CEO Dane Romano, My Fake Boyfriend

Chapter 6 - Pay me in-kind

Lexi POV

“How about we got out next weekend? Let’s go clubbing.”

“What? Are you sure about this? Why are we going to a club?” I was asking Dane non-stop questions.

“Woah! Take it easy with the questions.” Dane chuckled before he sipped on his hot coffee.

“Fine.” I crossed my arms in front of me and then pouted.

“If you do that again, I will kiss you here.” He looked at my lips longingly and that made me purse my lips. He laughed again right after.

I thought I was making progress with Dane. I could talk to him easily. He was not the cocky person who I thought him to be. He made me talk about myself and he asked a lot of questions, looking genuinely interested in what I was saying. I also tried to ask him questions about himself, and he answered them all truthfully. At least that was I thought. I only avoided asking anything about his mom. He did not volunteer any information about her too anyway, so I let it pass.

He talked about his dad, though. His dad put up a small business when he was in his twenties. It eventually grew into a medium-sized corporation through the years. But it was Dane who made it the powerhouse as it was. The young businessman was bold in acquiring almost-bankrupt businesses and turning them into gold. His empire comprises retail, IT-related services, real estate, and construction.

“Enough about my work. I’d rather talk about you.” Dane reached out his hand and ran his finger over my arm.

“But my life is boring compared to yours.” I could not think of anything to say. Dane got me tongue-tied.

“Then I’ll make it more exciting.” He uttered sexily while his fingers ran to my upper arm, smoothing out the traitorous goosebumps that appeared.

In a short period, I thought I was getting attached to Dane. Aside from being sexily handsome, he has an outstanding personality that I did not see the last time. This is only the second time that we had met, but I felt like I have known him from the past. I felt like he was pulling me in and I had to hold back because I was sure that I will fall for him.

Or did I already?

“Does it bother you to be out with an older man?” He asked cautiously. The end of his lips tugged upwards in a smirk.

“No. Should it bother me?” I asked bravely and flirtatiously. “Are you bothered to be out with a younger woman? Or what to others seemed like a child?”

“What child?” He looked at me, tilting his head so he can see me from top to bottom, and then he went back to my eyes. His gaze was dark and lustful. “I’m seeing a delectable young woman.”

I blushed at his words. He called me delectable.

Is he playing with me? He just said earlier that he had set his eyes on a woman.

“You are crazy,” I mumbled out the words.

“I don’t know. Maybe. Perhaps crazy in love.” He winked at me before he called the waiter for our bill. I was to get my purse to pay for my share when I remembered that I was not able to bring it with me. Dane had me out of his room immediately and I was not able to get my purse from his bed.

“Uh, Dane?”

“Yeah, Lexi?” He reached for my hand again and then intertwined our fingers. Every time he touched me brought shivers down my spine and made me gasp for air.

“Can I borrow two bucks? I forgot my purse. I’m sorry. I will pay you when we get back to your apartment.” I whispered lowly to him. I was slightly embarrassed, but it was his fault I forgot to my purse.

“Hey. You didn’t have to pay anything when you’re with me.” His eyebrows went up to cross on his forehead.

“No. It can’t be that way.” I know he’s a billionaire, but he didn’t have to pay every time for my purchases.

“Well, you can pay me in-kind.” He whispered back at me.

“In-kind?” My brows went up.

Dane leaned over with his lips near my ear. He even raised my hand to his cheek.

“Every time that I let you pay, you have to kiss me with no clothes on. That’s the pay I want. Not a smack. But tongue to tongue action, that kind of kiss. Remember, no clothes on. Naked. We will do it in our bed at night before we sleep. Are you up for that?” With his face still close to mine, he kissed the back of my hand and sucked a bit of my skin.

My face heated up with what Dane said and did. But then after a second, my body started to heat up, too. He looked at me like he was telling me that he wanted something more from me.

I took whatever little control I have in my body and replied to his naughtiness.

“You know, Dane. I don’t mind you paying for my coffee. I would have ordered a cake, but I remembered that there are a few in your fridge. But next time, I will remember to get the most expensive coffee and expensive pastry.”

Dane put down my hand gently on the table and laughed out loud.

“You should see yourself. You look so cute when you blush. Come on. Let’s get out of here.” He left a fifty-dollar bill when the waiter arrived. He tugged me gently to stand up and we went out of the café. We were still in the vicinity of the city, but on the quieter side where posh apartments were built. He toured me around the neighborhood and pointed to me the shops and restaurants where he would usually go – the convenience store, the liquor shop, the quaint bookshop, the Italian restaurant where he gets his pizza, the bakery where he gets his bagel, and the Japanese restaurant for his sushi cravings. We went to a nearby park and, like kids, played at the playground. We took turns on the swing, went up and down the slide, and spent sweet time at the seesaw.

