“Like I said the other day, we’ve got this, EVP Chloe.”

As we walked toward the nearest hotel entrance, I said, “You probably better come up with a better nickname for your serious girlfriend than EVP Chloe.”

“You’re right.” He opened the door for me, and once we were making our way across the marble floor of the beautiful, classy lobby, he put his arm around me. It was a toss-up which I liked the feel of better—his hand on my waist or his fingers entwined with mine.

Bottom line, I liked them both too much.

But that would work in my favor for the next couple of hours, I reminded myself.

And then I would do a brain wash and try to forget all of the charade.

Holden

“You take the lead, darlin’,” I whispered into Chloe’s ear as we walked into Sin’s.

I loved the feminine smell of her hair. And while I was confessing, I’d just add that that kiss out there in my car? Jesus. It’d caught me off guard and turned me inside out. Chloe’s response had been like throwing jet fuel on top of a bonfire.

Stand the fuck back.

I’d already known how badly she wanted Angelica to pick her to take the helm of the company, but the way she’d kissed me had thrown about three exclamation points on that fact.

People had been letting Chloe down since she was a little girl, and I was not about to be added to that list. We were going to convince her boss we were in love tonight, and we were going to win her the company in the end.

There were probably three dozen people in the upscale dining room, standing around, mingling, most of them with a cocktail in their hand. It had apparently been closed to the public for the evening, so this group had it to themselves. Right away, Chloe’s assistant, Bethany, came up to us, and Chloe introduced us, then Bethany hurried off to greet others who’d just arrived.

All it took was a quick scan of the room for me to figure out which one was Chloe’s boss. She was at least a few years older than most, but that wasn’t what gave it away. The slender redhead had an air about her as if this was her kingdom and these were her worker bees. She held herself regally, her posture perfect, her business suit undoubtedly more expensive than my car. At her side was a brunette maybe a couple of years older than we were who I guessed was her unlucky assistant.

Though Angelica was smiling at the people she spoke to, there was a distance between her and everyone but her assistant, and I didn’t just mean a physical distance. It was sad, actually, especially knowing what she was facing health-wise.