The Hookup Hoax (9 page)

“Great. You’ll probably need a new dress, since I can’t imagine you would’ve had room in your backpack for one. You can use my company credit card when you’re ready to shop, and I’ll bill it as a business expense.”

“Gotta love free clothes. I’ll probably need jewelry, too.”

He smirked, happy to see her sense of humor returning. “I’m sure you’ll find beautiful accessories. One more thing. It’s out of town, so you’ll need to pack an overnight bag.”

Her mouth dropped open into an O-shape and her eyes met his in the reflection.
Yep, that was an important detail
.

His breath caught in his throat.
Don’t say no.
The thought of going alone was even more unappealing now that he’d imagined taking her.

“Okay.”

“Great!” His response was louder than he expected and he quickly cleared his throat, hoping she hadn’t noticed how desperate he sounded. He realized with a mix of trepidation and anticipation, a weekend away with Olivia sounded better than he thought it would.

Chapter Eight

Olivia swallowed nervously. She had no reason to be nervous—it was only soccer practice—but even if her brain knew that, her body refused to listen. This was the first time she had to pose as Sawyer’s girlfriend around his friends.

With his family and work, at least she knew their relationship and affection toward each other would be pretty conservative. But here, with his closest friends, she didn’t know what to expect. Were they the “grab their girlfriend’s ass in public” kind? The “compare sex stories” kind?

The thought of having to participate in a conversation about her and Sawyer doing it, made her heart pound. Fictional or real, sex with him made her knees weak.

“Why is your palm so sweaty?” he asked, taking her hand in his as they walked into Chelsea Piers.

Of course that’s the thing he notices.
Not the laid back yet put together outfit that took her almost an hour to achieve.

Nope. That was overlooked.

How could she say she was nervous about what she might have to talk about while hanging out? That sounded ridiculous. She sighed. “I’m nervous about meeting your friends.”

She tried to take her hand back so she could wipe her palm on her pants leg, but Sawyer held strong.

“You have nothing to worry about. It’s just a few guys running around a field after a ball. Actually, I think you’ll like hanging out with the other women. They’re all pretty nice. At least they seem nice. I haven’t hung out with them that much, since I never have anyone on the sidelines watching me.”

“What, you’ve never socialized with other girlfriends? I knew you were a lifelong bachelor, but that seems a little extreme, even for you.”

“I’ve hung out with them after practice or a game, sure, but I’ve never had a girlfriend sit on the sidelines watching. I don’t do the girlfriend thing. No need to be snippy.”

“I wasn’t being snippy. I was teasing.” Olivia was halfway through a satisfying eye roll when she stopped herself. “How many more of these ‘I’m annoyed with you’ couple’s spats are we going to have? If this were a real relationship, I’d say we’re mildly toxic together.”

He stopped and faced her. “Listen, I’m probably more uncomfortable than you are. This is huge for me. Gigantic. I don’t bring girls here because I don’t usually care enough about any of them to bother.”

“Wow. I would probably feel special after that little admission if I didn’t know the real reason I’m here. No worries. If anyone asks why you’re off your game today, I’ll tell them it’s because I kept you up too late last night, fooling around.” She tried to laugh it off, but sounded as fake as their relationship.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it again without speaking, then led her into the building and directly to the soccer field. A group of guys were already huddled together, while a cluster of girls sat off to the side, drinking iced coffees.

The women eyed Olivia as she walked up with Sawyer. “Hi, ladies. This is Olivia, my girlfriend.”

She didn’t miss the obvious expressions of disbelief. He hadn’t been kidding about never bringing a girl around before. The knowledge that she was the first sent a little flash of pride through her.

“Hi,” she said with a tiny wave.

“Get your ass out here!” Aidan called from the field.

“Olivia, this is Nina, Stacy, Kennedy, and April. I gotta go. Be nice to my girl.” He pointed at the women as if he were scolding them, and then gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before jogging out to join the guys.

She wasn’t sure what shocked her more, the quick kiss or that he’d called her “his girl” with a genuinely possessive tone. Feeling a little stunned, she smiled and sat down with the women.

“Girlfriend?” Stacy tilted her head inquisitively.

“Yep. That’s me.” She tried to channel her inner cool girl, who wouldn’t be fazed by meeting new people. Apparently, that girl slept in this morning. “Which guy out there is yours?”

“Chad and I are newlyweds. Nina is with Jason. April just started dating Kevin. And Kennedy is with TJ, this week at least.”

“I have trouble picking one,” Kennedy said, with a wicked smile playing on her lips. “They’re all so hot when they get sweaty.”

