Page 23 of The Maverick (WaterFyre Rising #7)

I opened the bag full of clothes I could never afford. Natalie had a flagship shop downtown that showcased the latest fashions. I’d browsed it a few times when I needed inspiration. Her fabric had unique textures and colors.

“These are beautiful, thank you!”

“They’re the new Spring Collection. Wear them around and promote them for me.”

“Check out the special box!” Kiera waved an air-fried chicken wing that Michelle had brought.

I pulled out the ivory box with foiled designs, removed the lid, and gasped. “Oh, my gosh!” I flicked her a look as heat flushed my face.

Vivian got off the ottoman and kneeled on the rug in front of me. She’d braided her black hair, making me wish I’d done something different to mine. Then she plucked a cream lingerie set and held it up for all to see. “What a lovely set for the newly engaged couple.”

I stared at the lacy bra and teeny-tiny panties.

“That won’t cover anything,” I said as I picked up a soft baby-doll set that made my loins tighten. I’d never owned anything this provocative and had never imagined myself in them.

“They’re not meant to cover,” Natalie said. “They’re meant to entice and provoke.”

“Drive him crazy with them,” Audri said as she adjusted the pink hair claw in her dark hair.

Kiera blew out a heavy sigh and leaned back on the couch. Pregnancy had made her brown hair look so full and vibrant. “So tell us what’s going on with you and Attikus.”

“I can’t believe you’re engaged.” Michelle looked at my hand. “Where’s the ring?”

Oh. Right.

I hadn’t even thought about it. We’d never spoken about it. My mind had been on the contract, fine print, and trying to get Emmanuel away from me, so the ring wasn’t even in my thoughts.

“No ring yet.”

“What?” the girls all said at once.

Kiera leaped up from the couch. “I need to ask him why he didn’t get you a ring! It’s a token of love.”

“Don’t go!” I got up and grabbed her hand.

“You need to sit and calm down.” Michelle ushered Kiera back down. “You’re hyper. I don’t think that’s good for the baby.”

Audri laughed. “Keep the dessert away from her.”

“Get her some calming tea,” Vivian suggested.

“I don’t think that’s gonna help.” Elena laughed.

“Why are you so calm?” Kiera blew out a breath.

“Maybe my body is in shock that two babies are growing inside me,” Elena replied.

Natalie turned to me. “So why did you stop Kiera?”

Where should I start?

“It’s complicated,” I said.

They all made a disappointed sound.

“It’s always complicated,” Audri said. “Who proposed?”

“I guess I did.”

“What do you mean, you guess?” Elena inquired.

“I have something to confess.” I looked at them. “But please keep this between us, okay?”

“Babe, you’re part of this strange family now.” Kiera leaned forward, looking calmer. “We protect our own.”

They all nodded and waited patiently.

Inhaling a breath, I told them about the fake marriage that would end in six months.

When I was done, they gaped at me.

“So you’re Vanessa Lamand not Nessa Lambert?” Elena gawked at me.

“She’s both.” Vivian held up a finger. “One is her artist’s name.”

“Sorry I didn’t tell you guys earlier. I haven’t gone by Vanessa in a long time.”

I didn’t tell them about my mom’s situation. That would take all night, and I didn’t want to complicate things even more.

“We’ll address you as Nessa in public until everything is resolved,” said Audri. “In private, you’re Vanessa.”

“Attikus will crush Emmanuel like a cockroach.” Elena squeezed my hand. “Some men are just shitty.”

“I can see how you’d miss the ring aspect of the engagement,” Michelle said.

“Are you sure everything is fake?” Kiera arched a perfect eyebrow. “I’ve seen him look at you. It doesn’t look fake to me.”

“So you’re arranging a fake marriage to protect yourself,” Vivian said to herself. “And he agreed to it because if something happened to you—his tenant—he’d lose money?”

“Yeah,” I said, wondering why her reason for his agreement didn’t sound plausible. It made sense to me. “He’s a businessman, so he wants to protect his assets.”

“Honey,” Kiera held up a hand, “Attikus doesn’t need any more money. None of those guys over there playing their video games need more money. Together, they probably own the world.” She pointed at the open doors. “He didn’t agree to this outrageous proposal for money .”

“Oh,” was all that came out of my mouth.

Elena looked at me, offering me a warm smile as though she’d always known about the attraction.

