Between Desire and Denial: A Fake Dating Romance (Hardy Billionaires)

Three weeks of not contacting Olive hadn’t exactly been a slice of heaven. If I was being honest, three weeks of her avoiding me had been absolute hell.

I was supposed to be a workaholic, but instead of focusing on my investments, I was wondering about what she was so damn busy with that she never contacted me once.

She appeared around Kee when she was needed, which was most of the time, but suddenly I felt out of place. She was hanging out with my best friend, we’d always gotten on just fine, but now I wondered who she was talking to, what she was thinking, what her plans were after getting Kee’s marriage out to the press.

When I walked into Kee’s record label office, I found them all looking perfectly content. Platinum records hung on the walls and my brother sat with his laptop, making calls. Olive’s curls bounced about as she buzzed around fluffing Kee’s dark hair while discussing wedding pictures.

No one even looked up at me when I appeared in the doorway. My gaze, though, tracked Olive’s whereabouts like a damn obsessed puppy. She wore one of those big sweaters again with holes in her leggings as she pointed to a photo and mumbled that it could work for the magazine. Olive had become a jack-of-all-trades where Kee was concerned, working as her PA and helping with PR, but Kee had shifted her focus out of the spotlight when she’d married my brother. Instead of continuing to be a pop star, Kee was running the record label my brother had bought for her.

She’d already informed us she wasn’t going to release another album for a year or two. Normally, my focus would have been the business, but instead, I found myself asking about her team and wondering about Olive.

After she’d avoided me so diligently, now I had a reason to approach her. Quite frankly, this was me focusing on business.

I watched them fuss over a picture before Olive pushed at the pink flower in her own hair and stood up to stretch. She froze when she saw me but then turned to Kee. “You’re not doing any appearances for the next month. So, I’m guessing you’ll have some time off?”

It wasn’t just a month that Kee wouldn’t be doing appearances, but she nodded softly, not willing to tell Olive that her position as an employee wasn’t needed.

“Means you’re free for a whole month, I guess.” I walked into the office and blurted it out, looking to finally get a rise out of her. I wanted her to acknowledge me, pay attention to me, stop ignoring me. Her honey-colored gaze cut across the room to scowl at me but she didn’t say anything at first.

So, I goaded her more and brought up our night from three weeks ago. Her eyes widened and she got up fast, grabbing my arm. “Let’s go.”

She hustled me out of the office and down the hall to another empty room before she slammed the door and glared at me like she could appear mean even though I was a whole head taller than her. “What the heck was that?”

“You’re avoiding me. So, figured I’d incentivize you to stop by offering to talk about the night we had three weeks ago.”

“In front of Kee?” She threw up her hands. “We agreed to not talk about that night.”

“I’ll definitely keep that agreement if you can help me out with something. I have a favor I need to ask of you,” I told her, not at all intimidated by her anger. Instead, I found myself eyeing her up, wondering if her cheeks would redden further, if her breath would catch as I pushed her more.

She crossed her arms, and her curves drew my attention too. I knew exactly how well they fit in my hands, and I tried my best not to rearrange my damn trousers while she glowered at me. “You’re threatening to tell Kee about our night for a favor? Not really a favor, Dimitri. More like blackmail.”

“It was a way to get you to stop avoiding me. It worked, didn’t it?”

“I’m not avoiding you,” she said, but her gaze skittered around the room.

“You’ve been avoiding me for the better part of a month, haven’t talked to me since Kee’s wedding night unless she’s in the room.”

“Did I ever talk to you before when she wasn’t in the room?” She had me there, and because of that, the silence stretched between us. “We’re not really that good of friends, Dimitri. Let’s not pretend like we are.” She sighed. “I’m trying to deal with my own stuff, get my ducks in a row for the university hearing, preparing to restart a whole year of master’s program work. So, I’d rather not—”

“I thought you said that was all under control.”

“Yeah, well, I was lying.” She winced.

“But a year? You were almost done with your thesis,” I said, confused.

