Love For Hire: The Helena's Grove Series Book 2 Read Online Free Page B

around and quickly stood. The man wore a nice, black button up coat with matching gloves and a trendy scarf which looked good on his tall frame. His hair was sandy colored and curly, and it complimented his sky blue eyes. His clean shaven face was even and a couple shades darker than her own.
    “You’re Annie LaFaye?” he asked, his voice smooth and professional.
    “Uh, yes, I am,” Annie said quickly when she realized her jaw had dropped.
    “Todd sent me,” he said holding out his hand. “He tells me you are in need of someone in our profession.”
    Annie shook his hand, it was firm and strong.
    “Shall we sit?” He gestured to the chairs.
    Annie nodded and smiled at him. She wondered if he could tell how unbelievably flustered she was. She felt her cheeks, hoping against hope they weren’t red as a beet.
    The man sat casually and crossed his leg. He smiled dazzlingly at her and Annie looked down at her coffee, silently cursing herself for acting so immature. There were a few seconds of silence, mostly because Annie couldn’t for the life of her think of something to say.
    The man seemed to sense her discomfort. “You don’t need to be nervous,” he assured her.
    “Oh, well… I’m not really nervous. I’ve just never done this before and I’m not sure how it’s supposed to…” She gestured between them, not sure of the words to use.
    The man smiled, easy and confident. “Ms. LaFaye, I can assure you, I’m here for you so why don’t you start by telling me what it is you’re looking for.”
    “Oh… okay, um.” Annie took a breath. “I need someone to pose as my boyfriend when I go back to my hometown for the Christmas holiday.”
    He nodded. “Overnight then?”
    “Yes, is that bad? I mean, do you do overnights or… I mean I would understand if that made you uncomfortable.”
    “Oh no, I do overnighters, all nighters and even one nighters.” He laughed a little and Annie laughed too even though she wasn’t exactly sure what that meant.
    “Well, do you charge by the hour or…”
    “My rate is by the hour or by the day, which is a twenty-four hour period. That rate doesn’t include any travel expenses such as plain tickets or hotel rooms. You’ll be expected to pick up the bill on those.”
    “Oh, yes, well that makes sense,” Annie agreed, feeling suddenly anxious about how much hiring a man like him would really end up costing her. She had saved a fair amount over the years and was fortunate enough to have Aunt Gabby as her unofficial guardian. She had graciously paid for both Annie’s and Zack’s schooling to keep them from having to pay interest on student loans. She hadn’t really thought about how much it would be to hire a boyfriend but judging from this man’s attire and attitude, he didn’t come cheap.
    “How many days are you planning?” he asked casually.
    “Three,” Annie said quickly.
    “My normal rate is two hundred per day, or twenty-five an hour. My rate starts the minute we leave this city till the minute we get back. Where is your hometown?”
    “Ohio.”
    “Great! That’s not a long flight.” He grinned at her.
    “Ok so, basically six hundred?”
    “That should do it.”
    Annie smiled feeling better about the whole situation. “Thank you very much…” She paused. “I’m sorry I never got your name.”
    “Oh yeah,” he sat up. “What’s your boyfriend’s name?”
    “I said his name was Marcus.”
    He nodded slightly as if thinking it over. “Marcus, I like it. I’ve never been a Marcus before.”
    “It was the first name that popped in my head,” Annie explained.
    “Does Marcus have a last name?”
    “Oh umm…” Annie thought for a moment. “I really don’t know. I didn’t say anything about a last name.”
    “Hmmm, ok well, do you have any preferences?”
    Annie laughed. “Not really.”
    “We can go with something traditional or outside the box. Either way, we’ll have to decide now so we can both get used to it.”
    Annie