The Pretend Girlfriend (9 page)

About an hour later, her phone rang. Private Number, the screen said. She answered.

"Hello?" she said.

"Gwen, yes, hi. It's me, Aiden. Thanks for getting the papers signed so quickly. Everything's in order, it seems."

"Yeah, thanks again. Look, I'm actually in the middle of something..."

"That doesn't matter. Put on that black dress you wore to Astor's party. My car will be at your building in fifteen minutes, and I need you to be ready," Aiden said.

"Is it him? Let me talk to him," Beatrice said, trying to grab the phone. Gwen fended her off as gently as she could, anxiety building the whole time. What was happening?

"Didn't you just hear? I'm busy," Gwen said.

Aiden sighed, "You did read the contract, right? You must be available for social engagements at any time. I see him coming back now, so let me make this quick. Be ready down at your front door in fifteen minutes, in that black dress, or you'll be in violation of the terms of our agreement. That check hasn't gone through yet, remember."

"I'll be ready," she said, smiling for Beatrice and keeping the anger from her voice. It was quite difficult. She wanted to ask who was coming back and just what was going on. But he'd made a pretty obvious threat there, and for the moment at least, had her at a disadvantage regarding the contents of that contract. Meaning he knew it and she didn't.

She got to work right away, pulling off her jeans and shirt and rummaging through her closet for that dress, all the while keeping an eye on the clock and watching the minutes tick away. Beatrice kept bugging her, wanting to know what was up.

"It's a date. A last minute date. He wants to take me to this new place that just opened in the city. Apparently it's impossible to get reservations, but he's managed. Isn't that romantic?"

"You sure don't seem to think so," B said.

The time kept counting down. Gwen rushed, trying to beat the clock. She actually pulled on mismatched shoes before Beatrice pointed it out, and she also managed to jab her ear nicely trying to push in a set of costume jewelry diamond studs.

He better have a great explanation for all this, she thought, herding Beatrice out of the apartment and locking the door. She hadn't put her watch on, but knew she probably only had a minute or so left. The elevator better come fast, she hoped.

"Hey! There's still a perfectly good bottle of vodka in the freezer!" B said.

"You can come pick it up tomorrow," she said, jabbing at the elevator call button over and over as though it might make it arrive sooner. Though, depending on how well this first "date" went, she might come back and drink all that vodka before B could get it back.

"You shouldn't let him lead you around like this," B said, "I've got a few things I'd like to tell him."

They got onto the elevator, which went about as slowly down the shaft as molasses down a wall on a cold winter's day. Gwen couldn't take her eyes off the display counting off the floors. She swore to herself, if anyone tried to get on she would strangle them. It would be just her luck to screw this whole arrangement up before it even started, just by being a little late.

"Please just leave it alone, B. Things are different with Aiden, I can just feel it. Trust me," Gwen said as they stepped off the elevator. Through the entrance, she could see a black limo parked out front.
I'm late!
she thought, scurrying forward as best she could, her heels clicking off the floor.

"Oh, okay. But if he does anything to you I don't like..." B said, keeping pace despite her shorter legs. They got outside and Gwen realized she'd forgotten a jacket. Her bare shoulders and arms immediately broke out in gooseflesh at the chill in the air.

She hugged B. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Love you!"

B barely had time to return the hug before the driver got out of the car and opened the back door for her. Gwen felt bad for rushing out on her friend like that, but had to push it from her mind. She climbed into the car, doing her best to keep her skirt civil as she did.

Aiden sat in the back seat, wearing the same suit as earlier. Except this time the top button was done up and his tie was tight around his neck like a noose. He smiled at her and held out his hand.

"Gwen! You look amazing."

When she took his hand, he pulled her close. He nuzzled affectionately at her neck, getting his lips close to her ear. "Kiss me," he said. If he noticed the alcohol on her breath, he didn't call attention to it.

"Aiden? What makes you think you can..." Gwen started.

"Just kiss me now or the deal's off," he repeated, quietly.

