Beauty and the Boss (Modern Fairytales #1)(36)

“You couldn’t be more right, Helen.” Elizabeth curled her hand around his arm, clinging tightly and smiling at his mother. “We make a great couple. I’ve always thought so.”

She pressed her slim frame against him as if to remind him what it felt like to be up close and intimate with her. He knew perfectly well how she felt—wrong.

She wasn’t Maggie.





Chapter Ten


Maggie navigated the crowded hall slowly, watching the drinks in her hand cautiously. She’d opted for red wine, while getting Benji his old-fashioned. She smiled when she remembered his reaction when she’d asked him if he’d like one. The last time she’d gone to his penthouse, she’d talked to William for a few minutes. He was all too willing to impart information about his boss.

And she was all too willing to listen.

When it came to her fiancé, she was insatiable in her quest for knowledge. Despite all the romantic travesties in her past, and the fact that this whole affair would more than likely end in a disaster, she was going to give this a try.

She was going to give herself to Benji…

And stupidly hope for the best.

Someone bumped into her, but she managed to miraculously keep both drinks firmly in hand. She let out a sigh of relief and glanced up. It was the man she’d been watching earlier—and he was staring at her boobs. Not a Kennedy, then. Everyone knew they were ass men. “Sorry, Miss…?”

She did a little curtsy thing, since it was the best she could manage with full hands, and scanned the room, looking for Benjamin. She couldn’t find him through the crowd. “Donovan. Maggie Donovan.”

He bowed at the waist impatiently. “Lovely to meet you. Is that for me, sweetheart?”

“Is what for you?”

“The drink.” He pointed at the old-fashioned in her left hand. “Whoever hired you, I’ll pay double if you keep those coming.”

“Uh…” He thought she was an assistant of some sort, or whatever. This was literally her worst nightmare about tonight, come to life. One glance, and the man somehow realized she wasn’t one of them. Was it stamped across her forehead like a scarlett letter? “I’m not here as an assistant. This is for my fiancé. Maybe you know him?”

“Oh, so you’re a…oh. Sorry. Uh… Fiancé?” He perked up and scratched his head. “Who might that be?”

“Benjamin Gale the third.” Maggie smiled. “Of Gale Incorporated.”

He straightened even more. “He’s engaged? To you?” He gave her a once over, his mouth pressed into a thin line. “That can’t be. You’re not…”

He didn’t finish that thought.

Probably because he didn’t need to.

Tensing, she forced herself to keep smiling, to deny this jerk the satisfaction of seeing he’d shaken her. This was exactly the type of reception she’d expected, so she wasn’t surprised. She’d said they would see through her deception with their X-ray vision and somehow figure out she wasn’t blue-blooded like them.

And someone had. Already.

But deep down she’d hoped she could at least pretend to be one of them long enough that they’d actually believe she belonged here. “Yes, well, nonetheless, it’s true. We’re engaged.” She tipped her head toward the door. “He’s over there, checking our coats and waiting for me. So, if you’ll excuse me?”

He laughed. “That’s amusing.”

“Oh?” she asked through clenched teeth. “How so?”

“Well, you see, he’s over there with my daughter and his mother, Helen.” He paused. “My daughter is his ex, who he is very much interested in making his ‘future.’ He informed her of as much just the other day. Ever since she left him, he hasn’t been the same, you see.”

Again. Neither the freaking meteorite nor the sinkhole showed up to save her.

What did a girl have to do to get a natural disaster around here?

Her heart skipped a beat or two, and she glanced to where she’d left Benjamin. Sure enough, he had a snobby-looking blonde on his arm, and he spoke with her and his mother…whose name was apparently Helen.

The blonde clung to him, and she rubbed her hand up and down his bicep as if she owned him already. While he didn’t look a hundred percent at ease…

He didn’t exactly look upset, either.

The sexy jerk.

Lifting her chin, she refused to react to the other man’s words. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to return to my fiancé and Helen. They’ll be expecting me.”

He stepped into her path. “Don’t interfere with them. You have no idea what’s at stake here.”

“Oh, I have every idea what’s at stake.” She pushed past him. “It was lovely meeting you.” So freaking lovely.

This time, he let her pass without stopping her.

As she crossed the room, the blonde pressed her bony body against Benjamin’s and whispered something in his ear. Unexpected jealousy knifed through Maggie, hard and swift. She wasn’t supposed to be jealous…was she?

Sure, they’d kissed a few times, and he’d given her the best orgasm of her life without even trying, but the rest of their “relationship” was fake. They liked each other, and they were friends now, but that didn’t mean he owed her anything—