2. Chapter 2

This was a huge mistake. What was I thinking? Not only did I lie to him about this costume party, but he was my personal assistant and someone I was highly attracted to but shouldn't be. Greyson was intelligent, quick-witted, and a hard worker. He could get a little flighty sometimes when he felt threatened, but he always managed to hold it together. Even worse, I had used his inability to say no against him. I was such a piece of shit, but it was too late to back out now. There was no other direction to go but forward, and hopefully, he'd agree to what I wanted to propose because this wasn't exactly appropriate for the workplace.

There were plenty of men to ask, or I could've called a service that specializes in such things, but I wanted Greyson. I was attracted to the younger man… Younger? He was fourteen years younger, at only twenty-six. Shit, what the hell was I thinking? Nothing would ever come of it because I was the boss, and for now, he was the tool I needed to get through this evening.

I hated any sort of function, but in my position in a rapidly growing company, I needed to make an appearance now and then—to put a face to the brand and give a positive look to yet another corporation that the general public was growing wary of, losing trust in the wealthy.

I didn't blame them one bit, coming from a modest upbringing. It was also why I did a lot of charity work. Not to get a tax break but to really do something good with my time and money.

I looked over at him again, ready to bear my truth. His dark brown hair, which was usually combed neatly away from his face, sat under the black bowler hat I provided him with the rest of his costume. The thick mustache sat squarely over his full lips, and right now, his chocolate-brown eyes were wide behind his thick glasses and filled with uncertainty as his hands fidgeted on his lap. You could practically see the word ‘ no ' floating in his brain, but he was too professional to say that without first considering everything.

"What do you mean?" he finally asked.

Here it goes .

"My grandfather is… wealthy and a big investor in Nomadology to help get it off the ground. He has always supported me and my endeavors, and I choose to do it on my own… for the most part. I just needed some financial backing to get started. But there was a stipulation, which he had me sign in the form of a contract."

I opened the minibar in the back and poured myself a whiskey neat. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Uhm, perhaps I should."

"Perhaps."

His chuckle was nervous and uncertain. "Well, that's ominous."

I ignored his comment. The truth would be out soon enough. "What would you like?"

"Do you have any wine in there?"

"I have a cabernet or a sauvignon."

"A cabernet would be perfect."

I poured him a glass of the earthy red wine and handed it to him. He took a long sip, not looking at me. "So… stipulations?"

I took another sip of my whiskey, feeling the burn as it went down. "Yes, he wanted me to find a husband and to create a family to carry on the Hayes' legacy, whatever that means. Regardless, I agreed. Now, I'm biding my time until I have to fulfill that agreement, but he's getting impatient. I plan to fulfill it, but I just… haven't found the right person yet. It's not easy when your life is married to time itself."

I took another sip to keep the nervousness at bay. My outward demeanor should always indicate that I was under complete control and full of confidence.

"Mr. Hayes… I'm sorry you're being forced into some archaic arranged marriage agreement, but what does this have to do with me?"

I waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, you know… it's an old story and one you've heard countless times, I'm sure."

He swallowed, and I watched his Adam's apple bob, which also made me swallow. His dark brown eyes were so earnest and filled with worry. "Ah… I get it. You want me to be your cover?"

"I knew you were smart. Yes. Grandfather has been pushing me to date Matthew Preston, owner of—"

"Preston Logistics," he finished for me with wide eyes.

"I'm impressed."

"Who doesn't know him? His trucks are all over the highway."

"Yes, well, Grandfather believes we would make an ideal match since Matthew is also gay, and on paper, we would be perfect. In reality, not so much. He's a pompous ass. Okay, so I'm no Prince Charming, but really, he's a jerk. I want nothing to do with him, but Grandfather is… persistent. And Matthew will be there tonight at the Halloween party. No doubt my grandfather's doing. In fact, he'd called me last week to tell me to ‘ make an effort with Matthew while at this party .'"

