Pretend for Me

  Evernight Publishing ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2014 Sam Crescent

  ISBN: 978-1-77130-996-7

  Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

  Editor: Karyn White

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  PRETEND FOR ME

  Sam Crescent

  Copyright © 2014

  Chapter One

  “He’s completely whipped. I mean, here he is surrounded by women, and all he can think about is getting back to his swanky apartment and the woman who is probably waiting for him. The very same woman he refuses to introduce us to. Selfish bastard.”

  Andy Green listened as one of his closest friends told the group about his little love interest. Not much of a love interest, he was merely attracted to the woman who lived in the apartment on the floor below him. Sara Carroll was also one of his best friends. He wouldn’t admit that to the guys, but she was. They’d met five years ago when she’d moved into the same building as he. From the moment they bumped into each other, they’d hit it off straight away. But even though they’d hit it off, their friendship had only developed in the last two years. In the first three years he’d seen her only in passing. He couldn’t believe he’d managed to keep Sara and his friends away from each other.

  Neither Sara on the one hand nor his friends on the other went out of their way to get to know each other.

  “Is Travis talking about your mystery woman again?” Lenny asked. Lenny was another of his friends. They were all out at one of Andy’s nightclubs sipping shots and checking out women. It was the first night since the grand opening that expanded his chain of nightclubs, in which he’d gotten some time off. Most of his time had been spent trying to get every single club he owned off the ground. This was his most successful of all of his clubs, Cube. He didn’t like doing anything by half, and owning a string of clubs finally saw his dream come to fruition. Sara Carroll, the love interest his friend talked about and his great friend, had been there with each club he’d opened. She rarely drank, but she’d taken the time to be with him on the opening night when his male friends couldn’t make it. It was how his man friends and Sara always missed each other. Her presence alone meant a lot to him.

  “He’s not talking about anything. Sara is a great friend,” Andy said, sipping back another shot. “She’s the woman who lives on the floor below me. We’re great friends, and she cooks for me when I don’t have the time,” Andy said, explaining the situation. They were all going to assume whatever the hell they liked. He didn’t care. Andy knew the truth.

  “You’ve got yourself a personal cook?” Wade asked.

  Shaking his head, Andy asked for the bill. The barman gave him the bill, and he threw down plenty of notes to cover it. Going out with the guys had been a big mistake. He wasn’t ready for them to meet Sara. She was special to him, and he’d not even taken her to bed, even though fucking her had entered his mind a time or two. Maybe he was seriously whipped. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d been with a woman without fucking her. Sara was a first for him.

  His attraction was there for Sara. She was so fucking beautiful that she took his breath away, but he still wouldn’t cross that line with her. They were friends before anything else.

  “I’ve got to get home.” He ignored the curious glances from his friends and made his way out of the crowded club and into the warm night air. It was summer, and the nights were as warm as the days. He took a few deep breaths before turning to see most of his friends had followed him. “I thought you were out all night?”

  They laughed at him. “We’ve finally got a chance to see the woman who has hold of the notorious Andy Green. I’m not going to miss this for the world, and you can’t give us any excuse this time not to meet her. Two years is long enough to keep us away. You’re not going to make any more excuses.” Lenny slapped him on the back, and all of them hailed a taxi.

  He’d purposely kept the guys away from Sara. Andy didn’t know why he was so anxious about them meeting her. She was only a friend and a great one at that. Maybe he didn’t want to share her?

  Checking his watch, Andy glanced out of the window wondering what Sara was doing. Their first meeting occurred when she moved into the apartment beneath his. They’d not become close then, but that had changed and he loved her company. Andy had come to see that her red hair was as fiery as her temper. Her full curves had drawn his gaze as her tits were large, and she had beautiful shaped hips. In fact, he couldn’t find a single fault with her body. He’d first seen her on the stairwell as she stood cursing one of her boxes. The box in question hadn’t been able to contain all of the books she wanted to take up to her apartment, and the books had fallen out of the bottom, making a mess.

  From that day their acquaintance slowly bloomed into friendship. Neither of them mentioned about deepening they’re relationship or turning it physical, even though he wouldn’t object if she did. Fuck, most of his nights were spent masturbating to images and fantasies of her. He thought about her constantly. She was a never ending need inside him, but he couldn’t bring himself to take the next step and possibly ruin their friendship. Her beautiful pale skin with the few freckles dotted across the bridge of her nose fascinated him.

  Most of the women he dated tried to get him into bed as soon as possible, and he liked the fact Sara didn’t.

  Andy loved women and he loved sex, but having it offered to him on a plate had long lost its appeal. Sara never approached him about sex. She kept her distance and listened to him all the time. Sex was not a topic they ever discussed. He wondered if her skin would blush at the mention of his sex life.

