Some Like It Charming (A Temporary Engagement) Read online

  Ethan ran his hand down her arm and tangled her fingers with his own.

  After a moment spent getting himself back under control, he pulled back and looked at her critically. He pulled her dress back down, swiped a thumb under her lips and wiped away the remnants of her lipstick, then nodded, satisfied.

  He said, “Okay, forget the smile. Looking dazed and ruffled will work just fine.”

  And he opened the door and pulled her out into the flashing cameras.

  Mackenzie sat in her car with Cassandra, watching the circus that was now her street. Cassandra whistled. “So, what’s the plan?”

  “Run them all over?”

  “Could work, but then you’d go to jail. You probably would have to give Mr. O’Connor his million back for nonperformance. You need some bodyguards.”

  “Dinner last night was supposed to make them all go away and leave me alone.”

  “I’d say it didn’t work.”

  Mackenzie blew her breath out. “What if we went through my neighbor’s yard and snuck in the back door?”

  “Might work.”

  “Or we go in pedal to the metal, horn blaring, and see how many don’t get out of the way in time.”

  “I vote sneaking in the back.”

  “Yeah.” Mackenzie reversed the car. “This might not work, but I don’t think they can come onto the property. Right? Trespassing, right?”

  “This could end with a picture of you climbing the fence in tomorrow’s papers.”

  “God. Do you know how much I hate Ethan Howell O’Connor at this moment?”

  Cassandra looked at her out of the corner of her eye. “Mm-hm.”

  They parked in front of her neighbor’s house, sneaked through the gate and headed for the back fence.

  Cassandra looked around. “They don’t have a dog, right?”

  “Pretty sure.”

  “Oh, you’re a riot.”

  They stopped at the fence and looked up. Cassandra said, “If this doesn’t work, we are calling Ethan and telling him to send some bodyguards. Deal?”

  Mackenzie clenched her teeth. “I am not calling him. So you’d better get yourself over this fence.”

  Mackenzie jumped, grabbing the top and pulling with all her might, her feet trying to run up the side of the fence.

  Cassandra yelled, “Stop flailing and I’ll push you over!”

  She gave an almighty push and Mackenzie went over the top and landed with a thud.

  A shout rang out from the front and Cassandra yelled again. “Go, go, go! Don’t stop! Zigzag!”

  Mackenzie raced to the back door, her key in her hand, and flung open the door. She looked behind her to find no Cassandra and slammed and locked the door.

  She leaned against it, laughing. Then groaned. She was a thirty-year-old woman, for God’s sake. And this was her house!

  A loud ringing made her jump. It took her a second to realize it was her new cellphone.

  She answered and Cassandra said, “I can’t get over the fence. I’m going to try the front. Watch for me, will you?”

  “They’re going to eat you alive.”

  “We’ll see. Just be ready for me.”

  “Okay.”

  Cassandra said, “You know, you’ll have to thank Ethan for the cellphone. It’s handy being able to just call you up.”

  “Oh, yeah. When you need to sneak into your own home, it’s necessary to have a cellphone on you. Makes life so much easier.”

  “It really does.”

  “You could have just called my home phone.”

  “Huh.” Cassandra hung up and Mackenzie nervously walked to the front room. She peaked between the blinds to find cameras pointed and clicking on her house. She knew, knew, they couldn’t see her, but she stepped back anyway.

  A few minutes later a knock sounded and she let Cassandra in, making sure no part of her could be photographed.

  Mackenzie locked the door. “You just waltzed up the front path?”

  “I waved. They didn’t take too many pictures of me. I guess pictures of Ethan O’Connor’s fiancé’s best friend don’t pay all that well.”

  “I hate you.”

  “As much as you hate Ethan, hm?”

  “Just about.”

  “So, not at all.”

  Mackenzie looked at her in surprise. “What do you mean, not at all?”

  “I’ve seen the pictures. There’s not a lot of hate going on between you two.”

  “Okay, I was playing softball against a worthy opponent. Of course I was having a good time.”

  Cassandra laughed at her. “Good one. But I was talking about last night’s pictures.”