She didn’t know how to respond. The thought of Kennedy and Sawyer fooling around instantly set her nerves on edge.

“Don’t worry, she hasn’t gotten to Sawyer.” Stacy laughed and patted Olivia on the shoulder.

“Yet,” Kennedy said, eyeing the guys on the field and making little noises in her throat as if the other girls weren’t around to hear.

“Kennedy! Be nice. You’re going to scare her off.” April shook her head. “Really, you’d think the girl was sex-starved or something, which she’s not.”

“Glad to hear it?” Olivia said, not sure if she found their banter funny or problematic. “I guess I should start coming every week if I want to hold onto my man, huh?” She hoped her tone was teasing and playful. It felt strange to joke around with girls again. This wasn’t something she’d done much of while backpacking.

“If you’re not coming, that could definitely be a problem for you, and doesn’t say much about Sawyer’s skills either.”

“Kennedy!” both Nina and April shrieked.

Olivia’s cheeks burned and she giggled uncomfortably. This was exactly what she was afraid of. Bedroom talk. But she’d never guessed it would be the women who initiated the conversation.

As if he knew she was talking about him, Sawyer caught her eye and smiled, his arm flexing as he waved. He filled out his soccer shirt well. Really well.

“We have to tease a little since Sawyer’s never had a girlfriend here before,” Stacy said.

“Ever,” Kennedy added.

April nodded enthusiastically. “It’s a little weird, to be honest.”

Either she would fit in right away, or not at all, and if she had to sit there with these girls on a regular basis, then she may as well do everything she could to be accepted by them, starting with breaking the ice about the whole girlfriend thing. The sooner they all got over that issue, the better. “I guess I took his relationship virginity, huh? He’s doing pretty well, for a first-timer.”

The girls sat stunned for a millisecond then burst out laughing so loudly the guys on the field turned to stare.

As conversation continued on to other, non-Sawyer-related topics, Olivia relaxed. She seemed to fit in with the dynamic of the group easily, chiming in with stories about her travel. Before she knew it, she felt as if she’d been friends with these girls for months, not minutes.

Maybe she shouldn’t have been so nervous. If she had to do this more often, maybe it wouldn’t be such a terrible thing after all. First his family had accepted her, and now his friends. Fitting into Sawyer’s life was easier than she’d expected. But was that good or bad, when she knew that these real friendships she formed would all be gone when her fake relationship expired?

...

Sawyer kicked at the ball as it rolled past him, but he underestimated its speed and missed, gloriously. He almost lost his balance as his leg flung out spastically. “Damn it.” He’d been playing like shit all practice long.

Normally he was solid on the field. No matter what else was going on in life or at work, when he ran out to play, he was focused and determined to win. But it wasn’t every day he had Olivia on the sidelines watching him either. Today he was sloppy and distracted.

It started when he’d seen and heard the girls laughing. He’d glanced over to see if Olivia was laughing with them or if they were laughing at her. Thankfully, even from across the field, he’d been able to see the smile on her lips. But then, instead of going back to focusing on drills, he started thinking about how great it was to see her getting along with the other women. She’d been clearly nervous that morning, but he knew she’d be fine and fit in with everyone.

“Let’s take five before we do our scrimmage,” Jason said, as he turned to trot off the field. As team captain, it was up to him to call the breaks. Sawyer was happy not to have the extra responsibility. He had enough stuff to think about without adding soccer to the list. On the field, he got to relax and enjoy the sport for the fun of it.

When he jogged over to the bench on the sidelines, Olivia handed him a fresh cold bottle of water and a granola bar, scooting over on the bench to make room for him beside her. It was nice having her there, doing girlfriend-type things. He’d seen it many times before, but had never been on the receiving end. He’d have to be careful not to get too used to this.

He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and looked around at his buddies. They were all touching their girlfriends in some way. A hand on a knee, an arm around shoulders. A sudden wave of stupidity washed over him. Why was it so unnatural for him to treat her like a girlfriend should be treated? Because he sucked at being a boyfriend.

Shaking off the feelings of inadequacy, he leaned back and rubbed his hand up and down Olivia’s spine. As soon as he made contact with her body, calmness passed through him. His heart rate slowed and a smile came to his lips.

She turned and grinned at him. “You’re amazing out there.”

“What about me?” Aidan asked, nudging his sister in the side.

“You’re fine, too,” she said, moving closer to Sawyer and a little farther from her brother’s reach. He’d have to remember to thank Aidan later for that.

“Thanks,” he said, enjoying her vote of confidence in his soccer skills. “I wish you could’ve seen me last week. I pretty much stink this week, comparatively.”

