Fakesgiving: Hot Texas Nights, #2

By Kat Baxter

Kaitlyn

Things I am not thankful for this Thanksgiving: 

•my perfect sister's upcoming engagement to her boyfriend (who just happens to my my EX-boyfriend)

•my meddling mom who insists I come home for the holiday (so the family can meet my current boyfriend)

•my stubborn pride (which is why my mom thinks my hot boss is said current boyfriend)

 

Now, I have only one option to avoid my personal Thanksgiving parade of shame: I have to convince my hot boss to be my fake boyfriend. There is not enough pumpkin pie in the world to get me through this holiday.
 

Jackson

Kaitlyn is the perfect assistant: crazy smart and very competent, if a bit awkward and geeky. Unfortunately, her particular brand of adorkable, mixed with her banging curvy body has left with me with perpetual hard-on since hiring her a year ago. But I value her contribution to the company too much to risk making a move. 

Until I find out her family thinks I'm her "hot boyfriend" and wants us to visit for Thanksgiving. Suddenly, all bets are off. Sure, I can pretend to be her devoted boyfriend. One thing I won't have to pretend? How much I want her.

Fake kisses and touches in front of the family lead to very real and sexy times in the bedroom. Now I'm not so sure if anything between us has ever been fake.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kat Baxter
• Release date: Apr 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201181536

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Kaitlyn

---

My phone rings again. For the fifth time this morning. It’s my mother. She has her own ringtone because…well, I’m sure you get that. I’ve just returned from lunch and I’m standing at my desk cringing at the obnoxious ringer. I should have put it on vibrate, but I’ve missed calls that way. Calls from work. The ones I don’t ignore.

You gonna answer that? I look up to see my boss leaning against his office door jam. Looking like I ordered him out of the hot-man catalog.

Yes, I’ll take the sexy business nerd on page 42. Make sure he has wavy hair and washboard abs.

I don’t know that he has washboard abs, but I speculate it is true. The rest of his body certainly suggests that much.

I work for SolCom, a small but up and coming green energy company based in Corpus Christi, Texas. Working for SolCom has been my dream job ever since my Sustainable Energies professor highlighted the company as one of the ten companies most likely to transform the green energy industry. True, my obsession was fueled (just a little) by how unbelievably hot the company’s co-founders are. Cooper Janns, Brooks Stauffer, and Jackson Gates are an engineering and financial dream team. Between the three of them, they have enough chiseled jaws and broad shoulders to make my nerdy heart go pitter-patter. But, if I’m honest, it’s Jackson alone who gets my Star Trek day of the week panties damp.

Yeah. I know exactly how dorky that sounds.

Describing this as my dream job is a bit of an exaggeration. Because even though my degree is in electrical engineering, my actual job at SolCom—Executive Assistant to the CFO—involves little to no engineering. Though sometimes anticipating Jackson’s every need while minimizing my sexual fantasies about him feels like a major feat of engineering.

Case in point, I should be answering my mom’s call, but instead I’m imagining the glare he’s sending my way is actually a fuck-me look.

I mean, a steamy get-over-here-and-fuck-me look. Not the fuck-me-why-is-assistant-wiping-drool-off-her-chin-instead-of-answering-her-damn-phone look that it probably is.

With a sigh, I pull the phone out of my purse and swipe.

Mom, I’m at work, I say through gritted teeth.

Jackson—the sexy bossman—grins wickedly, but makes no move to go into his office. Why, oh why, does he delight in being present for all of my most awkward moments?

My mother is rambling about a big family announcement. I already know what it is and I don’t care. Truly I don’t.

Are you going to be able to come home for Thanksgiving? It’s so important to your sister, mom says. Yet my sister hasn’t called to ask me herself. Whatever.

I’m not really sure, I say. I might have plans here.

Kaitlyn, it’s a family holiday. You should be home with us and you haven’t come home in ages. What about that boyfriend you told me about?

I cringe. Because yes, I told my mother I was seeing someone. And yes, it was a big fat lie.

In my defense, anyone—literally anyone—would crack under the pressure of being interrogated by my mom. She’s one of the top prosecutors for the Ohio Department of Justice. And, yes, she is exactly as scary as that sounds.

She lowers the pitch of her voice into interrogation range and askes, Is it that handsome boss of yours?

I know that tone and normally it makes me crack like a Chicago mob boss.

I look up and Jackson is still standing there, clearly amused at my discomfort. Yep, it’s totally him.

I knew it! mom pronounces.

Listen, can I call you later, Mom? We’re about to go into a meeting.

Sure, baby, but call me back today.

I will. I might not. I hang up the phone and set it on my desk, then look up at Jackson. Did you need something?

Well, I am curious about this meeting we’re going into.

Shut up. I needed to get her off the phone.

I get it. I have a mom, too.

Oh, he has no idea.

Who travels all the time and never calls.

His jaw clenches and I feel like a bitch that I pointed out that fact. That she does. He turns around and goes to his office at that point.

Gah, what is wrong with me? Just because he’s not always friendly to me doesn’t mean I need to be a bitch to him. Especially since I want to work at SolCom. I want to actually use my degree and work in the engineering department, but the fact that I got my foot in the door by being the executive assistant to the CFO isn’t bad. I probably make more than most of the entry-level engineers.

I absolutely didn’t mean to punch below the belt, but talking to my mom always makes me grumpy.

My mom is a force of nature. At the top of her career. Theoretically, she should be too busy to meddle in my love life, but she’s not. Because she’s basically Wonder Woman.

My sister, who followed in her footsteps, is like Super Girl. They are both brilliant defenders of justice, who kick ass and look amazing doing it.

And I’m like … I don’t know … Q or something. Tinkering with circuit boards in the corner and making googly eyes at James Bond.