  Mackenzie checked again that the door was bolted, then headed for the bedroom. “Ugh. They’re out already?”

  “Yep. They got some good ones.”

  “I don’t want to know. Did you purposefully look for them?”

  “Of course I did. I wanted to see how it went. Plus, I like looking at him. I spent all last night looking him up on the computer. I can’t decide if he looks better in real life or in pictures.” Cassandra pretended to shiver, then said, “He definitely smells better. You’re going to have to find out what cologne he was wearing last night so I can spray some on my pillow. It made my insides go all mushy and my dreams go naughty.”

  Mackenzie tried not to remember how her insides had gone all mushy. And she hadn’t needed to wait for sleep for the night to go naughty. But she would happily blame losing her brain on his cologne. It was better than any other alternative.

  Mackenzie pulled a suitcase out from under her bed while Cassandra opened her closet and grimaced. “Let’s see. It looks like your choices are work clothes, boring work clothes, or hideous work clothes. Is he giving you a clothing allowance or something? Because I just can’t see Ethan O’Connor’s fiancé wearing any of this.”

  Mackenzie poked her head over Cassandra’s shoulder. “It’s not that bad. It’s professional.”

  “And you are no longer a professional. Now you’re a celebrity.”

  “For six weeks.”

  “Okay. What are you going to wear for six weeks?” Cassandra leered at her. “Unless you will be wearing nothing. I could get behind that.”

  “No, there will be none of that.” Why did she have to keep saying that?

  “Mm-hm. So what’s that one-woman man going to do for six weeks?”

  “I guess he’ll just have to do what every other man does when he’s got a fake fiancé. Invest in some Playboys.”

  Cassandra laughed. “I wonder if you can still get the ones with Anna Nicole.”

  Mackenzie glared at her. “I am going to the stylist this afternoon to get this changed back to brown.”

  “If he’s any good, and he is, he won’t do it. Bad for your hair.”

  “Oh, he’s going to. Even if I have to threaten him with Christine O’Connor. I can’t go to New York looking like this. This is California hair.”

  Cassandra started to laugh, then stopped. “You’re totally right. This is California hair.” She looked at Mackenzie appraisingly. “I need to get me some California hair. Do you think California hair could turn a gay man straight?”

  Mackenzie squeezed her hand. “Probably not, but it sure would make him wish it could.”

  Cassandra grabbed a lock of Mackenzie’s hair and held it across her forehead. “It might make me care less that he doesn’t want to marry me and impregnate me with his hot, glistening body. Give me the name of that stylist.”

  “Want me to give you the thousand bucks it cost as well?”

  Cassandra choked. Then dropped Mackenzie’s hair. “Eh. I’ve always got my dreams.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “And now I have two leading men. Gonna have to juggle them, I think. Even in my dreams I don’t want Shane getting a peek at Mr. Charming.”

  Cassandra perused the closet and Mackenzie watched her. She finally said, “You’re making yourself miserable about Shane. You need to move on.”

  Cassandra
let out a laugh. “Tell me how to move on.”

  Mackenzie shook her head. She’d never been in love. Had never wanted to be. “I don’t know how. But I think you need to. You’re not going to find anyone else if you keep mooning over Shane.”

  “I don’t want to give him up. I like him and I love him. And if that means I am going to die unmarried and childless, then I will.”

  “You know I’m the last person who would tell you marriage and family is all there is.”

  Cassandra pointed a finger at her. “You don’t want to get married. You don’t even want to date.”

  “I don’t. But I think you do.”

  Cassandra took a deep breath. “Maybe I want him more than I want some mythical promise about undying love. And maybe I want children, but then I look at the reality and I think maybe not. What I have right now is better than that gigantic maybe.”

  She started ripping clothes off hangars. “He can’t give me everything I need? Well, no man can. There’s always something you wish you could change but it’s not a dealbreaker.”

  “You’re telling me this isn’t a dealbreaker? He’s gay.”

  Cassandra shrugged, throwing clothes into the suitcase. “I guess it’s not my dealbreaker.”

