Chapter 13

Seven dates in the space of three weeks.

That was a record high for Emma, and yet Luke would have liked to go out with her even more often, if he hadn't been traveling so much for out-of-town games. Emma didn't remember that a relationship took up that much time – and it wasn't even a real one! But maybe she'd simply been single for too long.

When she wasn't working, she met Luke or prepared for meeting Luke. Part of her pre-date routine was standing in front of a mirror for at least half an hour, repeating "I'm not going to sleep with him" over and over again to her own face. And she was constantly tired!

It was exhausting to put together a cool outfit each time, and to apply makeup in such a way that no gossip mag could write mean things about her looks.

She wished she was able to claim that Luke's kisses were just as exhausting, but who would she be kidding? She relished each time he called out, "Oh, there's a paparazzo," and pulled her close, even though in nine out of ten cases, she ended up verifying that he had been lying again.

He was playing with her, but that was okay – because two could play this game, and she was good at this, too. Even better than him, she privately thought. Both parties knew what the stakes where, and that sex was off the table, and as a result it was strangely easy to goad and tease the other person, and spend a lot of time with them.

No expectations, no commitments, and the press were going crazy because nobody knew who she really was.

Yes, Emma had to admit that she enjoyed the whole thing.

It was as if you were a teenager again, practicing your smile in front of the mirror, so you would look terribly natural on your first date.

Not that she really did that.

She was the mysterious woman Luke Carter couldn't seem to resist.

Why not savor that idea now and then, without feeling the need for a reality check?

"Are the cream-colored roses okay?"

Nadia put a hand on Emma's shoulder and sighed, her eyes gleaming with happiness. "Everything is perfect. Ready for the guests to arrive."

Emma rolled up the sleeves of her blouse and glanced at her watch. "As I'm sure they will. The official start is in two minutes."

They both knew that it would take at least fifteen minutes for the first car to pull into the parking lot.

"Come on," Nadia said and linked arms with Emma. "We'll start with a glass of champagne and a toast to the great work you've done. At a function like this one, I'm sure it can't hurt to be a little tipsy when the groom finally arrives."

Half an hour earlier, her husband-to-be had called to apologize that he wouldn't make it in time. His limousine was stuck in traffic.

Emma had arrived by bus. Driving in this city after dark was simply too much. Since her work was done, she had the rest of the evening off; was officially attending the party as Luke's girlfriend, and she was in the mood for a few drinks. Simple as that.

Nadia and Paul were in on the scheme.

Emma had insisted that Luke told his father the truth immediately. She didn't want him to believe that his wedding planner was fooling around with his son for fun.

When Emma had asked Luke how his father had reacted, he had simply shrugged and said he'd said "okay," but only after he'd managed to contain his laughter.

Emma hadn't thought it was that funny, but there was nothing she could do about it either.

She and Nadia reached the bar and ordered champagne. In her old, German life, Emma would never have dreamed of drinking champagne. Too expensive, not her style.

But here?

She had thought that she liked Sekt, the German version of sparkling wine, but once she had taken the first sip of the bubbly golden liquid, she changed her mind. She would never be able to drink Sekt again without calling it dishwater.

"Oh, I hope Paul hurries up." Nadia's glass was already empty, but the barkeeper refilled it immediately. "I don't think I can deal with all those people without him."

Emma laughed. "Then why did you invite them?"

"Because it's good manners. There are people who expected to be invited, and yet I'm scared when I think about being forced to meet them tonight."

Emma took another sip and closed her eyes. It was heaven in a glass.

"Do you have an example? Who could be affronted if they didn't get an invitation?"

Nadia shrugged her shoulders and laughed. The small lines around her eyes were among her most endearing features. They meant that she had always laughed a lot, and also that she stayed clear of the Botox.

"Well, I guess that his son, for one, wouldn't have been amused if his invitation had gotten lost in the mail."

