Faking Ms. Right: A Hot Romantic Comedy (Dirty Martini Running Club Book 1)
Faking Ms. Right: Chapter 5

Straightening the sleeves of my tux, I walked over to the bar at the Four Seasons Hotel. Soft music played in the background and a handful of other people conversed nearby. Tonight’s event was in the ballroom, but I wasn’t ready to make an appearance yet. I was here alone—dateless for once—and I wanted to take my time.

Truth be told, I didn’t want to be here at all. I wasn’t a fan of these events. Giving to charity was fine, but I could do that by having my assistant send a check. These things were for networking. Rubbing elbows. Showing off.

I didn’t need to show off. But I was here anyway. The Seattle Philanthropic Society was presenting my father with an award, and he’d hounded me into being here to see it. Somehow my brother, Ethan, had managed to get out of attending, which meant I really couldn’t leave.

I took a seat at the bar and caught the bartender’s eye. Ordered a Manhattan.

Being here alone was pleasant. No fussy date to attend to. I could arrive late—which I had—and leave early—which I planned to. And I didn’t have to listen to my date’s endless stream of chatter.

I was going to stretch out this period of singlehood. No women for a good, long while. Maybe I’d take that vacation my brother was always bugging me about. Go alone, to a city where no one knew me. Spend my time any way I wanted, my only obligations to myself. It was tempting enough that I almost had myself convinced I’d do it.

But I probably wouldn’t. Time away from the office wasn’t relaxing for me. There were always too many things happening, and I didn’t trust anyone else to run my company.

I didn’t trust many people, to be honest. Not with anything.

Trusting others got you into trouble. People always had ulterior motives. My money and influence made me a target. It was tough, sometimes, feeling like I had to go it alone. But I didn’t see any alternatives.

My mother had taught me that. Hammered the lesson into my head more times than I could count. Then she’d demonstrated it by having an affair and leaving my dad. He’d trusted her, and look where it had gotten him. My mother was wealthy in her own right, but she’d still taken my father for as much as she could, even though it had been her infidelity that had ended their marriage. She was a lawyer, through and through. My dad’s trust in her had almost been his downfall.

But despite trusting too easily, my dad was a survivor—smart as hell, and persistent. He’d bounced back just fine.

“Well, hello.”

That sultry voice with its slight accent made my back clench. What was Svetlana doing here? Hadn’t I sent her on vacation somewhere?

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Getting a drink.” She leaned against the bar, looking like she ought to have a cigarette perched between her fingers, waiting for me to offer her a light, like some starlet from the forties. “Maui was lovely. It’s too bad you didn’t join me.”

I supposed it had been several weeks since I’d last seen her. “I’m glad you enjoyed your trip.”

“It was very generous of you. I never did get to thank you properly.”

“No thanks necessary. That was the point.”

The bartender came over and she ordered a cosmopolitan. She glanced at me, but I didn’t offer to pay.

Why was she here? She’d left me two messages shortly after I broke things off with her, but I hadn’t returned her calls. It seemed she’d been happy to spend my money in Hawaii. She was certainly tan.

I’d made it clear we were over. What did she want?

“All alone tonight?” she asked.

“No, my date is running late.”

Obviously I didn’t have a date. But I wanted her to think I did. Solidify the fact that our brief encounter was finished. I’d moved on.

The bartender brought her cocktail. She held it with her fingertips. “I see. Well, have a nice evening, Shepherd.”

“You too.”

She walked away and I took another sip of my drink. Svetlana was probably here to case the bar—either looking to ‘accidentally’ run into me, or simply to meet some other rich asshole who’d fall for her act. This was the place for it, especially tonight.

Finishing my drink, I put her out of my mind.

The ballroom was busy, a low hum of voices hanging in the air. Men in tuxes and women in evening gowns wandered around or congregated in small groups. Others sat at tables set with white linens. Waiters walked through the cavernous room with trays of hors d’oeuvres and glasses of champagne.

I spotted my father a short distance away. He was dressed in a black tux with a silver tie, his graying hair neatly cut. My father looked like a shark, but he had all the bite of a puppy.

“There he is,” Dad said, walking toward me with his arms outstretched.

I endured his hug, patting him on the back. “Hi, Dad.”

“It’s a shame your brother couldn’t be here,” he said. “But thanks for coming.”

“No problem. Do you have a speech planned?”

He waved his hand, like it didn’t matter. “Oh, I’ll think of something suitable to say. I’d written one but… well, I have a different perspective on things lately.”

“You look good. Tan. Have you been on vacation?”

“I was.” His face fell, and for a moment, he looked serious. He cleared his throat, and then his smile was back. “I needed to get away and clear my head. But we can talk about that later. Right now, I have someone I’d like you to meet.”

The sparkle in his eye said it all. Dad had a new girlfriend. Or fling. It was hard to say. Unfortunately, he wasn’t any better than I was at choosing the right woman—my mother being a prime example. Since their divorce when I was a teenager, he’d been with a number of different women. They’d ranged in age and ethnicity— I had to give it to him; at least he’d been trying different things.

I knew exactly what his problem was. He was too goddamn nice. Wealthy businessmen had a reputation for being cold and unfeeling. Hell, the term businesslike had been coined for a reason. But my dad was a fucking teddy bear. He was a brilliant businessman, but he always saw the best in people—especially beautiful women. It made him an easy target.

“That’s great, Dad.”

“What about you?” he asked. “Where’s your date? I was hoping I’d get to meet this one.”

I opened my mouth to tell him that I hadn’t brought a date, but nothing came out. My throat felt like there was a hand wrapped around my windpipe, making speech impossible.

