“No hanky-panky in the office,” Hannah called out as she went outside.
“No promises,” Chloe shouted back at her, and we went in. I shut the door behind her as she sat down on the desk. When I turned to look at her, any anger or resentment I had still was gone. She was so freaking hot, and the way she sat on the desk, her hands behind her, holding her up and her ankles crossed, was adorable. I just wanted to pull her into me and kiss her right then.
“So,” I said.
“So,” she repeated. “About last night.”
“No, I didn’t call you in to talk about that,” I said. “Not specifically. I mean, partially.” I grunted with frustration. “Look, you were a hundred percent right last night. We can’t get too carried away. It will make things messy when it’s time to end it.” She nodded. “But we have our first real challenge. My Mom’s birthday is coming up, and her party is this weekend. Everyone wants to meet you. “
“Won’t it be weird to meet your mom at her birthday party?” she asked. “That seems awfully familiar.”
“Not really,” I said. “She is a very, extraordinary welcoming person, especially to women her kids bring home. I am more concerned about you being comfortable since she will inevitably ask about grandchildren.”
“I’m fine with that,” she said. “It begs the question, though, how do we feel about children?”
Her lips were full and pink, and I wanted to press mine against them. Just talking about our fake relationship as if it were real was enough to clench my stomach and make my cock twitch. I busied myself with sitting down on the chair by the desk, but that just brought me in range of her intoxicating perfume and within inches of her legs. Legs I wanted to pull apart and wrap around me.
“Avoid the subject,” I said. “Like the plague. The worst thing for Mom after all this is over is the imaginary grandchildren she would have had that she will feel robbed of. The less we feed into it, the easier it will be when we eventually split up.”
An expression crossed her face that looked like an attempt to smile that still somehow was sad. She looked away.
“Alright then,” she said. “I’m game if you are. I think we can handle that test. We’ve been doing great with Hannah and Jordan, I think we can snowball a few other people, too.”
“I think so.”
“It helps that you are a really great kisser,” she said, and I stopped cold. A smile stretched across my lips.
“Really?”
“Yes,” she said. “Makes faking things a lot easier. Now, cheer up. You look gloomy today. I’m going to go get a water and join Hannah on the porch. Want to come?”
“No, thanks,” I said. “I’m going to help clean the kitchen so we can both get out of here on time.”
“Suit yourself,” she said, hopping off the desk. She opened the door, and Jordan was walking by. He saw us and waved. “Going on break, babe,” she said as she approached the door. Then she leaned in and pressed her lips to mine. It took everything I had not to pull her right back into the office and rip her clothes off. Instead, she left me, and I stood in the doorway, more confused than ever.
16
Chloe
I was terrified. I was trying not to be, or at least not to act like it, but my nerves were all over the place. Getting dressed was an exercise in my own patience and anxiety as I tossed outfit after outfit onto the bed, cycling through them until I found one that I felt was cute but not too exposing, fun but not too whimsical. It took forever.
For his part, Matt was patient, bringing me coffee and being the judge as I modeled everything and immediately rejected anything he said. Hannah was with Jordan, getting ready herself, and the nanny was with Claire, so he helped me pack some things up while I debated various outfits, and when I finally picked one, we were ready to roll. Only an hour late.
Jordan, Hannah, and Claire had already left, taking their own car to head to Astoria. It wasn’t like Matt didn’t know where to go. He didn’t seem rushed, though, nor did he seem like he was particularly nervous. While I knew it was his mother, the fact that we were creating this entire ruse and trying to pretend seemed like it would be more of a stressor for him. But he seemed unbothered, and as we got into the car and on the road, I tried to distract myself by babbling about anything and everything that came to mind.
“Are you okay?” he asked, interrupting me in the middle of a rant about the various names of cities that I thought sounded too similar to sexual innuendo.