The Bad Boy Billionaire's Wicked Arrangement by Maya Rodale

opened.
    “What are you doing?” I asked. He was fixated on his phone again.
    “I’m checking in,” he replied.
    “Should I do that?”
    “Go for it.”
    “Oh, look we get extra points for checking in together!” I exclaimed. I had no idea what the points were for, but I had extra!
    “Shhh,” Duke said, rolling his eyes. “You’re supposed to know that since you’ve been on Foursquare for months and we’ve checked in a million times together.”
    “Right,” I said, adjusting my dress, my cardigan, my hair . . . oh God, my hair. My blow-out hadn’t quite survived our make-out.
    As we approached the restaurant, we were directed to a private room where a bunch of guys like Duke milled about, drinks in hand. Not one of them wore a tie.
    “So this might not be the intimate deal-closing dinner I had expected,” Duke murmured to me as we crossed the lobby to the restaurant. “It looks like we have competition. Grey loves nothing more than to pit people against each other.”
    “I’m a librarian. Not an actress.”
    “No, you’re a writer. Tonight you just have to compose your lines on the fly.”
    I smiled as we strolled up to the legendary VC, Augustus Grey. He was a distinguished guy probably in his forties with greying hair. His eyes were his most striking feature: blue, keen, intelligent and sharp. They missed nothing, those eyes. Nervously, I reached for Duke’s hand. I didn’t think we’d be able to pull this off. Beside him stood a young, handsome man. Duke whispered that he was Ethan Parks, the CFO of Project-TK.
    “Duke Austen deigns to grace us with his presence. I am so honored,” Augustus said dryly. Not a good start.
    “I fancied some extra spending money so I thought I’d drop by,” Duke said and I gasped audibly. I glanced up and saw him grinning. Ethan smiled tightly.
    “As impertinent as ever. How predictable. How dull,” Augustus replied.
    “My sincerest apologies,” Duke said. “I forget we are all here for the amusement of an ornery old investor.”
    “You’ll do well to remember it, Duke. I might be the only investor you’ve got,” Augustus replied with a pointed look. I couldn’t believe the way these two spoke to each other. No wonder Duke had the reputation he did. If Duke secured the funding, it would be because of some criteria and formula that I’d never discern—and not because of his manners or respect for authority.
    And then, all eyes shifted to me.
    “This is my fiancé, Jane Sparks.” Duke smiled and pulled me close as he performed the introductions—August looked skeptical and Ethan devolved into a sudden coughing fit.
    “I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Grey,” I said.
    “Are you really?”
    For a moment I was taken aback by his abruptness.
    “Yes,” I said smiling. “I’m also very nervous.” That brought a reluctant smile to his face.
    “I suppose he warned you about this dinner,” Augustus said. “Lots business and tech talk. I hope you’re not too bored.”
    “I’m sure it can’t be any worse than a blind date,” I replied nervously.
    “Ah, but you’re not dating any more. You’ve snared this . . . gentleman,” Augustus said in a manner suggesting that he used the term “gentleman” loosely.
    “He’s alright,” I said smiling, “But it wouldn’t hurt if he cleaned up a bit.”
    I was rewarded with a faint smile and gruff nod of approval.
    “While I am just delighted you two are getting so well, I think Jane would like to meet the other guests,” Duke said, taking my hand in his.
    “I can’t imagine she would,” Augustus said. “They’re a giant lot of boorish fortune hunters.”
    Said batch of boorish fortune hunters had the decency to shift awkwardly, glance down at their drinks and seem dismayed by the pronouncement. But it was the truth: funding from Augustus Grey could be the key to their success. Duke and I were no different.
    Dinner was a disaster.
    If only the dinner conversation consisted of business and