“Yeah. What’s up with you today?” Aidan asked. “You couldn’t hit the ball if it was attached to your foot.”

“I haven’t seen you play this bad since…” Chad paused, tapping his fingers on his chin. “Since ever.”

“I don’t know. I’m tired I guess,” he said. There was no other reason he could give them. He certainly couldn’t tell them he was distracted because he kept thinking about his fake girlfriend.

“Here I thought you’d be eager to show off for your girl,” Jason said.

“Guess you’re not good at performing under pressure.” Chad laughed. “Your poor girlfriend.”

The guys laughed, except for Aidan and Sawyer. It wasn’t cool to bring up his sex life with Olivia, even if it was only fictional. “Watch it. I won’t have you talking bad about me around my girl.”

The guys cheered and nudged each other.

“Defensive Sawyer. This is new,” Kevin said.

“And don’t forget she’s my sister,” added Aidan.

Chad held up his hands defensively. “No offense intended, Olivia. I’m sure you’re worth performing for.”

The guys fell silent and Sawyer held his breath, praying she wouldn’t be offended by the teasing. The guys were jokers, but their hearts were usually in the right place. Their minds, however, were often in the gutter.

“Oh, I am,” she said with a wink over her shoulder at Sawyer. “And he hasn’t had any trouble performing. Even his encore is top notch.”

The guys all hollered again and slapped Sawyer on the shoulder as they headed back out to the field. He beamed with Olivia’s praise, even if it wasn’t based on firsthand knowledge. The fact that she could think fast on her feet, and wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself, or him, was a super sexy quality.

The girls he’d dated in the past had always been a little light in the smarts department and now he wondered why he’d ever bothered with girls like that when strong, confident women like Olivia were so much more engaging. Every time he thought he’d seen all sides of her personality, she surprised him with something new and interesting. Somehow he knew he could be with her every day for ten years and always learn something new about her.

Taking that challenge was almost too tempting.

He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then ran out to the field again. He felt more calm and focused on the game than he had before; he didn’t have to worry about her. Whatever happened, she could hold her own without him.

A little twinge of guilt prickled along his spine. She was doing so much to help him out, not only with getting the cabin but also with the Marcus project, and all he was doing was taking. He needed to give something back to her, something that would help her as much as she was helping him, something that would show how much her support meant to him.

Sawyer made a quick promise to himself that he would do whatever he could to make the gala a special night out for her, not only personally, but professionally, too.

Chapter Nine

Olivia stepped out of Sawyer’s luxury SUV and smoothed her dress over her hips. She’d picked out a sleek crimson gown with a form-fitting silhouette and a side-slit up to the knee that made her feel taller and sexier than she actually was. Though she’d bought it off the rack, the dress looked as if it had been custom designed for her figure, hugging and caressing each curve like a lover’s touch. The thought sent an image of Sawyer’s hands to her mind and she swallowed hard.

The moment Sawyer first set eyes on her in the dress, his gaze raked over her, taking in every inch of the fabric and leaving behind a wake of electricity. When his eyes finally met hers again, a single word left his mouth. “Nice.” A single word uttered, but his expression said enough for ten men.

She didn’t want to care what he thought, yet at every opportunity, she found herself craving his praise. So far, he hadn’t disappointed.

“Don’t look so nervous.” He handed the keys to the valet and their small overnight bags to the bellman. When he offered his arm, she accepted. “You’re not walking into your execution.”

“I know. I don’t want to make any mistakes that might cost you clients. What if I say the wrong thing?”

“You won’t say the wrong thing.” He sounded more confident than she felt.

“You probably should’ve brought someone else.”

“First of all, you’re my girlfriend, at least as far as everyone else is concerned. And secondly, even if you weren’t my girlfriend, I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather have with me. Certainly no one else would’ve filled out that dress the way you do.” He clicked his tongue at the end of his sentence and raised an eyebrow suggestively.

“So I’m eye candy?”

“Yes and no. You’re here because I’m stuck coming to this event every year, and this year I wanted to enjoy myself. I know I will with you. But I can’t help it if you fit the eye candy description, too. I didn’t tell you to wear that slinky little dress.”

She’d never been anyone’s shiny arm trinket before and she was relieved to know he saw her as more than that, not that she wasn’t flattered by the suggestion. But she was the jeans and T-shirt, hair in a ponytail, let’s go hiking type, not the put on a fancy dress and mingle type.

Passing through the lobby, she pointed out the front desk. “Shouldn’t we check in?”

“Matt is already here and he checked in for us. I’ll get the room key from him.” He guided her toward the ballroom at the other end of the lobby.