She wiggled the glasses she had on and looked away. “Yeah, and Rufford reassigned me.”

That motherfucker really had some balls if he’d done that. “What happened with your email?”

“The university buried it. They asked if I wanted to come in to discuss the allegations because the email screenshots looked cropped and Photoshopped. He’s claiming I forged all of it because he didn’t think I was fit to continue the thesis. I’m over it. I’m just going to restart.”

“So, you’re letting him get away with it?”

“No. I’m not letting him do anything. Don’t say that. I hate when people say I’m letting a situation happen.” She stomped her foot, and I saw the fire back in her eyes that I’d seen a month ago when she sent that email. “I’m picking my battles. I’m mad as hell about this, but I want to graduate, not get thrown out of the master’s program. I already have no plans for …” She threw up her hands. “Anything honestly. And so I’m just stressed.” She rubbed at her temples and took a deep breath before she continued. “I also don’t want to sit through a meeting while he degrades me and the relationship we had.”

“The relationship you had?” I frowned at her feelings. Why would she try to hold that in a high regard still? “He groomed you, took advantage of you, and manipulated you. He screwed you over, Olive.”

She propped her hands on her hips as she stood taller to scold me. “We still had some good times, Dimitri. I cared about him,” she said quietly.

“We had good times too. I don’t see you wanting to preserve shit about the tumble we had in the sheets.”

“Is there something to preserve? Because from what I remember, you and I both got off and that was about it. There weren’t any ‘sweet nothings’ exchanged.” Yeah, well, she’d made sure of that by leaving fast the next morning.

“Your pussy was sweet enough for me. I’ve dreamt about it ever since.”

Her little mouth formed an O of shock before she poked my shoulder. “Don’t you dare say stuff like that around me.”

“Why not? You don’t like a compliment?” I couldn’t help but smirk at the heat rising to her cheeks.

“I’m going to go if that’s all you needed to say to me.”

“No.” I grabbed her elbow gently as she started to turn and spun her back. “Fine. I didn’t bring you out here to discuss that actually, although I don’t think avoiding me over the last couple weeks was necessary.”

“Then what did you bring me out here to discuss?” She folded her arms across her chest and tapped her shoe on the floor like she didn’t have time for me.

She was about to make a lot more time. “You mentioned that community you grew up in …”

“Paradise Grove?”

“Yeah. That’s the one.” I nodded.

She combed her curls back away from her face and asked, “What about it?”

“Your father still lives there.” I cleared my throat, not sure how she was going to take this. “He’s also on the HOA board there.”

“I mean, maybe?” She narrowed her eyes. “Why would you care? And how would you know?”

She took a step back then, but I took one forward. “Now wait. Hear me out.”

She put up her hands to stop me from coming toward her. “You asked me information about Paradise Grove the night we hooked up.”

I nodded. “That’s true, but it had nothing to do with our night together.”

She shook her head at me and laughed, but it sounded hollow. “Were you pumping me for information?”

“I was curious.” I bit the bullet. “I’d invested in Paradise Grove and the land surrounding it awhile back and—”

“You’re joking. Why?” she blurted out. “Why would you invest in a small community like that?”

I combed a hand through my hair. It’d been about a year ago I’d listened to her and Kee talk about how she grew up in some gated community that held more pain than joy for her. “I listen to people when they talk. You talked about a luxurious enclave with Kee and I—”

“That was me talking about my childhood! I hate that place. It wasn’t an invitation to go research it and invest in it.”

I slid my hands in my pockets. “It’s what I do.”

“You realize you should be ashamed, right?” She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “I thought I was talking to friends.”

“You said the other night we weren’t even that—”

“Oh, shut up. Don’t feed me a line about us not being friends so you can profit off what you overheard. You sound like an unhinged investor too obsessed with money to realize that he’s using people’s personal stories to make deals.”

“I like taking risks, Olive. You’ve moved on from the community, right? So this one felt like a fun one, innovative and on brand for HEAT.”