Greyson finished his wine in two more gulps with shaking hands, but he did his best to hide it. I topped off his glass to help calm his nerves. "I see. So, I need to be your date for the night."

"No, not my date. My boyfriend."

His eyes bugged out of his head, and his jaw dropped. "Uh, okay. So… there's a lot to unpack here."

"No unpacking. It's only for one night, Mr. Everett… Greyson."

"I'm sorry, but this is where I have to say no. I don't have many boundaries, but when I do, they're pretty thick lines. While I appreciate your situation, you should be honest with your grandfather and… I'm just your assistant. This is beyond my job requirements."

Now, he learned the word no. But he wasn't wrong. It was highly inappropriate. "I had a date set up for this, but they had to cancel, as I said. You were my next choice for last-minute arrangements. You're very handsome, and you would make a good choice for me should someone ask. Although you're not wealthy, that was never part of the deal, so Grandfather can get over it. Not that we're really together."

When he tossed back the entire glass of wine, I took it from his hand and put it aside. "Look, I realize this is highly irregular, but I need you, and I'm willing to pay you a hefty bonus for your help."

"You… think I'm handsome?"

I held back my laugh and gave him a solemn nod. I loved how that was his first concern over the money. It said a lot about the young man. "Very much so."

"God, I think you're handsome, too."

My face started to burn as I looked away from him. People have given me a lot of compliments over the years, but this was the first time it felt real. That he meant what he said, and it wasn't out of any sense of placating me or kissing my ass. His words felt genuine.

Or he was a lightweight who couldn't handle his wine, which was more likely.

"Thank you. Now focus. How does a two-thousand-dollar bonus sound?"

His jaw dropped. "Are you serious?" Then he snapped his mouth shut. "Look, I'm here now, but I wish you'd been more honest with me and less ‘ I'm Boss, and you do as I say. '"

I suppose the voice he was trying to emulate was mine. Yep, the wine was getting to him because he was usually more professional than this. Still, I held back my smile. He really was a delight, on top of his other qualities. His personality was refreshing. Real. None of that pretentious shit.

"Fair enough," I said. "But you'll still get the bonus."

He sat back in the seat and stared out the window. We were almost there despite the heavy traffic. "How did we meet?" he asked.

"Hmm, how about at my favorite coffee shop? You spilled coffee on me and tried to clean my shirt with napkins."

He waved a dismissive hand at me. "Ugh. Please. That trope has been done to death."

I huffed a laugh. Seriously, I was going to give him wine more often. "And what would you suggest?"

"Let's keep it relatively realistic and almost the truth since it will be easier to remember the lie."

"Good at lying, are we?"

He smirked and leaned closer to me. "Did you just make a joke?"

"I never joke." Which was also a lie.

"Anyway! Let's say I applied to Nomadology, and you found me so hot and irresistible that I swept you off your feet, and you refused to hire me so you could date me."

For the first time since I could remember, I barked out a laugh and enjoyed watching his cheeks tinge pink in the dim light.

"What? It could happen."

"It could, indeed. But… let's tone down the ‘sweeping me off my feet' part. I don't get swept away easily."

"Deal. How long have we been dating?"

"Two months, which is as long as you've been working for me to help keep it mostly the truth."

"Good call."

"Plus, the last time I saw Matthew was three months ago, and he knew I wasn't seeing anyone at the time."

After we worked out the rest of the details and told each other some personal information, we were ready, or so I hoped. Matthew wasn't one who backed away easily, especially when Grandfather meddled. Hopefully, our ruse would be enough to deter him, which would get Grandfather off my back for a while.

Honestly, I wouldn't have minded dating Matthew if he hadn't been such an arrogant dick. All my grandfather saw was a monetarily perfect match. He had never been big on love and romance. At least he never gave a shit about my sexuality and helped start up my business, so I couldn't be too upset with him, the pushy bastard.

"This will be fun," I told myself quietly. God, when was the last time I had fun? I'd been building this business from the ground up for six years now without much of a personal life. No wonder Grandfather was so pushy. I'd never find anyone at this rate.