Chapter Seven: Play Pretend

I stare at her for a long time, waiting for the punchline to her joke, but it never came. She just stares back, defiant and fierce.

"Come now, is it really that awful to consider?" She jests, chuckling.

Opening my door wider, I order her to follow me. She does so, and I contemplate as I walk, angry that I had gotten myself into this mess. Aerie can kiss my arse, the cocky fuck. I whirl around when I reach the kitchen, intent on telling her how insane it was to ask me to play pretend, but I turn and bump into her. She's all curves and softness. Her eyes look amused when I flush from the proximity, and she steps even closer, her eyes continuing to glimmer with mischief.

"Be my girlfriend," she says, brushing my hair back, "I need a date for a get-together tomorrow, and you'll be perfect."

I reel backwards out of her grasp, confused. I've never met anyone like her. So forward, certain and bold. Her behaviour enrages me, but then excites me.

"I am sorry about today," I tell her, putting distance between us, "but we're chalk and cheese. There's no way anyone would believe us, and what about Amara?"

Aerie smiles a genuine smile.

"Amara would be relieved," she retorts, settling down in a chair, "As for believability, the chemistry is there."

I scoff, taken aback by her brazen claim.

"The sex is there," I tell her firmly, "You're attractive, I give you that, but you're just a cocky fuck with a talented tongue."

There's a tightness to her mouth as she listens to me, but she hides it well. Instead of answering she stands up fluidly, moving to me in what I can only describe as a sultry yet predatory gait. I can't move under her gaze, too focused on the sway of her hips and the crop top that displayed her smooth skin. I itched to touch her but stay my hand, not wanting to betray my pride.

"Five grand," she states flatly when she reaches me, "I'll throw in a bonus too if you wish."

My eyes narrow on her, alarmed with this twist. I have never been offered money for pretending to be something I'm not before, and quite frankly, I was offended. It felt like being likened to a whore of sorts, and looking into her eyes, she knew it. But she also knew five grand would do a lot for me.

"Five grand to pretend to be your girlfriend?" I ask, arms folded.

Aerie smiles wider.

"Or an extra five grand to pretend to be my fiancé," she fires at me.

My senses jolt in alarm. Ten grand? That was serious money to me. I could make the house livable. Put into savings. Send a nice chunk of it back home, or buy nice things for Christmas presents.

She leans forward, extremely amused by my silence.

"Another five grand to wear the ring that's currently in my pocket," she adds, patting her pocket with glee.

She was really enjoying seeing my inner turmoil. Fifteen grand to pretend to like her, maybe have mind-blowing sex and wear a ring? How much disposable income did Aerie have? Contemplating, I stare back at her grinning face, half wanting to slap the grin off and half wanting to punch it off.

She digs into her pocket, revealing a very posh little black box. I glare at her, because of course she wouldn't know my ring size, and it was probably going to be an ugly, huge blob of a ring anyway. I watch as she opens it, and nearly swallow my fucking tongue. It's oval shaped and catching the light, glittering like it's from a film set or from an advert. The silver gleams fresh and proud, small diamonds in the band. Aerie swallows hard, looking worried over my silence.

"It cost fifty-three grand," she says awkwardly, seeming to lose her earlier amusement, "It's a two carot diamond, platinum. Tiffany's."

I choke on my own spit, stunned and speechless. Never in my life have I ever thought this was how my 'first' engagement would be. A fifty-three grand ring from my fuck buddy.

"Fifteen grand, wearing a ring worth more than anything I own, and what? What will Amara say?" I say quietly, feeling myself weaken by the second by my greed for money and sparkly things.

"Amara will be fine," she says, "And I'll never force you. I won't even touch you if that's what you want. Just pretend a while, convince people in my life, and then we can end the fake engagement as a 'lapse in judgement'. It happens."

I bristle, staring at the ring again.

"Write a contract or...something," I breathed, feeling my chest hammer at what I was about to do, "I'll agree, but only if I can keep the ring at the end, and any emotional damage will be compensated for with the payment of fifty grand for Amara's shop."

Aerie nods seriously, writing on the back of an envelope, and I take a picture with my phone just in case. I eye her warily.

"On my terms," I reiterated, cautious, "And no sex."

Aerie paused, before writing the extra clause, and I take that picture too, feeling jittery.

We go back and forth a few times to ease my feelings on the matter, and when we were done, Aerie sighs and stretches. Slowly, she takes the ring out the box, and slides it down my finger when I nod. Surprisingly it fits perfectly, and it glitters and gleams like it's enchanted. I stare at it, and then feel the shame wash over me.

"Turns out money can buy everything," I mutter bitterly, looking up at Aerie, "To think I'd bend to the will of a stranger to have money in my bank account. I'm disgusting."

Aerie flinched, before grasping my hands in hers, a set look on her face.

"You can pull out anytime," she tells me firmly.

I nod, knowing that. I had required it in the contract. However, it didn't stop me feeling cheap and horrible. The ring glimmers at me like a curse, shining bright. Was it worth the money and ring to quell my pride?