Emma laughed along with her. She had heard him grumble last night, and she guessed he might even have felt relief if he hadn't received an invitation. He hadn't been amused about being forced to attend this event, a fact he'd voiced unambiguously and loudly more than once. Like a child that has a dentist appointment coming up.

"Oh, but there's no need to be afraid of him," Emma said, brushing it aside.

"I'm just nervous, I guess. I'm meeting him for the first time tonight. I'm in his bad books – simply because I'm sleeping with his father."

"Still, there's really no need to be nervous. He's harmless, and probably more scared of you than the other way round."

Nadia laughed. "Well, if you as his mock girlfriend can say that …"

Emma nodded. "All bark and no bite." Luke had a very loud bark.

"All you need to remember is that behind the ego, behind all the fake charm and his imposing exterior, there is also a human being. Buried deeply, but it's there. Much like a Yeti – too shy to show its face if there are too many people around."

Nadia blinked at her wedding planner several times, before bursting into a fit of giggles.

"You're really a great girl, Emma. Luke should stick with you. If not as a real girlfriend, he should see you as the good friend we all need, the one who brings us back down to earth."

Emma blushed. "Oh, thank you."

Nadia hugged her lightly. "I'm glad you will be there when he arrives. It's going to make things easier. I need some sort of buffer."

Buffer, wedding planner, mock girlfriend. The list of her duties was growing.

As she had predicted, the room only started to fill up at twenty past seven. The more people arrived, the more presents were piling up on the tables, and Emma began to consider asking Luke if they couldn't get married for show as well, just so she could open that many presents.

She loved presents.

For the first half hour or so, Emma had bustled about between clusters of guests, checking whether everything was going according to plan. When Mr. Carter had finally arrived – and his fiancée had fallen into his arms, breathing a sigh of relief – Nadia waved Emma over and told her to enjoy herself. Her job was done for tonight.

That had been Emma's cue for having a second glass of champagne. And a third.

She was leaning against the bar luxuriously closing her eyes, when her phone vibrated. She checked the screen.

WAITING OUTSIDE

Emma frowned and smoothed her straight black skirt. She was wearing two-inch heels, which made her feel graceful but didn't cripple her. Still, getting to the hotel lobby took her somewhat longer than your average dressed-up woman.

Next to the doorman in red, a black-clad Luke was shuffling his feet.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked slowly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She maintained the safe distance of two yards. One thing she had learned quickly in the preceding three weeks, it was always smart not to stand too close to him.

He gave her a grim look. "You said I had to come!"

She rolled her eyes. "My question was geared at why you are standing here outside the entrance. Why aren't you inside, with the rest?"

He started several times, but didn't actually say anything. Emma raised her eyebrows. Was he by any chance nervous, like Nadia?

That was cute.

She took a few more careful steps towards him and took his hand into both of hers. "Don't be scared, little Jedi. Okay everything will be."

The corner of his mouth twitched at her Yoda-speak, and he didn't pull has hand away. "I'm sure his fiancée is a real bitch."

Emma blinked. "What? She's a genuinely nice person."

"She's rich and spoiled and … a woman! She can't be nice. And you should be on my side."

She laughed and stroked the back of his hand with her index finger. He had beautiful hands. "You are the one that sounds like a bitch here."

"Because I expect your loyalty?"

"What do you mean, loyal? You want me to have an opinion based on your prejudice. That isn't loyal, it's simply wrong."

He let go of her hand abruptly and gestured in the direction of the ballroom. "She's marrying my father!"

"So? Is that my problem or yours? So your dad neglected to tell you he was getting married, but that doesn't mean you have to take it out on me. You should get to know her. Maybe she will surprise you."

He made a face as if something hurt. "God, she'll be my stepmother. My evil, bitchy stepmother."

Emma glanced down at his feet, then back into his face with a pointed expression. "Nope, you're still wearing both your shoes. You're not Cinderella. Where did you get the idea of an evil stepmother?"

