My Smoking Hot Ex Boss

L E N A

I don't know how the hell I let you talk me into this," I said into my cell phone to my best friend, Callie.

"You didn't exactly need much persuasion when you heard that one week's work would bag you a hundred thou‐ sand dollars," Callie reminded me. "And it's barely evenwork."

"I know, but when I agreed to it, it was just an idea. Now it's real and I actually have to go through with it," I said.

"Ok, Lena, breathe," Callie said. "Remember what I said?

All the guy wants is a pretend fiancé in public so his family stay off his back and his old grandmother thinks he's found the one and can die happy.

That's it.

He's not the sort of person who needs to pay for sex. Honest, he's smoking hot, just your type. You're basically going to have a nice week in a nice hotel with good food and decent people. And you get paid for it."

"You're starting to sound like you regret offering me the job," I said with a soft laugh.

"Girl I would take your hand off for this one, but you would never handle the other client. He's ... messier shall we say," Callie said. "Now I have to go. Remember, you're just playing a part like an actress."

Callie ended the call before I could say anything else. I knew she was right, but I was still so nervous. I blamed the wine we drank the other night, three bottles of the stuff between the two of us, for me saying yes to this.

I was always the straight-laced girl that played by the rules. I wasn't the sort of girl who dated for money.

But Callie made being an escort sound pretty glamorous and if this deal was half as sweet as she had led me to believe it would be then I was all good. For years I had craved being able to drop the miss perfect persona and just be me. Maybe this was my chance to make it happen. I checked my watch. Five minutes until we were due to meet. This moment was my last chance to back out of this if that's what I was going to do. But I wasn't going anywhere, and I knew it. One week, one hundred thousand dollars, no strings, and no sex stuff? I would have to be mad not to do it.

And there was no law to say I had to use the word escort, right?

"Miss Rogers?" a deep male voice said from behind me.

I took a deep, calming breath and turned around and forced myself to smile despite my disappointment. The man behind me must have been almost sixty and although he looked clean and well groomed, he was nothing like my type at all.

And then I could see why this guy was paying for company. Not, as Callie told me because he wanted no strings and no mess, but because this guy would struggle to find a twenty-five-year fiancé that he wasn't paying. I felt as though I could already hear the judgement in his family's voices when I was introduced to them. He might as well just say this is Lena, my gold digger.

"That's me," I said, hoping I sounded happier than I felt.

"Please come with me," he said, returning my smile. "Your plane is almost ready for take-off. We just need to get your luggage loaded and you seated."

I followed him, pulling my suitcase behind me. He slowed down slightly and took my suitcase from me and then he fell into step beside me. I forced myself to keep looking straight ahead, not wanting him to catch me giving him the side eye and coming up disappointed.

"Alfred?" a shrill female voice called from behind us. He stopped walking.

"Sorry, please excuse me," he said.

Unsure what to do, I stopped and waited for him.

"When you have finished helping Miss Rogers, could you please go up to the second-floor lounge and take Mr Andrews' daughter to runway three," the woman asked. "Sure," he said and then we were walking again, and I felt a flicker of relief inside of me.

"You work for the airport?" I asked.

"Of course," Alfred smiled. "Why else would I be escorting you to your plane?"

Why else indeed I thought. I wasn't about to admit I had no idea what the man I was meeting looked like and I had momentarily thought it was him. I thought quickly.

"I thought a member of the crew would come for me," I lied.

"Oh no, they will be doing all of their safety checks at this point," Alfred said.

We reached a door which Alfred pulled open and gestured for me to step through. I thanked him and I found myself outside. The client's private plane sat gleaming merely meters away.

"You can board whenever you are ready Ms Rogers. I'll put your luggage in the hold. Would you prefer to keep your purse?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you," I said.

I walked to the plane on slightly unsteady legs. I told myself to calm down. There was still every chance Callie hadn't lied to me and this guy was hot. And if she had lied, I was just going to think of the money and smile and get on with it, just like I had when I had thought I was about to be seen as the latest gold digger in someone's family. I climbed the steps to the plane and a flight attendant dressed in a crisp looking navy skirt and blazer over a white blouse smiled widely at me.