  He’d never known a woman like her. When there was something on his mind she would come to his apartment to chat or sit with him to watch football. There was no effort at their friendship, and it was all natural.

  To him, Sara Carroll was a once in a lifetime woman, and he didn’t have the first clue how to change their relationship from friends to lovers. Part of him didn’t want to spoil the fun they had together. Sex could ruin friendships. His doubts were the things that held him back. Sara was not the kind of woman you screwed and left. She was the woman you stayed with for life. Whereas the small devil in him wanted to explore the deeper side. There were nights where he woke up with a raging arousal from dreams filled of her. The only way to sate himself was to take matters into his own hand.

  Running his fingers through his hair, Andy tried to think of more reasons why they shouldn’t be together. Her work kept her home most days of the week. She made a decent living writing romance books. He tried looking for the books with her name, but she later told him she used a pen name and she never intended to tell him the name.

  His friends continued to laugh and jibe at him. He refused to bite. When they saw Sara they’d know why he preferred to spend his Friday nights at home with her and why he stopped attending his nights with them. She really was a wonderful woman, and he wanted to fuck her.

  The buzzing of his cell phone shut him up.

  Andy grabbed his cell and checked to see who was calling. Sara’s name flashed across the screen. He accepted the call ignoring the laughing looks from his friends.

  “Hi, what’s up?” he asked, trying to be calm even though pleasure consumed him at the sound of her voice.

  “It’s
Friday, and I didn’t know if you wanted me to cook something for you. I just got out of my office, and I remembered the day of the week. I know it doesn’t happen often. My latest book is really pulling on my time. Are you home?” Sara sounded out of breath. She was also a constant talker and hated long silences.

  He laughed, loving the sound of her voice. The tone soothed him in ways classical music never would.

  “You’ve finally got out of your office at,” he checked his watch to see what the time was, “nine o’clock. That’s pretty good going.”

  “I know.”

  “When are you going to let me know your name? I mean, you know everything about me?” Apart from the fact I won’t let my friends know who you are.

  She chuckled, and the sound made him smile even more.

  He was a goner. Everything about her reeled him in, the sound of her voice, the red of her hair—everything. There was not a part of her he didn’t like. She even cooked like a goddess.

  “It’s my cunning plan to keep you interested, Mr. Green. I need you to remember my name when you’re a big hotshot millionaire. I’m keeping you on your toes.”

  “Is that what you’re doing? I thought you liked to tease me with your super alter-ego?” he asked. The banter between them was the easiest part for him to deal with.

  Over the phone he didn’t have to look at her. The moment he looked at her, he started lusting after her. Pushing his desires aside he glanced around the back of the taxi.

  “My alter-ego is full of hotness. Anyway, are you coming home to eat, or should I let you fend for yourself?”

  “I’m bringing a few friends over. I look forward to anything you cook.”

  He watched as Travis thumped Lenny in the arm and pointed in his direction. They were all men in their thirties, and they were behaving like teenagers.

  “All right, I’ve got my key, and I’ll let myself in. Don’t come inside threatening to kill any burglars. It will be me,” she said.

  “Happy cooking.”

  Andy closed his phone and placed it in his pocket. His friends were staring at him wide eyed. “What?”

  “She’s got you seriously whipped,” Lenny said, agreeing with Travis.

  He gave all of them the finger and sat back. “You’re going to meet her, so stop your ribbing.”

  Gazing out of the window he couldn’t help but be annoyed. He didn’t want to share his woman with any of his friends. In his mind Sara was his woman. He’d claimed her, the instant their gazes met on the stairs.

  ****

  Sara put down the phone and glanced around at her bare apartment. She needed to go shopping. For the past five years she’d been living on the smallest amount of furniture she owned. Her writing career had taken off, and she spent every available second researching and writing. The publishers were impressed by her writing and the success she’d achieved. At twenty-six years of age, Sara knew she’d accomplished her dreams. Her dreams being fulfilled were one of the reasons why she helped Andy while he fought to get his dreams.

  She came from a big family and had learned early on to fight for what she wanted. Sara would never lie down and take any crap. Three older brothers and an older sister saw to that. She was the youngest of five children.

  Rolling her shoulders she closed the curtains and then made her way up to Andy’s apartment. When she’d moved into the apartment building, Andy Green had been the only man to offer her help. Most of the residents in the building glared at her with each box she carried upstairs. She’d been twenty-one when she moved in. This was her first real apartment away from the prying eyes of her family and her step into the big city.

  The move had been necessary. Her family lived in the country and travelled to the city for work. She wasn’t a country bumpkin, but with older brothers and a sister, they tried to keep her close to home. They felt with her being the youngest of the bunch that she needed to be protected from everything. Men, cars, work, life, and anything that would mean she would have a life, were monitored through them.

