Boyfriend for Hire Read online

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  First published in 2007, 2007

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  NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.

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  Boyfriend for Hire

  Missy Lyons

  Warning

  This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language. This material is meant for mature audiences!

  Boyfriend for Hire

  A Whispers Publishing Publication

  November 2007

  Copyright ©2007 Missy Lyons

  Cover illustration copyright © 2007 Rene Walden

  ISBN Not Assigned

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system-except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web-without permission in writing from the publisher.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  Published by: Whispers Publishing, P.O. Box 1165, Ladson, SC 29456-1165.

  Other Titles by Missy Lyons:

  A Warrior's Woman

  Bound By Desire

  Closing the Deal

  Dragon Heat

  Naughty or Nice

  Chapter One

  "When are you going to give me grandchildren, Angel?"

  Here we go again. It was the same old thing every time. When are you going to settle down? Why are you still working? It's not like you need the money. I want grandchildren!

  Blegh.

  Angelica Heart was getting tired of having the conversation with her mother. It was a middle age nightmare for Angelica. She pulled the phone away from her ear for a moment, just waiting for her mother to finish. She didn't seem to miss having her audience; even with the receiver a few inches away from her ear, Angelica could hear that sharp voice drone on. “All my friends have grandchildren. Are you ever going to get around to it? You may not even still be fertile..."

  "Mother!” Angelica gave an exasperated sigh. She was not going to get roped into a conversation about her fertility and her sex life yet again. She only had two weeks before their yearly Christmas get together would force her to endure this conversation over and over again. “My fertility is none of your business."

  "I was just saying if you are going to have trouble, you don't want to discover it a year before menopause."

  "I know, Mother.” Angelica rolled her eyes.

  "When you come for Christmas there is someone I want you to meet."

  "Oh, no.” Her mother wouldn't dare to set her up on a blind date. She wasn't that desperate for grandchildren.

  "He's a good boy. You know him. He's the Waldorf's son."

  She dared.

  "Mother!” Angelica knew the man, and lifted her lip at the thought of dating Anthony Waldorf. He was a computer geek who had been in the software business. The last time she had seen him, he was covered in pimples and still single, living in his parent's basement. At thirty-five. Yet, was that any wonder when you lived with your mother? “You have to stop. I have a boyfriend.” Angelica wasn't sure what came over her at that moment to provoke the lie to her mother, but it would preserve her long enough to not have to go through a blind date.

  Lord knew she didn't have time for a man in her life. She ran the newspaper—the Washington Press was her baby. She not only ran it, but she owned it, and lived it. Three hundred employees and everything the paper did had daily deadlines. Her job was to ensure everyone else was doing his or her job. Even with an operations manager, she worked long hours, which didn't allow much for a social life. Besides, too many men would want to use her to get the power of publicity or to date her for her money. She just didn't have time for that. Dating was mostly a waste of time nowadays. But what had possessed her to lie to her mother?

  "A boyfriend? Good. I do hope you will be bringing him for Christmas?"

  Oh no! She was caught in her own lie. What was she supposed to say? Making up an excuse would only make it seem like she was making it up to avoid the conversation. Which Angelica was, but she didn't want her mother to know that.

  "We just started dating, Mother, and I didn't want him to meet you until we had known each other for a while."

  "Oh, nonsense.” Her motherly voice held no room for argument. “Make sure he comes. We want to meet him."

  "Fine. I'll see what I can do, but I really have to go, Mom.” Angelica couldn't handle any more of the conversation. She had to get her off the phone. And somehow she would have to make up a last minute excuse for her imaginary boyfriend.

  "Oh. Okay.” Disappointment filled her mother's voice. But what did she expect? “I love you, Honey. We can't wait to meet him. What's his name again?"

  Oh, God. A name. Another way to get caught in the fire.

  "I will tell you all about him when I see you at Christmas. I got another call, Mom. I have to go—Love you! Bye.” Angelica hurriedly got off the phone.

  Angelica clicked the phone into the receiver and put her face in her hands. Now where was she going to get a boyfriend this close to Christmas? If she didn't show up with someone, she just knew her mother would force her to go out on that date. If she could she would arrange the entire marriage for Angelica, but Angelica wasn't about to let that happen. She never wanted to bring any man home to meet her family, for several reasons. But perhaps she could find someone she didn't like. Someone who would not mind her slightly over nosy mother, or her vegetarian lesbian sister, and could overlook the drama she had to live with growing up.

  She had to find a man if she wanted to stay single.

  And she wasn't about to let her mother ever choose her man.

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  "Cynthia, how did my mother get through? Haven't I said I didn't want to hear from my mom until after Christmas?"

  Cynthia leaned against the bookshelf, blinking her big blue eyes at her boss in surprise. “Sorry, Angelica. She said it was an emergency."

