Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 1

I was really doing this. I paced back and forth in the anteroom of Rosemont Hotel's ballroom, one of the most luxurious places in the city, trying to convince myself this was a good idea. Hiring a gigolo to pretend to be my fiancé? God forgive me, but I had no choice. My ex-fiancé was about to get married. And not to just anyone... He was marrying my ex-best friend. Yeah, I got double-betrayed in some "buy one, get one free" package deal I didn't even know I'd signed up for.

If there were a loyalty program for idiots, I'd already have enough points to cash in for a slap in the face and a one-way ticket straight to rock bottom. Ignore the wedding? That was what I wanted. But Elise made a point of calling me personally! Clearly she wanted to laugh at me, to humiliate me. But I couldn't let her win. So I said I'd go. What was worse was I had said I'd go with my insanely hot, super-rich fiancé. "Rich?" She laughed, like she didn't believe me. "Heir to one of the biggest companies in the country," I lied.

"I can't wait to meet him." By the next day, the news had already spread. Not even twenty-four hours had passed since the invitation arrived, and somehow all our mutual friends already knew I was going. And worse: that I'd be bringing my millionaire fiancé. Now, on top of being forced to show up, they were expecting a show. If there had been any chance of backing out before, there wasn't anymore. I had to go. But if I was going, I couldn't show up alone, humiliated, and defeated. I had to pretend to be someone I wasn't. Pretending was practically my second job when it came to my ex.

years. Pretending not to notice when he came home with another woman's perfume clinging to his clothes. Pretending not to catch the lame excuses, the glances between him and Elise when they thought I wasn't looking. I could still remember the dress I was wearing, the muffled sound of rain outside, the heavy silence in

her. She gave me a smug little smile, twirling her hair with disdain. "You've always tried so hard to be perfect. The perfect girlfriend, the perfect friend, the reliable one. But let's

knew. I had never been the woman Alex wanted. And maybe I'd never be the woman anyone wanted. So, if I couldn't win at life, at least I would win at appearances. My phone buzzed, and I quickly grabbed it to read the message. [I'm running late, but I'm on my way.] I rolled my eyes. For what I had paid, he really shouldn't be making rookie

appear out of thin air any second. "My fiancé's on his way. I'll see you inside." Crap, where was he? Before I could send another message, my phone died. I'd been working all day and didn't have time to charge it before coming here. "Oh, great! Now if something goes wrong, I'm completely screwed." Minutes later, he arrived. And... Oh. My. God. The man was sin walking on two

around him trembled. His dark brown hair was slightly tousled, that intentional kind of mess only insanely attractive men could pull off without looking sloppy. His beard was neatly trimmed, his