Page 11 of Terms of the Flight

“No, nothing like that. Allow me to finish, and I promise you will understand what I am looking for and how this will benefit you. Now, can I continue?” he asked.

I nodded for him to continue as I crossed my arms against my chest.

“I just need you to pretend to be my girlfriend for the next couple of months.”

I opened my mouth to say something else, but the hard set of his eyes and the lift of his brow shut me up.

“I have my own personal reasons for this. But I plan to give you fifty thousand dollars with no interest or need for repayment. I’ll pay for anything we do, your wardrobe for each event, and anything else that pops up within the time. The fifty thousand dollars would fall under the small business grant we offer here.”

“Do you offer every woman you come across shit like this if their loans aren’t approved?” I asked.

He chuckled and leaned back into his seat.

“Nah, I don’t. You don’t have to make a decision now. It’s all in your hands, but know this: my mother raised a respectful man. I would never place you in a position to be unsafe or uncomfortable.”

I sat quietly, believing every word he said for some reason, even though I barely knew the man. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, then held it out to me. I reached out to take it from him, but he pulled it out of reach at the last moment.

“My personal number is on that card. You have twenty-four hours to let me know your decision, or this offer expires. If you agree to move forward, we can negotiate a little further and get a contract drawn up for both our assurance.”

He held the card back in reach, and I took it from him. Then he stood and turned to leave. I stopped at the door and glanced over my shoulder for a moment. His eyes were glued to my ass, so it took him a moment to glance up at my eyes.

“Don’t hold your breath on this decision.”

His chuckle was all I heard as I left his office without looking back. I made my way back downstairs and out of the building into the fresh air. I walked a bit and glanced back toward the building, only to see him standing at the window, looking down at me.

I rolled my eyes, and he smirked.

“Yeah, I cannot possibly entertain this damn man. This would be a terrible idea,” I said aloud.

I continued walking until I made it to the light to cross the street to the parking garage, then to my car. I said a silent prayer that Shelby wouldn’t show her ass right now. The last thing I needed was for that man to see a damn tow truck coming to get me.

I placed my key into the ignition, and she purred to life. I leaned forward to kiss the steering wheel, then backed out of the space, not wanting to play with my blessing too much.

Taco Me Happy was ten minutes from my house, so I decided to stop there to grab my usual—two birria tacos with beef and two more with chicken. I decided to grab a few more for Da’ana because we were going to need them, along with the wine I’d grabbed at the grocery store before heading for tacos.

I needed to talk out my decision. The first and easy answer was no. I was no Julia Roberts, and this damn sure wasn’t a fucking rom-com. I had never heard of anyone being paid forsome shit like this. Most men expected sex as well, and that wasn’t an option.

Once I made it to my apartment community, I noticed a parking space close to the entrance of my building, so I raced for it, making it just before another car tried to pull into it. Today was my lucky day, although I hadn’t gotten approved for the amount I wanted.

I grabbed the bags from the passenger seat and made my way into the building after locking the doors to my car. I jogged up to the second floor and used my key to get inside. Babyface played from the Pandora station, the screen vibrant on the TV, while Da’ana sat on the couch with her laptop in front of her and a notepad in her hands.

The moment she saw me, she smiled brightly and waved me over to the couch.

“Oh, you brought tacos. What’s the occasion?” she asked.

I slouched into the seat after placing my many bags onto the coffee table in front of us.

“You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”

Her eyes widened. “You got the loan!”

I tilted my head a bit and gave her a tight-lipped smile.

“Not quite. Let me grab us some plates and two wine glasses. Then I’ll give you the rundown. Oh, and don’t even think about using any of this for that book you claim you’re close to finishing.”

Both of her brows rose, and she did a little dance in her seat.

“This must be really good, and for your information, romance takes time, ma’am.”