HaileyI walked into the orphanage, greeting the employees as I walked to the rec room. Fortunately, they all knew me and didn’t stop and ID me anymore. I peeked through the rec room door and saw Mandy in the front of the room reading a book to the younger kids in the orphanage. I didn’t know the group as well as I knew the others, but I still liked to say hi when I could.I waited until I saw her close the book before I made my entrance. I didn’t want to disrupt the calm she had established with the little ones.“Guys, we have a special guest!” Mandy said with a big smile.I grinned, walking into the room, waiting for the kids to turn around and see me. The moment they did, I was embraced in exuberant hugs around my waist.“Hi, guys! Did you enjoy your story?”There were some nods and a couple sighs. I spent a few minutes chatting with them, doing my best to give them all an even amount of attention, which wasn’t easy when they were all talking at once.“All right, guys, it’s time to
HaileyMandy shrugged a shoulder. “You’re having a very visceral response to him. It sounds like a lot of sexual chemistry, even if you’ve never had it or experienced it. I’m going to say you’re lusting after him. Maybe he feels the same way about you.”I shook my head, not understanding what she was getting at. “And that’s bad?”“Not bad. Most people would kill for that kind of attraction, but I want you to be careful.”“Why?”She looked down at her hands. “Hailey, you’re a beautiful, sexy woman. You know men find you attractive.”I shrugged. “I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Just say what you’re trying to get at.”I was getting frustrated. I didn’t like hints. I wanted things spelled out in plain English. I was a black and white kind of person. Gray areas dirtied things up and left too much room for confusion.“I’m just saying to be careful. Dinner to you might mean something different to him. He might think you are more interested in taking things a step beyond a casual dinner.”I
TerranI felt silly, but I had gone home after work to change for my date with Hailey. I didn’t want to appear too stuffy by wearing the suit I normally wore to work. I knew it shouldn’t have mattered, but it did. Hailey was a special woman, and I wanted to do this right.I took a look in the mirror and laughed. I had traded my blue suit for a black one. It wasn’t exactly a big change, but I thought the black one looked more relaxed than the blue. It was probably all in my head, and I was acting like a nervous boy going on his first date. I grabbed my wallet and keys before heading out of my condo. I was taking the Mercedes tonight, just in case there was a chance she let me drive her home after dinner.I wanted to make a good first impression. There was a lot riding on this date. I wanted her to be the one who agreed to be my fake fiancée. I had a feeling we would get along well. In order to really sell the engagement, I needed someone I clicked with. It was hard to fake being in lov
TerranI smiled. It was definitely not what I expected her to say. “Well, one of these days, we are going to have to get burgers together.”“Only if I can wear jeans and flats,” she said with a wink.“Don’t take this the wrong way, but how do you stay in such good shape?” I asked.A blush rose on her cheeks. “Good genes mostly, and I do a lot of biking and hiking every chance I get.”I nodded my head. “That explains your athletic body and the natural tan. That isn’t something you see very often these days.”“What about you? You have a tan and it looks like you work out.” The words hit me right in the gut. I liked that she had been checking me out. “I like to surf. I do have a treadmill at home, but surfing is what I really enjoy. I like to spend time on my yacht as well. Swimming in the ocean is very cathartic for me.”Her warm smile buoyed me. I found myself smiling back at her.“Do you work a lot?” she asked.I nodded. “I do. Too much. I keep telling myself I need to slow down. You
HaileyThe ride to the Hermosa Beach pier was quiet. I knew we were both kind of nervous, which was a bit of a surprise. I knew of his reputation as a womanizer, so it seemed strange that he was the one acting like a nervous virgin on a first date. I knew why I was nervous. I didn’t usually go out with men like him. I tended to be drawn to the quiet, scholarly types that kept a low profile. Terran was nothing like that. He was the exact opposite of the men I tended to be attracted to. Although I was beginning to believe a lot of his reputation had been hyped up for dramatic effect.He parked his car, paid the fee, and we strolled down the boardwalk.“Have you been down here before?” he asked.“A few times. I honestly tend to avoid the touristy spots.”“Do you get recognized a lot?” he asked. “I wouldn’t say a lot, but there are a few people who notice me. With the recent sportswear campaign, it’s been happening a lot more often. Maybe dressed like this, they won’t recognize me.” I la
HaileyI didn’t press him. I wasn’t sure what he wanted to ask, but if he changed his mind, so be it.“I should get you home,” he murmured.I was disappointed by the abrupt end to what had been a very nice night. I blamed myself. I had touched him intimately. I wasn’t sure what our date was about, but maybe he wasn’t into me. Maybe this had been a business dinner, and I had read it wrong. I suddenly felt like a complete moron. He stood and reached a hand out to help me off the bench. I tossed the remaining bit of my cone in the trash and shrugged off his jacket, handing it back to him.“Are you sure you’re not cold?” he asked.“I’m fine, thank you.”We walked back to the car, weaving around the people on the crowded boardwalk. We never once touched. I had expected him to try and hold my hand or maybe wrap his arm around me, but nothing. It was as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over us. I had thought I felt something happening between us, but I was beginning to think it was o
