Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

R egie pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to tune back into her assistant's monologue.

Payel rattled off another long list of action items for the week. Without missing a beat, she recrossed her legs and straightened the crease on the front of her grey linen pants. She'd paired them with a white, loose button-down shirt, over which she wore a darker grey long vest. The outfit would have looked unshapely and dowdy on anyone else, but with Payel's olive skin tone, her jet-black bob with full bangs, her startling violet eyes, and most of all, her endless amount of energy, it somehow came across as chic.

"And then, on Friday, there is the women's shelter benefit," Payel said at the end of her litany of things Regie needed to deal with.

"Oh, crap. I'd forgotten about that." Normally, she loved the busyness of her professional life. Well, maybe not the public appearances. She hadn't had to deal with this many of those before the IPO announcement. But she loved the day-to-day details, as well as planning long-term strategies for Lofn Wellness.

It also distracted her from not having a personal life. She much preferred a fulfilled professional career to having a ton of friends, anyway. The people she worked with were the best in the business, and they made challenges fun to take on and the resulting victories fun to celebrate.

But today, she felt so tired.

Maybe it had to do with the ongoing stress of knowing that someone out there wanted her dead. Or, actually, maybe someone in the company. She refused to think that a colleague would be this cruel, though.

She couldn't wrap her mind around the betrayal of one of her employees hating her so much that they wanted to kill her.

Or maybe the fact that sleeping in an apartment under surveillance turned out to be impossible. Even though she knew the camera didn't watch her bedroom, she had turned and tossed all night.

Or maybe the man—the very hot man—sleeping in her guest bedroom made it impossible to get any rest.

Either way, she was exhausted.

And she felt guilty for not telling her assistant about the email threats. Normally, they shared everything that had to do with the business.

The creepy messages had been sent to an address that went directly to Regie without going through her assistant's account. And now Heimdall Shields—and her grandfather—had ordered her not to show them to anyone.

Of course, she didn't suspect Payel. They'd worked together for years, and she trusted the younger woman implicitly.

"Do you want me to cancel?" Payel frowned, an unusual expression on her face. She was one of the most positive and perky people Regie had met.

"I would love it if I didn't have to go." Regie smiled at the assistant. "But grandfather insists we make an appearance. The board thinks favorable media coverage will be good for the IPO." She widened her smile, but it took some effort. "Plus, the benefit raises money for a good cause."

Payel put down the stylus by which she had been writing on her tablet. "Yes, but if you're tired or not feeling well, you can send them a check without spending the whole evening listening to speeches."

Regie nodded. "I could. But I'm also going publicly to announce that I am...engaged." The word felt foreign in her mouth, even wrong. Not because she didn't discuss personal things with her assistant. They often shared what went on in their lives outside of the office. Well, they discussed Payel's personal stuff. Regie usually didn't have much to contribute during those talks. Until now.

"What?" Payel straightened so quickly that the tablet and stylus slid to the ground. "Since when? And to whom?" She looked pointedly at Regie's left ring finger.

She felt horrible for lying to the one person who was probably closest to a personal friend. "Ah yes, the ring is getting resized." Mr. Varg had taken her measurements the night before and promised to have a ring for her today. Maybe she should have waited to tell anyone until after the jewelry adorned her finger. But then it would have been weird that she and Payel discussed the benefit just now, and Regie didn't say anything about introducing her new relationship.

"Why haven't you said anything? I didn't even know you were dating anyone." A bit of hurt crept into Payel's voice.

"I haven't actually known him very long, and the proposal came as a bit of a surprise." She hated that things had gotten complicated. Regie usually made confident, quick decisions. This whole stalker and fake fiancé situation had her second-guessing herself continuously. She didn't like it.

Payel's voice softened. "But when he asked, it felt right?" Her eyes sparkled.

Regie had memorized the narrative that Heimdall Shield had prepared. "He's been working overseas for a long time. I met him during a trip last year, but we kept our long-distance relationship a secret. I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you, but I didn't want to jinx it. And his job is somewhat sensitive. He can't really talk about it."

Payel sighed. "That sounds so romantic. And forget about not telling me. I understand. Long-distance relationships are hard to make work during any circumstances. When both partners have demanding jobs, it's even harder."