  Her mother was caught in another boldfaced lie. Why was she so manipulative? Angelica shouldn't feel guilty for living her life the way she wanted to. She didn't need a man or a child to make her life complete, and yet her mother made her feel guilty for pursuing a career and being successful. Just because she owned the Washington Press didn't mean she never had to work anymore. She worked harder as the owner of the century old newspaper than she ever had as an editor. “Yeah, now it is an emergency. I have to find a man in less than two weeks or face my mother."

  Cynthia was silent for a moment, facing her boss with a blank stare.

  "Where am I supposed to find a man at this time of year?” Angelica searched her mind. Everyone she knew already had holiday plans. She bit her lip in indecision. She didn't have time for this. Where did men hang out anyways? Sports bars and strip clubs? She grimaced. That was one of the reasons she never met anyone. She wasn't about to put her body on display just to try and land a man in some bar. She couldn't even date anyone at her job, because everyone worked under her, and it would look like she was using her position to have sex. The sex part would
be great, just not the sexual harassment lawsuit that could follow.

  "You know, when men can't find a date at the last minute they sometimes use an escort agency.” Cynthia had a playful grin on her face, not expecting her boss to actually take the suggestion.

  "An escort agency?” A thread of hope fueled Angelica's spirit. But, was she so desperate? Did she want to depend on a complete stranger to save her from her mother's matchmaking?

  Angelica thought back to how she had spent the last three Christmases enduring her mother's constant nagging, and the thought of facing another year doing the same thing made her cringe.

  Yes, she was that desperate.

  Chapter Two

  Bradley ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. “Just think about it, won't you?” Bradley didn't expect his brother to want to go to work for their father, but he could hope. It would make him have to straighten out his life and would definitely keep him out of trouble over the next few months.

  Dustin was always dressed at his best, and even then he was dressed to highlight his masculinity. His Calvin Klein jeans hugged his legs and showed off his ass. His button down silk shirt fell open slightly, revealing his sculpted chest. His attire was in sharp contrast to Bradley's business suit and much more conservative appearance.

  "Bradley. I am not going back to work for Dad. I love my job. Why would I want to work for him again?” Dustin Pennington let his Nike backpack fall over his shoulder, and gave his brother one of the arrogant smiles that always got the ladies to come back for more.

  "I don't know. Haven't you thought about how this will affect me? I am running for office, Dustin. If this gets out to the papers, I could be ruined.” Dustin might enjoy being loved for his body, but to Bradley, Dustin was nothing but a high priced prostitute.

  "Well, you don't have to worry about me—got a high paying date who is going to give me an all expense paid trip to Europe for Christmas."

  "What? You mean you won't make it home for Christmas? Mom and Dad will be so disappointed. Dustin, you need to be responsible for once."

  "You should be happy I won't be here to spoil your campaign. Your dirty little secret will be off on his all expense paid vacation.” Dustin chuckled lightly. “You know you could try it if you wanted to. I think you'd like my job. Getting paid to give women pleasure and make them feel sexy and beautiful is a dream come true. You're with a new woman every night, except those rare times you get hired for an extended time period, but those don't happen all that often,” Dustin said sarcastically, knowing his brother Bradley would probably prefer a long-term relationship.

  Bradley arched one eyebrow. If he ever hired himself out like that, he could kiss his career in Congress goodbye. In fact, if it got out that his brother was a male escort, he still might kiss that seat goodbye.

  "Oh, no!” Dustin's eyes grew wide, and he suddenly touched his jean pockets before pulling out a scrap of paper. “I completely forgot about this lady."

  "Huh?"

  "This lady named Angelica Heart hired me for Christmas, but I completely forgot about her when I took this other job. It was good pay, too, $10,000 for three days. Brad, you have to go and tell her I can't make it.” Dustin handed Brad the scrap of paper before starting to walk away through the airport terminal.

  "Oh, no you don't! You aren't getting me to do your dirty work. You tell her yourself.” Bradley attempted to hand the paper back to his brother, but his brother was already beginning to disappear down the narrow hallway.

  That was typical. It was just like Dustin to rely on responsible big brother Bradley to clean up his mess. But not this time. This time he would be on his own.

  Bradley looked down at the scrap of paper and read the name scrawled there.

  Angelica Heart.

  Not the Angelica Heart? Head of the Washington Press?

  Bradley Pennington was tempted to find out.

  Chapter Three

  What were the odds of Ms. Heart wanting to ‘hire’ his brother for the holidays? It just seemed too coincidental for him to believe it. She was too powerful to need to use the escort service; she had connections all over the state. Men would date her just for the free publicity. No, she had to be after something, like an interview with his brother. A date from an escort service would make front-page news since he was the brother of a man running for office.

  Bradley Pennington rang the doorbell to the brownstone and waited patiently on the doorstop. He tapped his leather penny loafers against the concrete step, wondering if he should ring the bell again.

