“Ready?” she prompts.

I shake my head. My palms begin to sweat as I reach into the pocket of my dress slacks. The velvet box in my hand suddenly feels like it weighs a ton as I hold it out to her. “I got you something.”

Her eyes widen. “Alexander . . .”

“It’s just a replacement for the one I gave you in Vegas. If we are going to pull this off, then we need to pull out all the stops and make our relationship believable. If you were really my wife, the ring on your finger would be large enough for the entire world to see. I would want everyone to know that you were mine. Clearly, our options in Vegas were limited when we went ring shopping in the middle of the night.”

I open the black velvet lid, revealing the fifteen-carat diamond ring that I bought her from Jacob and Co.

Margo gasps as her hand flies to cover her mouth. “Oh, my God. Alexander! I cannot accept that.”

I pull it out of the box and hold it out to her. “Consider it a thank-you gift for helping me. It’s yours to keep, and you may do as you please with it once we’re through with this whole marriage thing.”

I wait with bated breath for her answer. She stares down at it, and for a moment it almost feels like I’m actually proposing to her. “What do you say, Margo? Will you be my fake wife?”

“Yes,” her answer comes out barely above a whisper and relief floods through me.

I would’ve felt like a complete jackass for getting a replacement ring if she would’ve ended up saying no.

She swallows hard as she takes the ring from me. “It’s the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Allow me.” I snap the box closed and stuff it back into my pocket before taking the ring and sliding it onto Margo’s ring finger. I stare down at her hand, memorized by the way it sparkles. It actually looks even better than I expected on her.

“It’s perfect,” she says. “I love it. Thank you, Alexander.”

I turn and then extend my right elbow to her. “Come on, Mrs. King. It’s time to break every woman’s heart in Manhattan.”

She shakes her head as she loops her arm through mine. “You are so damn full of yourself.”

I shrug while wearing a lopsided grin. “It’s not being conceited when it’s the truth. You know as well as I do that most of the women in this city dream about taming me. They’ll be jealous as hell once they see for themselves that you’ve hooked me.”

“So you think I’m about to walk into a pissed off beehive because you’re off the market?”

I nod. “I hope you’re prepared to use that witty tongue of yours to ward off all the questions you’re about to be bombarded with. I need you to defend our relationship to anyone who questions it. It’s vital that you’re in on this charade with me one hundred percent.”

She pats my forearm with her other hand as if to soothe me. “Don’t worry. We’ve got this.”

I stare down at her and smile. “Shall we?”

With that, we say our goodbyes to Jimmy and head toward the front door. I take a deep breath and mentally prepare myself for what I’m sure is about to be a very interesting evening.

Margo

IT’S A QUICK RIDE TO the gala or at least it felt that way. Alexander and I spent the time going over scenarios of what we would say to members of the board once we ran into them at the event. If there’s one thing I can say about Alexander King, it’s that he likes to be thorough.

We’re sitting in the back of the limo, waiting for our turn to be dropped off at the entrance, when Alexander turns to me. “Perhaps we should go over some rules of engagement while we’re in there.”

I turn my head to face him. “Such as?”

Alexander presses the button on his door and effectively rolls up the privacy wall, separating us from the driver.

“Kissing for one,” he says coolly. “It will be expected of us once we get in there. People are going to want to see some level of affection displayed toward one another.”

“I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to handle some simple pecks on the cheek. Seriously, Alexander, you’re overthinking this. People will buy that we’re together.”

“How can you be so sure?” he asks. “Maybe we better practice a couple of kisses just to make sure we’re on the same page. I don’t feel like getting smacked in the middle of a party if I do something to offend you. I need to know what your limits are.”

I level my stare on him. “You’re really asking me to kiss you right now?”

He licks his lips and then beckons me with the crook of his finger. “Come here.”

As ridiculous as this idea seems, he might just have a point based on our history. When we touch, crazy things happen. Setting boundaries between us is a good idea.

I sigh and then slide over toward him. Alexander’s eyes trail down my body, taking a moment to stare at my chest. This low-cut Prada dress accentuates my breasts nicely, so I can’t fault him for his lingering gaze.

He tilts his head and then places his hand on the bare skin of my thigh. “Will doing this get me smacked?”

My heart thunders inside my chest. The heat from the contact of his skin on mine is sending my body into overdrive.

“No,” I tell him with a breathy tone. “But if you go any higher than that, it might.”

“Noted.” He arches one eyebrow. “How about this?” He moves his hand from my thigh and then cups my cheek. The pad of his thumb swirls around my skin before it dips lower to brush the corner of my mouth.