TerranI wasn’t sure how long to wait before I called Hailey. I wanted to see her again. I didn’t want to appear overeager and call her too soon, but I didn’t want to wait much longer. This was not a game I enjoyed playing. Most of the time, I never called a woman back for a second date, so I never had to worry about the right time to call. I just didn’t.Last night had been amazing. I was still surprised by how much I enjoyed her company. I couldn’t remember a time when I’d truly had fun doing nothing with a woman. There was a moment when I had thought I could broach the subject of the fake engagement, but I couldn’t. Something held me back. I wasn’t sure why, but when she touched me, it changed everything. I didn’t want to break the moment. I didn’t know what I felt for her, but there was something happening. I wasn’t quite ready to blow that up. Not yet. I wanted to see how it played out. Her refusal to let me kiss her was interesting. I didn’t think it was a game with her. There
TeranI rolled my eyes. “No. Good, as in we talked and had a good time together. It was different.”“Good, but no sex?” he asked with complete shock.I nodded. “No sex. I don’t have sex with everyone I go to dinner with,” I pointed out.He looked at me, his eyebrows raised. “Really?”“Really.”He leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. “Wow. That’s different.”“Yes, it is. I like her. You should try it some time. The whole conversation thing is enlightening.”He wrinkled his nose. “I’m more of a man of action.”“I know. Everyone knows.”He ignored the insult. “Did you ask her to be your fake fiancée?”I laughed. “No. I was going to, but then, I don’t know. Something changed. I couldn’t do it.”He sighed. “Do I have to remind you of your situation? You can’t exactly waste a lot of time with this. If you can’t do it, you need to get on Tinder—like now. You do realize how serious this is, right?”“Definitely not getting a dating app. I know my situation very well without you having t
HaileyI laughed nervously. “A whirlwind, really. I was doing the modeling thing one day, and the next, I got the call I had landed this part. I am so grateful to my husband for putting me in touch with Gabriel, my agent. It was like everything fell into place at the exact right time.”“What is this foundation I’ve heard you are working with?” she asked from the preselected questions Gabriel had given her.I smiled. “It’s a foundation to help those kids who tend to fall through the cracks in the foster care system. So many kids are on the streets today because there is a shortage of quality foster homes that are capable of dealing with some of the issues kids are facing.”She smiled and nodded her head. “You were never in the system?”I shook my head. “No. My mother raised me by herself, working two jobs to keep a roof over our heads. It wasn’t easy. I hated how much she struggled, but she taught me that life isn’t about how much you have or what your zip code is. She taught me love i
HaileyOne Year LaterI was more than a little nervous as I sat in the chair assigned to us in the second row. Terran put his hand on my knee and squeezed. I looked at him and smiled. When Gabriel had called to tell me I had been nominated for best actress in a feature film, I had nearly passed out. Our film had barely met the deadline to be nominated for anything.“You look absolutely stunning,” Terran said, staring at me with eyes full of love.“Thank you,” I said, smoothing down the long fitted black gown I was wearing. Terran had bought me a new diamond necklace to go with the dress. My hair was piled on my head in a fancy updo, leaving my neck exposed and the necklace fully visible. I loved telling everyone on the red carpet that asked that my husband had given it to me as a gift for my nomination. I had made more than one of the female reporters green with envy.“You’ve got this,” Terran whispered in my ear.“I’m freaking out,” I gushed, my finger twirling the wedding ring on my
HaileyI had my legs spread wide, his knees clamping down on my bent knee when I moved to close my legs, hoping to rub them hard enough together to get the relief I was absolutely desperate to have. His hand slowly moved over my stomach, stopping to rest on my pubic bone, inches away from where I needed him to be.I whimpered in frustration.“Shh, I’m here,” he whispered.I felt a tear slip down my cheek. I loved him so much. He had my body taut as a bow by simply loving me and worshiping my body. When his index finger slid down my center, spreading my pussy lips, I cried out in earnest. It was the lightest touch over my clit that sent me over the edge. My body arched off the bed as a violent, earth-shattering climax tumbled me into a place with a million shooting stars overhead. I felt as if I had been electrocuted, every muscle in my body tensing as his finger slid inside me.He held me while I moaned and spasmed against him. When my body finally spiraled downward, he climbed on top