"Hi," I said.

"Good morning," she replied. "Welcome aboard. Mr Summers is waiting for you on the right. Enjoy your flight."

I kept my smile frozen in place, but I felt anything but happy. But no. I knew I was being paranoid. It couldn't be him ... could it? But it was. As I stepped into the aisle, he stood up, his dark brown eyes blazing as he looked at me in undisguised anger.

"What the fuck are you doing here Lena?" he demanded.

R A F A E L

This had to be a fucking joke. When I had told Callie I wanted a professional for this week, I had meant it. And I was paying enough for the week to ensure that's what I should have gotten.

If I had wanted an amateur, I would have pulled some girl in a club. But I wanted someone who would play their role without any fuss.

And while I had no intention of having sex with the woman, part of the act would be us sharing a hotel room. And I couldn't see Lena being any happier with that arrangement than I was.

I looked at Lena, waiting for some sort of explanation, but she just stood there mute looking back at me. I couldn't help but notice that she was pretty.

She had full red lips and full cheeks that made me want to reach out and touch them.

Her little nose was a tiny bit too small for her face, but rather than spoil her looks, it added a slight vulnerability to her features that I liked.

Her long, straight hair shone, the dark brown color of it making her green eyes stand out.

And her body. What could I say about her body? She had large breasts and curvy hips, the sort of hour glass figure a lot of women would kill for.

I couldn't help but imagine my hands on those hips, her breasts in my mouth. She was dressed casually – jeans, flat black shoes, and a black t shirt –but that didn't make her look any less fuckable.

I cleared my throat, pushing the image away. It didn't matter how good this woman looked, there was no way I could spend a full week with her. She had always rubbed me up the wrong way. She was sarcastic and abrasive, always as

cold as ice, and I got the impression she went out of her way to be cold to people on purpose.

I could imagine her being some sort of trophy wife, the high maintenance type who pride themselves on being high maintenance and that wasn't something I found even remotely attractive.

"Well?" I demanded, when it became clear to me that Lena wasn't going to answer my question without further prompting. "What are you doing here? I wanted a professional."

Lena held her head up high and smiled at me, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"I am a professional," she said. "See my old boss was a complete wanker and he fired me so I had to find a new job quickly. And here we are."

"Yeah, this isn't going to work," I said.

Lena came towards me, some of the casual arrogance gone from her face.

"Look, I need the money, ok? And you need someone who can pretend to like you for a week. Who better than someone who's been doing exactly that for years at work," she said.

"But Lena, you were bad at it," I pointed out. "You think I don't know you didn't like me?"

"No, but you have no idea how much I dislike you. And that was me just doing enough to not openly despise you. It'll be different if I'm actually trying," she said.

"I don't think ..." I started. my voice trailing off as I took a moment to absorb Lena's words. It was surprising to hear her admit her dislike for me

so candidly, yet her determination to make this arrangement work caught my attention. I observed her closely, searching for any signs of insincerity, but her gaze remained steady, her expression resolute.

A mix of frustration and curiosity stirred within me. Lena had always been a mystery-a sharp-tongued enigma who seemed impervious to my charms. Despite my initial reservations, her honesty had piqued my interest. Perhaps this unconventional arrangement could be an opportunity to explore the depths of her character, to understand her better.

"You're confident you can pull this off?" I asked, my voice tinged with skepticism. Lena's eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief as she stepped closer, closing the distance between us.

"Oh, I can guarantee it," she replied, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips. "Consider it a challenge, if you will. I may not have liked you before, but I promise to make this experience unforgettable. You'll have no reason to complain."

Her words intrigued me, and against my better judgment, a sliver of anticipation crept into my mind. Perhaps Lena's sharp edges were merely self-preservation, a defense mechanism she employed to navigate a world she found distasteful. And now, she was offering to break down those barriers, to step into a role that required us to coexist harmoniously.

A part of me wanted to refuse, to stick to my original demands for a professional and avoid the potential chaos that lay ahead. Yet another part of me, a part I rarely acknowledged, craved something different, something beyond the predictable and safe.

