Her eyes flutter over me and back to her sister and down. "You want me to...pretend to be...,"
"Yes. You have a room that connects to another that Jack will be staying in until we get what we want from this guy or we kill him; or both. Leave the door unlocked and there shouldn't be a problem with what goes on behind closed doors."
"But that's...I can't...,"
"Lex, I'm not crazy about any of this either and if you want to go we can go. You just say the word." Libby offers even as I see Jim start to frown.
3
____________
Lexi
I was so ready to pack up and leave but I can see how much it is going to hurt my sister if I make her do that. Still, what they are asking of me just isn't possible - is it? I try to look over without anyone knowing but that isn't going to happen with the whole room looking at me now.
I shake my head, "I want to stay here with you, but I'm not sure this is going to fool anyone."
"Sure it will. Like Jim said all you have to do is leave the connecting door open and stay with Jack." My sister wants to think this is possible so badly that she is overlooking the obvious.
Jack. Jack is the name of my new...boyfriend. I want to ask but I also don't want to ask with the whole room listening because the connecting door is the least of my concerns damn it. "No one's going to believe this because of...," I try to tell my sister what I am saying without just spitting it out.
"Everything has been planned out and Jack is the best guy I have for any job. I only send him to do my most sensitive work."
What now? Does this mean the guy does this kind of thing all the time? I'll unpack that later. Right now I have to address this issue that seems to be visible to only me. "No one is going to believe me and him are together because of the size difference." I widen my eyes and look over at the giant standing next to me. I'm pretty sure horses and rabbits don't get down together and that is what it looks like from where I am sitting.
Everyone looks at me like I'm stupid and now I wished I hadn't said anything. Then my sister's eyes widen like she might be thinking the same thing I'm thinking, finally. "Oh my God!" She just keeps looking at both of us over and over again.
"Wouldn't I...," walk like I've had a baseball bat shoved... my whole face blazes with color at the mental images going through my head. "I mean, people would know if...I was with him for real."
"The vagina is incredibly stretchy, it'll fit."
Sweet exclamation marks, Batman. He just...without looking up from the file or...he said that.
"Which her's will not be doing this entire time, Jack Thornton. My sister will leave like she came, innocent and a virgin." I wish I was swallowed up by a hole in the floor that went all the way down to hell. Wouldn't matter how hot it was down there, my cheeks would make it feel cool since they are on fire.
Jack looks up from reading, "You're talking about your sister's pussy like she isn't sitting there still trying to make all of this shit make sense to her. How 'bout you let me worry about Lexi like I said I would and you focus on other things that I know you have to be worried about." He pointedly looks at her still flat tummy reminding me of why I want to stay in the first place.
"Okay, I'll stay here and play pretend." I don't have a clue how much time this will actually buy us because surely everyone will be able to tell that I am still innocent and that a man like Jack isn't going to waste his time on someone like me.
"Excellent, in the meantime Jack has agreed to teach you some basic self-defense in case something were to happen." What Jim is really saying is when Jack gets fed up with this game that he and I have to play and leaves me, I won’t be defenseless. His hidden words harken back to my last thought about a man like him not wasting his time.
"I think this is an excellent time for you and Jack to get to know each other before you have to confront Don."
"Come on, kid. I'll show you which room you'll be staying in." He's already walking away like it doesn't matter to him if I come with him or not.
As soon as we exit the office I feel like I have a little more control, maybe not over my life right now but definitely over myself. "You know, kid isn't a very good nickname for our situation. Do you think you can come up with another nickname?"
He turns and looks down at me with his cold blue eyes. "Sure thing, kid. What would you like me to call you?" He looks bored. Like someone who has to take care of me when that is the last thing he wants to have to do. Yeah, I give this thing hours instead of days.
"Nevermind." I'm about to step into the room he's stopped in front of when a high-pitched squeal has me spinning around in time to see a blonde woman with enormous...dimples come running down the hallway towards us. "Jack?! Jack Thornton! I haven't seen you in ages." Jack stiffens and before the woman can throw her arms around him he is shoving me in front of him so that her arms land around me instead. Then it turns into an awkward thirty seconds of getting my personal space back. She doesn't even acknowledge I'm here before she's looking over me and talking to Jack again.
"I know last time we didn't leave on good terms but maybe this is a sign, Jack." Her Marilyn impression is dead on. She has that breathy thing going on with her voice and everything. I think my voice is too deep to do that.
"Aren't you here with Don?" The blonde gives him a little smirk and rolls her eyes like throwing one boyfriend away for another is no big deal.
"Me and Don aren't serious. Not like me and you could be."
I try to move to the door so I can leave them to have a private moment but Jack grabs my shoulder and makes me stay. I think he dated this woman. Now I am for sure no one is going to believe this stupid idea Jim cooked up.