Sexy Fake Fiancé

By Cheryl Douglas

Briar
I have a problem. I've attracted a psycho stalker. And there’s only one man who can scare him off. Rhett. Too bad he hates me. Not that I blame him. Years of ghosting him, after our unforgettable one-nighters is bound to bruise a guy’s ego. Especially a guy like Rhett, who can have any woman he wants. But we have a lot of history, and he is my brother’s best friend. So, I have no choice but to ask him for a favor, and hope it doesn’t cost me the one thing I refuse to give up... my heart.

Rhett
I've sworn off one woman. Briar. That woman is my crack. One hit and I can’t get enough. So when she comes to me all sexed up in a dress that should come with a warning label, I turn a blind eye. Only one little problem. I'm not blind. Or half-dead. And that’s what it would take for me to resist this girl. But can I help her, for the sake of my best friend, without sacrificing my pride, my sanity... and my heart?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cheryl Douglas
• Release date: May 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215205518

Cheryl Douglas

Cheryl Douglas is a USA Today bestselling author who kicks back in the country, surrounded by farm land and nature. Her life revolves around family, country music, travel, caffeine, chocolate, and deadlines.Visit Cheryl at www.authorcheryldouglas.com

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Chapter

One

Briar

I’d made a small fortune in pharmaceutical sales over the past ten years, but nothing could have prepared me for this sales job. I had to convince my brother’s best friend to move in with me, and become my fake fiancé… even though he hates my guts.

The bar was crowded and the music was loud, but I strutted up to Rhett with my man-eater armour in place, praying he couldn’t see through the façade. Inside I was terrified. Terrified to go home alone. Afraid to go to sleep. Turn the lights out. Even shower. The fear was taking over my life and I knew I couldn’t go on this way. I needed help. And unfortunately, Rhett was the only man strong enough to convince a raving lunatic to back down.

Hey, Rhett.

He gave me a quick once-over, taking in my short black dress and sky-high heels before rolling his eyes and walking away.

I grabbed his arm, biting back a snarky retort. We had history. Some of it not good, and he clearly wasn’t in the mood to let bygones be bygones. But I’d wear him down. I knew his weakness. My body.

Where are you going? I tried for sultry, but it came out squeaky. Aren’t you gonna buy me a drink?

He shook his head, looking disgusted. I think I’ll pass.

I understood why he was pissy. He had a right to be… sort of. We had a history of one night-stands. And I had a bad habit of ghosting him. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to stick around for a three-peat, but Rhett wasn’t the kind of guy who made it easy to walk away. And I wasn’t a girl who stayed.

Rhett, please. I knew I sounded desperate. I was. The police hadn’t been able to help me. And I couldn’t burden my family with my problems. So short of hiring a round the clock bodyguard, I was out of options.

He narrowed his eyes, studying me. What the hell is it with you? Didn’t I make myself clear last time? This twisted thing we’ve had goin’, is over. You hear me? I’m done.

He glared at me like he might really mean it this time, but we’d always been frenemies. Rhett might claim to hate me, but beneath the bluster he really cared what happened to me. Or at least he didn’t want to see me dead. And if my stalker had his way, that might be my fate.

I felt bad for luring Rhett into my mess, but he was a big boy. He’d been Special Forces, hostage rescue and counter-terrorism, before he returned to civilian life and started a private security company that now employed thousands of people, specializing in security for aviation and homeland security, according to my brother. I didn’t really understand what he did, only that it had made him obscenely wealthy.

I know you’re mad at me, I said, stepping into his path. The last time I’d ghosted him had been the night of my brother’s wedding, six months ago. I’d promised I’d stick around ‘til morning, but overnight dates made me queasy, so I’d snuck out of his hotel room before he woke up. But you can’t stay mad forever.

Try me. He shook me off, but I had a plan to get his attention.

Fine! Be that way!

I sank against the bar, looking distraught. It took exactly thirty seconds for the guy next to me to offer to buy me a drink. Thank you. I don’t mind if I do. I smiled sweetly as I extended my hand. Briar. And your name is…?

