Accidental Fiancé (Unintentionally Yours #5)

10. Julian

Chapter 10

Julian

M aggie waited with bated breath for my next bad idea. I had practically choked to get the first one out so saying this one out loud just might end me.

I chugged the last of my coffee to buy time. No going back now. She already agreed to be my fake fiancée for the party. My chest tightened from the war going on inside. A part of me knew this was a big mistake, that lying was never the right way to do things. But the other part of me—the part that hated the disappointed looks on my family’s faces—knew this was the only way to get past their nonsense. A week ago, I had considered hiring an actress for the party to pretend to be my girlfriend. At least with Maggie, we had a shared history. I was hopeful that would make things easier and more believable.

I knew this was an absurd idea, but ever since I saw Maggie again, doing absurd things had become the norm. What was one more?

“The thing is, Piper is a very astute little girl. She notices things other people her age don’t, always watching, always thinking. She pays too much attention at times, and if I show up with someone she’s never even met, that could ruin the?—"

“What are you saying, Jules? Just spit it out.”

“Move in with us.”

She coughed on her orange juice. “What?”

“I have a few spare bedrooms, so I’m not asking anything inappropriate. I’m not asking you to sleep in my bed with me. I know we agreed to one night.”

“That’s not why I choked.”

“If you stay with us, it’ll give you and Piper time to get to know each other, so when you’re at the party, we can pass for a real couple, and Piper won’t think anything of it.”

Maggie sat back. “That’s a lot to ask, Jules.”

“I know. I told you—stupid ideas aplenty over here. But that’s why I’m good at business.”

“I don’t see the connection.”

“I have a lot of ideas, some good, some bad. Part of my success comes from saying the stupid shit out loud to get to the good stuff.”

She smirked. “I can see how that would be helpful.”

“Think of it as an all-expenses-paid vacation, only you’ll be spending time with a kid, getting to know her.”

Her smirk fell. “Truth is, I could use one of those. A vacation, that is. I’m about to lose my apartment and I am going to have to move back in with my parents.”

“Oh shit, Maggie, I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” I could not imagine moving back in with my mom at this age. The woman was a treasure, but fully grown children living with their parents was a great way to destroy families. Between her gossipy friends driving me up the wall and her utter lack of common sense, I doubted our relationship would survive such a thing.

“The only people who know are Nora and my parents. It’s not exactly my finest hour, so I don’t talk about it much. Nora was kind enough to offer me a job at her law firm but I don’t know anything about law. Besides, I don’t want to be a burden on her like that.”

“What did she plan to have you do?”

She rolled her eyes. “She wanted to hire me as a food and beverage consultant.”

I thought about that for a moment. “Pretty sure that’s not a standard job at a law firm.”

“No, it is not. It was a bullshit title so she’d have an excuse to pay me way too much money for making cupcakes and pastries for her office.”

That made me smile. “Sounds like you’ve got an excellent best friend.”

“She puts the best in best friend. But still, I couldn’t do it. Pride may be stupid but it’s all I have left right now.”

“Then it sounds like you can come to spend the next three-ish weeks with my family.”

Maggie took a deep breath, and when she did, her cleavage threatened the integrity of her robe’s belt, tugging on it as she inhaled. “Yeah. It makes sense. I don’t want Piper to let the cat out of the bag. The week with your family will be stressful enough without that added to it.”

“I’m asking too much, aren’t I?”

“No, I didn’t mean it that way.”

“If you don’t want to?—"

She grabbed my hand and smiled. “Stop trying to talk me out of this, Jules. You’re stuck with me, remember? You fake-proposed and everything.”

I laughed, giving her hand a squeeze. “Guess I did, huh?”

“Yes, and we have to talk about how we’re going to sell this to your family. I’ll need a ring.”

“That’s easy enough. What else?”

She thought for a moment. “What kind of women do you normally date? I’m going to have to transform into one of them.”

A laugh escaped me. “Please don’t.”

“I should confess something.” She sat up fully and locked eyes with me. “I’ve googled you, and it sounds like you’re a bit of a man-whore.”

I chuckled. “What?”

“Look, I know you date actresses and the like so just tell me about them, so I’ll know how to dress and act around your family. If I’m out of character they might suspect something.”

I didn’t know where to begin. “Uh, okay. My ex-wife, Claudia, was a model when she was younger, but she became a fitness instructor a few years before we met, and?—"

“Are you joking? Tell me you’re joking.”

“I’m not. Why do you sound upset?”

A nervous laugh puffed out of her. “Last night… what did you think of when you saw me naked?”

“Yippee.”

“What?”

“You asked what I thought of. My mind went blank, but that’s what the teenager in my head shouted.”

“No, I mean, it sounds like your ex-wife was this toned goddess and I am not that.”

I shrugged. “No, you’re soft and beautiful and warm, and you have these curves that make me want to…” I took a breath and blew it out hard, ignoring the tightness in my balls. “Okay, I’m getting sidetracked. Let’s stay on topic. My point is that Claudia was a high-strung person who was way too into her body and how she looked.”

“Yeah, but the actresses…”

“Are fodder for tabloids and nothing more.”

“I don’t understand.”

