Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 75553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
It was even harder to keep my cool once I was sat down with Griff in the corner of a sweet little Italian restaurant with candles flickering around me and soft, romantic music filling the air. The place was filled with couples and it was very clear this was not just any restaurant—it was a dating hotspot.
With shaky hands, I reached for the menu and balked at the prices. There was no way I could normally afford anything like this, so it was a good thing Griff was with me and that he’d promised to pay for the meal since it was my birthday and all. I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and glanced above the menu to get a glimpse of Griff. He was sat there eying the wine menu and I couldn’t help but admire how good he looked tonight.
We’d both stopped off home to change out of our office wear and I was thankful for it after seeing how posh the restaurant was. Griff was wearing a tight-fitting Armani suit and I’d worn my best dress: a glittery gold strapless number I’d bought in a sample sale years ago. Even though I’d worn my most expensive clothes, I still felt drab sat next to such a handsome man.
“Have you selected your drinks, sir?” the waiter asked as he stood next to Griff near the table.
“We’d like your best bottle of champagne,” Griff told him as he closed the menu and handed it back.
“Of course, sir, would Dom Perignon suffice?”
“Perfect, thank you.”
The waiter turned on his heel and disappeared to get our drinks. My jaw was dropped and my mouth was wide open. I couldn’t believe Griff had ordered us champagne! I’d only ever had champagne once before at a wedding. This really was going to be an exciting date. I’d had my doubts at first. After all, when Griff had told me back at the office that he wanted to take me out to celebrate my birthday like a dutiful boyfriend, I’d assumed it was just for show, but this still felt like more. Everything was way more elaborate than anything I’d expected and Griff seemed to genuinely be enjoying himself. I knew I shouldn’t have done, but a part of me began to hope—hope that this had all been worth it, that our relationship was real after all.
Breaking me out of my thoughts, Griff leaned forward and caught my eye with a small smile. I immediately flushed all over. “I have to admit, Remy, I had a bit of an ulterior motive when I invited you out tonight,” he said in a whisper.
My heart began to stutter in my chest and I smiled. “Oh, really?” I asked, trying to quell my nerves.
“Well, we have a conference call scheduled with Isaac and Kelly tomorrow,” Griff stated and my face fell. Of course, that’s what this was all about. He just wanted to talk about how we could fake our relationship a little more. Nausea swirled in my stomach and I suddenly felt awfully uncomfortable, but Griff was still talking. I couldn’t just bail.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about how we can kick things up a notch and get Kelly off of our backs for good so we can finally get things back to normal,” he explained.
I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling confused. I’d thought we’d tried everything already. What was left to do that would convince them? It’s not like we could just have sex in front of them or something. “What do you mean?” I questioned in a quiet voice, feeling a little lost.
Griff smiled in my direction before reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a small, black box and placing it on the table in front of me. I knew exactly what kind of box it was and my heart caught in my throat. There was no way he was doing what I thought he was doing, right? Yet, as I looked around at the fancy restaurant, it was useless denying it.
Griff popped the box open and inside was the most beautiful solitaire diamond ring I’d ever seen in my life. My breathing stopped and I stared down at it with wide eyes. I’d never been proposed to before and I couldn’t believe that of all people, Griffin Strong was the man proposing to me!
“During the call tomorrow, we can brag about our engagement and you can show Kelly your fancy ring then bam, job done!” he exclaimed, looking pleased with himself. “There’s no way Kelly will be able to doubt us after that! Then we’ll be free and clear and my job will be totally safe.”
I couldn’t speak. I’d been so excited when I realized Griff was proposing to me, but it wasn’t in the way I wanted at all. It was a decision made out of logic not love. It wasn’t real. It was just another show and I was sick and tired of my life being a performance. Tears filled my eyes and I gulped feeling overwhelmingly sad. Everything around me that had excited me before suddenly felt meaningless. The champagne was just part of the performance. The restaurant was for Kelly not me. None of this was real. It was all empty and it made me feel empty too.