❝乇𝕣ίŊ❞

I washed my hands for the second time, watching the mucky water swirling in the sink. I’d rinsed my hair and squeezed it out before I soaked a washcloth with warm water.

The white fabric took on a dusky brown color as I dabbed at the bottoms of my jeans and shoes to get the mud off. I loved these heels, and buying another pair wasn’t in the budget this month.

Maybe not ever. Itʼs all as good as it would get.

I sighed.

Ruining my clothes hadn’t been my plan for today. I’d only wanted to pay for the gas I’d used to drive to Billings. But there was no use obsessing about it.

Exiting the small bathroom that barely fit the toilet, sink, and tub, I found Atlas pacing in front of the one bed.
He swung his gaze to me and huffed.

“Didn’t I tell you not to move?”

“Sorry. I’m not up for wetting my pants today” I shrugged, unsurprised by his anger.

Afterall it is on-brand for the cranky man.

“Well, your small bladder has backed us into a corner” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “You have to come with me to this conference.”

“What conference?”

The breath he let out was long and exasperated. Then he went into a long, boring speech about sports drinks and pitches and advertisers and retailers.

“Stop” I hold out a hand.

Why does he always make everything so complicated?

“Basically, you’re saying that the biggest sports drink companies host a long weekend away, in hopes that they’ll get better shelf space in their stores or click rates? And companies like yours go to try to form bonds with both the retailers and the brands?”

Atlas blinked twice before his brows pulled together.

“Yes. You... understand that?”

“Of course.” Why he thought it was a hard concept made no sense. “But I don’t get what it has to do with me.”

He shook his head.

“They think you’re my fiancée.”

I tilted my head to the side.

“Your what?”

With a sigh, he rubbed his brow with his fingers.

“Fiancée is the term used for someone you’re going to marry” He used the same stick-up-his-butt tone he’d used to explain the umbrella.

But seriously, does he honestly think I didn’t know basic words?

I crossed my arms.

“You really are something else. I know the term; I just don’t understand why they would apply it to me.”

“Because you’re here, in my hotel room” He huffs out a breath. “Thus, I need you to come with me and pretend we’re engaged for a few days.”

I stared at him, waiting for him to admit that he was joking. When he didn’t, she asked, “What kind of ass backward company do you work for? A half hour ago, I was a hooker for coming into the room with you, and now I must be marrying you? This is, like, literally The Twilight Zone.”

Taking a quick step toward me, he blurted, “I’ll pay you. A thousand dollars a day.”

My mouth fell open.

“That’s ridiculous.”

With his eyes locked on me, he took a deep breath. His demeanor changed in an instant like he’d flipped a switch. A calm settled over him, and a smile that I didn’t trust for a second lifted his lips.

What the heck?

“Fine,” he said smoothly. “Fifteen hundred a day. The resort’s gorgeous, there’s a spa, and the food will be wonderful. All you have to do is hang out and pretend we’re engaged. Think of it like a mini vacation.”

I could use a vacation.

Plus, not only would a few thousand dollars pay off my credit card debt, but it would buy new shoes, and help me get a bit ahead. I might not need to Uber as much. It could make the vacation Allegra wanted to take in May a reality.

“Getting paid to be pampered for a few days. Doesn’t that sound ideal?” Atlas asked.

“I’d need to go home for a day or so and get organized.”

“Out of the question,” he said. “We need to be there tonight.”

“I don’t have clothes. Or makeup. My hair has mud in it!”

“I know we’re in Terrocity, USA, but stores must exist here too,” he says, a charming smile still plastered to his face.

Atlas watched me.

“Yeah,” I sighed in defeat. “But I can’t afford everything I would need when I have perfectly good stuff—”

“I’ll buy it. Whatever you need.”

“You’re going to buy me clothes and shoes and whatever I need and pay me to hang out with you?”

“Yes.”

I opened my mouth, ready to tell him how ridiculous he was being when I caught sight of his briefcase.

Designer.

My gaze tracked over his suit—tailored to fit perfectly and probably cost more than my rent. His shoes—once again, designer. I remembered the flash of the watch from earlier.

“Pretty Woman” I shook my head.

I wasn’t living in some washed-up version of a nursery rhyme. I was in a movie.

“What?” Atlas’ eye twitched, breaking the calm facade he wore.

Instead of ignoring it this time, he pressed his fingers into his cheek.

“I’m literally in a movie right now” I repeated.

Atlas scowled. “Do you know the definition of literally, crazy girl?”

I rolled my eyes. He could call me crazy, but out of the two of us, he definitely was winning the loony tune contest.

“Yes, it means, like, ridiculously very. Probably the same thing as epo-whatever.”

Atlas collapsed onto the bed and dropped his face into his hands.

“I am so fucking screwed,” he cried, his words muffled.

“Why?”

Elbows on knees, Atlas glanced up, looking defeated. “I need this weekend to go well because six months ago I um... I had a little incident.”

“What kind of incident?”

“I accidentally slept with a client’s wife” I sighed.

How can one accidentally sleep with another person? What kind of a dumbass is this guy?

“Accidentally” I repeated and rolled my eyes. “What did you do, trip and fall into her vagina?”

“What? No, of course not. I just didn’t know she was my client’s wife until the next morning. And now I’m working hard to get rid of the reputation that misunderstanding created.”

“So your boss thinks you’re a man whore” I chuckled.

Atlas gave a clipped nod.

“Exactly. And that’s why I can’t be in a random motel room with a gorgeous woman who isn’t my fiancée.”

My heart stuttered.

Gorgeous?

A blush heated my cheeks. The sexy man in the designer suit thought that I—a hot mess covered in mud—was gorgeous.

“Erin?” he called.

I blinked myself back into the moment.

“Huh?”

He closed his eyes for a long moment before scrutinizing me.

“Please try to focus for one fucking minute. I need to win this account and prove myself.”

Why?

The guy obviously wasn’t hurting for money.

“Do you even need this job?”

“Not in the traditional sense” Atlas rubbed his hand along his smooth jaw. “But it’s my father’s company, and he’s been grooming me to take over for my entire life. He expects me to rise through the ranks and then replace him one day. But I fucked it all up. And I don’t want to be a disappointment.”

The words hit me hard, and I brought a hand to my abdomen to ease the pain. There was no way Atlas could know how his struggle resonated with me. I’d experienced the same type of disappointment more than most in my life.

“Fine, you twisted my arm,” I said before I could think better of it.

My siblings would have a field day with this. They always gave me a hard time for being too trusting. What kind of rational person agreed to go away for days with a stranger?

His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open, but he looked as though I’d left him speechless. Which was perfect. Maybe then he wouldn’t ask why. Because I didn’t want to explain how much of a disappointment I was to my own family.

“It has to be better than driving strangers around. I’m so done with that,” I added quickly.

Atlas chuckled.

“That’s good, 'cause you suck at it.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Whatever. Could we add dinner to the plan for the next hour? I’m literally starving.”

“You’re not literally starving. You’re just hungry.”

“No, I’m definitely literally starving. Like, super-duper very starving.”

Atlas sighed.

“You need a vocabulary lesson.”

I rolled my eyes again.

This is going to be a long few days.