Once again, I was the parent ruining Christmas by revealing too much. “Publicity is a funny thing. If I have the latest starlet on my arm at a media-covered event, she gets good press for being involved with a rich man, and my company gets good press because I snagged the newest hot girl. It’s shallow but it works. Most of the time when you see that kind of combination in a tabloid, that’s why you’re seeing it. Publicity. Nothing more.”

“Oh. Wow.”

“Don’t get me started on pay closets.”

“What’s that?”

“One of the more tasteless things I’ve learned about since fake dating celebrities.” I stared out the window, looking at the mountains and the city that sat below them. “Some celebrities, those with significant followings, have what are called pay closets. You ever notice how they tend to go around town wearing way too many clothes for the weather? Too many pieces of jewelry, far too many layers, scarves, sunglasses, hats, that kind of thing?”

She shrugged. “I figured it was to hide from paparazzi or to feel less exposed.”

“I’m sure it is, in some cases. But for a lot of them, each piece they wear garners them a payout from the company that sent them that piece. Assuming the picture goes viral, of course.”

“You’re serious about this.”

I nodded. “If they do it right, they can make enough to buy a car with one picture.”

Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something but she only laughed. “I’m about to be kicked out of my apartment because my bakery burned down, yet they can buy a car with money they make simply from wearing clothes and getting their picture published. Clearly, I got into the wrong damn business.”

Just hearing that made me want to give her money but I knew I couldn’t. She’d never take it, and she’d be insulted the same way she was by Nora’s well-meaning job offer. Her pride would never allow it.

“It’s not all glitz and glamor for them if that makes you feel any better.”

“How so?”

“I’m sure it sounds like nothing to you given your circumstances but imagine being beholden to that kind of pressure. Not being able to age or change your physical appearance. Choosing what you wear based on who will pay the most for you to wear it, not because it’s something you want to wear. Being stalked, getting chased by the paparazzi, and having your picture taken everywhere you go. Never a true moment of rest or privacy. Not knowing if your kids will be kidnapped and/or bullied because of some decision you made or whether their accomplishments will ever be considered to be their own, not due to you and the connections you afford them.”

She bounced her head from side to side, considering what I said. “Since I ate ramen for most of the past week, I’ll happily trade their problems for mine right now.”

“Great. I’m an insensitive jerk.”

She giggled. “You’re not too bad.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“I know that, Jules. But what was your point in all of that?”

Time to come clean. “I don’t date, Maggie.”

“You just said?—"

“Those aren’t dates. They’re publicity stunts. Nothing more. Since Claudia left, I’ve gone out a few times but none of it meant anything. Before she and I started dating, I had a couple of girlfriends, but it was never serious.”

There was no sense in making her feel bad by telling the truth. Maggie had given me unrealistic expectations of what women were like. She had set the bar too high without even meaning to, and by the time I figured out that was the reason why I was disappointed in the girls I dated, I’d papered over my crush and moved on. Or at least, I tried to.

I finished college and built my business. By the time Claudia came along, she heard my family name and clamped onto me as hard as she could, thinking we were still wealthy. I did my level best to keep her thinking that because money was all I could bring to the table. I thought love would come eventually. I was wrong.

I admitted, “If I’m being honest, I don’t think I had a realistic idea of what marriage should be. I’m not saying that to excuse Claudia’s affair. But I’d be lying if I put it all on her.”

“How is her affair your fault?”

“I don’t mean it like that.” I wasn’t sure how to explain it. “I was in my late twenties when we got married, and I’d never seen what a good marriage was supposed to look like. My parents, well, you saw how they were before Dad died.”

She swallowed. “They were… loud.”

I huffed at that. “I think part of it is a Greek thing. But yeah, the shouting, the plates breaking… loud is a good word for it. My grandparents were loud, too. I actually thought your parents had the perfect marriage until your dad’s thing. Point is, I never saw what a good marriage was so I tried to make one out of what I thought it should be. I was working all the time and so was Claudia. But she was pretty and knew which fork to use at family dinners; I guess I thought that would be enough to build on.”

Her tone was sweet but her words were harsh. “Young and stupid, huh?”

“Na?ve might be a nicer way to put it, but yeah. Definitely.”

“So you don’t date at all?”

“I’m the CEO of a multibillion-dollar company and a single father. Dating is a time suck. So, no, I don’t date. Not in any real capacity. Which means my family has little to no expectations of the woman I bring with me to the party.”

“Hm.” She sipped her juice. “Okay, but it’ll cost you a wardrobe suitable for the week.”

“Wait—is that why you asked what my exes dressed like?”

She smiled and nodded. “If we’re selling me as your fiancée, they won’t believe you’d downgrade to someone whose wardrobe staple is yoga pants and old tee shirts. That’s not the kinda girl you’d marry.”

“That’s exactly the kind of girl I’d marry. But if you want a new wardrobe in payment for doing this for me, by all means, let’s get out of here and go shopping.”

“Now?”

“Sure, why not? Piper’s babysitter is paid through today, and we need to get you moved in quickly.”

Maggie bit her bottom lip. “Fine. Shower first, then shopping.”

“As long as I get to watch.”

She laughed and rolled her eyes, throwing her napkin at me, her tits bouncing when she did so. She teased, “Pervert.”

“What can I say? You bring out the best in me.”