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CHAPTER 13
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WAKING UP WITH THE CEO CHAPTER 14
‘My fiancée…’ Annalise froze. Her heart stopped beating for a few seconds and she felt cold shivers going up and down her spine. There was a horrible buzz in her ears, and she stared in horror at Lance. No, there must be a mistake… she hadn’t heard him right. What the hell did he just do? She wasn’t sure who was more stunned by this news. Her or his entire family. Guinevere was looking at her from head to toe with a gaze filled with loath, disgust, and anger. Arthur, Lance’s brother looked somewhat annoyed and slightly amused, while Lance’s father, was just frowning. His mom was the only one who actually seemed happy about the… ‘big’ news dropped on everybody like a bomb. “Oh, sweetie, that is absolutely amazing!” she said and Annalise found herself in her arms being hugged so tight that she was in danger of fainting from lack of air. “I’m ecstatic to meet you, my dear.” She held Annalise out at arm’s length and smiled at her. Then she proceeded to k
WAKING UP WITH THE CEO CHAPTER 15
Her jaw practically dropped. Oh, but of course! Not only did Lance trick her big time, but he was also expecting her to continue this charade in his bed. Well, it will be a cold day in hell when she’ll let him touch her. She was here for one reason only: to convince Lance to sign with her agency. Rolling in the hay with him was never part of the deal. Annalise reached forward and snatched the key card from his grasp. Then, she spun on her heel and she almost ran down the hall. Staying in the same room together?! Sharing the same bed? Yeah, sure! Dream on, Lance, dream on! For what she cared, he could go and look for other accommodations or he could bunk with his brother. This way they will probably have a lot of time to talk about personal issues. Maybe they could compare notes on Guinevere. She jammed the card into the lock, listened for the snick, and then shoved it open. Annalise stepped inside and slammed the door in
WAKING UP WITH THE CEO CHAPTER 16
“Why are you laughing? What is so damn funny?” he demanded totally perplexed. “Basically, Guinevere accused you of doing exactly what you are doing! ‘The nerve on her…’ You crack me up, Lance! You should be doing stand-up comedy as a hobby,” Annalise replied and kept laughing. “Stop it now, please,” Lance said, blinking a bit annoyed by her reaction. “Okay, I get it. I’m an immature, egotistical man. The male ego is obviously a fragile creature. I think we can agree on that. Yes, it occurred to me to get on her nerves just a little by showing up with a stunning woman by my side. Sue me for it! I even hatched the whole engagement scheme complete with the ring because I figured it was the best way to finally get them all off my back.” Her shoulders shook and Annalise closed her eyes. The man was nothing if not honest. She had to give him credit for it. “Anna, look at me, please.” His pleading tone had her turning once more to stare into those intense eyes. Lance
WAKING UP WITH THE CEO CHAPTER 17
Totally mesmerized, Lance kept watching the beautiful woman sitting sideways on the couch, her back against the arm and her knees doubled in front of her. Annalise looked comfortable and completely relaxed, which was more than he could have hoped for given how stupidly he had sprung the whole fake engagement thing on her. After her initial fury, though, she had calmed down and had taken it quite well. Annalise was extremely intelligent and funny, a few other qualities Lance liked in a woman, especially the woman he was interested in. Accepting to play this game at his side, agreeing to play the part of his fiancée, was no little thing for Annalise, but she understood his necessity and said yes. Lance was definitely attracted to Annalise sexually, but beyond that, he genuinely liked spending time with her. This was another reason why he pleaded with her to help him. ‘Just stay put, and let her be, man!’ Lance said to himself while admiring her. ‘Stay awa
WAKING UP WITH THE CEO CHAPTER 18
“Well, this is me, sometimes I dream impossible things… And it was a good dream for the extremely short time it lasted,” Lance grumbled. “I was too focused on my work, on achieving the success I was pursuing. So, I didn’t have the time to figure out what my ideal woman was. All I knew was that I needed a perfect private life, without problems at home… So, I looked around and there was Guinevere and I didn’t feel like waiting anymore. I asked her to marry me, and she said yes. So, I gave her the ring and that was that.” “Oh… And that went so well… Mr. Hamilton, allow me to introduce myself: I’m Annalise, your fake fiancée.” Lance scowled ferociously at Annalise only for her to start laughing again, this time even harder. “Stop making that face, Lance! Even you have to admit this is so damn funny.” He smiled. “Okay, so what happened next? Other than Arthur stepping in and being a total jackass.” Lance smiled again. He really liked this woman. Annalise
WAKING UP WITH THE CEO CHAPTER 19
Slowly, Annalise nodded. Her fingers went to her forehead and she dug them into her hair. Still, Lance could see them shaking, and Annalise swallowed again, her slim neck working with the effort. “Please, Lance,” she whispered. “I can’t do this. It’s the one thing I can’t do. It’s a promise I made to myself. So, don’t ask it of me. Look, if you want me to admit it, to admit I’m attracted to you, I will. If this could help you in some way... if this could ease the way you’re feeling, fine... I want you, Lance. More than I have ever wanted another man. More than I want my next breath.” Savage satisfaction gripped Lance. Didn’t just grip him but lunged for him and wrapped a hand around his throat and his groin. His entire body reacted to that simple statement. Annalise wanted him more than she had ever wanted anyone else. She turned on the couch until she faced forward and her feet met the floor. She looked in turns miserable and scared. Her eyes were cl
WAKING UP WITH THE CEO CHAPTER 20
She was lying in bed looking at the ceiling. Annalise had done this all night long just waiting for the morning to come. After what happened in the suite’s living room, she went to her bedroom, closed the door and went to bed… but didn’t sleep a wink. Annalise just stood there, tossing and turning, thinking over and over at what happened between her and Lance. And so, she didn’t need to set the alarm to get out of bed and be ready on time. “It was just a kiss, dammit!” she whispered and covered the face with her hands. She could not understand why was she feeling this way. Why every single one of her senses was completely shattered by their kiss… a pretty simple kiss. It wasn’t like Lance was the first man she’d ever kissed in her life. And it won’t be the last, she knew it for sure. Yes, it was just a kiss, a normal kiss between two grown-up people. Something most human beings experience at least once in a lifetime. So why, instead of going over her pi
WAKING UP WITH THE CEO CHAPTER 21
Then Annalise prepared her final punch, the one she knew would bring Lance to his knees. Her excitement increased because she knew he was genuinely interested in what she had to say. This had nothing to do with personal attraction. He was all business right now and his eyes gleamed with enthusiasm. “And I have in mind the perfect person who could show both of these groups how great ‘HL Sportswear’ is for all of them. The man I’m thinking about, the one who can do these sweaty, driven shoots and the cool engaging commercials is John Beckett.” Lance’s eyes widened a fraction, and then he sat back in his seat, looking at her totally stunned. “What?” Seeing his reaction, Annalise tried to remain serious and hide her smug grin. “Wait a minute…” Lance added. ‘I got you, Mr. Hamilton!’ she thought, already tasting her success. “You’re telling me you can get me John Beckett, none other than the ‘L.A. Cali FC’ team captain? The best soccer player who ever ex
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