“There’s more to his agreement.” Natalie placed all the clothes and lingerie back into the bag for me.

“You know what that means.” Audri rubbed her palms together with a spark in her eyes. “Our Vanessa needs an SSG mission.”

“Mission?” I remembered them mentioning it.

They explained SSG stood for Super Spy Girls, sort of like a Bond girl mission.

Each of them had a mission to see if their significant other had true feelings for them during their courtship.

I laughed at the interesting mission names: License to Kiss, From Iceland with Love, The Man with the Golden Angle, Opals are Forever, A Kiss is Not Enough, andThe Thief Who Loved Me.

“What should her mission be?” Vivian looked around the room.

The sexy dream of Attikus flashed into my mind, giving me an idea. “How about For Your Heart Only to follow the theme of For Your Eyes Only ?”

“That’s perfect!” Audri clapped.

“I love it!” Vivian beamed.

“So, are you planning on seducing his heart with paint?” Elena smirked. “Or painting hearts all over his body?”

“You’ll know it’s the real thing if he strips and becomes your nude model.” Kiera laughed.

Wild suggestions erupted, filling the room with laughter. I prayed Attikus and the other boys would stay in their room and ignore us.

Little did these girls know I had dreamed of Attikus naked in my studio. We’d done more than me painting on the canvas. But I wouldn’t share that private moment, even if it was only a dream.

“One more question.” Kiera held up her finger.

“Yes?” I smiled at how pregnancy gave Kiera even more energy than before.

“Are you attracted to him?” she asked.

How could I not be? Even as I sat there, my body sensed his nearness. The attraction had always been there from a distance. When I first met him at the art exhibit in his museum, my body reacted to him. But I hadn’t even considered more at that time.

Everything had escalated recently as I spent more time with him.

“Yes,” I admitted.

Amusement gleamed on their faces, like sisters who were happy for their siblings.

“So it’s not really a fake relationship,” said Michelle.

“But it’s not a real one either,” I replied.

“Use your mission to find out if he considers this marriage temporary,” Audri said. “See if he has any genuine feelings for you. It won’t hurt to find out.”

“We’ve all been there.” Natalie cracked a juice bottle. “We need to know the truth instead of assuming. Assumption is the worst.”

“Communication is everything,” Michelle said.

An enormous weight slid off my chest after sharing the fake marriage with them. They were like the sisters I’d never had. To have this kind of support system after doing things all on my own for so long gave me a moment to breathe.

A novel idea for my gallery popped into my head. “What do you think of having a gathering once a month for art, food, and conversation at my gallery? I was thinking I could offer an art class or how to make a terrarium while we chill and chat?”

“I love that idea.” Elena’s eyes sparkled. “Call it Chill and Chat. I can promote that segment on Musepaper.”

“People would love that,” Audri said, and the others agreed.

We lounged around, eating and chatting about random things.

The girls told me how they’d met their significant others, and I was astounded to learn that each of them had undergone an insurmountable loss before the gain.

I knew then that it was the right decision to share my issue.

We all had weaknesses, and none of them judged me.

Tears brimmed in my eyes, and my heart swelled with happiness. I blinked back tears, wondering what Attikus was doing now. What kind of video games was he creating?

“The boys meet up often to play video games?” I asked.

They all exchanged glances, and Audri gestured to the doors.

Michelle was closest, so she got up to shut them.

When Michelle returned, Audri said, “They’re not just playing video games. They’re strategizing how to destroy The Trogyn.”

I gaped and listened as they briefed me on the dangerous crime organization that had been trying to hurt their men. I remembered Attikus warning me about them. If he already had his plate full, why did he agree to help me? Guilt stirred in me.

“The boys are worried about us,” Elena said.

“They want to protect us.” Audri looked at each of us.

“Because they love us,” Vivian added.

“But we love them too,” Natalie said.

“So we’re secretly strategizing.” Kiera smirked.

“We need to protect our men too,” Michelle said, looking at me. “We can’t just sit around and let The Trogyn hurt them.”

Elena wrapped an arm around me. “You can help us strategize.”

The love these women had for their men and each other inspired me. This was more than friendship. This was a family, and now I was a part of it.

I’d come here tonight thinking we’d be discussing my fake marriage, but the gathering had turned into a bond of friendship I’d never experienced.

We decided the first Chill and Chat would be for us girls to discuss how we could help the boys without them suspecting anything.