damage. Plus, you'll get $50,000." I had just pulled that sum out of thin air. It didn't mean much to me.
"50,000?" Isabella's eyes grew even wider. "For that one evening?"
"Before the wedding, you'll accompany me to a charity dinner and we'll spend some time together. For practice. The more credible we'll appear in front of my grandmother and my family."
Isabella slowly sank onto the black leather couch. There, she looked extremely decorative in her white top.
It would be better without the top, of course.
The thought was in my head before I could stop it.
Carter! Now is not the right time for that.
This admonition reached my head, but not my throbbing cock.
Isabella sat on the couch, staring at me with her mouth open and shaking her head. She was obviously speechless. But why?
"I... well, I don't know what to say."
Well, it's not every day you get an offer like this. I waited and tried to be patient, although Isabella's hesitation was driving me crazy.
Isabella shook her head again. What the hell did that mean? This time she didn't seem uncertain, but indecisive, and that made me even crazier. What did she want? Was my offer not good enough after all? Was she thinking about how she could squeeze more money out of me? Like most women did?
Now it was me who shook my head.