Svetlana approached, dressed in a long gold gown with a slit that went almost as high as her fucking belly button. I hadn’t even noticed her dress when I’d seen her in the bar, but she sauntered toward us, using every inch of her attire to its best advantage. Her thick hair was down in waves around her bare shoulders, and her sparkling gold heels made her almost as tall as me.

But it wasn’t her dress, the amount of thigh showing, nor the look of evil cunning in her eyes that rendered me speechless. It was the way my dad slipped an arm around her waist and drew her against him that cut off my air supply.

“Shepherd, this is Svetlana Genov,” he said, his dimples puckering with his wide smile.

Oh my god, she had to be fucking kidding me.

Svetlana smiled, tilting her head slightly, like she was being shy, and held out her hand. “So nice to meet you, Shepherd. Your father has told me so much about you, it feels like I know you already.”

Fuck. Dad had no idea I’d been dating her. It’s not like I’d introduced her to my family. I’d probably never even mentioned her name.

How had she met him? And was she going to pretend we didn’t know each other? Why the fuck did she think I’d go along with that?

But one look at my dad’s face, and I knew I couldn’t out her. Not here, in front of an audience. When it was supposed to be his night. That soft heart my dad carried in his chest was going to be crushed. I needed to get through the evening, then see my dad privately.

I took Svetlana’s hand for as brief a handshake as I could manage. “How did you two meet?”

“Hawaii,” he said. “We were staying at the same resort. She offered to buy me a drink, and then we had a good laugh because we were at an all-inclusive.”

“Really?” I asked. Motherfucker. “Dad, I had no idea you’d gone to Hawaii recently.”

“Like I said, I needed some time to figure things out.” He pulled Svetlana tighter against him. “Obviously it was time well spent.”

Svetlana batted her eyelashes and nuzzled against his arm.

I swallowed back the taste of vomit. “That’s great, Dad.”

“So tell me, son, where’s your date? I’d love to meet her.”

Svetlana’s lips parted over her white teeth in a wicked grin. “Yes, Shepherd, where is she? I’d love to meet her as well.”

I narrowed my eyes. Fuck her. She wanted to play this game? She had no idea who she was dealing with. I was going to bury her.

“She’s just running a little late.” I pulled out my phone. “In fact, I should give her a call to see if she’s on her way.”

“Good,” Dad said. “Come replace us when she gets here.”

“I will.” I gave Svetlana a cold smile before turning to walk away.

I kept my pace unhurried until I was out of their line of sight. Then I rushed my ass into a stairwell and started flicking through my contacts. Now I needed a goddamn date. But who could I get down here on a moment’s notice?

I scrolled through the names, ignoring my business contacts—which were most of them. I wasn’t exactly on friendly terms with any of my exes. The women I dated typically hated me when our brief relationships were over. Somehow they always blamed me for not being what they were looking for—a wealthy man who’d spoil them—and were mortally offended when I had the audacity to dump them.

I scrolled back up, in reverse alphabetical order. I was not letting Svetlana win this round. If I had to call a fucking escort service, I was going to have a beautiful woman on my arm in the next half hour.

A name stared at me from my screen. I’d already scrolled by it twice, not even considering her as an option. But there it was. Everly Dalton, my personal assistant.

She was hands down the best assistant I’d ever had. The fact that she’d worked for me for so long was proof of that. My assistants always quit. Male or female, they always wanted a bunch of goddamn hand-holding and pats on the head. I didn’t need a pet who was constantly seeking my approval. I needed an assistant who could do the job I’d hired them to do.

That was exactly what Everly did.

At first, I’d thought she’d be just like the others. She didn’t come across as a woman with a solid backbone. She was too cute—smiled too much. But she was tough as nails. Smart, efficient, productive. She was great at her job and I paid her well for it. Very well, in fact. In three years, I’d raised her salary four times.

But standing in as my date? I scowled at my phone. Everly wasn’t that sort of girl. She was nice to look at, certainly. I didn’t choose my assistants based on their attractiveness, but if I did, Everly would’ve passed with flying colors. Pretty face, long blond hair. I could almost picture her in an evening gown, but that was a stretch. She was not the sort of woman I dated—not anything like them. Could she pull it off and fool my dad?

Plus, Svetlana had met her. She’d know I was lying.

Or would she? When Svetlana had come to my office, she’d eyed Everly with open jealousy. As if she’d been sure I was fucking my pretty assistant on the side. I wasn’t—I never dipped my pen in company ink. But Everly here as my date would dig at Svetlana in a way no other woman could.

That clinched it. I tapped Everly’s number and hit call.

“Um, hello?” she said. “Mr. Calloway?”

“I need you at the Four Seasons Ballroom,” I said.

“Wait, what?”

“Four Seasons.”

“I know where you are, I just don’t understand why you need me to come down there. It’s nine o’clock at night. What’s wrong?”

I glanced at my watch. I needed her here, now. “Text me your address and I’ll send a car to pick you up.”

“Wait, Mr. Calloway, I don’t understand.”

“Just get down here,” I said. “I’ll pay you for your time.”

“Well, okay, but I’m confused.”

I let out a frustrated breath. She never wasted my time like this. “Everly, listen to me. Address. Car. Four Seasons.”

“I… you just… um… okay?”

“And dress sexy. Text me when you get here.”

I hung up so I could text my driver, letting him know he needed to go pick her up, and I’d forward the address as soon as I had it. A few seconds later, Everly’s text with her home address came through.

Good girl.

I pocketed my phone. Judging by her address, she lived about fifteen minutes away. That meant half an hour before she’d arrive. I’d have to avoid my dad and Svetlana while I waited, but that shouldn’t be an issue. This place was crawling with people who wanted a piece of me. I usually kept to myself, so all it would take would be to show a bit of interest in a conversation, and I’d have no shortage of people to keep me occupied and unavailable.

Now, I just had to wait for Everly.