“Oh, it’s on brand.” She scoffed. “Good luck.”

“Well, now.” I rubbed my jaw, trying to approach this differently. “Do you think you’d maybe like to explore why you hate that place so much and maybe visit with me? Go to a meeting and—”

“Are you kidding?” she whispered.

Fuck. This wasn’t going well. “Look, Kee is a part of the HEAT empire too now. We won a bid on developing a border area and some of the land within Paradise Grove. It’s a vibrant community that I want to make better.”

She lifted a brow. “I highly doubt you’re doing this out of the goodness of your heart.”

“Fine. I purchased a house there so I can understand why their little community meetings that they mask as HOA meetings are somehow pulling strings within all of New Haven City.”

“Sounds about right. Paradise Grove always has been able to influence all of New Haven. So, they invited you to a meeting?”

“Not really. But I’m technically living there so I’ll just show up. I bought the place merely to go to these ridiculous meetings that seem to hold so much weight. I haven’t put much effort into the house at all.”

“And I’m sure all of Paradise Grove is seeing that you’re not putting in any effort.” She rolled her eyes. “Great. They probably think you’re just going to flip the thing. And they don’t allow flips. And they don’t really allow anything to change in New Haven unless they’re completely on board. So good luck.”

“Ah, so just everyone knows about Paradise Grove influencing the city ordinances?”

“Sure.” She shrugged. “My father and stepmom talked about the meetings and the happenings in town enough.”

And that’s how I knew right then and there that Olive had to help me. She had a knack for retaining irrelevant information most of the time, but in this case, I needed it. “Right, well, it’s an exclusive community, as you know, but we need to revamp some of the buildings, and I need the board to agree.”

“They won’t.” She actually chuckled, shaking her head at me. “I mean, seriously, Dimitri, I wish you good luck. Not that you deserve it after selfishly asking me for information.”

“I was making conversation that night, Olive.”

“You don’t make idle conversation.” She bit her lip and then whispered in a voice that held pain, “Were you disappointed I didn’t stay over the next morning because you missed out on asking me more questions?”

My gut twisted with her query. I wouldn’t have her think that, I couldn’t. I stepped close to her before I could stop myself to remind her of the chemistry we had. “I wanted you to stay until the next morning so I could fuck you again. My business is separate from me touching you, Olive Honey.” I pulled at the collar of her sweatshirt, yanking her close so that we were chest to chest.

She gasped out my name. “Dimitri.”

“I’m trying to be professional because we’re in our friend’s office, but I’m happy to remind you of how my cock feels in your pussy if you want. I don’t think about much else when you’re around as of late.”

She licked her lips, and I saw her amber eyes glance down before she shook her head. “That was a one-time thing.”

“I know. Want to make it a two-time thing right now?”

Her breathing had accelerated, and I was suddenly ready to forget about the fact that we were in an office if she said yes, except she closed her eyes tight and admitted, “I have a date tonight.”

Immediately, my hand dropped from her collar as if it’d been electrocuted. “A date? What the hell for?”

“Yes, a date. Some guy I matched up with on an app.”

“Just a guy on an app? That doesn’t sound safe.”

“It’s fine, Dimitri.”

“How the fuck do you know? You haven’t met him,” I scoffed.

“I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself.” She chuckled like this was all fun and games. “Anyway, I’m trying to get back out there. I want to see who else can make me feel like, well, you know.” She waved a hand in the air like I was supposed to get it.

“Feel like I made you feel?” I finished for her. “You’re not going to find that on any damn date,” I practically snarled.

She dragged her teeth over her bottom lip as she looked me up and down. “Well, I want that, Dimitri. So I’m going to find it. Even if I have to go on a million dates.”

I leaned forward until my mouth was close to hers as I placed my hand on the wall behind her. “If you’re saying you want someone to fuck you like I do, just ask me to fuck you, Olive.”

