Who Wants to Marry A Billionaire?(15)
Daniel continued, “But there are some serious stakes on the table, and we’ve got to take that part very seriously. First thing tomorrow, Elsa is going to give you a crash course in how to survive in high society. And you’re getting a bodyguard, ASAP. Friday night you are meeting my parents as my girlfriend, and three weeks after that, there will be a party to announce our engagement. Somewhere in between we will have to go someplace that seems like somewhere a billionaire would propose. Paris is too cliché. I don’t know; think about it. Pick someplace you’ve always wanted to go. And then as soon as the engagement hits the papers, we’re on the plane to Panama for part one of the negotiations. You’re going to be able to handle all of this, right?”
Nina looked down, her balloon deflated. She kicked herself; nothing had really changed; she was merely an employee, just a cog in the DeVere wheel. A cog that would get some new clothes, a few interesting trips, the chance to drive a Carrera GT. Then it would be back to pushing paper and trying to keep her family from careening out of control. She answered meekly, “Yes, of course, Mr. DeVere.”
Oblivious to the change in Nina’s demeanor, Daniel signaled for the waitress to start their lobsters. Nina stood up, “Would you excuse me for a moment? My brother is in the hospital and I should check in with my mom.”
Nina walked down the little steps to the dock, and headed out to the end, away from the lobster shack’s deck. She tried to take deep breaths. Her charade was starting to become real. Playing the part of Daniel’s fiancé was just a job, and if she was going to get out of it without going crazy, she has to treat it like work.
She dialed her mom. “Hi Mom. How’s Rueben? Oh…that’s good news…Thanks for being there with him…me? I’m fine…I’m…out on a date tonight…yeah, nice guy. I met him through work. We’re at a lobster shack over by Gloucester. I’ll be home by midnight, but don’t wait up for me…I love you too Mom. Give Reuben a hug from me.”
That was her life, she reminded herself. Not the cerulean crocodile bag or the GT or watching Daniel DeVere lick beer foam off of his very kissable lips. However screwed up they might be, at least her family loved her, and they’d be there for her when this was all over.
As she made her way back to Daniel, she saw the waitress set down two lobsters, and of course, two cups of drawn butter. She looked at her new clothes; she’d have to be super careful not to get grease spots on them.
Nina put on her happy face, and slid into her seat across from Daniel. He held up a lobster bib. “Can’t get your pretty new clothes messy, and if you don’t drip butter all over when you’re eating lobster, you’re not enjoying it enough.” He stood up and stepped around behind Nina. He ran his hand up under her hair to pull it out of the way. His touch was so soft and sensuous, Nina almost gasped. He leaned in close to her, his face almost touching hers as he put the bib around her neck, one hand smoothing it down, while the other combed back her hair. He pulled the little strings back and tied them at the back of her neck, rearranging her hair to hide the strings. His hands lingered, and Nina closed her eyes, enjoying a masculine touch. It had been too long.
He took his seat again and held up the other bib, “Come tie mine on me now.” Nina stood up, and tried to focus. Her movements were industrious as she flapped the bib and tied it. Daniel reached up and grabbed one of her hands, holding it on his shoulder. He rolled his head to one side so he could look at her, and teasingly said, “Your bib tying technique sucks.” He pulled her hand to his mouth, kissed her knuckles, and then let her go.
Nina swallowed. How was she supposed to interpret that? She sat back down, but her musing was broken by the sound of a lobster claw cracking.
“Don’t let it get cold! Daniel dipped a chunk of lobster in the butter then reached across the table and fed it to Nina with his fingers. His buttery fingertips played across her lips, and Nina thought she was going to come out of her skin. Daniel DeVere was making it exceedingly difficult to follow her inclination to keep it all business. Then he hissed at her, “Now me!”
Nina froze. Now what? Daniel could see the confusion in her face.
“Nina, you’ve got to start acting like you’re my girlfriend. We have to…act like a couple. I never know who might be watching. The dishwasher could be shooting us with his phone and sending it to TMZ or Perez Hilton even while we’re sitting here.”
“Oh yes, of course. I’m sorry.” She shoved some French fries in Daniel’s mouth in a not very polished move.
He choked a little bit, then chewed and swallowed. “What? Are you trying to kill your soon-to-be fiancé? Okay, no more feeding each other, just…enjoy your lobster.”
Nina cracked a claw. It hit her how long it had been since she’d had any romance in her life. She was feeling a lot like the lobster: a hard shell with a very tender interior. Playing at romance was going to be hard—especially with someone who was extraordinarily attractive and really, kind of nice. She was going to have to toughen up, make sure she had a mental wall in place so she didn’t get confused about what was real and what was her job. She needed to think about the fact she could keep her home, keep Rueben in school and pay his medical bills, make sure that Rita got to her honors program in Provence, and that their mom was okay. That’s why she was doing this, not because she wanted something real with Daniel DeVere.