Fake dating my billionaire boss to get revenge on my ex? Yes please.
But falling for him? That’s something I vowed never to do again.
Isaac Winter is the fourth-generation owner of the legendary 5th Ave hotel that bears his last name. He’s at the top of New York high society… and I’ve just left it behind.
When he hires my company, I’m thrust into endless meetings with him, determined to impress the cold, untouchable leader of the Winters.
The last thing I expected was to start fake dating him.
He needs his match-making family to take a step back. And me? Revenge on my cheating ex-husband sounds great, and even better when it’s with a man whose name opens every door in the city.
The line between fake and real soon gets smudged by our late-night conversations. Isaac’s driven, passionate, intelligent… and far less controlled than he seems. Revenge feels deliciously suite.
But I’m done with rich New York men and their cheating ways.
They think they can buy anything they want… but my heart’s not for sale.
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Excerpt:
Isaac takes a sip of his brandy. “You moved to New York a few years ago,” he says.
It’s a statement, but I nod regardless. “Yes. Marhill is a tiny place, and I always wanted to leave. New York was the dream. After college, I moved to the city, and despite all the things that are frustrating with it, I love it.” I shrug. “I met Percy at a bar during my first year in the city. I guess I was… never mind. Let’s talk about you instead of my ex-husband.”
Isaac’s eyebrows rise and I want to take the words back. I’m talking to him like he’s a friend.
“Me?” he asks.
“Yes. Do you have an ex-wife we can talk about, to make things more even? Or was that a terribly inappropriate question?”
The hint of a smile curves his lips. When you get past the first impression, which is intimidating and distinguished, he’s handsome. Never approachable, I think. But handsome.
“I’m sure it was,” he says, “but I don’t mind.”
“Phew.”
“I don’t have an ex-wife,” he says, “and I’m not dating anyone at the moment.”
“That was fast. I figured you’d deflect on that one.”
“It was an easy question.” He raises an eyebrow. “I know the first answer for you, but what about the second?”
“If I’m dating anyone? No, I’m not. I mean, my divorce went through only a few months ago, even if we’ve been separated for almost a year.”
I’ve turned toward him, almost without realizing it, and my knee brushes his.
“I see,” he says, his eyes dark on mine. “Let me guess. You work too much. You mainly eat takeout in your apartment… your new apartment, right? You moved out of Percy’s but you haven’t fully decorated your new place yet.”
My mouth opens softly. “I haven’t had the time.”
“Right.” He nods, and twist the glass of brandy around. “No, you threw yourself into work instead, and it’s become your life. Dating again scares you, because it means trying at something again. Something that you might fail at, as opposed to work, where you know you can always perform.”
I stare at him.
His lips curve again, into that half-smile. “I shouldn’t have said any of that.”
“It’s all true. But how… oh,” I say. “That’s you too. Isn’t it?”
His eyes sharpen, and the moment stretches into an eternity-long silence. But then he gives a single nod. “Yes.”
“That makes sense,” I breathe. “Who hurt you?”
Isaac takes a long sip of his brandy. I watch his throat shift and in the silence I realize what I’ve just asked him.
“God, I shouldn’t have asked that. I’m sorry.”
“Perhaps not,” he says. But then something softens around his mouth. “But after the night in the lobby, maybe we’re past things like shallow niceties.”
“I’ve never liked them much anyway,” I say.
“You don’t? You surprise me, Sophia.”
“I do? In what way?”
He lifts a shoulder in a half-shrug. “You’re not who I expected you to be, after the first evening.”
“Not constantly weeping, you mean?”
“No, not that, for sure.” His eyes hold a challenge. Like he’s expecting me to be offended and he’s considering whether or not to say it.
“Go on,” I say.
“You were married to one of the Browne kids. I didn’t expect you to work, for one. And I didn’t expect you to be this… well. This is where I’ll insult you.”
“Please don’t censor yourself on my account, Mr. Winter. I think you’re the one who said you’ll never be offended by the truth? I won’t, either.”
He smiles. “Fine. The word I’m looking for is sharp, Sophia. I didn’t expect you to be this sharp.”
“Because I married Percy Browne?” That makes me chuckle, and I lift my glass. “You know what, I understand that. It wasn’t the smartest decision I’ve ever made.”
A smile spreads across his features. If his good looks were austere before, this makes them come alive, and I catch my breath.
“I’ll toas:t to that,” he says, and our glasses touch.
About Olivia:
Olivia is a twenty-something hopeless romantic who loves billionaire heroes despite never having met one. Taking matters into her own hands, she creates them on the page instead. Stern, charming, cold or brooding, so far she's never met a (fictional) billionaire she didn't like.
A voracious reader of romance, Olivia picked up the pen a few years back and what followed was a love affair of her own. Now she spends her days grinning at the steamy banter she's writing or swooning at happily-ever-afters. Or, to be frank, struggling with writing about herself in third person for the purposes of marketing.
She's been writing contemporary romance novels since 2018.
They're all exclusively available on Amazon and enrolled in Kindle Unlimited.
(Phew. Now I can go back to first-person love stories!)
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