Page 13 of Venom and Lace

“Jules, I don’t think I can do it. I mean, look at all these restrictions.” I reached down for my bag on the floor and pulled out the folder Riddick had given me. I turned to the page in the contract that had a list of dos and don’ts while I was involved with the Goodacre Corporation. It had everything from banning other romantic involvements during the length of the contract and for three months after, to names of people I was allowed to be seen out in public with; basically Juliet and Owen. I didn’t know who had written this up, but they were going on my shit list.

Juliet grabbed the contract. “Well, the good news is that it sounds like even if he doesn’t win the deal with Covington, we still get the lease and the money.” She tapped her pen against her chin and then began scribbling on the contract. I said nothing as we sat there in silence, me sipping my coffee and her marking the paper.

After what seemed like an eternity, she lifted her head and stacked the papers against the table, leveling the tops out neatly. “If they agree to make some changes, including paying you more, then we can make it work—to our advantage.”

I scoffed. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one who has to do it.” The second the words left my mouth, I regretted them. It wasn’t her fault this was happening. And I knew, if the shoe was on the other foot, she would do anything she could do to help our business. If that meant being a fake girlfriend, or fiancée, or whatever, I knew in my heart she would do what she had to do. “I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry, that was wrong of me.”

“It’s OK.” She came around the table and hugged me from behind. “We’re in this together. If you don’t want to do it, then we’ll figure out another way. We always do.”

That was Juliet. Always the peacemaker. Always a rock when you needed one.

“I’ll make the call,” I said.

Of course, Riddick didn’t answer. Neither did Ryzen. When his secretary answered at his office, she said he was in a meeting and asked to take a message.

“Yeah, tell him to call his fiancée.”

Chapter Five

Ryzen: Hi, honey, meet me at my place at seven to finalize details.

Nova: ‘Honey?’ We’re giving each other pet names now?

Ryzen: Of course. It’s more believable, dear.

Nova: OK, Daddy, see you at seven.

Ryzen: …

It had been a long few days since I had agreed to Ryzen’s scheme. His “winning plan,” as he liked to call it. We had gone back and forth negotiating and were finally at a point where I was almost ready to sign the contract. I had racked my brain repeatedly and still had come to the same conclusion—we needed that warehouse on Waveland and Ash. We were screwed without it. And the only way to get it was to pretend to be his fiancée. I had finally come to terms with it, even if I didn’t think it was right.

I wanted to hate him. I wanted him to be the bad guy. The only problem was that he was kind of growing on me. He was charming, polite, even funny at times. Neither of us had asked to be put in this situation, and we just had to make the best of it to get what we wanted. What we needed.

“What’s so funny?” Juliet peered over my shoulder at my phone and giggled.

“Just trying to ruffle his feathers a little.” I stuffed my phone back into my pocket and reached for my coffee.

“He has no idea what he’s gotten himself into with you,” Juliet teased.

I took a sip of my coffee and reclined back in my office chair. “What is that supposed to mean? I’m a pretty awesome catch, if you ask me.”

Juliet looked at me like I had two heads. “Youarean awesome catch. But you also have a tendency to speak without thinking. You can be a control freak. Oh, and that one time we went to Cabo—well…”

I held my hand up to stop her from talking. “OK, you’ve made your point.” I wasn’t a control freak per se. I just liked things a certain way. My way. Which was usually the right way.

“But you are also the fiercest person I know. You would do anything for the ones you love. And I would kill to have an ass like yours.” She took a bite of her bagel, smearing cream cheese on the tip of her nose.

I contemplated letting her walk around all day like that. Would serve her right.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see a missed call from my mother. That made twelve missed calls over the past twenty-four hours. Either she’d seen the tabloid or one of her socialite friends had shoved it down her throat, and I was going to feel her wrath. At some point. But not today, I decided as I deleted the missed calls. We’d save that trauma for a different day.

“You’ve got something on your nose.” I handed Juliet a napkin and walked over to our inventory wall. “We really need to get this organized before we move.” Vibrators, dildos, butt plugs, strap-ons and every other type of pleasure device you would think of were taking over our office area. “It will be a lot easier to move if everything is labeled beforehand.”

Juliet wiped her nose and coughed. “Control”—cough—“freak.” She yelped when I tapped the pump under her office stool and it zoomed all the way down to the ground. “We should hire someone to help with organizing. I’ll ask around.”

I met Grams for lunch later that day. I had taught her the art of slumming it, and so we ate greasy hamburgers and cheese fries from the burger cart around the corner from my office.

“This is better than anything the country club serves.” She took a dainty bite of her burger and dabbed the side of her mouth with a napkin.