Key? As in singular room but multiple beds, right?

“The concierge will make sure our room is ready by the time we head up for the night.”

“And when will that be?” she asked.

“Are you sick of me already?” The twinkle in his eyes hinted at playfulness. She rarely got to see that side of him. Even at home, his home, he was usually thinking about work, or his grandparents, or both. The only time she’d seen him let loose was the few occasions they’d hung out with her brother or while the guys were playing soccer. Seeing this other part of his personality always made her want to smile, relax, and have fun too.

“Of course not. I was only curious how late this gala usually goes. I won’t turn into a pumpkin at midnight.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I quite like you in your current form.” Something about the way he said it made her wonder if there was truth to his teasing this time. “Now, are you ready to do some networking?”

“Why? Have you spotted one of your clients already?”

“No. But I see Lois Hanover, who I happen to be good friends with, over by the bar, and she might be someone you’d be interested in applying to in a few months. I’d like to introduce you.”

“Really? I thought we were here for your work,” she said. Was she ready to meet potential bosses? Not necessarily. However, if they were anything like Sawyer, then working with them could be great. Her nervousness shifted to excitement.

Maybe she
was
ready for this. Hadn’t she been waiting for a chance to take charge of her future? And now Sawyer wanted to give her that opportunity through one of his connections. Just when she thought she had him pegged as kind of self-centered, he went and did something completely selfless, and at an event that was very important to his company’s success, too.

“Don’t be nervous. She’s going to love you as much as I do.” His smiled wavered.

Her breath caught in her throat and she locked her eyes on his.

“Work wise, I mean,” he added quickly.

“Of course. I didn’t think you meant it in any other way.” She nodded. Regardless of his slip of the tongue—which obviously didn’t mean anything—she felt more confident in herself knowing he believed she’d impress Lois. She plastered a smile on her lips and squared her shoulders. “Lead the way.”

For the first hour, Olivia was introduced to various people—some clients, some Sterling executives she hadn’t met yet, and many possible future employers. She smiled, nodded, and laughed when appropriate. She lost track of the number of times she spoke about her education and travel. Sawyer guided her through the room, whispering tidbits of information along the way so she had an idea who each person was. Together they fell into an almost choreographed tag team, each talking up the other’s attributes in a way that came off as conversational instead of forced.

She hadn’t felt this exhilarated in a long time. Maybe never. Sawyer made a great professional wingman and she hoped she’d done the same. By the time they stopped mingling long enough to enjoy sipping a glass of wine, she realized she hadn’t fully appreciated the grandeur of the venue.

The ballroom was adorned with ornate crystal chandeliers, rich cream and gold paint, and gleaming hardwood floors throughout. In the center of the room, surrounded by tables, a large area was filled with couples dancing. The live band seamlessly flowed between up-tempo and slow songs. Currently, they were on an upswing and it helped give the room a festive, celebratory feeling.

She eyed the dance floor tentatively. She wanted to enjoy the music, and she would, as long as he didn’t ask her to dance. When it came to dancing, she had two left feet and neither one of them had an ounce of rhythm.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, whispering into her ear.

She turned her head slightly to look at him, but also to get his lips away from her ear. What she really wanted to do was lean into him, cocoon herself in his arms, and let his breath play on her body at its will. But she damn well wasn’t going to let that happen. “Nothing,” she replied. “Why?”

“You look upset. Or concerned about something suddenly.”

“I’m not.”

“You are. I can see it all over your face.”

Sighing, she answered honestly, against her better judgment. “I don’t like dancing.”

“All women like to dance.”

“Not this one.” Couples twirled and dipped, laughed and smiled, while shimmying to the music. Dread sank in her stomach like an anchor. “That part isn’t mandatory, right?”

He smiled. “You’re lucky I’m in a generous mood. I won’t make you dance with me, even though I really want to see how terrible you are.”

“Nice. So my humiliation is your entertainment?”

He kissed her cheek before whispering in her ear again. “I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to. Not here. Not ever.”

Was he still talking about dancing?

“Let’s go find some food.”

“It smells delicious. They certainly know how to throw a party.” Olivia took a plate and meandered past the buffet. Everything from simple sliced vegetables and dip, to oysters on the half shell, pastas…even a selection of caviar was displayed.

No sooner had they sat to eat when Sawyer quickly wiped his mouth and hands, took a swig of his drink and cleared his throat. He stood from the table and extended his hand.

“What a pleasant surprise to see you here,” Sawyer said, shaking hands with a tall, dark-haired man who looked imposing and serious, even with a smile on his face.

