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10 vouchers
I wiped my mouth with a napkin before I started talking. What? I might be poor, but I have table manners. Take your scrutiny elsewhere.
Somewhere between the drive here and the walk to the table, I decided I wouldn’t let Mr. Sinclair intimidate me. I mean, he still did- but less so. I was actually talking to him freely now. The ridiculously expensive wine helped, too. Lightweight, remember? I can’t take too much.
“We usually work late nights, yeah? So one night we’re stuck on a project and shockingly we get along. Ever since then, we’ve been kinda chill… well, until you caught feelings and—”
“I caught feelings first?”
I gave him a look that said if you interrupt me again, I’m stabbing you with this butter knife. “I’m trying to help you sell our fake relationship, Mr. Sinclair.”
He smirked. Well, you’ll blow our cover if you keep calling me Mr. Sinclair. Aaron is fine.”
Inodded. “Right. So you caught feelings, kissed me, and eventually I caught feelings too. But we had to keep up the act of disliking each other to keep people out of our business.” I shrugged and took another bite of my food. “Simple.”
“That’ll work,” he said with a nod. “We need to know the basics about each other to sell this act.”
I raised a brow at that. There was no way in hell he hadn’t already done a full background check on me. But I humored him anyway.
I’ll go first…” I took a sip of the overpriced wine. Mr. Sinclair sorry, Aaron, refilled my glass again. If a glass cost two grand, I didn’t even want to know what the whole bottle was worth. I might pass out just hearing the number.
“I was born here in New York,” I said, watching his brow lift slightly. “Went to the City University of New York on a scholarship.” One of the reasons I wasn’t drowning in student loans. “I have an accounting degree. Graduated last year.”
“You have an accounting degree? That’s impressive. Why’d you settle for a PA position?”
The money. The salary was good. And if you haven’t noticed, it’s hard to get jobs around here.” Not that he would know, he runs his own company. “I’m only twenty–two, by the way.”
The date went on. I shared more little details about myself. And when it was his turn, he just said, “Ask me what you want to know.” Really?
So I asked the basics: where he went to school of course it was Ivy League. His favorite color? Blue. His birthday? November twenty- second. Surprisingly, he answered easily. I avoided anything too personal, though I wasn’t trying to dig.
Halfway through the meal, I was full and slightly tipsy. Lightweight, like I said. But I kept taking small bites because there was no way in hell I was leaving a meal probably worth half my salary uneaten. That’d be blasphemy.
I told him about my parents–my drunk and gambler of a father, and my mom–but I left out the part about her being sick. I didn’t want anyone’s pity. He hadn’t reacted the way I expected when I mentioned them. He’d just said, “We don’t get to choose our parents.”
“My mom’s touring the world,” he told me. “She’s currently in Uzbekistan, but once the news breaks that I’m engaged, I’ll probably see her at my doorstep the next day” He spoke of her with fondness. “She has a boyfriend, Silas and he has a ten–year–old daughter named
Alana
There was that fondness again when he mentioned Alana.
“Wait–your parents aren’t together?” I asked, surprised. I’d always seen Richard, Mr. Sinclair Sr. with a wedding band on, so I assumed You must live under a rock,” he said not insultingly, just matter–of–fact. He wasn’t wrong. Apparently, I was living under a rock.
“And my father, Richard Sinclair, you already know him. He’s the one who hired you, wasn’t he?” He said that last part with a sneer. The tension in his voice made it clear he didn’t like his dad. Welcome to the club, buddy. At least his wasn’t a drunk.
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I stayed quiet.
“He’s remarried. Two children.”
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11:07 AM PP
Chapter 16
10 vouchers
The waiters came by to clear our dishes, and Aaron paid. The date eventually came to an end, and I was tipsy–embarrassingly so. I couldn’t walk straight. Aaron noticed and helped me out, steadying me as we waited for the valet to bring the car around. I was basically leaning into him for support.
The wind was cold, and I shivered slightly. The dress I wore had thin straps, it wasn’t helping. Then something warm settled around my shoulders, blanketed by the scent of expensive cologne.
Aaron gave me his suit jacket.
“Thank you,” I mumbled, looking up at him. He nodded. I might be tall, but he was taller. My earlier guess of six–foot–two might’ve been off.
“How tall are you?” I asked, drunk–tipsy curiosity leaking into my voice.
“Six–four,” he said as he led me to the car. The valet had arrived.
It might’ve been my tipsy brain… but I swear I saw camera flashes before the car door shut.
宙