Tate.

Tate, I like that. He looked like a Tate. Dark jeans and a cashmere sweater over a button-down shirt. Trendy haircut. Nice watch. He had private school boy written all over him. Not my type, but Tate was the perfect bait to drive Rhett crazy.

We ordered our drinks— a dirty martini for me and a glass of Barolo for him, before he asked, So, what do you do, Briar?

Um… I spotted an empty booth out of the corner of my eye. You want to grab a seat and I’ll tell you?

He grinned. I’d love to.

We made our way to the empty booth with his hand on the small of my back as we worked our way through the crowd. I sat facing the dance floor and zeroed in on Rhett inside of a minute. He glared at me as he nodded at the pretty blond bending his ear.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before, Tate said, setting his phone face down on the table. I’d definitely remember you.

Ugh. I hated guys who tried too hard, with their tired pick-up lines and cheesy compliments. I’ve only been here a couple of times. Since this was one of Rhett’s many side investments, I stayed clear. But my brother mentioned he was going to be here tonight, so I’d seen an opportunity to finally get a good night’s sleep. In his strong arms. With his Glock on my dresser.

How about you? I asked, letting my gaze drift back to Rhett as I tugged the olive off the stick with my teeth. You come here often?

A couple of times a week. It’s not far from my office.

Hmm. I tipped my glass back, knowing it would take a few more drinks before Rhett made his move. There was no way he’d let me get drunk and risk going home with some stranger. Not on his watch. He’d claim it was out of deference to my brother. But we both knew the truth. We had a sick pseudo-obsession that we both wanted to kill and bury… but couldn’t.

Forcing my attention back to Tate, I said, You said your office is nearby. What do you do?

I’m a stock broker.

Of course you are. That’s nice.

And you?

Pharmaceutical sales manager.

Cool. He grinned. You enjoy it?

I shrugged before downing my drink. It pays the bills. And then some.

I can’t believe a gorgeous girl like you is single.

I barely suppressed an eye roll. Why did men always assume every single woman was desperate to be part of a couple? I was single because I liked being single. I was set in my ways, according to my best friend. I was only thirty-three, so I wasn’t sure about that, but I knew I had zero desire for a committed relationship. Ever.

I like being single. I bared my teeth in more of a snarl than a smile, trying to send him a message. I’d been told I’d perfected the don’t-mess-with-me vibe, but I blamed that on my drive to succeed in a male dominated profession. I couldn’t afford to be a pushover.

You do, huh? He leaned in, smirking. Maybe you just haven’t met the right guy yet.

And if he thought he was my Mr. Right, he’d clearly been smoking a little wacky tobacky. And maybe I don’t want to. I knew I had to play nice unless I wanted to go on the hunt for more bait, but I wished I could have zeroed in on someone a little more fun. But to each his own, right? I propped my chin in my upturned palm. How ‘bout you, Tate? Are you looking for your future wife?

He flashed a bright white smile, shaking his head. Uh, no. Much to my parents’ dismay.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. I touched my glass to his. Here’s to making new friends then.

I glanced at Rhett, who was still spitting fire from those sexy gray eyes. Those eyes. Lord, have mercy. I’d never met another man with eyes that color. But if I had to choose his best feature, it would have to be that lop-sided grin. Or maybe his delicious scruff. His body? Hmm, that was yummy too. And those shoulders—

Briar?

I shook my head when I realized I’d been staring at Rhett and ignoring my new friend. Sorry, did you say something?

I asked if you knew Rhett Lennox.

Uh, yeah. I do. He’s a friend of my brother’s. I realized that meant Rhett probably knew my drinking buddy too. Ugh. I hadn’t counted on that. If Rhett knew and trusted Tate he probably wouldn’t care if I went home with him. You know him?

He shook his head. No, I just know of him. He owns this place, right?

I nodded. Yeah. Rhett’s financial interests were pretty varied, from what I understood, but I’d never cared about that. When we were together it was all about mutual gratification, when we weren’t busy spewing hate.

