Page 13 of The Fiancé Hoax
Dammit. I couldn’t hide a thing from Lauren.
“Okay, fine.” I closed my eyes. “I want Cooper bad, Lauren. So bad.”
“I knew it!”
Ever since last night, he was all I could think about. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t help it. The way he leaned in and got close…
It was enough to leave me breathless.
“You should’ve seen him with his daughters at that diner!” I gushed. “I never knew single dads could be so hot.”
“I know, right? It’s something about how protective they are.” She smiled dreamily. “And what about that tattoo peeking out under his sleeve? The bad boy vibe mixed with his big shot business look is hot.”
“He’s incredible.” I sighed. “And… I think he wanted to hook up last night.”
Lauren blinked. “Shut. Up. You’re just now telling me this?” She pressed her hands to her chest. “Moi? Your best friend and housemate?”
I paused. “It was so weird. I think he regretted it as soon as he asked me. What does that mean? He’s attracted to me… but he doesn’t want to be?”
“He probably thinks you’re too young or something,” Lauren said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “How old is he?”
“Forty-two. And yes, I learned that by stalking him online.”
At twenty-six, I’d never dated anyone over thirty. But compared to Cooper, every twenty-something guy I knew looked like an immature boy.
Lauren laughed. “So, you’re younger. Big deal. He’ll get over that.”
“Or he realizes it’s dumb to sleep with a business contact.” I shook myself out of my daze. “Which means I have to get the whole thing out of my head right now. There’s no way I’m sleeping with Cooper Pierce.”
“Why? Who says you can’t mix business and pleasure?”
“I do. My boutique comes first. If I start sleeping with my investor, it could mean all kinds of trouble.”
I plucked a salmon-colored dress from the rack and started changing into it.
“And all kinds of fun.”
“Absolutely not. Besides, I don’t even know if he’s going to invest in Moonstone yet. That’s what this meeting is about.”
I stood in front of the mirror. It was a structured dress that fell to my knees. Appropriate for a business casual lunch, but feminine enough to feel pretty.
“That’s one of my favorite designs of yours.” Lauren smiled. “Wear that one.”
“Salmon dress it is.” I put in small hoop earrings and grabbed a purse.
“You got this, babe. This guy’s going to save your boutique. And he’s totally going to give you mind-blowing orgasms. Hopefully not in that order.”
“Dream on.” I stepped into my heels and rolled my eyes. “You’re not working today?”
Lauren shook her head. “Got the whole weekend off.” She looked over my shoulder as I stood before the mirror. “You look beautiful, Fel. Knock ‘em dead.”
* * *
My nerves were through the roof as I parked my car at Cooper Pierce’s house.
No, mansion—a sprawling estate in the ritzy Brentwood area of Los Angeles.
It put my dad’s house to shame.