  Mackenzie pulled the clothes back out and started folding them before placing them neatly back inside. “And if he finds someone else?”

  “It will probably kill me. But I have to think that whoever he falls in love with I’ll probably like, too. He can find a lover, he can get married. But I’ll still be part of him.”

  Mackenzie looked at the ferocious look on her friend’s face. She knew Shane loved Cassandra and would never purposefully hurt her. But talk about a hopeless love triangle. Mackenzie could only hope that if Shane ever found a man he loved enough to marry that Cassandra didn’t take a dive off the nearest overpass. Or push the newbie off.

  Cassandra held up a short, colorful dress. She stared Mackenzie in the eye, daring her to continue the conversation about Shane. “What is this horrible monstrosity?”

  Mackenzie said, “It’s an authentic Hawaiian muumuu. It’s very comfortable. I just throw it over leggings on the weekend.” Mackenzie held out a hand for it. “I’ll take it with me.”

  “No way in hell. I’m burning this.” Cassandra eyed it, then Mackenzie. “Are you a virgin? Do you want to die one?”

  “No. I think it’s cute.”

  “It’s like every fashion decision you make is made to repel men.” Cassandra grabbed her hand and dragged her to the living room.

  Cassandra sat down at the computer and pulled up a celebrity site. She pointed to the dress Mackenzie had worn last night. “This is cute and sexy.” She pointed to the muumuu. “This is not. See the difference?”

  Mackenzie took one look at last night her, then headed for the couch to lie down. “Oh, God.”

  Cassandra looked at the pictures. “You look so. . . flustered. What were you doing in that limo?”

  “That’s what everyone is going to be thinking. That we were doing something.”

  Cassandra leaned closer to the screen and squinted. “Where did your lipstick go?”

  “He kissed me, okay? He kissed me.”

  “Mmm. I bet he’s a good kisser.”

  Mackenzie tried not to remember. “He’s had enough practice.”

  “You know what they say. Practice makes perfect.”

  It did. It really, really did.

  Mackenzie said, “All I can say is thank God for Spanx. The man’s got hands like an octopus.”

  Cassandra turned to look at her. “Does he? Good octopus or bad octopus?”

  Mackenzie stared at the ceiling.

  Cassandra said, “Good octopus. And why are you thanking God for a slightly evil-but-genius item of clothing?”

  Mackenzie muttered, “It’s a modern-day chastity belt.”

  Cassandra started grinning. “Went that far, huh? I’m going to have to call up the makers of Spanx and tell them they’ve got a new marketing angle. ‘Spanx. Keeps it in your pants.’”

  Mackenzie tried not to laugh but she couldn’t keep it in. “Can I take it to New York with me?”

  Cassandra shook her head. “Uh-uh. I need it, although not as a chastity belt. And I don’t want a repeat of last night. One of us is going to have to get lucky with him, and I’m realistic enough to know it’s going to be you.”

  “I’ll just buy my own.”

  “Spoilsport. But I don’t think they sell them in New York. They’re against the law there.”

  Mackenzie smiled at her. “Why aren’t you on my side? I don’t want to do something stupid with him.”

  “Why not? You can be stupid once in your life. Be smart later.”

  Mackenzie sat up. “I don’t know why I even try with you.”

  “Just remember when you’re trapped under him, sweaty and ready to scream his name, that I am all for it.”

  Mackenzie rolled her eyes. “Let’s go finish packing.”

  Cassandra grimaced. “Let’s not. They have shopping in New York. Good shopping. See if he’ll buy you a decent wardrobe. Tell him you’ll trade sexual favors for clothing.”

  “This is not Pretty Woman.”

  “But it could be, if you played your cards right.”

  They made quick work of it, Cassandra making disparaging remarks about her taste in clothing and shoes, and Mackenzie stuffing her muumuu in the suitcase when Cassandra wasn’t looking.

  Cassandra hefted it up, shaking her head. “This isn’t going over the back wall. You’re going to have to call Ethan to send some reinforcements.”