You said he’s a friend of your brother’s?

His best friend. Which meant he was practically like family. My parents loved him. Little did they know all the ways he’d defiled their baby girl over the years. I’ve known him twenty years, at least. But I didn’t lose my virginity to him until I was eighteen. I would have been good to go before that, but he insisted he wasn’t messing around with jailbait.

Nice to have friends in high places, huh?

He probably thought I could get us free drinks, but I knew better than to call in favors from Rhett. Except for the big favor attached to my current nightmare. If he shot down my plea on that I was seriously screwed.

Enough about Rhett, I said, waving to the waitress working our section with my empty glass. That earned the stink-eye from Rhett again, a look he’d perfected over the years. I want to hear more about you. In my experience men loved to talk about themselves and little else. Another reason I was blissfully single.

The harried looking waitress rushed over to our table, promising to return with our drinks in a few before Tate excused himself to use the restroom. My best friend picked that moment to call.

Hey, Gia. What’s up, girl?

Why didn’t you text me? I’m dying to know! Did Rhett take the bait or what?

The bait being the short dress and CFM heels that were supposed to lure him back to my place tonight. He blew me off. I huffed a sigh when I saw him dancing with blondie. Hey, I was a blonde too, so I wasn’t judging. But I haven’t given up.

You can’t.

I could hear the fear in her voice. She was the only person I’d confided in about the hell I’d been living through the past month and we both agreed: Rhett was my best shot at throwing my psycho-stalker off the trail.

It’s gonna be okay, I said, trying to put her mind at ease. I know Rhett. He may pretend to hate me, but he’d never forgive himself if he let something happen to me. And judging by the escalating warnings, that was a very real possibility.

Then you’re gonna tell him about Dave? Gia asked, sounding anxious.

Dave was a guy I’d dated a few months ago. I’d made it clear I wasn’t looking for anything serious, but he apparently thought I’d changed my mind when I slept with him. My bad. But that didn’t warrant the constant phone calls and text messages the month after I cut him loose. That I could have lived with, but when it escalated to parking outside my house and work, leaving flowers and gifts on my doorstep, following me on my dates? Yeah, that crossed the line. The police thought so too, but I’d learned restraining orders weren’t worth the paper they were written on unless things got violent. And by then it was usually too late.

I’ll have to if I’m gonna ask him to be my roomie until this whole thing blows over.

Don’t forget about asking him to marry you, she teased.

We agreed the fake fiancé bit would be the icing on the cake. Public announcement. Social media posts. Anything to ‘sell’ our relationship to Dave. To send the message there was zero chance of us picking up where we left off and my fiancé would annihilate him if he got too close to me. That was another reason Rhett was the perfect candidate for my fake fiancé. One quick Internet search and it was obvious the guy was a serious badass.

I palmed my forehead. God, am I crazy to think this could work?

No! Your safety is at stake. I really believe that, Briar. This guy is crazy. There’s no telling what he might do next. And you haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in a month.

She’d offered up her guest room, but I didn’t want to put her at risk. Besides, I hated the idea of being chased out of my own home by some lunatic who refused to take no for an answer. That’s true.

And it’s not like sex with Rhett would be a hardship. If that’s what it took to get him on board, I’d break all my own rules. Sleepovers were a no-no. Boyfriends weren’t my thing. The mention of fidelity made me break out in hives. I was a party-girl, not a homebody. But I knew Rhett wouldn’t play along unless I played the game by his rules. And he was as stubborn as I was. So I was pretty sure he’d demand full control. That meant I’d have to stay close to home, so he could keep an eye on me, and obviously dating other guys was off the table while I was trying to pass Rhett off as my fiancé.

So, you said he blew you off. What’s your Plan B?

I met a cute stock broker. I’m getting tipsy with him. I’ll pretend I’m leaving with him and wait for Rhett to intervene. I laughed. How funny is it that I know exactly how he’ll react?

Uh, that may sound good in theory. But what if he doesn’t try to stop you?