He frowned. "I don't like you as my girlfriend. Can I return you and get another one?"

Emma laughed. "Not a chance. You're stuck with me for now."

He nodded, but seemed distracted. "It's his first, you know."

"His first … what?"

"His first girlfriend. At least as far as I know. After my mom, he never had anyone again. Nothing serious, in any case. So it feels really weird."

"You've been living with your dad since you were thirteen, right?"

He gave her a surprised look. "How do you know?"

"I googled you. I needed to know what I was getting involved with."

The corner of his mouth twitched. "The internet is the devil."

"Do you regret it?"

"That we have the internet? Yeah, sometimes …"

She snorted. "The fact that you moved to the States, Luke!"

He smiled and shook his head. "Nope, not for a second. I love my job. It's just that sometimes I think …"

"What?"

He gave a half-shrug and looked past Emma, into the brightly-lit lobby. "Sometimes I think that I might have liked a life that was just a little more real, honest, and sincere."

"Why can't your current life be real and honest and sincere?"

"Good question, coming from my mock girlfriend."

She laughed. "Well, apart from me then. Why shouldn't your life be all of those things?"

"Because people aren't," he murmured with a faint smile, before taking her hand. "Alright, let's get this over with."

Emma squeezed his hand and studied his profile. If she didn't know better, she would have guessed that Luke wasn't half as happy as he liked to appear.

She pulled herself together and straightened her back. "That's the spirit."

He grinned. "Cute accent, by the way."

"I don't have an accent."

"Of course not."

They had reached the door. Strangely it was a lot easier to walk in heels if you had a strong man at your side, a man who could catch you if you fell.

"Are you familiar with the word mimicry?"

He laughed and interlaced his fingers with hers. "Adaption for the sake of deterrence? You're a clever girl."

"And that is why you picked me to be your token girlfriend," she replied under her breath, since they were already in the midst of the crowd, looking for the bridal couple.

"No," he whispered, so close that his lips were brushing her ear, "I picked you because I know what you do to a man in bed."

She cringed and almost stumbled over her own heel. "You …"

She couldn't go on, because Mr. Carter materialized before them with a smile. "I don't believe it, my son has actually shown up at my engagement party," he greeted them and hugged his son briefly.

"I heard there would be free booze and food," Luke replied with a shrug.

"That's the way I raised you. Nice to see you again, Emma. You've outdone yourself arranging this event." The older man gave her a warm smile, which made her a little shy.

"You're very welcome. Where is Nadia?"

"Oh, right," Paul said, making it sound as if he had all but forgotten he wanted to introduce his intended to his son. He strained his neck and nodded at his fiancée with a smile. Nadia excused herself by the couple she was talking to, and came over.

She looked stunning and happy. Luke could hardly miss that. Everyone in the room must see that these two loved each other.

***

Now that was a bummer! Miss Alberto wasn't just beautiful, she was also head over heels in love. God, he hated it when other people were this happy!

Alright, maybe the sentiment only applied to his father and this woman, but right now, he wasn't mincing words. Or thoughts.

Emma squeezed his hand gently, and when he looked down at her, her lips formed the words, ‘Be nice to her.'

From his perspective, she looked so small that one could easily get the impression she was harmless, and there was no need to be afraid of her. But if you looked into her dark eyes for more than a second, you could see them glitter and glint.

"I didn't say anything!" he hissed in German.

"Then stop looking like Gollum."

"Hasn't anyone told you that it's rude to speak in a language the other person doesn't understand?" his father interrupted them, before pulling Nadia closer.

"May I finally introduce you guys? Luke, my son – Nadia, my fiancée."

They shook hands and Luke was tempted to squeeze harder than necessary, but then he felt childish for thinking like that. He kept forgetting he was an adult.

Being an adult came with responsibility and manners and … blah blah.

"I'm really happy to finally meet you, Luke. Your father is constantly talking about you." She threw her husband-to-be a chiding look. "It's become his hobby to brag with your feats."

