Page 35 of Fake Dating Mr. Prince

“That’s a total dick move,” Ashlyn muttered.

I laughed, startled to hear her talk like that. I was even more surprised that hearing that word come out of her mouth was a turn on. “Yeah, and she’s promising to tell people the truth. Which is kind of what I need right now.”

“Oh—”

I cut her off before I could hear what she thought of this, what she thought of me. “I told you that you would think it’s ridiculous.”

“No, Dean, that’s not what I meant. I’m trying to understand how her clearing up what she said matters now.” She stared at me. Compassion flashed in her eyes, and she seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say.

“You’ve probably seen the tabloids about me by now. I’m a modern-day rake or a playboy, depending on who you ask or what you read.”

Red flashed across her cheeks, her eyes darting away unable to meet my gaze.

“I see you have been reading them.” Little did she or the tabloids know I hadn't been with anyone since the masquerade ball. I couldn’t get the mystery woman I’d met that night out of my head. I still had the panties she’d left behind. A part of me hoped they’d lead me directly to her.

“I, uh, I’m sure there’s more to the story.” She cleared her throat and patted my arm, encouraging me to continue.

“I’m supposed to take over this company soon. The board and a business we’re trying to acquire think my philandering ways mean I can’t run this company successfully.”

Her face scrunched up. “What does one have to do with the other?”

“Right?” She understood. Why couldn’t they?

“People can be so unreasonable. I hear your employees talk. You’re a good boss, and you get the job done.”

Her words stunned me. I conscientiously worked to be fair while at the same time I expected people to do their job. I just wasn’t an ass about it. “Thank you.”

“Seriously, if I can see that when all I do is clean the office, they’re fools to not see it too.” Her indignant attitude was already making me feel better. “And your ex knows about all this?”

She had a point. What did Simone know? “She knows I’m having an image issue and that retracting what she said would help.”

“And would you trust her to keep her word?”

Bingo!That was exactly why I hesitated in agreeing to meet with Simone.

“My gut says no.”

“Then don’t do it. There has to be another way. It just seems impossible right now, because you haven’t found the answer yet.”

I smiled at her. “Thanks. Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?”

Heat flashed across her cheeks once more. “Oh, it’s fine. Listening to what other people are going through helps me keep my mind off of my own stuff.”

I wasn’t going to let her get away with that. “You listened to me. Why don’t you give your own advice a try and tell me what’s bothering you.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” She suddenly seemed shy. “I’m sure you have better things to do than hear about my troubles.” Her body shifted away from mine to stand up.

“Wait a minute. You just strong-armed me into sharing. It’s your turn.” For some reason, I really wanted to know what was wrong. “It’s only fair.”

“I—” She sighed. “Okay.” Her hands twisted in her lap. “I’ve had this dream to start my own boutique for years. I’ve done everything I could think of. I got a degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Entrepreneurship, I created a plan, I have solid samples already made for people to see my work, but every time I feel like things are almost going to work out—” She trailed off and looked down.

She stayed silent long enough that I wondered if she was going to continue. When her hand wiped away the tears streaming down her face, I realized why she’d gone quiet.

“I’m sorry.” I wanted to put my arm around her in comfort, but hesitated, not sure if she’d push me away.

"My mom owned a business. It was a long time ago, and I don't have any memories of her there when I was a kid. But, I've heard the stories about how she loved that place and how she'd hoped someday I'd decide to work there with her."

“And the business, now that she’s gone—”