Uh oh. I’d never thought of that.

Chapter

Two

Rhett

Ugh. One of these days I was gonna put that girl over my knee. The only problem? She’d probably like it. Briar had never been shy or bashful. Which begged the question…what the hell did she want with me tonight?

I’d told her I was done with her. And I’d meant it at the time. She’d ghosted me for the last time. I’d woken up with that gut-wrenching emptiness for the last time. The morning after her brother’s wedding I swore I was done with her. I called her up, reamed her out, and told her to forget she ever met me. But Briar wasn’t easy to forget. In fact, she’d been haunting me for months, so when she showed up at my bar, looking desperate, I’d shut her down out of self-preservation.

Only now she was getting her drink on with some yuppie asshole and that wasn’t gonna fly with me. When I saw the waitress bring a fourth tray of drinks to their table, I excused myself from the woman at my side and made my way to Briar, vowing to hold my temper. Something about this girl set me off. Every. Single. Time.

You need a ride home? I demanded, barely sparing a glance at her partner.

Oh hey, Rhett. Her eyes were glassy as she tipped her head from side to side, staring me down. She was well on her way to feeling good. I thought you weren’t speaking to me.

I drew a deep breath, determined to keep my tone and expression neutral. But goddamn she didn’t make it easy. We can go back to hating each other tomorrow. Tonight you need a ride home.

Uh, I thought we could share an Uber, her drinking buddy said.

I slowly slid my gaze his way. You thought wrong.

He raised his hands in supplication. Hey, that’s cool, man. No worries.

Briar heaved a sigh but didn’t put up a fight as she slid out of the booth. I just have to use the restroom before we go. She grabbed her purse and reached inside before throwing a few bills on the table.

I curled them in my fist and shoved them back in her hand. Drinks are on the house tonight.

You don’t have to—

Just use the restroom so we can get out of here. I was getting a headache from the pounding music and overcrowding. We had to be pushing the capacity limits tonight and I just wanted to step outside, where I could breathe some fresh air.

I glared at some dude who was watching Blair a little too intently as she made her way to the washroom. He must have felt my eyes on him because he glanced at me and quickly looked away before slipping into the crowd.

Is there, uh, something between you two? Yuppie asked.

None of your business. I could have told him there was nothing between us, but that would have been a lie. The hottest sex of my life warranted honourable mention. Now I suggest you order that ride and get out of here. We don’t overserve. I didn’t know how many he’d had or whether he was at risk of being inebriated, but his face was starting to piss me off. And I wanted it gone before Briar came back.

Relax, man. He slid out of the booth. If you’re hookin’ up with a girl like that you’re gonna have to keep her on a shorter leash. She’s trouble.

Hooking up? Leash? Trouble? I was gonna crush this little weasel.

I curled my hand over his shoulder before he could get away. Don’t let me see you in here again.

What did I do?

He diminished what I had with Briar by calling it a hook-up. He downplayed twenty years of fake-friendship and dozens of nights between the sheets. He belittled the best sex of my life. He disrespected the woman who invaded my dreams. And I didn’t like his voice. Or his face. Or his clothes. Or anything about him.

Don’t ask any more questions or you’ll get a security escort to the door.

He grumbled before tossing some money on the table, presumably to cover his share of the tab. Good thing because I was not buying this loser’s drinks.

By the time Briar returned Lisa was back, trying to talk me into taking her home. I blamed Briar for taking so long in the ladies’ room. Uh, I don’t think so. I fake smiled as I peeled her hands off my bicep. I’ve got an early morning. Every morning was an early morning for me, but that didn’t prevent me from indulging until the sun came up with women like Briar. No, not women like her. There was only one Briar. Unfortunately.

When she returned Briar gave my companion a once-over before she asked, Am I interrupting something?

Briar’s bitch-face was pretty impressive. She routinely had grown-ass men squirming in their seats and Lisa was no exception. Her don’t-mess-with-me vibe was sexy as hell.

Uh no, Lisa said, taking a step away