"Oh no," Emma groaned next to him, slapping her forehead with her free hand. "That is precisely what his overblown ego needs."

Nadia laughed, and Luke had to admit that the corners of his mouth were twitching as well. Emma had the ability to defuse any tense situation. He had noticed that several times over the last few weeks. She could make a career out of it.

"Don't listen to her, Dad," he said, putting an arm around her slender shoulders. "A little bragging never hurt anyone. Just don't believe everything that's in the papers."

Nadia's eyes glittered. "Believe me, I'm not a friend of the papers. They painted me as a black widow at thirty."

Which made her uncomfortably likeable.

"How is the baseball season going?"

Thank God, home turf. "Really well. We're on a roll, won six out of eight games so far, and I've hardly ever missed the strike zone. I've got to admit, though, our coach has set up a strategically sound lineup. That's a big part of our current success."

"Did you see Rodriguez's steal though?" Paul grinned. "The Yankees catcher was fucking furious; I thought it would end in a brawl."

"Okay, sounds as if the introductions are over," Nadia interjected with a chuckle as she pulled away from Mr. Carter.

Luke threw Emma a glance and saw the question mark in her face. That had to change! He would have to give her a few extra lessons in baseball vocabulary and rules. Whether their relationship was real or fake – everyone needed at least a basic understanding of baseball. He grinned at the thought that this sentence alone would lead her to start a debate on principles.

"Us ladies are getting another glass of champagne now," Nadia announced with a smile and linked arms with Emma, who had slipped out of his arm. "You can go on talking baseball. Would you like another beer, Paul?"

His father nodded, and Luke grinned at Emma. "Why don't you ask me if I want another beer?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's not in my contract. See you later."

She turned her back on him and he watched her leave, shaking his head. When was the last time a woman had treated him like that? Probably it hadn't always been the case, but all he could remember were girls who threw themselves at him, gave him everything he wanted.

"I like her," his father said and patted him on the shoulder. "Do you know what she calls you?"

"Mr. Wichtig," he murmured dryly. "That is the part you like best, don't you?"

Paul grinned at him. "You deserve a woman like her."

"A hot woman?"

"No, a woman who gives you a verbal slap to the head from time to time."

Maybe that even was the truth, but no need to get smug. "Be careful what you say, old man. I have connections."

His father laughed, but then the corners of his mouth indicated that he sobered up again. "It means a lot to me that you came tonight. You know that, don't you?"

Things were getting emotional. Luke hated emotions.

He awkwardly patted his father's back. "It's okay, Dad. Of course I came."

"And you're also okay with me getting married?"

Not the best way of putting it maybe. "It's okay. You deserve finding someone." It was the truth, but it was damn hard to bring himself to say it.

Oh damn it, did he spy tears in his father's eyes? Was that part of getting older? He needed Emma now. Emma would know how to react to his father's sappiness.

"Thanks," the man said in a choked voice. "And Nadia–"

"Is really nice. I'm sorry I was so prejudiced."

Luke would say anything to keep his father from crying. He hated tears anyway, but seeing your own father cry should be prohibited.

Paul swallowed and wiped a hand across his face. "Okay. Now let's go look for your team buddies. Wouldn't want to have you run from the room with embarrassment at your old man."

***

Nadia and Emma didn't make it to the bar. The bride-to-be was caught up in a cluster of women who wanted to congratulate her. Emma decided she didn't have to stay for that, so she had her fourth glass of champagne. She felt as if she had a designer purse in her stomach, but tonight wasn't the time to worry about money.

"You need any help distributing champagne again?" a deep voice behind her asked, and when she turned she was faced with a tall, broad-shouldered muscleman.

She gave him a genuine smile. "Dexter! Unbelievable, so I do know at least one other person at this party."

They hugged briefly, and Emma took another sip from her glass. "Sorry, tonight it's not my job to recognize famous people. Tonight my only job is to drink."

