Fake Dating Contract With My Ex's Billionaire Father

Jamila stared at the dead engine and fought the urge to scream. Of all the nights her piece-of-shit Mitsubishi could have chosen to die, it had to be tonight, on an almost deserted road, with her phone at ten percent and her stomach growling loud enough to embarrass her.

"Seriously?" She slapped both hands against the steering wheel. "You couldn't wait until I got home?"

She turned the key again. The engine coughed, then died. Jamila stared at the dashboard, silently willing the car to cooperate. The silence mocked her.

"Come on, you stupid thing." She tried the ignition again. Same result. She dropped her forehead against the steering wheel and stayed there for a long moment. Three mechanics this month. Three times they had assured her the problem was fixed. Apparently, her car had decided tonight was the perfect time to prove them wrong.

She leaned against the car and closed her eyes. A hot meal. A warm shower. Her bed. Apparently even that was too much to ask for tonight. She rubbed her tired face and reached for her phone.

The screen lit up. Ten percent. Barely enough for a few calls before it died.

"Perfect."

Her first thought was Drew. She dialed his number and pressed the phone to her ear, her sneaker tapping impatiently against the ground.

"Come on, Drew. Please pick up."

The call went straight to voicemail. She tried again. Same result. 

She lowered the phone and released a long breath through her nose. "Of course you wouldn't pick up tonight."

A cool breeze brushed against her bare arms. Jamila looked up. Dark clouds were swallowing the moonlight, making the road look even more deserted than before.

"This can't be happening." She rubbed her arms as another gust swept past her. No umbrella. No working car. Barely enough battery to call anyone. "Please don't rain."

A drop landed on her cheek. Another on her forehead. She looked up at the sky.

"You have got to be kidding me."

She lowered the bonnet and scanned the road. Empty. The few cars that had passed earlier were long gone. She pulled out her phone again, wondering whether she should swallow her pride and call someone.

Headlights appeared in the distance. Jamila squinted as a sleek black SUV approached, its headlights cutting through the darkness. She stepped closer to her car and tightened her grip on her phone.

The SUV slowed and stopped beside her Mitsubishi. She watched through the window as the driver's door opened. A tall man stepped out, dressed in a dark suit that looked like it belonged somewhere far more sophisticated than this deserted road.

"Excuse me, miss." His deep voice carried easily through the quiet night. "Are you alright?" His eyes moved over her briefly before settling on the car.

Jamila glanced at the empty road before looking back at him. "My car broke down." She tried to sound calm, even though every warning she had ever heard about strangers was running through her mind.

The man stopped several feet away. "Do you need any help?"

"I have been trying to figure it out." She gestured toward the engine. "Unfortunately, I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing."

A faint smile touched his lips. "May I take a look? You can stay right there if you are uncomfortable."

Jamila hesitated, then stepped aside. "Please."

He removed his suit jacket and placed it over the driver's seat of his SUV. Then he rolled the sleeves of his white shirt to his elbows. 

Jamila tried not to stare at his forearms, but the defined muscles beneath his skin made that surprisingly difficult. She looked away when he glanced in her direction.

He caught her staring anyway. A small smile tugged at his mouth, and heat rushed to her cheeks. She busied herself with her bag strap, refusing to look up again. 

When she finally risked another glance, something about his eyes stopped her cold. They pulled at a memory she couldn't place. She blinked and told herself she was imagining things.

He had called a mechanic for her without being asked, then waited with her until the man arrived. Now he was walking her to dinner like it was the most normal thing in the world. 

She didn't understand why a stranger would go out of his way like this, but her stomach growled before she could think too hard about it. She fell into step beside him and followed him into the restaurant.

By the time they left, the rain still hadn't started. Jamila carried her two bags of takeout in one hand and checked her phone with the other. She had been checking it all through dinner, hoping for a message from Drew. Nothing.

"You are waiting for someone?" Malakai asked.

"My boyfriend." She looked up from her phone. "He said he was coming to pick me up."

Malakai's expression changed. His lips tightened, and the warmth in his eyes disappeared as he looked toward the road. Jamila noticed the reaction but couldn't understand why mentioning her boyfriend had affected him.

"Thank you for tonight, Malakai." She smiled. "You really didn't have to do all of this for me."

"You are welcome, Jamila." He looked down at her, his expression unreadable. "I am glad I could help."

Jamila turned toward the sidewalk just as a cab pulled up. The back door opened, and a young man with sandy-blond hair stepped out. Relief washed over her.

"Drew." She smiled as he approached. "I was beginning to think you were never coming."

"I am sorry, babe." Drew reached for her arms and pulled her into his chest. "I should have answered your calls."

Jamila rested her head against him, too tired to argue. "It is fine." She lifted her bags. "I just want to go home."

"Yeah, we should."

Drew's voice sounded strangely tense. Jamila lifted her head to study him. Before she could ask what was wrong, a deep voice came from behind them.

"Andrew?"

Drew froze.

Jamila turned around slowly. Malakai was standing beside his SUV, staring directly at them. The warmth that had been in his expression all evening was completely gone.

Drew's face drained of color. "Dad?"

Jamila's eyes widened.

She looked at Drew, then at Malakai, then took a stunned step backward. "Dad?"

The air left her lungs. The stranger who had rescued her tonight wasn't just some kind man she had met on the road. He was her boyfriend's father.