The Pretend Girlfriend (A Billionaire Love Story #1)(16)

And what was with that? I'm strong enough to open my own doors, thanks, she thought. Though, there was something nice about it. She remembered back to last week when a guy in a hoodie had actually done his best to close a door in her face. No one had manners anymore, it seemed.

But the question was: were his manners real? Or just some sort of show?

No one really looked up when they entered the diner. It was maybe half full, the people scattered amongst the booths lining the walls and the tables occupying the center space in front of the main counter.

Gwen smiled when Aiden directed her to an empty booth, its vinyl seat covers the same shade of green as the sign and the awning.

And now that she could smell the food (hot sandwiches mostly, it seemed) her appetite reappeared.

Although, she did experience a touch of disappointment at not sitting at one of those tables. Would he have pulled out the chair for me?

A quick glance out the window showed the community center-turned charity office. She burned to know the details of his business there, his interest in it and the other charities in the metro area he visited.

"So what's with the philanthropy?" Gwen said, indicating the charity with a nod.

To which Aiden gave her a tight smile, his fingers threading together on the clean top of the table.

He started to answer, but a young waitress with a white apron and her hair tied back in a bun, a notepad and the stub of a pencil in her hands, interrupted. "What can I get for you today? Would you like to hear the specials?"

Gwen saw the way the waitress looked at him, and actually experienced a momentary spike of jealousy. Remember, she told herself, he's your pretend boyfriend. Not your real one. Still, she glanced at the waitress's nametag, which read Tabby. Like as in the cat? she thought.

Or he would be her pretend boyfriend, if they ever got down to brass tacks about the deal.

Aiden looked visibly relieved. "The usual," he said.

"And you, miss?" Tabby said.

"The same," Gwen replied, giving them both a smile. She didn't let the smile drop until Tabby wandered back over to the counter. "What's the usual?"

Aiden tried to hide a smile behind his hand, but failed. "It's this special sandwich they do here, a BELT. Bacon, Egg (fried), Lettuce, Tomato. With a large black coffee."

Definitely not what she would have expected. Then again, she saw that Aiden appeared to enjoy defying expectations. But whose? His father's, if she had to take a guess. Was this how rich boys rebelled or something? Then why this whole thing with hiring himself a girlfriend?

Speaking of which, she knew that they needed to get down to business.

"Okay, like I was saying, I'll do this thing. But there are some ground rules that I need to make sure are crystal clear," Gwen said.

Aiden spread his hands out as though to say, "Please continue," so she did.

Gwen took a deep breath, feeling her ribs expand. "Okay, here we go. Touching is going to be kept to a minimum, and only in public. Holding hands is okay, side hugs are preferred to front hugs. Any kissing is strictly closed-mouth, or pecks on the cheek. Any hint of tongue and it's done, got it? Terms of endearment are to be kept traditional, with no funny nicknames or anything like that..."

Then there was the biggest one. Gwen leaned forward on her elbows and tried to speak as clearly as possible, locking her eyes with his. "And there will be absolutely no sex. I am not your call girl..."

"Pardon me," Tabby said.

Immediately, Gwen sat back, her cheeks burning. How long had the girl been standing there holding those steaming mugs of coffee? By the way Aiden grinned, the waitress must have at least heard the no sex thing.

Gwen forced a smile to her face as Tabby set down the cups. "Your sandwiches will be here soon. Anything else?"

She's trying not to smile! Gwen saw. Tabby wasn't doing a good job of it, and Gwen hoped the girl hadn't taken this job for cash while trying to start an acting career.

"No. Thanks," Gwen said, her cheeks sore from holding that smile (though she figured it probably looked more like a snarl).

"Do you understand?" Gwen said when Tabby went out of earshot. She kept her voice lower just in case. Tabby kept shooting sidelong glances over at their table.

"I think so. Basically, pretend we're a stereotypical married couple from the '50s."

Gwen bristled. "Married? No one said anything about being married! I thought this was girlfriend only. Dating, that sort of thing."

Aiden held his hands up. The smile of amusement never slid from his face. "No, no. You're right. I was just trying to make a joke. But yes, I agree to your terms. Are there any more?"

"I'm sure there will be," Gwen said, crossing her arms beneath her breasts. She knew how combative she was being about all this, but she still couldn't stop feeling angry, and a bit hurt, at what he'd done at Starbucks. She'd be his girlfriend, all right, but he was going to make it worth her while.

"Sounds good. I'll have my lawyer courier the paperwork over to your place tonight. Which reminds me, I'm going to need your contact information. Address, phone, email, you know. It'd look a little strange if we were in a serious relationship and I didn't know where you lived."

Gwen tore a napkin from the aluminum dispenser and began rooting through her purse for the pen she knew she kept in there somewhere. After a few polite moments, Aiden reached into his jacket and produced one, sliding it across the table, around their coffee. She scrawled all the things he'd asked for down, trying not to tear the material.