The elevator dings, and as if on cue, I place my hand on the small of her back. Her body shivers under my touch, and I fight back a smirk. It pleases me greatly to know that I have that effect on her.

The doors open, and since I’m much later than normal, every set of eyes in the front office is on us the instant we walk in together.

Margo stiffens, and I know she’ll probably hate what I’m about to do, but I want everything out in the open as quickly as possible. I’m the kind of man who wants to break the bad news to the world instead of allowing speculation to run wild.

I lean down and kiss her cheek and then whisper, “It’s best to maintain control at all times, don’t you agree?”

She nods and then pulls back and smiles. “Absolutely.”

That’s when she does something that shocks the shit out of me. She traces my cheek with the tips of her fingers before she kisses me. I close my eyes briefly and allow myself the pleasure of tasting her lips. She’s so damn addictive.

She pulls away before I’m ready, but I know it would be definitely crossing the line to fuck her in front of an audience even though my cock is growing stiff in my slacks. That’s a sexual harassment lawsuit just waiting to happen.

Margo saunters away, giving her hips an extra swish as she heads toward her desk, and it causes me to smile. That naughty little minx knows how to play her part very well indeed. Hell, if she keeps that up, I might just begin to buy into it.

It’s unusually quiet in the office, and I turn my attention back to the front office staff who are all frozen in place with their mouths agape. That’s enough of a show for them.

“What are you all looking at? Back to work,” I order, and they all instantly go back to pretending to be in a huge rush.

I stalk past them all, and then come to a halt when I find myself at Margo’s desk. “Good work, Mrs. King.”

She smiles. “Let me know if they need an encore to buy it.”

I shake my head before turning toward my office. “I think we’ve stunned them enough for one day.”

I try to stay busy for the rest of the day by finalizing a few small deals I’ve been working on. When it’s nearly lunchtime, there’s a quick knock on my door before Jack comes striding in.

He has a huge grin on his face, so I know that he’s pleased to hear that people are buying into the little act with Margo. “You son-of-a-bitch. You’ve done it. People actually believe that you and Margo are in love. I never thought you’d be able to get her to go along with it.”

I lean back in my chair and my lips pull up at one corner. “Come on, Jack. You’re acting like you’ve just met me. You know I can close any deal. This thing with Margo is nothing but another deal.”

He plops down in the chair in front my desk. “So if this is just a deal, it means that you’ve promised her something.”

This was the part of my plan that I dreaded explaining to Jack, but I knew it had to be done. I stand up and then smooth my tie down before heading over to the bar. I flip two glasses over and pull the glass cork from the crystal decanter before pouring the scotch.

“Shit,” Jack mutters as he pushes himself up from the chair. “If you’re pouring the liquor before one, I know you’re about to break some bad news to me. Please tell me that you didn’t give in to her demands and promise her something completely unreasonable.”

I sigh and hand him a glass. “What would you have me do, Jack? I can’t very well lose control of my father’s company.”

He shakes his head. “I get that, man. I do. But couldn’t you figure out something else to give her—write her a check or something? We’ll lose so much money if this Buchanan deal doesn’t go through.”

As much as it pains me to think about walking away from the deal I’ve been working on for months and losing out on all the money that we stand to make, it hurts way fucking worse to think about a bunch of old, greedy bastards running the company that my father built.

Margo

THE FIRST DAY WE WENT public was the hardest. Since then, rumors have been flying all around the city. Gossip in this town spreads at lightning speed, especially when it involves the Naughty King and the Feisty Princess willingly committing to each other. If I were on the receiving end of that news, I would pity the idiots for thinking a relationship like that can actually work.

Good thing I’m not in this relationship for something as silly as love.

I don’t believe in love. I’ve seen too much when it comes to relationships; not only courtesy of my mother, but also from the assholes I’ve dated. One, in particular, did a number on my heart, so I learned that in order to not get hurt, you have to keep your feelings on a tight leash at all times.

At this point, I couldn’t care less if people pity me and think I’m a dumb twit who Alexander will blindside. I’m doing this for me and the company that will rightfully belong to me someday.

I find myself curled up on a chaise lounge in one of the biggest private libraries I’ve ever seen. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve enjoyed reading. Sneaking my mother’s romance novels and reading them in secret was one of my favorite pastimes. I find that as an adult, whenever I’m feeling stressed, a steamy romance seems to take my mind off reality for a bit. And this feels like the perfect place to hide out other than my room while I’m trapped here.

“Alexander? Aggie?” I hear a female voice call from the front of the apartment. “Anyone here?”