The Billionaire's Temporary Bride (Scandal, Inc #3)(15)

Callie and Amy shook their heads back and forth in unison. "No," they said. "We're not holding a gun to anybody's head," Amy added. "If there's anything you don't like in the contract, Charlotte, we can redraft it. Let me just say, though, that handling these sort of details is our job, and it's something we're both very good at."

Callie nodded. "We made sure both parties are treated very well in the current version. I'm so sorry if we overwhelmed you, Charlotte."

The tension had been building inside Charlotte since Callie had first mentioned the idea of a marriage of convenience at the bachelorette party, and it had finally become too much to bear. She felt like she had been holding her breath for a month. She exhaled slowly. "So what do we do now?" she asked.


"How about a first date?" Jack asked. "We can get dinner and figure out whether or not we can lay the groundwork for a relationship."

As Charlotte thought it over, Amy placed her Hermès purse on the table and started to root through it. "How's this for a deal? Callie and I won't stick our noses into your relationship."

"What's the catch?" Jack asked.

"I can't do anything to help you two figure out your relationship, but I sure as hell can make sure you look good while you do it." Amy pulled a black credit card out from the purse's depths and handed it to Callie. "Consider this my way of saying I'm sorry for pushing things."

"I'm not sure I understand," Charlotte replied.

Callie laughed. "It means we're going shopping."





Chapter 6

Charlotte looked at herself in the mirror, turning in circles as Callie stood back and nodded her approval. Charlotte had always considered herself fashionable, but when she looked at herself in the mirror, she felt like she was looking at a stranger. Her usual idea of fashion was wearing a scarf. This little black dress was more… aggressive than something she could have ever chosen on her own, let alone afford.

Usually she'd wear whatever she thought was nice but unassuming. She owned a lot of blouses, and a pencil skirt was about as racy as she got. This dress, on the other hand, hugged and accentuated all the curves of her body. As Charlotte looked at herself, she couldn't believe what she saw. She looked good. She looked hot. Normally, she would have second-guessed every choice, but tonight, she hadn't had the chance.

"Damn," Callie said. "You've been hiding that body the entire time we've been living together?"

Charlotte laughed. "Oh, shut up," she said. She took another look at herself. She had to admit that the dress fit well. Callie hadn't allowed her to look at the price. She had just handed Amy's card over and gone off to look at shoes.

"We should have done this at my apartment, you know, one last time before the lease is up," Charlotte said.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that," Callie said. "Amy and I picked up the lease. Since I'm technically still on it, I was able to re-up."

Charlotte stopped looking at herself in the mirror and turned toward Callie. "You shouldn't have done that. You really shouldn't have done that."

"It's no big deal," Callie said. "You and Jack will move in together, and I already have someone willing to sublet."

"That should have been my decision." Charlotte placed her hands on her hips.

"I wanted it to be a surprise. I thought you'd be happy."

"I specifically told you that I would take care of it."

"You said you didn't want me to worry about it, and now I'm not worried about it." A loud buzz from the hallway intercom cut their conversation short. Callie clapped her hands together. "He's here! He's not going to believe how good you look."

"We're not done," Charlotte said as Callie headed for the stairs.

"Yell at me after your date," Callie called back.

Charlotte stepped into the ridiculously high heels Callie had insisted on buying for her as well. Charlotte hadn't asked how much they cost. She just knew that they were expensive. Her legs looked longer. Her thighs looked thinner, and she felt slightly off-balance, like she was standing on stilts. If the whole marriage plan didn't work out, she could at least sell off the outfit and wipe out a chunk of her debt.

Why Callie was so excited, Charlotte didn't know. With her first step in the heels, the novelty of looking at herself in a designer dress wore off. Instead of excitement, she felt dread. Everything was moving too quickly, and she was just going along with it. She needed to take control of the situation. She needed to take control of her life. Then again, she hadn't used that control back when she had it. She had let herself fall into this situation. She had allowed Amy and Callie to talk her into trading her own very personal troubles for Jack's very public ones. And now, she was staring at a stranger in the mirror, one in a designer dress.

Charlotte closed her eyes and focused on her breath for a moment. One thing at a time, she thought. This was her last chance to walk away from it all unscathed, the last time to opt out and avoid all the trouble of cameras and gossip and the terrible weight of living a lie.

You can do this, she assured herself. Dinner and a dress are one thing, buying into the rest of it is another. Remember, you're still you. You like books, and guys who watch foreign films and laugh at your jokes about Evelyn Waugh. Jack is not that guy, and he doesn't have to be. You're just doing a favor for a friend. Nothing has to change. You're just giving yourself enough time to figure out the next step.