With a sigh, I finally relented. "Fine. We'll give it a shot," I conceded, watching as a triumphant glimmer danced in Lena's emerald eyes.

"Excellent," she declared, her voice laced with a mixture of victory and underlying warmth. "I won't disappoint you, I promise."

As the realization sank in that Lena and I would spend the upcoming week together, I couldn't deny a certain flutter of excitement building within me. The prospect of unraveling the layers of her personality, of seeing a side of her that had remained hidden until now, enticed me more than I cared to admit.

Despite my reservations, I found myself increasingly drawn to Lena's enigmatic nature. There was an undeniable chemistry between us, an electric current that crackled in the air whenever our paths crossed. As we embarked on this uncharted territory, I couldn't help but feel that there was something deeper beneath the surface-a connection waiting to be discovered.

In the quiet moments, when the pretense faded away, I caught Lena's gaze lingering, her eyes searching mine for something unspoken. It was as if we had stumbled upon uncharted territory-a realm beyond the superficiality of our initial arrangement. We danced on the precipice of possibility, our hearts daring to venture where they hadn't before.

Little did I know that this unorthodox arrangement would take us on an unexpected journey, challenging our preconceived notions and revealing truths we had long kept buried. And as the days passed, amidst the pretense and the tension, I couldn't help but wonder if there was a possibility for something more-something real and genuine-to emerge from the ashes of this unconventional beginning

"Five minutes until take off," a voice said from behind me.

One of the cabin crew was approaching us. As she neared us, Lena reached out and picked a piece of imaginary fluff from my shoulder, a strangely intimate gesture. I was about to demand to know what she was doing when she smiled, and this time, the smile lit up her whole face and made her eyes sparkle.

"I can't wait to meet your family," Lena said. She clapped her hands in supposed joy. "Especially your sister. I never had a sister, and it will be nice to almost have one. And if she's anything like you, I just know I'm going to love her."

The cabin crew member stopped beside Lena and smiled.

"Would you like to get seated?" she said.

"Sure," Lena said. She looked down at me. "Are you moving over or am I taking the window seat?"

"There are like twelve other seats," I pointed out.

"Yes, but none of those are next to you," she said. She rolled her eyes and smiled at the cabin crew member. "Hon‐

estly. Who said romance is dead huh?"

"Ah but he's cute so that makes up for it," the cabin crew member laughed back.

I rolled my eyes and moved over. Lena sat down beside me and fastened her seat belt and then she took my hand in hers and absently rubbed her thumb over the back of my hand.

I tried to ignore the way her hand felt in mine, the way my skin tingled where it touched hers. Shit. Maybe she was a professional after all.

"My name is Helen," the cabin crew member said. "Once we're in the air, if you need anything, just let me know.

Otherwise, your meal and drinks will be served approximately twenty minutes after take-off. Is that ok?"

I nodded my head and she moved away, and I pulled my hand away from Lena's.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Call it an audition," she said. "And don't tell me it didn't work, because even you were buying it at one point when you told me there were other seats, not demanded I get off the plane."

I sighed. She had a point. She had drawn me into the role she was playing, and she had more than fooled Helen.

But could she keep it up all week? I had very little choice but to let her try it. It was Lena or no one at this point.

"Fine. The job is yours. But one fuck up Lena, one person who suspects it's all a sham, and that's your fee gone," he said.

Lena considered this for a moment.

"Your grandmother," she said finally.

"What about her?" I said.

"If your grandmother suspects this is a sham, then you don't pay me. She's the one you care about and if I agree to just anyone suspecting something, all you have to do is come clean to a trusted friend and have them doubt us and boom, my pay is gone," she said.

I smiled despite myself.

"I like the way you're thinking Lena. Maybe this can work after all. You're on," I said.

I held my hand out and Lena shook it and again, I ignored the tingling sensation where our palms touched. It looked like we were about to do this for better or for worse.