Regina nodded, grateful for her assistant's understanding, but also feeling guilty for lying to her. "He's going to be stateside now, so he proposed." She might have said all the backstory a little too quickly, and maybe it sounded a little rehearsed. Her assistant didn't seem to notice, though.

Payel stood and paced the office. "This is so exciting. We need a press release. We need an engagement party." She suddenly swiveled around and faced Regie, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "What about your dress for the benefit? What are you wearing? You're going to be photographed like crazy once this hits the media." She squatted and retrieved her tablet and stylus from the floor. "Never mind, I'll get your favorite designers to send things over and get you an appointment for makeup and a blowout."

"No, no." Regie shook her head. "I don't have time for all of that."

Payel distractedly waved the hand that held the stylus in the air. "Of course you do. I will find a way to make time in your schedule. This is huge."She looked up, a big grin on her face. "I will make sure you look and feel your absolute best when you introduce your new fiancé to the world."

Before Regie could protest further, someone knocked on the door. Payel quickly walked across the room and swung it open. "Can I help you?" she said to the person on the other side, her head tilted back.

Bolt Varg leaned around the door, meeting Regie's gaze. "Is this a good time to chat?"

Payel looked down at her tablet and frowned. She tapped it several times. "Did you have an appointment? I don't have anything on the schedule."

Regie stood. "This is Mr. Varg, my...fiancé," she told Payel. Dang, she still couldn't say it without stumbling over the word.She needed to practice this more.

Her assistant tilted her head back again to gaze up at Mr. Varg. A big smile adorned her face. "I'm so happy to meet you." She put the tablet under her arm, grabbed his right hand in both of hers, and pumped it up and down. "I'm Payel. I'm Ms. Lansford's assistant. I mean, I'm Regie's assistant."

Regie had never seen her assistant smile that big before. It bothered her a little that another woman reacted so strongly to her fiancé.

Wait, her fake fiancé.

She had to remember the importance of the fake part.

Especially when the man in question focused his intense gaze on her and she could feel the heat of it down to her toes.

Oh, boy! There were a lot of things she needed to practice. Number one would be how not to get turned on by her fiancé.

Dang it.

Her fake fiancée.

Payel kept pumping Mr. Varg's hand vigorously.

"I'm Bolt," he said while gently liberating his hand. "It's so great to meet you. Regie speaks highly of you."

She hadn't even mentioned her assistant to Mr. Varg, but Payel blushed so happily and threw Regie a grateful look that made her glad he'd uttered the white lie. "Well, she has nothing on her schedule, so you'll have plenty of time to chat." Payel winked at Regie and then turned back to Mr. Varg. "Oh, you should take her to lunch. She never takes the time to eat a proper midday meal."

He smiled down at Payel. "I crossed my fingers for her having the time to grab a bite."

"She doesn't have anything scheduled for the next two hours, so she's all yours." Her assistant threw one last wink at Regie before sashaying out the door, closing it behind her.

"She's very enthusiastic," Mr. Varg...Bolt said as he walked across the room and claimed the chair Payel had just vacated.She had to get her mind to refer to him by first name, or she'd never get her mouth to do so. She'd get some strange looks when she called her fiancé, mister. Fake fiancé. Why couldn't she remember that very important detail?

Regie sat back down in her chair."She is. But she also has razor-sharp intelligence and is super-efficient. I couldn't ask for a better PA." She felt strangely defensive and protective of Payel, as if he'd accused her assistant of being the stalker. "You don't think she could be...."

He raised his hands, palms facing her. "No, she's not under suspicion. We investigated those working closest to you first, and your assistant did not raise any red flags."

"Who is raising flags?" She could hear the anxiousness in her voice.

"Nobody at the moment, but we've only been working this case for twenty-four hours. Deep-diving into people's emails, financial records, social media, and their personal lives takes time."

Regie sighed. "I know. I just want this to be over with so my life can get back to normal." And her anxiety could reach lower levels, so she didn't have to work so hard to suppress the swirling blackness inside her.

"Well, maybe some bling will cheer you up." He took a small robin's egg blue box out of his pocket and slid it across the desk.

She opened it and couldn't help but gasp when she saw the large radiant-cut diamond encased in a platinum setting. Three smaller princess-cut diamonds flanked each side. "I can't wear this," she whispered.