Dexter chuckled. He was wearing jeans and a white shirt, but he didn't stick out. His eyes were dark green and his face was rather handsome. Under different circumstances she might've been attracted to him. Under circumstances that didn't involve Luke existing.

"A very ambitious goal," Dexter lauded her. "But would you like to meet another bunch of famous people?" He took his beer from the barkeeper.

No, she actually wasn't interested. Emma had the feeling that people with a lot of money tended to have a larger ego than those without, and she didn't like that. But standing on her own by the bar was a little pathetic as well.

"Sure. Will I recognize them?"

He grinned and shook his head, putting a hand in her back to steer her across the room. "If you haven't been watching baseball since you arrived, you won't."

Dear God, even more athletes! Worse yet – Luke's teammates.

If she was his real girlfriend, she'd have wanted them to like her.

Oh, who was she kidding, she wanted people to like her anyway!

To be honest, she wanted everyone to envy Luke for having found such an amazing, funny, and good-looking woman.

The athletes were hard to miss. They were one giant, broad-shouldered pile of testosterone.

Baseball, Emma had come to appreciate, was not the kind of sport that featured only one type of man. Unlike football, where every single player was built like a brick house. The baseball players came in all shapes and sizes. Tall, short, bulky, sinewy. Maybe that was one of the reasons why even the women in America liked the sport so much. There was something for every taste. But Emma wouldn't share her observation with the men in question.

"Hey guys, this is Emma, she's from Germany and she has no idea who you are, so be nice to her. She won't be fawning over you."

Dexter had raised his voice just enough so every single player would hear him. Emma estimated there were about ten of them. They all grinned at her.

"Hello, Emma," they greeted her in unity some, before introducing themselves, one after another. It was impossible to memorize all the names, but a few of them sounded familiar. Maybe Luke had mentioned them to her?

"And should we know who you are?" The youngest of them asked her, frowning thoughtfully. His hair was dark blonde and he looked more like a surfer than a baseball player. "Are you an actress, by any chance?"

Emma guffawed. "No, not at all. I'm an event manager. I'm organizing this party. Or rather, I've organized it. I'm not involved in TV or cinema at all."

Jake – if that was the guy's name – furrowed his brow even harder and shook his head. "Then where could I have seen you before? Your face looks …"

Suddenly his eyes widened. "You're the woman in the pictures! The one with Carter."

Emma was proud of herself for blushing only a little at his words. "Someone's been reading too much InTouch and US Weekly."

The men grinned. "She sees right through you, Jake," Dexter said as he leaned against the table behind him. "Your feminine side is too prominent to overlook."

Jake ignored him and focused on Emma instead. His gaze was intense, even uncomfortably so. Worse than an airport scanner.

"So is that you or not?" he finally asked her again. The curiosity in his eyes was so penetrating that it was impossible to focus on anything else in his face.

The truth would come out anyway. There were three more months to go, pretending to be a couple. Better now than later.

"Yes, it's me."

Now Jake wasn't the only one with the penetrating gaze. If anyone in Germany would stare like that, someone would beat them over the head! Most likely an old lady with a walking stick.

"But you've been out with him at least seven times in a row!" another guy chimed in.

"Well." She cleared her throat, bracing herself for the reaction that was sure to come. "I am his … girlfriend after all."

The men stared at her in silence.

She felt the blood rushing to her head. She knew the men all thought her statement was absurd.

"Excuse me," a tall, brown-haired man finally spoke up. He was the oldest of the group. He had to be Ray. "Does he know that?"

Emma laughed. "Why don't you ask him?" she said and nodded to one side. "Here he comes."

***

Luke was disconcerted by the image that greeted him.

Eleven baseball players, most of them in nice shirts and suit jackets, stood clustered, and with them a single short, blond woman. They were all looking at him, not at Emma, though she would have been the better choice.

His father next to him started chuckling. "You made your bed, now lie in it, Luke."