**************************************

I WAS ONCE MORE REGRETTING AGREEING to this. After Lena did her little show on the plane, she barely spoke another word to me.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't particularly want to talk to her either, but I was concerned that she wasn't going to be able to put herself into this role completely. And it wasn't just on the plane that she ignored me.

When we landed and got off the plane, she was all smiles and thank you to our driver who loaded the luggage into the trunk and held her door open for her, but I might as well not have been there. She still didn't speak a word to me.

My concerns were growing with each mile we drove, until finally, we pulled up at the hotel where all of the wedding events would be taking place. I had, by that point, pretty much decided to call the whole thing off.

I opened my mouth to tell Lena that, but she was already on her way out of the car. I sighed and got out myself and before I had a chance to speak to Lena, my parents appeared in the doorway to the hotel. Wonderful.

They came towards us as the driver unloaded our luggage. My mom pulled me into a hug, and I hugged her back.

"Hi mom, how's things?" I said.

"Good," she smiled. "It's so nice to see you. And who is this?"

She released me and turned her focus to Lena. I swallowed hard. This was it. Lena was going to ruin this whole thing. Was she just going to come out and tell my mom I had paid her to be my girlfriend? Or was she going to be the moody bitch she had been all of the way here?

As it turned out, she was neither. She smiled, the one that lit up her whole face, and embraced my mom. They air kissed each other's cheeks and Lena acted like she had been doing that her whole life.

Maybe she had. I wouldn't know.

Lena's charm was undeniable as she effortlessly slipped into the role of the perfect girlfriend. Her conversation with my mom flowed naturally, as if they were long-lost friends catching up. I stood there, dumbfounded, as Lena expertly navigated the small talk, showcasing a side of her I had never witnessed before.

My dad joined the gathering, and to my surprise, Lena's charisma extended to him as well. She engaged him in a lighthearted banter, her witty remarks earning genuine laughter. It was as if she had transformed into someone else entirely-a woman who effortlessly blended into any situation, leaving no trace of the abrasive persona I had grown accustomed to.

As my family led us inside the hotel, Lena discreetly bumped her shoulder against mine, a subtle gesture that carried volumes. It was a silent reminder that she had a role to play, a performance to uphold. I couldn't help but wonder if there was more to this act than met the eye. Perhaps Lena's guarded nature was merely a self-protective shield, a defense mechanism to navigate a world that had shown her little kindness.

Throughout the day, Lena seamlessly integrated herself into the fabric of my family. She laughed at my dad's jokes, listened intently to my mom's stories, and shared anecdotes of her own that resonated with my sister. It was as if she had studied my family dynamics and effortlessly adapted to fit in, mirroring the bond of love and affection that we shared.

As the evening wore on, Lena's genuine connection with my family began to soften my skepticism. Maybe, just maybe, this audacious plan of hiring her had a chance of success. The unease that had gripped me earlier began to dissipate, replaced by a flicker of hope that this charade could evolve into something real, something meaningful.

In the quiet moments, when Lena and I stole glances at each other, there was a shared understanding-an unspoken agreement that we were in this together, navigating uncharted territory. And beneath the façade, I caught glimpses of vulnerability in Lena's eyes, a vulnerability that mirrored my own.

As the night drew to a close, Lena leaned closer to me, her voice barely a whisper.

"I know we have a long way to go, but I want to thank you," she said, her words laced with sincerity. "For giving me this chance, for believing that I can be more than what meets the eye. I won't let you down."

I gazed into her eyes, the weight of her words sinking in. In that moment, I realized that Lena's presence in my life had the potential to transcend the boundaries of this charade. We had embarked on a journey that had the power to transform both of us, to challenge our preconceived notions, and perhaps, against all odds, to discover a love that went beyond pretense.

As we embraced the unknown, I couldn't ignore the spark that had ignited between us. It was a spark that defied logic and reason, but it held the promise of something beautiful-a connection that could redefine our lives, if only we were willing to take the leap of faith together. And so, with a mixture of trepidation and excitement, we stepped into this uncharted territory, ready to discover the extraordinary amidst the ordinary, and to see where this audacious adventure would ultimately lead us.