She shook her head, but I swear her pretty eyes dilated. She wanted this as much as I did, and when I reached down to trace the rip in her leggings so I could feel her bare skin, she sucked in air like the chemistry that ricocheted around the room was making it hard for her to breathe. “Dimitri, we’re in Kee’s office space.”

“So? You think I care who sees me touching you?”

“You should. Your brothers are out there somewhere too. What if someone walks in?”

“Then they’ll see that you don’t need to go on any dates. They’ll see you have a man willing to take care of your every need right here.” My thumb slid across her smooth, soft skin and inched higher up her thigh. She whimpered at my touch and her hands fell to my shoulders. “This isn’t right, and you know it. We can’t sneak around in the middle of a workday and—”

I tore her leggings just enough so I could push her panties to the side and graze my hand over her pussy. “You must like sneaking around because you’re soaked. Or do you just get like that when I’m around, Olive Honey?”

“It’s not for you,” she said, like she was trying to keep her dignity, but her thigh wrapped around my hip, and she rocked against my hand.

“Bullshit.” Olive was as hungry for sex with me as I was for her. Her eyes glazed over as I worked her clit back and forth and then slid a finger inside her. She was climbing closer and closer to the edge.

“What if it’s not you? Maybe I just like the rush of doing something here, Dimitri. Don’t you?” She gripped the lapels of my suit. “I want it here. Right here, right now. And I want you to show me you want it too, like you can’t wait another second for it.”

I hummed, “So you want to see me lose control? Want me to fuck you where everyone might find us?”

Her gaze was hooded, and her skin shimmered with the faintest glow of sweat. “Yes. Please. Show me, please.”

Her words held weight, held emotion I wanted to dig into, but now wasn’t the time. Now was the time to show her she’d get everything from me. I wanted to fuck the confidence into Olive that she needed. I wanted to show her that no man should ever deny her or make her feel like she was less than flawless. “I’m never going to resist anything when it comes to you, Olive.”

“Good,” she whispered before her hands went to my belt buckle. I let her undo my pants while I kissed her neck. She gripped my cock and moaned, “You’re so big, Dimitri.”

I ripped her leggings further. “You like how big it feels? You want me to bend you over that desk and remind you?”

“Yes.” She nodded fast. “Fuck me over it. Please.”

She chanted the words as I pulled her over to the large mahogany desk and turned her to face the door. We both were looking at the entrance to the room, knowing it wasn’t locked, that anyone could come in at any time. Yet my cock was out and throbbing, my body wound tight from her ignoring me, from wanting her, from seeing her but not being able to have her everywhere over the last three weeks.

She placed her hands on the dark wood, and I leaned over her, pulling her leggings and panties down, and then nudging the tip of my cock to her entrance. “Olive, I hope someone comes in.”

She whipped her head around and glared at me. “You should have locked the door. No one better see us.”

I laughed before I grabbed her curls and pulled so her back would arch that ass out just for me. “I’m not stopping even if someone does see, Olive.” I slammed into her, wanting her to feel every inch of me at once.

She gasped loudly and dug her nails into the wood. I hoped they left indents. “I’ll fuck you anywhere. In a dark hotel room or in the light of day in front of this whole office. You know why?” I thrust in and out again, and she moaned, rolling her hips. “Because I want everyone to know I’m sleeping with you. I’m going to continue to sleep with you. And I’m going to fuck you till you understand I’m the only one who can do it this good.”

“Oh, God. It’s too good. I can’t wait, Dimitri. I’m going to lose it.”

“Come on me, Olive.” I smacked her ass once, then twice. “Give me all of it.”

That’s when her walls constricted around me so tightly it was like she’d never let me go. Her body was on board with us fucking, and mine was too. I roared as I thrust into her one last time and buried myself deep, so deep I hoped she wouldn’t be able to remove me.

It was a revelation that flew through me fast as I breathed in the sweet scent of honey all around. I wanted to imprint on Olive’s life, make her mine, and make her see she was irresistible to me. She didn’t have to be that for every guy, just me. And I was ready to do anything right then to do that.