Page 10 of Down & Dirty (Holden Cove #1)

CHAPTER 10

SKYLAR

T he pounding. Could someone please stop the pounding?

Of course no one could. No one but Skylar from twelve hours ago by not having three margaritas on an empty stomach. God. What was I thinking?

I’d hardly known where I was when I finally pried my eyes open. But it all came back to me in a vomit inducing rush when the first thing that slid into focus was Cory Ellis’s smiling face.

“How long have you been watching me?” I groaned, my voice like sandpaper, as I pulled the blanket up over my head to hide.

Cory’s laughter drew closer and I tensed. “If I said all night, would you consider that sweet or creepy?”

I heard a gentle thump and peeked out to see the mug of coffee he’d set on the nightstand. The knot of anxiety in my chest loosened ever so slightly at the gesture. “What do you think?”

“Well, if you said anything but creepy, I’d be creeped out.” His laughter was too easy, too light. Why was he in such a good mood?

I must have looked like a train wreck. Mascara everywhere, hair a mess, and judging by how cemented shut my eyes were, the crying I’d done last night would have left my whole face swollen. I wasn’t a particularly vain person, however, the idea of putting all that on display for a man who regularly dated actual supermodels made me feel a bit vulnerable.

I couldn’t ask him to leave his own place, right ?

Sucking it up, I shoved the blanket away and sat against the pillows, reaching eagerly for the coffee. Maybe a swift injection of caffeine would help bring the swelling down.

“I didn’t know how you took it.”

“Black is fine,” I muttered taking the first blessed sip.

“You feeling okay?”

Settled on the wooden chair in the corner of his bedroom, he had his own mug of coffee in his hands. It was early, the low sunrise light from the window beside him just bright enough to ensure I didn’t miss how perfectly handsome he still was. As if it would have killed him to look at least a little worn down by the late night.

I dragged my eyes away from him, “I’m fine.”

He had that look of concern again. The one I’d seen in the flashes of my memory from last night. While everything was a blur, and I doubted I’d ever be able to tease out the whole night, the fact that he’d brought me back to his place, set me up in his room while he took the couch...it was all downright shocking. I suddenly felt like I had no idea who this guy was. And that was rare for me.

Cory shifted in his seat, putting his mug in the other hand, and fidgeting as if he was nervous. “I think there’s a solution here,” he paused, clearing his throat. “To both our problems.”

I knew my brain was fuzzy, but it stuttered outright. “What problems?”

He tilted his head back and forth, choosing his words. “You need an injection of cash to ease your circumstances. And I need...”

He trailed off and my heartrate spiked. He’d never told me what his real issue was. Or why another starlet wasn’t the easiest way for him to fix it. I kicked off the blankets, my body suddenly feeling flushed at how he was looking at me .

“You weren’t wrong last night in thinking another relationship would be helpful in my situation. But it can’t be another model. Or actress.”

“Too much drama for you?”

He laughed, but it wasn’t real. His expression was tight, as if he was actually nervous talking about this with me. “Something like that.” He took a quick drink of his coffee and then set the mug on the floor beside him. “I’m willing to compensate you for your time. And we can certainly agree to terms,” he paused to look me in the eye, “in writing.”

I shook my head, still trying to clear the cobwebs. “I don’t understand. What are you willing to pay me to do?”

His lips tilted into a sort of resigned smile. “To be my girlfriend.”

If I’d had coffee in my mouth, I’d have spit it out all over his nice gray sheets. But just because I didn’t do that didn’t mean I was capable of containing the least ladylike sound to ever exit my body. It was something between a laugh, a cry, and a hiccup. It felt awful exploding out of me, and based on Cory’s expression it sounded pretty bad, too.

“You’re insane.”

“I actually think this is a rather reasonable proposition.”

“I can’t date you.”

The idea was impossible to imagine. Me arguing with him every second? Me being irritated by every single thing he said or did? Me wanting to be as far away from this egotistical jerk as humanly possible? All perfectly logical to me. But being in any sort of relationship? No fucking way.

He shook his head. “You wouldn’t. Not really. We’d do some public appearances, let the press take some photos. We’d construct the narrative however you want. And in return I’d pay you for the trouble.”

I scratched my head, brushing my bangs away from my face. Was I feverish? I pinched my arm as Cory got up from his chair, coffee in hand .

“You’re not still asleep, and this idea isn’t as crazy as you think. I’ve done this before, a dozen times. It’ll be the easiest work you’ve ever had.”

“So, you’ll pay me to show up in pictures with you?—”

“Looking like my girlfriend . Not glaring at me or cussing me out.”

I huffed. “As if any woman dating you wouldn’t be doing exactly that 90 percent of the time? Please. You’ve been paying women to be nice to you for too long.”

He laughed again, the sound a deep rumble that filled the room. “Then maybe we should call this acting, and you can think of it as playing a part in an absurdist play. One where I’m not the arrogant idiot and you’re not the overbearing hard ass.”

