Her Fake Fiancé

By Kelly Dawson

How far would you go to make your Grandma happy at Christmas? I invented a fiance.

 

It seemed safe enough – none of the other family members had brought their significant others along to family gatherings until they were married, and I was counting on that tradition to get away with my lie. So when Grandma insisted I bring him along, I freaked. I mean, wouldn't you? Christmas was in less than two weeks, and I didn't even have a boyfriend, let alone a fiance. How on earth was I supposed to find someone to fill that role two weeks before Christmas?

 

When my bestie comes to the rescue, introducing me to her cousin Zane, I breathe a huge sigh of relief. Until the panic sets in at the realisation of exactly what this plan means. After all, not just any man will be accepted by my extended clan. All the men in my family believe in the same thing: obedient women; and they all use the same method to achieve their goal – no matter how outdated it seems.

 

How is a pretend fiance going to get around that very important requirement? Will Zane be up to the task? Or am I going to have to swallow my pride and admit to my lie and break Grandma's heart in the process?

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kelly Dawson
• Release date: Oct 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223167709

Kelly Dawson

USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR KELLY DAWSON loves anything to do with horses, rodeos and cowboys, and loves to get lost in a good book - preferably one containing spanking! Her favourite heroes are sexy, dominant, firm-handed country boys who spoil their women far more than they spank them, and were pretty much born on horseback, being able to ride just about before they could walk. She lives literally at the bottom of the world in the South Island of New Zealand, with her very own romance novel hero (her husband of 18 years), four kids, a dog and a cat. Kelly Dawson has 12 books out, mostly erotic rural romance set in New Zealand. Check out her website to learn more - and connect with Kelly on social media - links on her website. Thank you for reading!

Book preview

Her Fake Fiancé – by Kelly Dawson

Chapter One

Ihung up the phone from talking to Grandma and looked around at my friends in despair. What am I going to do? I asked them. You heard Grandma – she’s not going to take no for an answer. Her exact words were: ‘make sure he’s there. No excuses.’ She was very emphatic. She might be old, but she’s stubborn!

Mild panic overtook me as I shook my head slightly, wondering how on earth I was going to get out of this one. Hopefully, one of my friends would be able to come up with a miracle idea. After all, these were the girls I’d grown up with, gone to school with, played pranks with, made up convoluted stories to get out of trouble with... Surely, between our genius mischievous minds, we’d be able to come up with something.

Cassie’s shoulders shook with silent laughter. You mean to tell me that you made up this fake boyfriend purely for your Grandma’s benefit, and now she wants you to bring him to the family Christmas do? Despite my friend’s best efforts, raucous laughter escaped her and she clapped her hands. "Oh my god Lissa, that’s priceless!

I shot her a glare. Yeah thanks Cas, huge help. As always. At my death stare, Cassie got control of her laughter, then I filled her in on the rest of the information. Except he’s not just my boyfriend. I told her I’ve got a fiancé.

That small, but vitally important detail, set her off again and she rocked back and forth in her seat, snorting with laughter. Holy hell Lissa, whatever possessed you to do such a thing? How do you intend to get out of this one?

This time it wasn’t just me who glared at Cassie, it was all of us.

Shut up Cas, not helping, Sharon scolded. Although I noticed that she, too, was struggling to contain her laughter. She just had better self-control than Cassie did.

Why don’t you tell her you broke up? Laura, ever the logical one, suggested.

I shook my head. Breaking off an engagement right before Christmas? No. She’ll be so disappointed. I’m the last granddaughter to get married. Grandma’s terrified I’m going to be left on the shelf. You have no idea how proud and excited she was when I told her about my fiancé. I can’t do that to her. It would ruin her whole Christmas. And I don’t know how many more she’s got left.

Laura raised a perfectly manicured brow. Well how disappointed do you think she’s going to be when she finds out you lied?

I looked at her as if she was a bit daft. I’ll just have to make sure she doesn’t find out, I said, stating the obvious. Of course Grandma would be heartbroken if she knew the truth. I would have to keep that from her at all costs.

Well can you just not go, then? Laura suggested.

Again, I shook my head. Although Laura’s suggestions were perfectly reasonable, they weren’t going to work here. Grandma was old and she loved Christmas. It was the one time of the year when the whole family gathered together in the one place. The entire extended family came – all the aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters... all of us. And Grandma, the matriarch of the family, was in her element.

No. Not an option. It’s the highlight of Grandma’s year. I couldn’t disappoint her like that.

Sharon topped up my wine glass. Good old Shazza. She lived by the adage that wine fixes everything. She put the bottle back down on the table a little too hard, then steepled her fingers under her chin.

Well that leaves bribing someone, or hiring someone, she announced, clearly pleased with her idea. Because realistically, finding a real fiancé in two weeks is pretty slim.

My mouth fell open in shock, my jaw almost hitting the floor.

I’m not hiring a fiancé! I exclaimed a little too loudly, the bar’s other patrons all turning in their chairs to look at me. I mean seriously. Using a male escort? I can’t go there. And I couldn’t. The idea of buying sex, or in this case a fiancé, just didn’t sit right with me.

Bribery it is, then. I can chip in ten bucks, Sharon announced.

Me too. A chorus went up around the table as my friends fished in their purses for some cash.

I don’t suppose you told her your fiancé’s name? Michelle piped up. I mean, I could do it. Just tell her you’re a lesbian? I’ve got no plans for that weekend.

Laughter erupted out of my friends at this genius idea, but I just shook my head. Grandma was progressive for an oldie and wouldn’t be at all bothered by that, except that I’d told her my fiancé was a man called Zane. And he was a lawyer. No blue-collar worker for me. I wanted a fancy man, one who drove a Mercedes convertible with the top down and lived in a swanky inner-city apartment with a gorgeous ocean view.

Yeah nice try, but no. I named him Zane. He’s a lawyer. I grinned sheepishly.

You wanted a rich man, huh? Michelle winked. Can’t say I blame ya. If he’s fictional, might as well make him how you want him.

It wasn’t just the money that I wanted in my pretend fiancé. It was status. Power. Dominance. All the things that lawyers oozed. Well they did in my head, anyway. I didn’t actually know very many lawyers, but the one I’d invented had all those things in spades.

So who do we know that we can bribe? Cassie asked.

We all racked our brains and spent the next several minutes listing off on our fingers the names of all the single males that we knew, that could possibly be bribed into doing the