Who would have thought I would be able to see this child-like side of Dane? I knew there was a lot more to the billionaire Dane Romano.

After we had our time in the park, we went walking again until we both felt hungry. Dane dragged me to the Italian restaurant where we were immediately placed in a secluded area. It seemed like he was a VIP in this restaurant. The staff went on alert mode when he came in. Dane ordered a variety of pasta and pizza, which I thought was too many for the two of us.

“Dane, what if someone asks us how we got to know each other? What are we going to tell people?” I asked my fake boyfriend while waiting for our food.

He looked like he was thinking then he blurted out, “We tell them we met in a club a few months ago. Then we exchanged numbers. Went to coffee and lunch dates before we became official.”

A chuckle went out of my lips, as I thought we had just gone out on a coffee and lunch. “I think that story would be fine,” I said in response.

“Should I know of any crazy ex-girlfriends or flings?”

“No. I don’t do crazy.” He was busy playing with my fingers. “How about you? Any crazy ex-boyfriends?”

“No. I don’t have.” I looked down at the table when he asked back. I never had a boyfriend.

“What do you mean you don’t have? No crazy men in your past or no boyfriend at all?”

“No boyfriend at all.”

“Oh, f**k. I’m your first boyfriend?” He got excited at the fact.

“You could say that. But we’re not real, remember? We’re in a contract.”

“Hmm… yes, we are. That is true, we are in a contract. But I will make it as real as possible.”

The food came in before I could reply and Dane fed me, treating me like delicate porcelain.

We went back to his apartment after lunch, finding his mom had already left, much to our relief.

We spent the rest of the day unpacking my things. I was right. One door in the master’s bedroom goes to the walk-in closet. It also has its own entrance to the bathroom. Dane was shocked at how few my things were that he wanted to take me on a shopping spree the following day. I refused what he wanted to do but, in the end, he was able to convince me. He really had his way of negotiating. No wonder he had won many contracts and projects.

The first night together was really awkward. I have lived all my life alone in my bed and then, suddenly, I would share a bed with a man I barely knew. A hot, gorgeous, and sexy man at that.

I was grateful for Dane for understanding well that I was conscious of the new setup, so he put up a pillow wall in the middle of the bed. He also wore a shirt and sweatpants to make me more comfortable.

In the middle of the night, I still could not sleep. My movements must have awakened Dane because he suddenly talked.

“Could not sleep?”

“I’m sorry if I have woken you up,” I replied from the other side of the pillow wall.

In a second, the wall in the middle crumbled. “Come here. I’ll make you sleep.”

I hesitated, but then he made the move to meet me at my side of the bed. He put his arms around me and then scratched my back.

At first, I doubted he could make me sleep. But then I woke up in the morning and remembered how I was able to.

We went shopping the following day, mostly corporate clothes, a couple of cocktail dresses, and smart casuals. He wanted me to buy more, but I feigned exhaustion.

“I can’t walk anymore.”

He only nodded, and we went back to his apartment–only for him to massage my feet.

The rest of the days in the office were pleasant. I brought a few of the snacks we have back in the apartment and shared them with Jan.

At first, I had nothing to do. I asked Dane, but he told me to stay put. After an hour on his laptop, he instructed Jan to train me, so that in case his secretary had to go on leave, I could cover for her.

Jan was nice to me and had been patient in training me. Over the days, I found out Jan definitely had a lot on her plate for working as Dane’s secretary and I thought I could get some off from her back. Perhaps I could talk to Dane about it.

“You can use the bathroom, Lexi. I’ll use the other one.”

It was the following Saturday. And that night was the night we were to go clubbing.

“But I don’t know what to wear. I haven’t been to a club lately and I don’t know if any of my clothes will fit in.” The last time I went to the club, I wore a dress that I borrowed from my best friend.

“Let me see your dresses.” Dane requested and I rummaged inside the closet for my decent clothes.

After a few minutes, Dane was holding a black dress in front of me. It’s a too-small bodycon that fits my body perfectly. The one thing that I have never worn because I looked slutty in it. It shows too much skin - bare arms, low back, too much cleavage, and too high up my thighs. It was a graduation gift from my friends in college.

“This one.”

“No. Not that one.” I would have fainted when I saw him giving it to me. “Dane. There could be other dresses here.”

“But I want you to wear this one. I would like to see you wear this. Please?”

He looked so adorable when he begs.

“But I’m sure I will not look good in it. It’s something that only skinny models will wear.” I still tried to make my way out of wearing that skimpy dress.

“Why don’t you let me see you in this first, then I will judge of it?” He insisted.

“Fine.”

And so, I started to prepare for the night. I showered, dried my hair, put on some light make-up, and styled my hair to flow down my back. And lastly, I put on the dress. I stood in front of the mirror and looked at my reflection.

I turned around and saw Dane standing by the door.

“f**k. I think you’re getting laid tonight, babe.”