Page 158 of My Dark Prince
“That’s because you like shoving your dirty underwear into my mouth. By the way, I’dloveit if you could stop.”
Holy shit. She was trying to out-embarrass me. Beat me at my own game. It was impossible, of course. I had a Ph.D. in being crass. No one could out-crass me.
“Light of my life.” I caressed her shoulder, and she shivered under my fingertips, just like I knew she would. “They’re called kitchen towels, and you’re not supposed to eat them. We’ll get you civilized, though. You’re almost there.Almost.” I flashed our teacher a winning smile. “She’s fully potty trained and already knows how to sing her ABCs, thanks to Ms. Rachel. Can you believe she’s the same woman who lost her memory just a few weeks ago and reverted to her 18-month-old self?”
The vocal coach drew a hand to her chest with a dreamy sigh. Briar growled, stomping on my toes. A low grumble danced in my stomach.
“Okay, where were we?” The teacher looked around, disoriented. “Oh, yes. We were going to work on our humming.”
We did that for the rest of the hour. Humming. Moaning. Groaning. Grunting. Briar remained the color of a ripe strawberry the entire time. When we finished, she slid into the passenger seat and buckled up.
As soon as the teacher waved goodbye through the window, Briar’s easy smile morphed into a scowl.
Still determined to hate me, I see.
“I’m going to New York tomorrow,” she announced.
“I believe you meantweare going to New York,” I corrected her. “No way am I leaving my gorgeous fiancée to fall prey to city fuckboys unattended.”
“Aw.” She flashed me a fake smile. “How gross. Well, this is for work. I’m meeting the two actors I’ll be working with on my next project, and I need to be completely focused to make sure I meet their needs and boundaries. As you can see, I’m fine and fully functioning.” She motioned to where her wound used to be. “No reason for us to continue this charade when people aren’t looking, just to piss each other off.”
“I’m not doing this to piss you off.” I frowned, starting the car. “It’s just a really nice bonus.”
With a sigh, she popped the glove compartment open and grabbed some gum. “Either way, you are not coming.”
“Joke’s on you. I just did from watching you merely breathe.”
“Gross.”
“Romantic.”
“Just tell me you understand that you absolutelycannotcome to New York tomorrow, okay? The production company booked me a hotel for an overnight stay.”
“My driver will take you,” I bargained without really answering her question. No way would I not check in on her. The womanjustwoke up from a coma.
She opened her mouth, about to argue, before realizing I’d never back down. “Fine. So, you won’t come?”
“Did I ever tell you that you look pretty today?”
“Stop dodging. Tell me you understand.”
“I understand.”
“Great.”
“Fuckingfabulous.”
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Briar
I felt like an escaped prisoner crossing state lines.
“So, let’s discuss red lines.” I cracked open my laptop in front of two-time Oscar nominee Hailey Johansson, double-clicking the questionnaire I used for all my clients. “Do you have any?”
Hailey pouted from across the twelve-seater table. She twirled a tight black curl around her slender finger, her chin propped on her fist. Ethereal and breathtaking as a doe-eyed cartoon princess, she appeared bored out of her mind in the Magnolia Room of the Grand Regent, Fifth Avenue.
Yup. I’d booked us a two-grand-an-hour table at the seven-star hotel, taking full advantage of my fake fiancé’s facilities.
