Pulling a box out of his inner jacket pocket, he snapped it open to reveal a necklace that made me gasp. Multiple delicate strands of gold were dotted all around with diamonds and turquoise, an oddly beautiful combination, and perfectly matched to my dress.
It was something I wouldn’t have known to dream about or wish for, but now that I saw it, I sighed. “It’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“No, that would be you,” he said, stepping closer to clasp it around my neck.
The way he looked at me already had me blushing, and the compliment set me on fire. His fingers were warm against my skin as he carefully arranged the strands, then his eyes met mine.
“You’re keeping this. No arguments.” His hand slid down to my shoulder, nothing hearty about this touch. “We’ve got this in the bag, Clem, I’m certain of it. And it’s all because of you.”
The praise was better than the compliment. Almost better than the gorgeous necklace I got to keep. A bonus well earned after working so hard to find Koboyashi Corp, and the courage it took to speak up about their game system when I was a mere assistant.
But that was all Rurik, since he stopped treating me like a mere assistant weeks ago, pushing me to my best, giving me the opportunity I never thought I’d get after everything in my life seemed broken beyond repair.
“Thank you,” I said, my throat closing up so that it barely came out as a whisper. I was thanking him for far more than the necklace, but he only touched one of the sparkling stones and stepped back with a brisk nod.
So, no more kisses. That was fine. The Koboyashis were led in by the host, and we started out with drinks as the real couple in the room jokingly wanted to celebrate Erina’s successful shopping spree.
Every course went off without a hitch, and the chef came in to speak in Japanese with them for a few minutes at the end, bowing out of the room with a massive smile on his face. I breathed easily for the first time in a while, resting back in my chair. Rurik and I exchanged a glance at the same time, both of us trying not to look too triumphant.
We saw them out to their car and then sat at the bar, where Rurik ordered the best bottle of champagne the restaurant had in stock.
“No, you’ll jinx it,” I said, bouncing in my seat with excitement.
He laughed at me, but he was just as excited as I was. “Impossible. How could that have been better? Erina loved you.”
It was true that we had become close in a short amount of time, something I didn’t expect since I thought she’d be much more reserved. I honestly liked both of them and pushed aside a twinge of guilt at our subterfuge. Gavrik Imports was the best company, and Rurik and I made a great team, even if we weren’t a true couple.
He was about to pop the cork on the insanely expensive bottle when his phone dinged, and we stared at each other with almost comical matching expressions of hope on our faces.
“Is it a confirmation that we got it?” I asked as he set the bottle down and pulled out his phone.
His face dropped. “It’s only a thank you message. They’ll be in touch after they meet with the other companies that are interested.”
“Oh no.” I slumped forward, resting my elbows on the bar. “It’s a good thing you didn’t pop that cork.”
This wasn’t in the bag after all. What went wrong? Did I go overboard somehow, or not do enough? I couldn’t bring myself to look at Rurik, who had to be fuming. So much for another bonus.
His hand settled lightly on my shoulder. I stared resolutely at the champagne that seemed to mock me now.
“Clem,” he said firmly, so that I turned to meet his gaze. Bracing myself for the tirade. His green eyes were soft, not full of rage. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Neither did I. It’s business, that’s all. They’ve got to meet everyone.”
“I hope you’re right.”
He laughed. “When am I not?” His hand slid down my arm to rest on my hand as he leaned closer. “I hope you don’t mind staying married to me a little longer. We’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
Chapter 11 - Clem
Despite acting like he wasn’t panicking as much as I was, the contract we thought we had in the bag was far from a sure thing. Rurik managed to discover the other companies that were wooing the Koboyashis. First thing the next morning, he slapped a thick file on my desk and told me to get to work finding out everything about them.
“We need their fatal flaws,” he said.
And when I brought him his coffee a few minutes later, instead of complaining about the imaginary sugar overload, he asked why I wasn’t working on the file.
I glanced meaningfully at the rings on my finger and left his office without saying. I might have been rethinking the extension of our fake marriage. The file was huge, and I had my work cut out for me if I was going to find ways to either undermine the other companies or make us shine by comparison.
This was supposed to be the week I moved, but I pulled up the shared work calendar and removed the three days I had already requested to take off. I’d just have to forego sleep and pack up my stuff at night after work. It wasn’t like I had too much, and most of the clothes Rurik bought me were still in their shopping bags, waiting to be returned when the ruse was over.
Less than three minutes after I did that, Rurik stuck his head out. “I thought you needed that time off to move. Why’d you change the calendar?”