His lips lightly traced down her jaw line. Gooseflesh prickled her skin for a different reason. When his mouth neared hers, she didn't hesitate.

His lips were warm and soft against hers. Pliable, yet insistent. Her eyes closed, even though she didn't realize it. She put her hands on his shoulders, getting more into it.
Wow, he is a good kisser
, she thought. And this is closed-mouth! She began violating her own rule about no open-mouthed kissing, her lips beginning to spread. Aiden's followed suit. Her body buzzed as the anticipation built...

Someone cleared their throat.

Startled, Gwen jumped off Aiden, staring across the cab at the man sat across from them. He wore a suit similar to Aiden's, except his tie was black. He had a harder face than Aiden's, but those same cold eyes. His dark hair grayed at the temples. A small, controlled smile touched his lips but not those eyes.

"So this is the one you've been telling me about," he said. His voice was smooth, deep, and confident. A voice used to being listened to.

Aiden slid his hand across the seat to hold hers. He gave her an insistent squeeze. But Gwen still reeled from the shock of that kiss. It had been totally unexpected, totally out of line on his part. And, she had to admit, totally amazing. Electric, even.

"Gwen Browning, I'd like you to meet Henry Manning, my father. Mr. Manning will be our host for this evening."

The car started moving, vibrating gently.

"Oh, you don't have to be so formal, boy. Gwen's a pretty name. Please, call me Henry."

This was all some sort of test, Gwen realized. A test for Aiden, put to him by his father, and doubly for her, put to her by both Aiden and Henry.

But it was that kiss that worried her the most, and the way it made her feel. She glanced at Aiden, smiling at him. He smiled back and nodded. Was it a genuine smile? Had he felt something there, too?

She looked between the two Manning boys.

I'm in trouble
, she thought.

T
his had to be the most intense car ride Gwen had ever taken. Static electricity practically crackled at the midpoint between Aiden and Henry, between father and son.

And, despite her position sitting beside Aiden, Gwen felt like she was stuck right in the middle of it.

So far, the journey in the back of the limo had lasted about ten minutes. In that brief span of time, Gwen nearly forgot about her night in with B. It felt like she'd been watching
When Harry Met Sally
with Beatrice a month ago, instead of the less than half an hour it had actually been.

Gwen felt herself trying to let the plush contours of the limo's leather interior swallow her up so that neither man could put their cold eyes on her.

What have I gotten myself into?
she wondered.

Henry Manning had the type of imperious glare to put a king to shame. Something well-honed over years of ruthless business practice, she assumed.

He was probably the most frightening man she'd ever met face to face.

But what was more surprising was how Aiden matched it with one of his own. Henry might have perfected the look over the last few decades, honing it to perfection. But Aiden, Gwen realized, had been born into it, had probably been subjected to it his whole life.

She couldn't really imagine how that must have been, growing up under a look like that. It intimidated her just sitting there, and it wasn't even directed at her!

"So... This is a nice surprise..." Gwen said, "I thought we were holding off on meeting the parents for now, honey?"

But this was an old contest, it seemed. Aiden's jaw clenched stubbornly and she didn't think either man blinked. Or noticed her. She squeezed his hand, which still held hers with quite the grip.

"He doesn't hear things, at times," Henry said.

"At least I hear things other than what I want," Aiden said.

Gwen could practically feel the wattage of the tension increase. It came across as a stiffening of the spine, as a crackle in the air just beyond sensing, but somehow still there.

"Really? Well, did you hear the question your lovely lady friend just asked you?" Henry said.

Aiden's fingers squeezed hers again, and she thought for sure that it was panic, that he hadn't in fact heard her. That he'd lost this little duel already. She wondered if she could repeat herself without it seeming too strange.

"Yes, of course I did. I listen when someone important to me speaks," Aiden said, offering Gwen a sidelong glance and a smile. His eyes flicked right back to his father, though, as though the older Manning were a snake waiting for a moment of distraction to strike.

"And what is your answer?" Henry said. The smallest of smiles touched his lips.

