started with a lie ➳ raura revised

Chapter Six

Ross's face is blank. He's just staring at me, now. I can't tell what he's thinking.His face gives off nothing. Is he going to fall for it? Will he start laughing? I can tell he's trying to hold his laughter.

Suddenly, it's me up against the wall. Ross's breath is fanned across my face-smelling of peppermint. What kind of businessman eats peppermint? I stray mymind away from these nonsense thoughts and back to what's happening.

Ross leans in until his lips are at my ear. "You'll have to do better than that, Miss Laura." I start turning red. That was too embarrassing. It didn't even work. What was I thinking? He starts laughing. "You are too funny, Miss Laura."

My blood boils.

I'm about to make a smart-ass retort but the elevator opens and suddenly he backs off and walks out of the elevator suavely. I scramble after him. We're in the large lobby. There are tons of people everywhere. Everyone is either seated at one of the expensive looking sofas or at the front desk checking in.

It looks like his suite except everyone can access it. Ross starts walking off down a hallway. A scrawny looking guy in a suit comes up after us.

"Mr. Lynch! Here you are," he says, pushing his glasses up his small nose."I have left the files about the park reconstruction on your desk."

"Thank you, Brad. You may leave until further notice," Ross says without even bothering to look at Brad. Rude, I think. He suddenly goes down the hallway and into a room.

It's an office. His office.

There's a marble floor, white walls, a big desk, and sofas. He takes a seat at the desk and goes through a couple of papers-the files Ian was talking about.

"Who was that?" I ask."Brad," he says, not listening. I realize Ross's wearing glasses. Big-rimmed glasses around his eyes that sort of makes him look... cute. I scrunch up my face indisgust. What am I thinking of?"Yes, I know that, I heard you." I take a seat in front of his desk.

"But what does he do for you?"

"He's my secretary," Ross says. He signs random papers with paragraphs of writing. He looks up at me. "Wait, why are you still here?" He's so bipolar. One minute, he's calling me 'Miss Laura' and all that jazz, and the next he's rude.

"I need a favor." I finally said it.

"What kind of favor?" he asks, taking his glasses off. His cool demeanor is back.

It makes me even more nervous. I have to tell him now. There's no going back.

"I need you to be my boyfriend-"

"We already discussed this. Not happening," he cut me off.

"-for tonight only."

Now, he's really confused. His eyebrows are arched and I stare straight into his eyes. I need to seem calm and collective. I breathe in and out. He's waiting for my response.

"What?" he finally says. "What do you mean tonight only?"

"You know the party?" Recognition fills his eyes. "Yeah, I need you only for that event. I promise not to bother you after."

"No."

"There's nothing to lose, though! Soon, I'll be out of New York City and back to my town and we'll never see each other again. My friends will believe you and I are together and you can go back to your hotel running business. It all works out."

He scratches his chin-a sign for him thinking seriously? "That doesn't sound too bad," he says.

"See!" I beam. "Nothing to lose!"