“So, I’m earning my first Tony? Okay. Fine. That’s all well and good. I get paid, and you get what? Why me? There are plenty of women who aren’t models or actresses. You could just as easily employ one of them for your little charade.”

I didn’t know why I was fighting this so hard. I might not like the guy, but I needed the money. Still, there was something else he wasn’t telling me. When Cory’s expression fell, I thought I’d hit a nerve.

“You’re the best candidate for a number of reasons. We have proximity in our favor; being on the same team means we’ll have an easy time scheduling our rendezvous .”

I rolled my eyes at the way he put on a French accent for the last part. He winked in response and went on.

“It’s a logical relationship the press will buy. We work together, of course an office romance would sprout to life between us. And,” he paused, a smirk on his face as he swiped his hand through his curly brown hair. “I know that you won’t ever develop feelings for me.”

Another unladylike guffaw bubbled up. “That’s a goddamn guarantee!”

“See, it works.” He looked like a kid on Christmas morning, eyeing me optimistically. “So, you’re in? ”

I settled back onto the pile of pillows behind me. This was the craziest thing I’d ever heard. And as much as the proximity was in his pro column, I wasn’t as sold that being near him more was a good thing. But, if this kept me from having to eat into my savings, I couldn’t say no. For the price of a few photos and some fake smiles I could keep Tommy and Geena happy, and keep my dream of finally getting back to school alive at the same time.

“I need the details in writing. How much of a time commitment are we talking?”

“And how much money, I presume?” he asked cautiously, seemingly still unsure I was taking this seriously.

I nodded, feeling uncomfortable again. “Yeah, that too.”

“I’ll draw up some ideas and you can look them over and offer feedback.” He walked to the door, pausing in the hallway and turning back. “How do you want to handle it with Micah?”

Micah. He was too young to understand much about adult relationships, but if this thing was in the press, then Tommy would see it. And Ronnie. And my folks. None of whom I could imagine accepting this farce easily. But even if Micah buying it wasn’t a concern, there’d be no way we’d be able to keep it from him entirely.

A shiver of apprehension rang through me. Maybe this was a bad idea.

Cory sensed my anxiety. “What if I’m just mom’s friend? Just like any of the other members of the team. No photos. No talking about him in the press. We leave him out of it entirely.”

It was somewhat startling to realize Cory had actually put thought into this. About my son. I could see in his eyes that he meant it. This plan might be good for both of us, but he wanted to make sure it wasn’t bad for my little boy. And that made me like Cory, just a little bit.

I tried to imagine it. Me in the place of all those models I’d seen Cory with over the years. It wasn’t just about the differences in our looks—they were all stilettos and silky cocktail dresses, where I was heeled boots and leather pants. It was more than that. If I put myself in the position for it, comparisons would be made. I knew I did all right for myself, but that level of scrutiny— the kind Cory would actively seek out in the form of paparazzi and Page Six columns—would be far harsher on me. I liked to think I didn’t care about other people’s opinions, but no one was impervious.

But as he stood there, patiently waiting me out, I realized something else. I was different from all the other women he’d dated before because I wanted a life away from all this. Someday I wanted to get my degree and settle down in one place. I wanted to raise my son in a stable home where he could have friends and we’d build a life that I hadn’t had since I was nearly his age.

And the best way to get to that life was to take this job. It was insane, but it would start us down a path I’d never given up wanting.

I found Cory’s eyes again as I said, “No involvement for him in this at all. He’ll be seeing you at the races anyway, but we can find some time for him to maybe get to know you a little better, that way he’s not as curious when your name comes up at Tommy’s.”

Cory nodded. “And you won’t tell your ex or your family, right? We need this thing to be as convincing as possible. So you can’t tell anyone about our arrangement.”

“Like I’d brag about being paid to be your fake girlfriend?”

“Hey, I know girls talk.”

“Yeah, about how stupid men are. Not about how we’re accepting money to endure their stupidity.”

Cory grinned as he turned to leave. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

After doing my best to clean up in Cory’s bathroom, I swiped my keys off the kitchen counter. “You’re sure I can’t drive you back to your car?”

The more coffee I had, and the more my brain came back online, the more I felt indebted to him. He’d taken care of me when I’d given him zero reason to. Keeping me from driving, sleeping on the couch, even making me coffee; none of these were things I’d have imagined Cory being the type to do. But I was wrong. And the more I admitted that, the less irritating I found him.

Which was helpful, since I was considering going into business with the man.

“I’m good. Billy’s coming by anyway, so he can drop me off after.”

“You guys are close, huh?”

“He’s the best. I’d be lost without him.”

The admiration was clear in his eyes. “And he’s somehow put up with you all these years. Maybe I should ask him for some pointers, now that we’re going to have to be together more.”

Cory leaned his hip into the counter. “Planning on enjoying that time, are ya?”

And that was my cue to go. “Survive not thrive, is more like it.”

He sniffed. “We’ll see. You’ll have the paperwork in your email in a couple of hours.”

