Why was Mick torturing me like this? Was this his way of punishing me? If it was, why go to all this trouble? To be honest, getting fired from the job (or shot) would have probably hurt less than what Mick was doing now: teaching me how to flirt!

His long, slender fingers with calloused tips moved in circles over my arm. His deep icy blues fixed me with a gaze so intimate and dangerous that, try as I might, I couldn't look away. Oh, he was good.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I tasted iron. I ignored Mick's whine of disapproval. I rolled away until I was at the edge of the bed. "Boss, I don't think I am cut out for this shit." I really wasn't. Given a choice, I would have skipped this PG-rated step and jumped straight to the A-rated stuff. The thought sent blood rushing to my groin. "Anyway, what's this lesson going to help me achieve? Miles knows me. If I start behaving like some stupid love-struck teenager, he will know we are up to something."

"Oh!" Mick pursed his lips; narrowing his eyes at me, he nodded. "You are not wrong."

"See? So this is what we are going to do instead…"

Mick sat up on the bed, stars in his eyes and a blinding smile on his lips. Any ideas about ending this—whatever the fuck this was—leaked out of my head. "Instead we will show him that we have been seeing each other on the side. Aaaaaad...I have been cheating on him with you for months!"

Is this how one feels when their soul leaves their body? "What!?" I croaked.

"You heard me, Rob." He inched closer, smirking like he had won the lottery. He stopped just before our noses bumped. 

Too close. I looked over my shoulder at the exit. The door was locked. Why had I locked it!? 

Mick turned my face towards him; my vision filled with him. Just him. "You can do this. It's just for a while." His forehead creased. The smile dropped from his lips. "Wait," he let go and scooted away. "I am sorry. I wasn't thinking." Lowering his eyes, he shook his head. "Forget about it."

No. No. No. Don't be like this. "What are you-"

"I am gay. You aren't. Moreover, you are Maria's widower. This must be uncomfortable for you, downright gross, even. It's alright. I will figure out something else to get rid of Miles. It might take a little longer—"

The words, 'I will do it,' flew out of my mouth before my mind could consent to it. And now I had to follow through. I wanted to follow through. What if this fake intimacy was all I was ever going to get? Pretending he was mine even for a few hours was better than having none of him. "I don't feel uncomfortable with you." I could never. "So, what do you want me to do?"

A few minutes later, with my heart threatening to escape its cage, I wrapped my arms around my charge. "Like this?" I tried reading his face, hoping I wasn't grossing him out. The fact that I was chosen by Mick simply due to the proximity advantage I had over others bothered me, but I refrained from voicing it.

He smiled and nodded encouragingly. His fingers combed through my hair, messing it up in the process. "You have gorgeous hair; you should try a different cut."

Why was he talking about my hair? It didn't have anything to do with the plan. "Why?"

'Because it will make you look hot."

His simple statement made my mind go blank. "Why would I want to look hot?"

"Well, for one, it will counter your annoyance quotient."

"I am not annoying. I am just—" The rest of the statement died—an unexpectedly amazing death—on Mick's lips as they met mine. 

Placing his hands on either side of my face, he moved closer, staring into my eyes before leaning in for another kiss. This one, like its predecessor, was innocent: a mere peck. He leaned away to search my eyes. "We can stop any time. The fact that you agreed to do this means a lot. I hope you know that, Rob."

And you have no idea how much being with you means to me. "Mn," I replied, and holding him more securely in my arms, I whispered, "How about I give it a go?"

Surprise flashed in his cerulean eyes. Then, "Sure."

Game time! Closing my eyes and praying not to muck up, I slowly stole a soft kiss. It was just an act, after all. All acts had boundaries that couldn't be crossed, and until I knew what was allowed and what wasn't, I decided to keep my actions and feelings in check. Mick wasn't helping, though. 

"That was brilliant." He hit my chest playfully. "Very natural. Are you sure you are completely straight?"

I am completely gay for you. I shrugged. "I read somewhere that no one is completely straight or gay."

"Where did you read that? Wait. Since when do you read? How come I have never seen you with a book?"

"I read. I just don't read published stuff."

Mick threw his head back, laughing like I had cracked the most hilarious joke of the century. It turned into snorts before simmering down to giggles. "Don't tell me you spend your days guarding me while reading sexy, hot stuff!"

"I… I don't." I do, but not all of them are dirty! 

"Don't lie. You are a horrible liar."

I beg to differ. "Whatever; if you are going to waste my time pulling—"

"Step 2," Mick announced and brought our lips together again, brushing them over mine before showering the corners of my mouth with butterfly kisses. It was getting more and more difficult to hold myself back. I experienced agony and bliss all at once. A tingling sensation blossomed in my heart; gaining momentum, it turned into a wildfire, ready to engulf me. Just before I lost control, he stopped and looked at me again. Fingers tugging at my collar, his labored breath fanned over the side of my neck.

His hooded eyes and flushed cheeks made me want to believe he was as affected as me. But that was not the case. There was no way Mick was into me, right? Right. 

He let go of my collar and got off the bed with haste. "Take a few minutes to compose yourself. We don't want you getting overwhelmed and freaking out." Without glancing towards me, he added, "No, Sir, we don't," and disappeared into the washroom. 

There were only two possibilities: first, he must have felt nauseated after kissing me, or second, he had caught a stomach bug and he was coming down with something. My selfish heart hoped it was the latter. Luckily, Mick emerged from the wash within a couple of minutes looking like his usual cheery self. "Ready for step 3?" His brows danced suggestively as he sat on the bed and said in a deep, baritone that didn't belong to him, "Let's sleep together, sweetheart." Cocking his brow, he continued, "You were the one who suggested a nap, Rob. Come, there is much to learn and so little time."

And just like that, I was transported to one of the recent novels I had been binge-reading on Wattpad: The Billionaire's Pretend Boyfriend. The immaculately written sexy times flooded me with anticipation and dread. But of course, this was real life; Mick wouldn't do things to me that the Wattpad billionaire did to his pretend boyfriend, right? Right. 

*****
[Chapter word count: 1287]