Okay, so my best day ever was already off to a rocky start – but solely because of the ladies who lunch at the table next to me.

They wouldn’t stop shooting dirty looks because I’d arrived a minute before them and was seated at the window table they of course wanted. After complaining in vain to the waitress and manager that they wanted my seat, their queen bee with the overdone lip fillers actually dared to approach me and say that I was affecting the enjoyment of four people, instead of just one by refusing to relinquish my spot.

I, of course, flashed my best eat me smile while politely saying, “I’m sorry, I’m not going to move.”

And since then, it had been a silent war of dirty looks and under-the-breath muttering. To my credit, I only peered at them once when I heard one scoff that I was a “miserable person” and she “wasn’t surprised” by my “lack of company.” But since that remark, I’d been doing a pretty good job of keeping my nose buried in my book.

But shortly after my food arrived, I heard their hushed murmurs again. I paused, momentarily sure that they were now judging my choice of finger sandwiches, but then I heard the sound of shock and unfiltered lust in their voices.

“Oh my Lord, girls. I think it’s our lucky day.”

“Good God. Who gets dibs?”

“I say me because I’m the only one whose husband is out of town.”

I bit back a giggle.

So they were ladies who lunched and also sometimes cheated on their husbands. I had to peek over at them, entirely too amused with how quickly they went from posh to vulgar. One of them was talking about her new sex swing now. Okay. Wow. I was so busy watching their purring, lip-smacking reactions to this random guy that I didn’t care to look up till I tracked their gaping stares right back to my table.

They wore looks of pure indignity as their eyes flicked back and forth between me and their object of desire – who was clearly standing right in front of me.

Oh… God. Slowly, I turned from them and looked up, up, up till I was staring at Drew Maddox.

Standing in the middle of the pinkest, frilliest tea parlor on the East Coast.

Looking like flat-out inked-up sex in a fitted white V-neck and jeans.

Holy fuck.

“What are you doing here?” I breathed.

“I hear they do some killer tea and crumpets,” he deadpanned.

“Seriously. What are you doing here?”

“Can I sit?”

I eyed the ladies to my right, who didn’t care to avert their big eyes when I caught their stares. I didn’t want to give them the pleasure of overhearing whatever Drew was about to say, so with a reluctant pat next to me, I had him take the seat right beside mine.

“Good to know you have horrible taste in restaurants.”

“How did you find me? I didn’t even tell you my name let alone where I might be on this particular Monday.”

“My agent told me your name, and your own best friend sold out your location. I went to find you at her restaurant – ”

“Our restaurant.”

“Sure. And she said you were on your way here,” Drew said, prompting me to peek at my phone, which I’d put on silent. Twelve texts and two missed calls. Okay, yeah. This all checked out. Apparently, Aly hated Mike enough to aid Drew in completely breaching my privacy today.

I sent the message quickly before looking back up at Drew.

“Look, if you came here just to gloat then you have much less of a life than I’d imagine for a star athlete,” I said.

“Gloat?” he smiled. “About what? Remind me.”

Ugh.

Dammit. I ground my teeth as Drew played dumb. Set yourself up for that one, I told myself while trying to carefully word my response.

“You’re under the impression that you won some bet about getting me hotter than Mike ever could. You didn’t,” I insisted crisply. “But since your superstar ego is clearly as big as it is fragile, I’ll let you go ahead and believe that.”

“My superstar ego is backed by the dedicated stat keepers of Major League Baseball, so you’re a hundred percent right about it being big. Fucking huge, in fact,” he added, grinning as I rolled my eyes. “Fragile though? No. Not so much.”

“Right. Then why did you travel all the way to Long Island just to gloat and give me a hard time?”

“I’m not here to do that. I was satisfied enough with how I got you looking that night.”

“Which was like what?”

“Like you’d just been fucked for hours when all I did was kiss you.”

I sucked on my teeth to refrain from retorting. I didn’t have anything prepared and he was clearly fucking great at using my words against me. Something tells me this dickhead’s great at trash talking the other team, I thought, clenching my jaw and waiting out my seething irritation before I spoke again.

“Okay. Last chance, Drew,” I said slowly between my teeth. “What are you doing here?”

“I’d prefer to talk somewhere private.”

“You barged into my space to bother me – again – so I’m sorry, but you don’t get that choice.”

“Fine.” I watched his bicep flex as he gripped my seat and swiftly pulled my chair over – so close to his that my legs were now crossed between his muscled, man-spreading thighs. Holy shit. “In that case, we’re going to have to get a little closer.” His smirk was inches from my lips as he cocked an eyebrow. “That alright with you? Or does it make you nervous?”

“You don’t make me nervous,” I lied, my heart beating damned near out of my chest as Drew braced himself with a thick forearm on the table, basically caging me in with his enormous body.

“Good.” He eyed my lips. “Then I’ll get right into it. I need to ask a favor of you.”

“You’re kidding. Why would I do any sort of favor for you when you’ve been nothing but a dick to me? Don’t eat that,” I hissed as he stole one of my sandwiches and popped it into his mouth. I anticipated the face he would make a second before he made it. “I told you not to eat it.”

“What was that?”

“A cucumber sandwich.”

“You like eating this shit?”

“No, but I did like the idea of spending an afternoon sitting in this pretty window and reading a book because I woke up feeling kind of good today, and it’s one of my last days before work has me commuting four hours back and forth per day,” I hissed just loud enough for him to hear. “I don’t really have the money to eat at a place like this, but I told myself I’d splurge this once because I deserved to relax, which I can assure you, I am definitely not doing now that you’re here.”