“It was a last minute thing. We were supposed to be out of the country, but last night our plans changed, so here we are. It’s nice to see you make it out of the office on occasion.” The man chuckled and smacked him on the shoulder, then gestured to the woman beside him. “This is my wife Ruth.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” He shook her hand. “This is Olivia.”

She stood, fighting the urge to check her teeth for little bits of food. Instead she smiled with her lips closed and shook the hand offered. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You must be Sawyer’s wife,” the man said.

She held her smile while trying to glance casually to Sawyer, unsure of how he would handle the wife comment. Better than expected, it appeared. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, his hand low on her hip, almost possessively.

“Olivia is my girlfriend. For now at least, right, sugar?”

She smiled adoringly at him. Not knowing who they were playing this up to, she did her best to look convincing.

The man kissed the back of her hand like a southern gentleman would. “Don’t wait too long. You wouldn’t want someone else to come and snatch her away. When I met my Ruthie, I was smitten at first glance, but had an ego too big for my head. So I dragged my feet and some other fella nearly swept her up. I learned my lesson back then, not to wait on things I want. Applies to work too.”

“What kind of work do you do?” Olivia asked, smiling politely. He seemed quite nice and not nearly as imposing as she thought at first glance.

“This is Todd Marcus,” Sawyer said.

“Oh.” She swallowed her sudden unease. This was their most important client and now she’d gone and not even recognized him.

Todd raised his eyebrows questioningly at her obvious shift to nervousness. Sawyer was right—people could read her emotions on her face. She’d make a terrible double agent. Hopefully she could manage to keep their fake relationship a secret.

“I see someone’s been bringing their work home to the little lady, huh?” Todd asked, but she couldn’t tell if he was upset about the idea or kidding around.

“Actually, Olivia also works at Sterling. She’s an essential part of our team.”

“Oh?” Now he was the one who sounded surprised and caught off guard. “And what exactly do you bring to the team?”

“I’m an administrative assistant mostly, but I have been trying to help out where I can with your project.”

“Life experience. Cultural insights from around the world,” Sawyer said, sounding almost a little defensive. “She is too modest. She’s really the key to authenticity with your campaign. With her knowledge we’ll be able to better target specific demographics in multiple countries.”

“Sounds wonderful. I’d love to hear more about it. Care to dance?” Todd extended his arm and the dread in her stomach became full-fledged anxiety. Sawyer gave the slightest nod, his smile never faltering.

She allowed Todd to lead her out to the dance floor. A waltz-style rhythm filled the air. “I’ll try not to step on your feet, but I must warn you that you’ve chosen a terrible partner.”

“Not to worry,” Todd said, gliding her around the dance floor with surprising ease. She almost felt as if she were floating. “I’ve had a terrible dance partner for the last twenty years. My feet no longer feel the stab of high heels.”

Olivia stumbled, but quickly regained her footing. “Good thing.”

“So tell me, how is it you have all this cultural insight and knowledge?”

“I backpacked around the world for a while. I guess that makes me something of an expert, or at least according to Sawyer it does.”

“But not to you?”

Crap. How would Todd Marcus believe they could do a good job if she disputed everything Sawyer claimed? The fact was, she did have more cultural experience globally than anyone else in the Sterling office, so she was the resident expert. She needed to start believing it herself.

“Well, I wouldn’t say I’m an expert, necessarily, but I do have experience with other cultures, which might be helpful in figuring out how we can make your product a staple in every home, in every market.”

“And how exactly do you plan to do that?”

Shit. Good question. Think. I can totally do this.

“I would start by looking at what each culture values most and then base the marketing on that.”

“Humor me with an example.”

It was hard to think with the room continually spinning around them as they moved. From somewhere in her peripheral vision she saw Sawyer chatting and dancing with Ruth, looking carefree as if this was any other day to him. Meanwhile, her pulse drummed in her ears louder than the music.

She’d always done well in high-pressure situations. This was no different.

“Okay, let’s say one region really values health more than anything else. Then we would focus the advertising on the whole person, and how your product can nourish them from the inside out. Healthy lives begin from the inside out and from the ground up.”

“I like that ‘ground up’ part. I’ve been trying to come up with ways my company can leave a smaller carbon footprint while still reaching its goals. It’s tough to pull off.” Marcus twirled her around in time to the music.

“The problem as a whole is somewhat overwhelming, true, but the solution could be as simple as a tiny change. Take for instance the amount of plastic we use in this world. Huge, right? But if everyone switched to reusable bottles, even just for water, then think of how much less plastic would be tossed away. Maybe you need to break your issue down into a more manageable portion. Focus on one change for the better.”