He hadn't made his bed! It had been pushed on him.

He stopped and looked around. None of them so much as blinked. "Hey," he said slowly. "So you've already met Emma …"

His team kept staring at him, some mouths hanging wide open. Dexter grinned.

Luke sighed and his shoulders drooped as he looked at Emma. "And judging from their expressions, you've already mentioned that you are my girlfriend."

Emma's cheeks were still a little pink, and she shrugged apologetically. "Was that supposed to be a secret, Lucky?"

Lucky?

He would pay her back for that later!

If she had to come up with a pet name for him, did it have to be one that sounded like that of a dog?

But it was still better than calling him Mr. Wichtig in front of them.

Now he needed to act like a besotted idiot, a guy who wanted to settle down and have a lot of kids with this woman. He would simply imitate Wesley. Everyone bought it from him.

"No, of course it wasn't a secret," he therefore replied and put his arms around her shoulders, hoping that it looked protective. She took his hands, while he tried desperately not to think about how close to her breasts they were.

Grown-up men in love weren't obsessed with the breasts of their girlfriends.

"Then why didn't we know anything about this, Lucky?" Jake asked. His grin was totally insolent, and Luke thought that his fist in the man's face would have been the appropriate answer. "If it wasn't a secret."

Luke was a little distracted, because Emma was now leaning against his chest.

"You didn't ask," he replied with a shrug. His father, who was still standing next to him, started to cough as if he were choking on something.

"Yeah, because that is the first question that comes to anyone's mind when they look at you. Do you have a girlfriend?" Ray interjected flatly. "Because that goes so well with your character."

The other players started to laugh. "You never had a girlfriend, dude!" Dan said. He was a short, wiry infielder. "You always had …"

He stopped, and his gaze flickered to Emma, then back to Luke.

"Dumb, fake blondes with huge tits in his bed?" Emma finished his sentence for him. Luke had the feeling she was enjoying this far too much.

Dan scratched his head uncomfortably. "Well, I didn't want to …"

Emma shrugged her shoulders and looked up at Luke from under her long, thick lashes. The brown of her eyes had turned to amber again. "Don't be silly, I can read magazines like anyone else. Maybe I wouldn't have recognized any of you …" she said, pointing with her finger at them, "but I'm not blind and I know that Luke used to be a male slut."

He cringed. What the hell?!

"No offense, honey." She kissed the back of his hand, and he squeezed her hand a little harder than necessary. She was enjoying herself immensely, that much was clear now.

"Dude, the lady has balls, Luke. Wouldn't have expected you to take up with the likes of her." Ray seemed genuinely impressed. "Where did you guys meet?"

The group was so quiet that nobody would have thought they were at a party, if it hadn't been for the other guests, laughing and chatting around them, and the low strains of jazz music in the background.

"It's not really that exciting …" Luke mumbled, but he should have known that Emma wouldn't let it rest.

"What are you talking about? It's a cute enough story."

"Really?" He gritted his teeth. He didn't know what was worse: Whether she would tell the truth or make something up.

"Of course." She gave the others a cheerful smile and interlaced her fingers with his, probably so everybody would see if he tried to rein her in by crushing her hand.

"We met in Germany. I had a part-time job as a waitress, and he stepped into the busiest restaurant around, demanding a table, even though I told him several times that there was not a single seat left. I had no idea he was sort of famous …"

Sort of?

"… and then he tried to bribe me with money."

They all started laughing and Dexter nodded. "If that doesn't sound like our Lucky."

Emma joined the laughter, and Luke felt each little movement of her body in his chest … and further south.

"And what did you say?" Jake wanted to know. Luke had never known he was such a good listener.

"I took the money and told him to screw it," she said with a shrug. "Later that night, we met again in a bar, and he wanted to win back his money at the pool table …"

"Please tell me he lost."

Luke gave his father an incredulous look.

"What?" Paul asked. "I haven't heard the story either!"