  What was he doing here anyways? If Angelica Heart found out about his brother, his name would be plastered on the front page of every newspaper in town, and he wouldn't stand a chance of winning this election. Then again, if she were in the middle of the scandal herself, perhaps she wouldn't call him out. The thing Bradley had to find out was if she was trying to do an exposé on him or if she just made it a habit to use an escort service for Christmas.

  He still couldn't understand what drove him to meet her. He had to be completely mental for going to see her—completely crazy to be inviting trouble into his life.

  Suddenly, the door opened, and he saw her for the first time. At least he hoped it was Angelica. She pushed her raven black hair to the side before welcoming him with a hesitant smile. She wore a simple black sweatshirt and black jeans that hugged every curve.

  "You must be from the agency."

  "Well—” Bradley wasn't sure how he planned to address that subject. She pulled him into her house and shut the door behind him before he had an opportunity to respond.

  "What is your name?"

  "Bradley."

  "Bradley? Just Bradley?"

  He was thankful she didn't recognize him, but he still couldn't help quell that inner conscience that made him think she was planning some kind of interrogation. “I have a last name, but let's keep this on a first name basis, shall we?"

  "Okay. That's perfectly fine with me.” She was wringing her hands nervously, and Brad instinctively reached out to take her hands in his, using his thumbs to caress the palms. “In fact, if we never see each other after this weekend, that's fine, too."

  He wasn't sure he liked the idea of never seeing her again. She intrigued him more by the minute. She had an air about her, which spoke success, and yet at that moment she was as jumpy as a cat. Exactly what was she planning this weekend? He'd first thought her plan was to expose him, but his impression of her left him thinking his original instincts were wrong. Bradley wished she could relax a little more around him. He brought the back of her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently.

  "Oh, you are good.” Her voice deepened an octave, giving it a sexy sound. Then suddenly, she yanked her hand from his lips and wiped her hand on her jeans. She folded her arms across her chest protectively. “But that is completely unnecessary until Saturday when we go to my parent's house. This is just for show, not for real, Brad."

  Bradley arched an eyebrow, wondering what kind of game she was playing. “Perhaps you should fill me in on what it is you expect me to do."

  "I need you to pretend you are very much in love with me. Just in front of friends and family. Alone you can do whatever you wish.” She turned her back to him and he followed her deeper into her house, his eyes watching the delicious sway to her hips as she sauntered over to the buffet table. She opened her purse, and pulled out a wad of cash, then held it out for him to take. “$10,000, as we agreed, to act as my boyfriend for the weekend."

  Bradley couldn't believe he was actually considering staying with her through the weekend. Gently, he folded her fingers back over the cash and pushed the money back towards her. She just wanted him to pretend to be her boyfriend for the weekend? Why would someone as seemingly smart and as pretty as she was need to hire a boyfriend? It didn't make sense to him, but he knew one thing; he wasn't going to let her pay him. “We'll deal with the payment after the services are rendered."

  "Okay.” There was a nervous
titter to her voice, as if she had never made such an arrangement before. He wanted to believe it was true. “There is a lot we should probably talk about the first day, just to get to know one another. To be able to play the part of my boyfriend, you need to know a little bit about my family and me. After all, we fly into San Diego tomorrow to see my parents."

  "What kinds of things do you want me to know?"

  "Everything you can learn in a short time. Anything to make this more believable for my family. My favorite color is blue. I use two spoons of sugar in my coffee and love hazelnut cream. You know, that sort of thing. Oh, and I love Elvis. Anyone who has spent any amount of time with me knows that."

  "Elvis?"

  "Yeah. I always admired him and the way he grew up in the spotlight. I love his music, too."

  Bradley had to suppress a chuckle. She was serious. When she motioned him to follow her to a glass display case that held hundreds of Elvis memorabilia, he was a little awe-struck.

  "Wow, you really are a fan. Ever been to Graceland?"

  "Not yet. But one day I'll go, when I have time to relax a little more.” She cocked her head to the side and he could tell she spoke from her heart at that moment. “You know, I was worried when I first decided to do this—worried there might not even be chemistry between the two of us. You never know, and you can't fake that chemical attraction."

  "There is no such thing as chemistry.” He grinned at her arrogantly.

  He could tell she did believe in chemistry, and he watched her as she appraised his thickly built body and his masculine face, topped by chestnut hair swept to the side. “A man like you could make your own chemistry.” She blushed when she realized she had said her thoughts aloud.

  Hurriedly, she changed the subject. “Where are your things?” Angelica looked around as she realized he had brought no baggage.

  "My things?” He acted surprised then gave her a wide boyish grin. Originally, he had never planned on spending the weekend with her. “Oh, yes, my things. I didn't bring anything."