“Sarah?” Gabriel asked.
But she ignored him as she marched toward the two of them, her hands curling into fists at her sides.
“Oh my God, Dan!” The blonde woman giggled again, and this time squeezed Daniel’s bicep. “You’re, like, so funny.”
“I was just—Sarah?” The silvery blue gaze grew wide as they landed on her. “What are you doing here?”
Sarah felt the blonde’s stare, but ignored it. “Hey, Daniel. Got a second?” For your wife, she almost added. It might have been worth it to say it out loud and see that bimbo’s reaction.
“Of course. Listen, Carli,” he said, turning to the blonde. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
Carli’s nostrils flared as her gaze flickered to Sarah’s. “Yeah, I guess so. You’ll have to tell me more about that fishing story. Maybe you could take me to that spot sometime. You know how much I love fishing. Bye now,” she said with a sweet smile, before sauntering away.
Sarah gritted her teeth, trying to stop herself from … from … well, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do exactly, only that it involved something that would wipe the smirk from Carli’s face.
“Sarah?” Daniel’s voice broke through her thoughts. “Is there something the matter? Did I not sign the papers correctly?”
“You did,” she admitted. “But … can we talk somewhere private?”
“I …” He looked confused but shrugged. “All right. Let’s go to my cubicle.”
He led her further down the hallway, then opened the door at the end, letting her go in first. They headed to one of the empty cubicles. “Do you want some coffee? Or tea?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “I’m sure you’re wondering what I’m doing here.” Her throat felt dry and her palms were sweaty. God, why was she nervous?
“Kinda. But I don’t mind,” he added quickly. “I mean … uh …” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I thought you’d be on your way back to Vegas by now.”
“Yeah, I overslept and … wait, you haven’t seen any of the news sites?”
“News sites?” He shook his head. “I came in early today to, uh, do some paperwork. So, I haven’t checked my phone. Hold on.” Circling the table, he grabbed the phone on the side table. “Is it more stuff about the VP and—oh.” His eyes scanned the screen quickly. “Shit. Fuck.” Tossing the phone down, he slammed his palms on the tabletop. “I’m sorry, Sarah. I didn’t mean for this to get out of hand. Maybe Damon is right, and I should issue a statement to the press, tell them to leave you alone. Then we can file the annulment—”
“No!” she protested, then bit her lip. “I mean, don’t issue a statement asking the press to leave me alone. That’ll have the opposite effect.” Her heart drummed at the thought of what she wanted to say next. “And as for the annulment … maybe … perhaps … we can hold off just for a bit. At least until the attention dies down.”
His head snapped up. “Hold on. Are you saying we should stay married?”
“Uh, yeah. I mean … I thought about what you said.” Her hands wrung together. “I think it would be best if we could keep certain details about our wedding from leaking out.”
“You mean, about us getting drunk?” he asked sheepishly.
“Yeah. The thing is, I have to protect my family, you know? I mean, I don’t want them to bear the brunt because I made one mistake.”
His shoulders stiffened. “Mistake?” he said in a low voice.
“Yes,” she said. “And I’m sure you … I mean, what would your family think if they find out you got drunk and then married a stranger?”
“I …” He let out a low grunt. “I guess you have a point. I haven’t even thought of them. I mean, I said I’d tell my dad about it, but I read the papers and they seemed legit. Didn’t seem like there was a point in letting my parents know.” His brows snapped together. “I really am sorry that the press is dragging your name through the mud.”
She chuckled nervously. “It’s fine. I mean, if anything, I’m getting some free publicity for my business.” She hoped she had mentioned that casually enough.
“But what about your boyfriend?”
“Boyfriend?” she asked, puzzled.
“I asked you if there was someone else and you didn’t answer. I assumed you were dating someone.”
“I didn’t say I was,” she said. “So you don’t have to worry about a jealous lover or anything. But if you changed your mind—”
“No,” he interrupted. “I haven’t.”
“But so … how should we go about this? I’ve never faked being married before. Or real married either.”
The smile on his face lit up the room. “I guess the first thing we need to do is explain how it is we got married in secret. How about—”
The office door flew open behind them, interrupting Daniel. “Well, look what we have here.”
Whirling her head around, she saw Anders standing in the doorway.
“Hey, Rogers,” he greeted, then nodded at Sarah as a shit-eating grin spread across his face. “Mrs. Rogers.”
“Anders, you asshole!” Gabriel skidded behind Anders, pushing him into the office. “Sorry, Daniel,” he said sheepishly. “I tried to stop him, but this fucker’s too fast.” He looked at Sarah apologetically. “Sorry.”
Anders burst out laughing. “Oh my God, you should see your fucking face, Rogers. What’s the matter? Are the bonds of matrimony strangling your neck already?”
“Matrimony?” Gabriel’s jaw dropped. “What is he saying?”
Daniel’s face was red, and a vein strained at his neck. “Get the fuck outta here, Stevens, before I break your fucking face.”
“Jeez, so touchy,” Anders said, rolling his eyes.
“What’s going