For some idiotic reason, I actually thought I had a chance at making him feel a shred of remorse right there.

But nope.

“Well, then I have a solution for you,” he said, a glimmer in his eye.

“I doubt you do, but for the sake of finishing this conversation, just tell me what it is you’re here to talk about, and if you can do it in three sentences or less, I’ll be really impressed.”

My hot breaths were short and my chest heaved as I watched Drew smile and study my face for a few seconds. My lips, my cheeks, then back to my eyes.

“I need to show the Empires that I’ve settled down so they won’t trade my crazy ass. After the other night, the New York Post claims you’re my girlfriend of five months. I want us to pretend we’re actually engaged for the next three so I can keep my job on this team.” He cocked his head at the dazed look on my face. “Succinct enough for you?”

“I… what are you talking about?”

“What, you want more than three sentences now?”

“Drew,” I hissed, so annoyed it felt like I might actually explode.

“Fine, I got you. Hold on.”

I breathed easy – easier, at least – as he leaned back and away from me to slide his phone out of his pocket. Of course, I was back to wild-eyed and bewildered once I finished skimming the tabloid story he flashed me on his screen.

“What is this?” I breathed.

“That was my reaction too. I mean Drew Maddox doesn’t grovel.”

“And I don’t date men who refer to themselves in third person.”

“True. You date the Matts of the world.”

“Mike.”

“Whatever. The point is, this story is bullshit but we can use it to our advantage.”

“No, we can use it to your advantage,” I corrected as Drew leaned close again. But this time, I kept my cool. “You’re the only one who stands to benefit from something as ridiculous as this. I mean, exactly what good does it do me to pretend to date you?”

“You just said it yourself. You have no money and you’re about to commute four hours a day into the city. You took a job there, probably because you thought you were going to move there, but now you’re living two hours from there all alone because Matt dumped you and took your new lease all for himself. Tell me I’m wrong.”

“His name is Mike.”

“Don’t care. Am I wrong about the rest?”

I breathed hard through my nose.

No. Not at all, I conceded in my head. But my tongue refused to give Drew the pleasure.

“Yeah, I’ll take your silence as a no,” he went on briskly. “Anyway, on top of all the benefits I already listed, you’d be living at my penthouse in the city. We’ll start you at a hotel while we adjust to each other, but move-in should happen within a week or so. Aside from the gifts and meals I’ll be publicly buying you, you’ll have a salary and per diem that you can discuss with my agent. I’m at the clubhouse nine hours a day, if I’m even home. Otherwise, I’m on the road, which means you’re free to do your own thing ninety percent of the time. My driver can take you to and from your work meetings, or you can take the subway just to spite me – I don’t care. As long as you act like you’re in love with me while we’re out together, I won’t give two shits about what else you do with your time. Sound good to you or what?”

I simply stared. I was still going back and forth between being reactive and needing a second to even process all this.

“Also, speaking of your little shitstain ex, this would be a damned good way of getting back at him.”

“How?” I squinted. “Being engaged to you would make him think less of me.”

“No, being engaged to me would make him feel like he let go of the best thing he’s ever had. Nothing gets a man’s attention like his ex dating Drew Maddox.”

“Do you do this a lot? Referring to yourself in third person?”

“It was fitting for that sentence. Want to keep deflecting from the point because you’re realizing how tempted you are to say yes?”

I glowered.

“Don’t you think Mike would see a ring on my finger and think, ‘Well, damn. There goes my chance’?”

“No. I think he’d feel a sense of urgency and try to get you back. He’s had you for longer, he’s going to be naturally possessive, and he’s also going to think that if Drew Maddox wants to wife it, then so should he.”

“Can you not refer to me as ‘it’ or you as ‘Drew Maddox’ ever again?”

“Yes. But I need your answer on this already, because I can’t sit here anymore. The Botox brigade is staring at me like they want to fucking eat me.”

I chewed on my thumbnail as I stared out into space, listing all the pros and cons in my head just for shits and giggles.

You could live in the city. You could get out of that crappy apartment. You could be closer to work and save money on rent. You could get Mike’s attention. He is obsessed with baseball. He hates the Empires. This would rile him up like no other, and there’s no way in hell he won’t call you asking for answers within the first week.

I chewed on my lip as I thought of the cons. You have to play house with Drew Maddox.

It was only one con but it was a big one. Drew growled with impatience.

“Look, whatever it takes to make it worth it for you, you can negotiate that with my agent. Money talks, and I’m sure you have a price.”

Eyes narrowed, I crossed my arms.

“As charming as your insane cynicism is, you should know that I wouldn’t actually accept the payment from you. I own a company and I have a job. Yes, money’s tight but I don’t want or need yours. Especially if I’ll already be saving on rent by living in your apartment.”

Drew raised his eyebrows, looking genuinely impressed.

“Unexpected,” he remarked.

“Sorry to shake up your sexist view of the world, but not all women you encounter are gold diggers.”

“Duly noted. Now let’s get back on track. Are you in or are you out?”

I pursed my lips and dropped my gaze into my lap, trying to figure out at what point it was during this conversation that I’d begun to genuinely consider this.

Because I was, and I was only just realizing that now.

“Look, if the problem is that you don’t trust how hot and bothered you get around me, then I understand.”

I looked up to see Drew grinning that fucking grin, both of us knowing well that this was his stupid reverse psychology at work again. But just like the last time, despite the sane half of my brain screaming no on repeat, I tipped my nose up and put on my best game face. I pictured Mike’s face when he saw me with Drew in the papers, and before I knew it, I said the words I told myself I wouldn’t.

“Fine. Consider me in.”