  She walked up the two flights of stairs to get to Andy’s floor. Grabbing the key out of her pocket, she opened the door and typed in the security code before closing it behind her. Sara turned on the lights illuminating the whole room. Champion, his scruffy mongrel dog, barked the moment he saw her.

  “What’s he doing leaving you all alone? Do you need to go out?” she asked. Whenever she was alone in Andy’s apartment she had a tendency to talk aloud to the dog. She loved Champion like the dog was her own. In a way she part owned Champion. Sara had been with Andy when he bought the pup. She’d helped sign the paperwork for caring for the animal, and she’d picked out the collar he was currently wearing. Also, when Andy was away for long extended trips, she spent a great deal of time looking after Champion.

  She walked over to the patio. The large fenced area meant the dog could have some fresh air and do his business in the area Andy made for him without fear of him falling to the cement floor below.

  Leaving the door open, Sara went straight to the fridge. She saw some steaks and all the ingredients to make a salad.

  “When is he going to learn to shop for himself?”

  She grabbed the ingredients and set them on the side. Champion barked at her, letting her know he’d done his business. She set about marinating the steaks in some oil and pepper. Her mind was elsewhere as she sorted through the meal before her.

  Her current book was starting to grate on her nerves. She had a deadline to get it in by, and for the life of her she couldn’t find one redeeming quality about the hero. Andy was the only person she turned to in her time of crisis. He always knew what to do.

  He didn’t know her pen name, and she constantly kept it a secret. She talked things out with him without him knowing she was struggling with her work. What she would do was shoot out a scenario and ask him for advice. He was a guy, and if she asked him to think from a hero’s perspective he’d go over the top. She’d tried that approach with him before and deeply regretted it. Why did men always turn romance into sarcasm?

  Most men seemed to think that the books were wrong and they gave women the wrong impression about men. Sara personally thought they gave women hope that there might be a man out there who’d go the extra mile for the woman he loved.

  Was she becoming cynical through her books? She’d not been on a date in over a year. The demands of her work saw to lack of her love life.

  You prefer spending time with Andy to going out on a date.

  That was her other problem. She’d prefer to sit with Andy in her spare time and talk than go out with a stranger in the hope of connecting on some deeper level.

  You connect with Andy on a deeper level.

  He didn’t seem like the kind of man to ridicule love even though he appeared to be the complete modern man. Yes, he was sarcastic about her books but never about love itself.

  You’re obsessing again.

  Her dates were always compared to Andy. He was the one man who stuck in her mind.

  Sara shrugged her shoulder as she turned on the griddle on the top of the stove.

  Andy made a pretty good steak. He lacked attention in the kitchen, and if he was more interested in what was on the television than what was on the griddle, the medium rare steak could turn into a charred well done piece of meat.

  While the griddle heated she started chopping the salad vegetables. She diced tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers then added them into the bowl before she added the lettuce. The door to the apartment opened. She leaned around the corner to see four men and Andy enter the room.

  The moment the four men spotted her they stopped. Andy had never introduced her to his other friends. They were always doing something else when she was available.

  “You’ve brought home more than a dog this time?” she asked.

  Champion barked and charged into the room. Andy crouched down picking up the tiny dog.

  “Hi, babe, dinner done yet?” Andy asked.

  She glared
and pointed the knife at him. “You may not remember all your conquests, Mr. Green, but I’ve never seen your room, and I refuse to be a notch on your bedpost.”

  They both chuckled, and she turned back to the men who stared at her.

  “Are they shocked to see a woman cooking, or do they treat all women like that?”

  “Sara, I’d like you to meet the reprobates I call friends. Over there is Travis. This is Lenny, and behind them are Wade and Austin. Guys, I’d like you to meet Sara.”

  She shook each of their hands smiling at them. With the introductions over she placed the steaks on the griddle and finished with the salad.

  “What do you need me to do?” Andy asked. He walked around the counter to where she stood. Andy bumped her hip with his moving her along.

  His friends continued to watch their interaction. She laughed even as her cheeks filled with embarrassment. “I think your friends are fascinated by me.”

  Andy glanced up and glared at them. They all turned around and started fiddling with the television.

  Sara laughed and dressed the salad.

  Chapter Two

  Andy knew what his friends were looking at. Sara was a beauty, and they’d all seen it for themselves. Her pale skin and red hair was a striking combination that didn’t detract from her natural look. She didn’t need makeup to highlight anything. Sara was curvy in all the right places with large tits and thick, rounded hips. He loved any opportunity he got to touch her. The first time he saw her, Andy had been struck dumb by her. Her smile consumed the soul, and her eyes made him think of everything sinful and poetic.

  He turned away and picked up the tongs to flip the steaks. Her body brushed against his side, and once again he was aware of their close proximity. His desire for her continued to grow even as Sara laughed at one of the jokes on the television. Wasn’t she as affected by him as he was by her?