“You’re asking me to lie, and I’m a terrible liar.”
“It can’t be that hard. Come on, is there something you want but you can’t afford?”
“Not going to happen, and no. Everything I have, I’ve earned, thank you very much.”
“Stop being so difficult.”
“Caleb, you’re asking me to lie. I pride myself on being truthful about everything.”
“Little white lies are perfectly fine.”
She rolled her eyes.
He shouldn’t be finding that cute. “This will help my father,” he said. “It could also help me.”
“Why?”
“Well, I can’t just go and find a steady girlfriend. I don’t want him to be worrying about the company every single day.”
“You’re being truthful right now?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand,” she said.
Lying was the only way. “My dad needs to retire because if he doesn’t, his heart won’t be able to take the stress.” What the fuck was he doing? His father hadn’t even had a heart attack. He was fit and healthy, and raring to go.
“I don’t recall hearing anything bad about your dad.”
“We keep that information close. It’s personal. The last thing we want to do is … upset him.”
He felt her gaze on him and he knew he was the worst kind of an asshole. What man used his father to get what he wanted?
“I don’t like you right now,” she said.
“Is that because you’re going to cave?”
“You’re serious? He’s in serious danger if you don’t prove to him that you’re in a stable relationship?”
He nodded. “The whole board knows what I’m like. They only see the playboy and I don’t know how to stop them from looking deeper at me.”
He was a first-class asshole, but he was willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted.
****
The next day
Lauren felt sick to her stomach. She shouldn’t have agreed to this.
As she entered Caleb Turner’s apartment, her hands were clammy, and she just wanted to clean and get the hell out of there.
“Yes, I’ll take it easy, Dad. I promise. No, no need to come over. I’m sorted. I’ve got everything I need.”
She stopped at the sound of his voice.
Why did he have to have an ill father? She’d tried to look for any kind of media coverage on his father’s failing health, but like he’d promised, she hadn’t found anything. His father was well-respected and they’d actually listened to his case to not publish anything that could jeopardize the company.
It was really sad because she admired Timothy Turner.
“Love you. Bye.” Then to her, he said, “You made it.”
“It’s my job. You like to have your place cleaned every single day apart from weekends.”
“And you’ve got nowhere else to be?” Caleb asked.
“Nope. Just here.”
Caleb had complained enough about the standards of the cleaners that she was granted all day to clean this penthouse apartment, five days a week. She could have been at multiple places, but instead, she busied herself with his place and it was immaculate. She even wondered if she was going to turn into someone who chased his dust before it landed on the surface. “I don’t think I can do this.”
“You agreed and there’s no backing out. My father’s birthday party is next week. Before then, I need you to play the part of a doting girlfriend.”
“And you’re going to need to learn more about me than my name. I hate doing this.”
“I know.”
“I don’t agree to it.”
“Again, I know.”
“And you’re sure this is what he wants? For you to be happy or to be appearing happy for him.”
He paused. The lies were just mounting up. “Yes.”
She removed her jacket and bag and placed them on the peg beside the door. Then she rubbed at her temple as she removed her sneakers before returning to him. “Right, so what do you want me to do?”
“First, I’ve got a tailor coming. He’ll take your measurements and your wardrobe has got to go.”
She looked down at her jeans and large checkered shirt. She’d purchased them a couple of years ago. They’d gone through stages of being tight and loose. She loved them. “Not going to happen.”
“This is my family. I know what they can take and what they’ll believe.”
“It’s not up to me to get them to believe anything. That’s all on you.”
“Don’t be a bitch,” he said.
“I’m not.”
“Let me do this my way. You’re helping me and you can write your own check once it’s all done. Remember that.”
“And if I demand a ten-million-dollar payment?”
“If that’s the check you want to write, go for it.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Just be sure to have the correct number of zeros.”
“I’m not stupid.”
He laughed. “I’m teasing. We need a backstory.”
“How about we just stick to being as close as we are now? I’m your cleaner. I keep everything in your world in order.”
“I don’t think they’d go for it.” He smirked.
“So you think they’d go for a completely different one. Let me guess, I’m a rich socialite, who you happened to meet in a short space of time before your father’s birthday, especially after I saw the last scandal story in the papers about you yesterday. Do you take drugs?”