And then Gwen understood. At least partly. Henry Manning had no faith in his son. Perhaps Aiden had been a disappointment all his life, had never really lived up to however Henry perceived the Manning name.

She felt sympathy for Aiden, then, having to grow up with this kind of disapproving presence in his life. She thought back to her own childhood. Her parents had always been rather cold to each other, but they'd also always been careful to praise and nurture their daughter whenever possible.

"Gwen," Aiden started. "As soon as Henry heard about you, he insisted on meeting you right away.
Insisted
."

She saw then that both men watched her. Two sets of those cold eyes froze her in place. And what was worse was that they expected some sort of reply or comment from her.

"Umm..." she started. It was an experience rather like being called out in the middle of class by a teacher who'd just caught you dozing, that moment of standing up to answer a question you hadn't heard and realizing just how screwed you were.

"Oh, don't put her on the spot like this, boy," Henry said.

She decided then that not only was she afraid of Henry Manning, but that she didn't like him at all. He and his son shared similar features in both body and face, but what she assumed to be the influence of his mother softened Aiden's features just enough so that they didn't look cruel and harsh like his father's.

And Gwen wasn't about to let Henry win this particular fight. She smiled at him sweetly. "Oh, you're not putting me on the spot at all. In fact, I've been planning on asking to meet you anyway. I have to say, you're not like your son at all." The sweet smile never left her lips.

Henry Manning blinked. It may have seemed insignificant to an observer, but it was the only outward sign that what she said affected him. And it was more than Aiden had managed so far.

She knew then that Henry didn't like her. Not at all. And she also got the impression that he suspected something. Something about his son's relationship to her. And that this impromptu meeting had been his underhanded way of trying to shake the truth free.

Aiden relaxed slightly beside her, perceptible only in the way his hand didn't squeeze hers quite so hard.
I passed his test
, she realized. She got the impression that Aiden was grateful for what she'd just done. That sparked a warmness inside her, far disproportionate to what she expected. On some level, she still wanted him to like her.

"So where are we going?" Gwen said, her confidence at an all-time high due to her successful sortie against Manning the Elder. "You boys pulled me away from girl's night, so I hope it's good."

"I have some private dining arrangements made for us," Henry said.

The sound of the road shooting by beneath the limo changed slightly as the long vehicle started its trek across the upper level of the bridge.

Gwen watched the lights from the Manhattan skyline glittering on the black surface of the water, shifting back and forth on the rolling surface.

That was some good news, anyway. She'd told Beatrice that Aiden wanted to take her out for some sort of surprise meal at a new and exclusive restaurant. At least that wasn't a total lie. She hated lying to B.

At this time of night, the city streets weren't clotted with taxis. The city that never sleeps dozed around them. The limo took them to a regal old building on the Upper West Side that looked like it might have been a hotel back before World War 2. The driver stepped out and opened the door.

Gwen shivered when she climbed out onto the sidewalk.
Why did I have to forget my coat?
she thought.
Because Aiden gave me no notice, and Beatrice thought it was a good idea to pretend like it was freshman year of college again
, Gwen answered herself.

She hugged herself, rubbing at the stubble of goosebumps on her bare arms.

Like many older buildings in the city, this one had an awning that reached most of the way out to the street. A quiet man in a dark suit greeted Henry at the door, opening it for them.

"Here," Aiden said, taking off his jacket and hanging it over her shoulders.

It still held his warmth, and she smiled at him in genuine gratitude. The jacket stayed on all the way through the lobby - apparently, it really was an old hotel. Old Art Deco sconces and wainscoting lined the walls.

Although "old" was probably the wrong term. Old style worked better. The place felt old, yet new. Gwen couldn't put her finger on it.

Henry must have sensed her question. "The best businesses diversify. While my son believes in charity, I prefer things that might actually make us money. You might call this my pet project, restoring this old place..."

"And a dozen others throughout the city," Aiden said, looking around with distaste. Clearly, he thought those resources could be put to better use elsewhere.