  Mackenzie rolled it out to the living room. She wasn’t calling him, ever. If she could get through the next six weeks without looking at him, speaking to him, or being in the same room with him, she would give him back his million dollars.

  Cassandra peaked out the front window. “You’re going to have to call him.”

  “It’s not happening.”

  Cassandra held out her hand. “I’ll call him for you.”

  Mackenzie elbowed her aside and peaked out the window herself. She cursed. “There’s even more of them.”

  Cassandra beckoned for the phone. “I assume he put his number in there, right? Let’s just call him up. He can make everything better.”

  Mackenzie took one long look outside, trying to plot an escape route, then gave up. She slapped the phone into Cassandra’s waiting hand.

  Cassandra hit speed dial, grinning when it pulled up Ethan’s number, then waited.

  Mackenzie said, “Maybe he won’t pick up.”

  Cassandra looked at her with pity. “Mm-hm. The man bought you a cellphone and put his number on speed dial. He’ll pick up.”

  She pointed to the phone and mouthed, “See.”

  Cassandra listened for a moment with a dreamy look on her face, then said, “I would love to but this is Cassandra. Probably Mackenzie would tell you to stick that somewhere the sun don’t shine because she’s a little cranky right now. We’re trapped in her house by the paparazzi.”

  She was silent, her face going soft and stupid, and then she laughed. She glanced at Mackenzie. “That’s a good idea. We’ll be waiting.”

  Cassandra listened for one more moment, then laughed again. “Bye-bye, Ethan.”

  She hung up, sighing happily, and Mackenzie said, “You’re pathetic.”

  “His voice. Doesn’t it make you think of silk sheets and sliding around on top of them?”

  “No.” Mackenzie held her hand out for the phone. “What did he say?”

  Cassandra gave it to her, then slid down into a boneless heap on the couch. “Just let me enjoy this for a minute, okay?”

  “What did he say.”

  Cassandra squinted an eye at her. “You are not natural. I need a moment to myself to cool down.”

  Mackenzie gave up and left her to her lustful thoughts. She sat down at the computer, clicking through incriminating photos of herself and Mr. Charm-Your-Pants-Of
f. Maybe she didn’t fall at the sound of his voice, but she sure as hell looked like she’d fallen in that limo.

  It was even worse looking at him. He looked disheveled and she knew she’d been the one to do that to him. He’d made her lose her mind last night, the rat bastard. He’d done it on purpose.

  Note to self: she was not to let his lips anywhere near hers, ever again.

  Cassandra stood and looked over Mackenzie’s shoulder. “Okay, I’m better. I can walk at least. And he said he’s sending a driver to pick us up and he’ll make sure there’s chocolate. I like him. I’d like him even if he didn’t give me goosebumps and make me want to stuff my panties in his pocket.”

  “Seriously. He’s just a man.” A beautiful, charming man. The most dangerous force on earth as far as Mackenzie was concerned.

  Cassandra shook her head. “Not just a man. He’s the perfect mix of sex and wholesomeness. Even I would marry him and have his babies.”

  “You’d give up Shane for Ethan, just like that?”

  “Oh, yeah.” She pointed a finger at Mackenzie. “Let him know that, ‘kay? If it doesn’t work out with you, I’m totally available.”

  “I’ll let him know.”

  Cassandra looked again at the pictures, sighing. “I don’t know how you came out of that limo unspoiled. But I hope you will be before this engagement is over. And tell me all about it.”

  “Don’t hold your breath.”

  “And I’m going to want d-e-t-a-i-l-s. Like what religion he is.”

  Mackenzie turned in her chair. “I am not going to sleep with Ethan. Not.”

  Cassandra patted her on the shoulder, then went to stand by the window and wait for the driver. “You know what they say about that river in Egypt. It’s where unexpected babies come from.”

  A little bit of Mackenzie’s breakfast came back up at the thought of being Ethan O’Connor’s baby-mama and she flipped the computer off. She didn’t need any reminders of how quickly she’d climbed onto Ethan’s lap.

  Obviously she needed a few more reminders to keep Ethan at least ten feet away from her at all times.

  And barring that, some reminders to keep her legs together.

  Five