Emma laughed out loud and her fingers caressed Luke's hand. He couldn't help but ask himself whether she did that consciously or automatically.

"Of course he lost! Has anyone of you ever seen him shoot pool?" The laughter increased, and so did Luke's desire to exchange a few private words with his ‘girlfriend.'

"In the end I felt bad about taking all his money, so I let him win at table soccer."

Sure, here she suddenly admitted freely that she had let him win! Luke felt a little as if his mother had shown up to tell everyone about the places he'd shown his bare butt as a small child.

It was time to take over. "And when she came to Philadelphia, she called me right the first night and wanted to see me," he picked up where she had left off, leaning his chin on top of her head. Applying a little more pressure than intended. "Because she had realized that I was the best she ever had."

Luke didn't need to look at her to know that she was rolling her eyes now. "Sure," she said dryly. "It was more or less like that."

Had her fingernails be this sharp a minute ago?

"What a sweet story."

That did it. Jake's face really wanted a fist.

"I bet the readers of InTouch would be touched."

Luke let go of one of Emma's hands to point a menacing finger at his teammate. "If one of you clowns is going to tell that to the press …"

He wanted to be seen as a man with a heart and a better taste in women, not as a sissy!

"No worries, we'll keep our traps shut," Ray promised. "We're glad you found someone at last. Right, boys?"

The men nodded their agreement.

"Ready for another beer?" Dan asked as he held up his empty glass.

More agreement, a tad more cheerful than before.

"You guys go ahead; I want to show Emma something first."

"Sure you do," Jake murmured. "Your–"

Dexter slapped him on the back of his head. "There's a lady present, so you better shut up."

Emma turned to Luke. He registered with satisfaction that she looked at least a tiny little bit scared. "But we can go to the bar with them …" she began, but he shook his head and took his hands off her shoulders. "Be right there, guys," he said in the direction of the rest of the Delphies, before taking his girlfriend by the hand and pulling her towards the exit.

Uh-oh, this wasn't good.

Emma would have preferred if they'd stayed in a room with a lot of witnesses present. Someone could have explained to the police why her head had been separated from her body.

She had only done her job, and she had done it well, she thought. He had no reason to be mad at her.

Alright, maybe she had gone too far with calling him ‘Lucky,' but that had slipped out spontaneously. She had always wanted to give her boyfriend a cheesy pet name. Who knows when she would have that opportunity again?

And as for the story of how they had met …

Wasn't it better to tell the truth, so they wouldn't have to remember yet another lie?

They had left the ballroom, and Luke kept dragging her with him, further down the hallway. At least there were security cameras, which would save her from a horrible death, or at least help solve the murder later. Though he might even have the money to bribe a judge or two.

Luke pushed her gruffly into a small alcove halfway down the corridor, and let go of her hand.

Emma's heart beat faster than usually, for three different reasons.

First because she had run so fast, second because she was a little scared of Luke, and third because the star baseball player stood so close to her that she could smell his scent. His very personal, simple, natural man scent.

"A male slut?"he ground out.

That was weird. She thought he would be more infuriated by ‘Lucky.'

"I had to be convincing! How would you have labeled yourself?"

"Ladykiller? Womanizer?"

She furrowed her brow. "Right, that would have been fitting words. Oh well, too late now."

Luke narrowed his eyes and his jaw worked. "You're supposed to play my girlfriend, not a saint who took pity on some ridiculous baseball guy!"

Emma struggled to suppress a grin.

"What's so funny about that?"

"Well," she coughed, "somehow the two go hand in hand …"

"Watch what you say, Missy. Or do you want me to come up with an even sillier pet name for you?"

"That's what people in relationships do!"

"In your world maybe."

"Honey. My world is your world now. No – it's our world!"

He pressed his lips together and took one last step towards her. "You're the most irritating person I know. And you also have the biggest mouth of all the people I know."