HaileyI was happier than I had ever been in my life, riding a high that just seemed to be getting better and better.“I’m going to jump in the shower,” I told him, heading toward his bedroom.It had been a long, busy day, and I was ready to unwind with the love of my life and a good bottle of wine. But first, I wanted to feel clean. I stripped off my jeans before turning on the hot water of his magnificent shower that was big enough to hold a small party in. The jets on the sides and the rainfall shower head made it a very enjoyable experience to shower in his bathroom. I thought about the house we had just visited and regretted not checking out the shower situation closer. I had been so overwhelmed by everything else, the shower slipped my mind.I stripped out of my clothes and stepped under the hot water, letting it cascade over my body. Suddenly, the room was filled with beautiful jazz music. I grinned, knowing that had been Terran. A few seconds later, I felt a cool blast of air
Terran“It’s okay. If I had been honest from the start, I could have saved us a lot of heartache. It was never about the money for me. I wanted you, and I wanted to keep the company intact, even if that meant I had to step away from it.”She nodded her head, fresh tears welling in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I should have believed you. I’m so glad you came back and made me listen. I love you.”“I love you, and I would have walked through fire to get you back.”“I’m so glad you did.”“Thank you for showing me this. You’ve really opened my eyes. I think we can do a lot more good together. I want to do more of this.”She was smiling. “Good, because I plan on giving a large chunk of my salary for the movie to charity. I think we should decide where it goes together.”“What about here?” I asked.She burst into laughter. “I think that check you gave them is going to go a long way. There are plenty of other charities and organizations that are desperate for funding.”“Maybe we could start a founda
TerranI took her hand in mine as we walked into the bank. I had her sit on one of the chairs in the center of the lobby while I spoke with one of the people sitting at an open desk. I rejoined Hailey, who was nervously looking around the huge bank with big black columns supporting the ridiculously high ceiling.“What are we doing here?” she asked.I smiled. “You’ll find out soon enough.”It wasn’t long before a man wearing an expensive suit was striding across the marble floor toward where we were sitting.“Mr. Maddox, it’s good to see you. I’m Con Steven, the manager here. I understand you have some business you need to take care of?”I stood and shook his hand. “I do. This is my fiancée Hailey Hollis.”He shook Hailey’s hand and then led the way to his office. We sat down in the chairs opposite his desk. He tapped on his keyboard, pulling up my account.“Okay, I see you have a large deposit made recently. What can I help you with?”“I would like to have a cashier’s check drawn up f
HaileyWe talked with each of the kids for a little while before it was time for them to have their outside time. When Mandy left to take the kids to the playground, Terran turned to look at me. “That was crazy.”I laughed, picking up scattered crayons and scraps of paper. “It usually is.”“They all know you, and love you,” he said with awe.“I like to come by and help out. Mandy has a lot of kids to contend with, and with budget cuts, she doesn’t have a lot of help. I come in when I can. It lightens the load so the other aides and caregivers can focus on other stuff.” He was nodding his head. “I see.”“Terran, I brought you here because I wanted to show you why I’m so passionate about giving money to charities. This place is funded by the government, but that barely keeps the doors open and the lights on. They have to fight to get every dollar they can. I know it’s like that for a lot of other organizations.”He nodded his head. “I’m not opposed to giving money to charity. Not at al
HaileyI wasn’t surprised to feel the bed empty beside me. We’d stayed at his house last night, as usual. We’d gone straight to bed, both of us tired after a long few days. Terran had tossed and turned all night. I had a feeling he was a lot more anxious about giving away the money than he was letting on. I had to assuage my own guilt. I walked into the living room to find him pacing the floor, his phone next to his ear as he talked about his schedule for the day.When he hung up, I smiled at him. He smiled back, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes as it normally did.“You didn’t sleep very well,” I said, walking to him to kiss him good morning.He shook his head. “No, I didn’t. I have a lot on my mind.”I nodded my head in understanding. “Was that the office?”“Yes. I was clearing my schedule for the day. I still need to do a conference call, but the rest can be taken care of from home. What about you?” “I’m free. I mean, I’m supposed to be learning my lines, but I don’t have to be
Terran“I mean, I would not blame you for wanting to keep some or all of the money for our own future. I know you’re a genuine person. You don’t have to prove anything to me. It’s a lot of money to give away.” There was a skeptical look in her eye. “Are you saying that because you don’t want to give it away?”I shrugged a shoulder. “I won’t lie that I haven’t thought about what I could do with that money. I could expand the company, set up trust funds for every one of the seven children we’re going to have.” I winked, trying to make her laugh.“You don’t want to give the money to charity?” she asked.“I’m not saying that at all.”“But you’re regretting telling me you would?”I shook my head. I could see the wheels turning in her head. She was jumping to conclusions and letting the thoughts run away. I could see the anger and hurt in her eyes, and I grabbed her hand again.“Hailey, I regret nothing. I told you I would give it away if that was what you wanted. I will do anything to mak