He frowned. "Why not?"

"It's too expensive."She knew she sounded ridiculous, but she'd made a habit of not spending money on frivolous things. Every penny she made went into raising the profits of the company.

He stared at her for a beat and then shook his head. "You're actually serious." He leaned back, resting one boot-clad foot on the opposite knee. "You're the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. When you get engaged, people will expect a big, expensive rock on your ring finger.

Regie blushed. Her wealth came with great perks, like the apartment with a twenty-four-seven concierge and a killer view, but increasing her fortune had never been for her. At least not to spend on herself. She had to make up for her father's folly and honor and award her employee's hard work. The generous bonuses she paid them had her people working hard and staying with her for years. "I'm not used to wearing such ostentatious jewelry."

Bolt frowned. "If you don't like it, we can get you something else." He reached for the box. "Your dossier said you liked platinum."

Regie snatched the gorgeous ring away from his hand. "I do. I love the ring. I just..." She didn't know how to explain. "I just don't know how to handle a fake engagement."

"Maybe that's something we can learn together, Regina." His smile was gentle. "I'm new at this game too."

That word bothered her.

She didn't know how to play games.

She never had.

In her business life and in her limited personal life, she tried to be as honest and straightforward as possible. That made things so much easier because she didn't have to keep track of lies or half-truths. Somehow, knowing fake engagements weren't standard procedure for him made her feel better, though. "Well, the first thing you should know is that everyone who works with me, and my friends, call me Regie."

He frowned. "Your background file says I should call you Regina."

"That's probably because my grandfather helped prepare that file, but he's the only one who calls me my actual name. As a little girl, I told him I hated nicknames, so he's always called me by my proper name." She slid the ring onto her finger and held it out in front of her, letting it sparkle in the sunrays shining through the window. "He does have good taste in jewelry, though."The ring looked like made to rest on her finger. She never wanted to take it off, which would eventually be a problem, but for once, she decided to worry about that later.

"Um," Bolt cleared his throat. "The file only said you liked platinum. I picked out the design."

"Oh." She didn't know what to say. He'd picked the perfect ring, something she would have chosen for herself. The silence stretched between them.

"And do you still hate nicknames?" Bolt finally asked, a glint of mischievousness in his eye. "Because I think we need terms of endearment for each other. Isn't that what couples do?"

She hesitated, not knowing what to do with this new playful side of him. "I think ‘Regie' will be just fine." No need to tell him that she didn't have much experience being in a couple. She'd had boyfriends before, but usually, the relationships fizzled out after a few months. Either because the man thought she worked too much or wouldn't get emotionally close. Both of those things were usually true from their perspective. But she'd always discussed with them upfront how much she worked and how much she could afford to share. Why men always thought she'd change once they were in a relationship baffled her.

He shook his head. "No, if that's what everyone else calls you, I'm going to call you ‘Babe.'"

She groaned. "That sounds way too condescending and objectified. Pick another one."

"Nope. Since I'm not intellectually your equal, that's the best I can do." He grinned at her.

"I knew Grandfather's words would come back and bite me."

Bolt laughed again, the sound starting as a deep rumble in his chest before cascading out and filling the room. The sound made her happy, and she couldn't help but join in.

That caused a major danger alert in her mind.

This man, this fake fiancé, had her emotions going up and down like on a rollercoaster.

She didn't like rollercoasters.

Especially not one with hills and valleys as steep as this one.

Regie felt unprepared to spend more time with him. At least not right now. She needed some more time to distract herself with work before she had to spend another night under the same roof as him. "Although Payel said I had time for lunch, I actually don't. I have so much email and other stuff to catch up on."

Bolt's raised eyebrow showed he noticed her stalling tactics. "Unfortunately, you don't have a choice this time. Think of our meal as part of building our cover story."

"What do you mean?" Surely, she didn't have to eat lunch with the man every day for people to believe they were a couple. She definitely didn't have time for that .

"We're having lunch with two other people from Heimdall Shield. The story is that they are our friends in common who introduced us."

Great. Now she had fake friends as well as her fake fiancé.

This drama turned more complicated by the hour, and Regie had never been any good at acting.