Emma retreated against the wall. Why was her throat so dry all at once? "It's part of my job description as a girlfriend," she said, more than a little breathless. "It's free of charge."

"Lucky me," he ground out. "I'm just glad I'm not the one who's getting married in three months!"

Emma could feel the heat of his body through her blouse. She knew she should let it go and be quiet now, but she couldn't stop herself. Goading him on was electrifying, and she never knew when to quit. She had to provoke him, just to see whether his eyes could get a shade darker still.

"Are you sure it's not jealousy on your part?" she asked breathlessly, while her gaze flickered to his lips.

"Jealousy?" he echoed in a menacing voice.

She nodded and her breath came even shallower. "Sure, given that your father is getting married a second time, while you still haven't been able of holding on to one woman."

He scowled at her and put his hands against the wall on both sides of her head.

"Will you shut up now?" he growled.

"Why don't you make me?" she whispered.

But before he could lean down, she was already standing on tiptoe. She had kissed him a few times before, but this was different.

He was angry, and maybe therefore didn't care if he might hurt her a little. There was nothing tender in his hard kiss, only passion and pent-up anger – and Emma reveled in it.

She reveled in the way he pushed her against the wall roughly, claiming her mouth as if to clarify that right now, she wasn't boss. Her skirt rode up when he pressed a knee between her legs, and her body reacted promptly. She moaned and clutched at his shirt, pushing her pelvis against him while she suckled at his lower lip.

"Holy shit, you're driving me crazy," he panted, sliding his hands first down her shoulders, then down her breasts.

Emma's breath came hitched and in little sighs, as she pulled his shirt tails out of his pants and let her fingers travel in circles over his flat stomach, lower and lower still …

He flinched and clutched her butt with his fingers. "If you go on like that, I'm going to make a big mess, so stop it!"

"Are you talking to yourself or to me?" she laughed and wrapped a leg around his hip.

He moaned and closed his eyes. "Right now I'm talking to you. I …"

A door was banged shut somewhere, and Emma's breath caught.

How could she have blocked that out, and for the second time? They were not alone in here! They were in a public building, and even in this corridor, there were cameras everywhere!

She shrank back and smoothed her skirt. "Oh, that was a mistake … that was … I don't know!"

Luke stayed where he was, grinning at her. His anger had obviously dissipated. "Hey, you were the one who made the first move!"

As if she didn't know that!

Emma smoothed her hair and squinted up at him. "Does that mean that suddenly everything I do is right?"

"Well." He raised his hands in a gesture of defense. "I'm just the little slut here. Can't be my fault, I'm simply living up to my reputation."

Emma swore under her breath and stumbled from the alcove. "You should have stopped me. Anyone could have seen us!"

He followed her, and it made her livid that he was as cool as a cucumber again.

"Have you ever tried stopping a hurricane?"

She groaned and tapped her forehead with her finger. "Thank you for the comparison. And just to be clear," she added, drawing herself up to her full height, even though the top of her head still only reached his chin, "that changes nothing about our deal. We're not going to have sex."

He frowned. "That was part of the deal? I thought it was more like a tiresome constraint, up for debate."

She gesticulated wildly with her index finger. "No. No sex. I'm not going to sleep with you!"

She struggled to get her panting under control, pushed the ends of her blouse back into her skirt, and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she felt a little more in control of the situation.

"Alright," she stated, turning back to Luke. "The others are probably wondering where we are, so I'm going to the bar now. You'll follow me in a minute or so, okay?"

He looked confused. "Why aren't we going back together?"

Emma's gaze slipped down his chest as a grin spread across her face. She finally nodded at the crotch of his pants. "You, my dear, need to pull yourself together first, before you go anywhere. See you in a bit."

She turned on her heel and marched off. It was hard to believe that in the space of a few minutes, she had lost her free will, her honor, and her self-respect. She could only hope she would quickly forget the embarrassing episode again.

Tomorrow she could start over, miming his girlfriend in a wholly platonic fashion.