“Okay,” I said, pulling the door open. I sighed out the deep breath I’d been holding before I glanced back over my shoulder, “Thanks for last night. I really appreciate you doing that.”

Cory looked away, almost bashfully. “Don’t mention it.”

I had every intention of following that suggestion and wiping my mind of all of it. Just as soon as the nausea stopped reminding me of my mistake.

“See you at the office, honey,” he called as I closed the door. I bit back the smart remark rushing to my lips. There was no way I’d survive even a week of this farce if I took every bait he tossed out.

I’d read through enough contracts in my time as Ronnie’s assistant to spot loopholes and shoddy terms. But when I got my hands on the dating contract, there were none to be found. If anything, Cory was being extremely generous. I wished I could ask if this was his boilerplate agreement, or if he’d changed up the terms because it was me. I never would, of course. That would make it seem like I thought I was special. And as much as possible I wanted to keep emotions out of this. It was a financial transaction, an even exchange of money for service.

Only, the service was going to be my presence, my image, my reputation.

It wasn’t without reservation that I flipped through the pages. I’d lived a fairly private life. Even when I was with Tommy and he’d been making waves, I stayed out of the spotlight. I wasn’t like him, or my brother, or Cory. Being known by the masses wasn’t appealing to me, so the whole idea made me a little anxious. But it was still a small price to pay for what I’d get in return.

A minimum of one public appearance a week, featuring an assortment of “lite PDA”— a term footnoted and defined in depth in the attached glossary.

This was definitely not his first rodeo.

I’d be paid weekly, and he’d even set up direct deposit for me if I wanted. It all sounded so dry, so clinical. It also sounded incredibly strange.

Holding hands.

Kissing—no tongue if desired.

Hugging.

Forehead kisses.

Forehead kisses? Jesus. It was slightly alarming that things were spelled out in such detail, but I guess when two people were going to be playing at being a couple, keeping the lines clear and boundaries firm would be a good thing.

And Cory had done this with a lot of women over the years. He’d probably learned some unfortunate lessons about ambiguity and misunderstandings. I bet he had stories. Most would likely make me cringe, but the more I got used to the idea of playing the part, the more I wondered what kinds of trouble he’d gotten himself into in the past.

There was no way we’d have any sort of drama. It was like he said, we were the last two people to develop feelings for each other, so this was likely the safest arrangement like this he’d ever done. But the more relief I felt about that, the more I started to wonder if anyone would buy our act? My own family, for one, would have a pretty hard time swallowing the complete one-eighty I’d be doing. Going from outspokenly hating Cory to dating him...I wasn’t sure I was a good enough actor, but I was determined to try.

Even more so when I scanned down the page and I hit the most important clause in the whole agreement; the compensation. Two thousand dollars a week. Two thousand. A week . I flopped back on my bed, hugging my knees to my chest and squealing. That kind of money wouldn’t just keep me from digging into my savings, it would double it!

In the six-month term of the contract Cory would pay me nearly fifty thousand dollars.

It was surreal. Whatever tiny voice was still making an argument for me to tell him to take his ego and shove it was being summarily dismissed by the giddy relief that was ringing through my body.

There was no saying no to this. But I knew if I gave my mind too much time to linger on all the ways this could go wrong, it would find something compelling. So I pulled out my phone, finding Cory’s cell number in the email, and with shaky hands I typed out a text.

Sky: I think this looks satisfactory.

It only took a few seconds for the dots to appear and with a quick glance at the clock I knew he’d be at the garage by now, having just finished up his first training ride of the day. Ronnie was likely not far behind him.

Cory: Satisfactory is what I was going for. Keeping both our expectations in the basement at this point.

Sky: Do you want a wet signature?

Cory: No, I’ll resend through the app I use to execute things. You’re sure you have no edits?

Fear jolted through me that he’d planted something sneaky in the agreement just to see if I’d catch it. And now that I had no feedback, he’d know I wasn’t qualified to be reading anyone’s contracts, Ronnie’s or my own.

Sky: Why? Should I? What did you do?

Cory: Take a breath, boss. I was just making sure. If you want more time, just let me know.

Might as well get this over with. I still wasn’t convinced we were going to pull this off.

Sky: No, send them.

Cory: Okay. Just re-sent. Now the games begin. You come down to the garage and smile in my presence. While looking at me. We can start small. (laughing emoji)

Sky: Is my brother back yet from his ride?

Cory: You hoping to miss him or make sure he’s witness to your first performance?

Sky: I’m trying to prepare myself. Keeping a straight face around him won’t be easy.

Cory: I’ll be ready to kiss you then. Keep that smirk out of sight .

My stomach lurched. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone on a date with a guy, let alone been properly kissed. Micah was the best thing that ever happened to me, but he was also a very effective crush-killer.

Cory: Get down here, Sky. We’ll take it slow.

The man was a motocross racer, I wasn’t sure he even knew what slow looked like.