Cinderella for Hire

Thinking back, it was irrational to believe that somehow I could make it work with Nick. He was right. If he did kissed me back then at the Space Needle or at the parking lot, if he did had me right there and then, what would I feel afterwards? I was being paid to be his girlfriend. If I kissed him, if I ripped his clothes off…

I was being paid for that too.

I pressed my head lightly against the window of the car as it began to rain lightly. I was so confused. I sneaked a peek at Nick and I could tell that he was as confused as I was. So what now? How could we even work together anymore knowing that both of us had some sort of feelings toward each other?

When we got out of the car and on the floor of our hotel rooms, Nick stopped me before I went into my room.

"I have something to do still here for the next couple of days, but you can go back to New York."

There was something in his eyes that made me feel he was slightly embarrassed. "I mean, you don't have to. You can stay here but…I'm just saying."

"Okay," I said. "Good night."

"Wait," he continued as I pushed my door open. I stopped and looked back at him again. Honestly I needed to take a shower, I was still a mess from the whole dessert ordeal. "About tonight, can you just pretend that it never happened?"

"What?" I said, frowning. Was he being serious? How could I ever pretend to do that?

"I'm afraid I've stepped way out of line tonight," he said, in a low voice. "I've probably drank too much," he contemplated after a while. We all drank too much. Except for maybe, Alyssa and Steven. They were blissfully happy criticizing the shit out of me.

But that didn't mean that I want to pretend that it never happened! No!

"Nick," I said, leaning against the white, heavy door to my room. "Can't we try it out? Can't we just try…" I trailed off, sighing heavily as I buried my face in my palm, groaning. I couldn't believe I was about to suggest this. "Going out? Maybe. Just…I just…" I stared at him, not knowing what to say. "Like you," I ended lamely. "I like you. And I really want to give it a shot."

"But we're already going out," he said playfully and I glared at him, making him slip back into his serious-self again.

"You're still working for me," he said. "Hell, if you're just a normal employee in the office, I wouldn't have cared – but April, this is not simple, you know that. I hired you to be my girlfriend, and this is just unprecedented."

"Then fire me."

He smiled wryly. "And then what? You're going to go out for me – a screw-up – on a real date? What if things don't work out between us? What if things don't work out between us but I still need you to pretend to be my girlfriend again for business and events and crap like those?"

"But—"

"I can't risk that, April. You need the money anyway."

I slumped. It was probably for the best, right? I didn't know, I was too confused to think.

"So I really need us to be professional, okay?" he asked. "That's why I want you to forget that tonight, what I said, what we nearly did, ever happened. If personal feelings get in the way, this arrangement of ours – it will get even more confusing and weird. I don't want to take advantage of this. If personal feelings get in the way," he said again, trailing off. "It'll screw with both of our minds. You're my mock girlfriend, and that's all there is to it."

I opened my mouth to retaliate but nothing came out. I couldn't process my own feelings. And I hated it. Money was always in the way. I was beginning to think that the world revolved around it.

"Sure," I said, my throat feeling tight. "I'll pretend tonight never happened. It's business, after all. Good night," I said, flashing him a smile before going to my room. For a while, I did nothing but just stood in front of the door, looking at my bare feet.

I shouldn't feel too disappointed and yet I was.

Knocking on both sides of my head, I convinced myself to try and forget that tonight ever happened.