Penthouse Prince by Virginia Nelson

of his wrist, he punched a button on a remote, pulling up the news.
    “Today was a busy day for the Penthouse Prince. Starting at a rededication of the MacArthur building, he and his lovely, but unknown until a few weeks ago, fiancée traveled from event to event. Things got really interesting a little while ago at the construction site of the James wing of the hospital. Our crews caught this little exchange between the, up to this point, perfect couple.”
    The screen shifted from the smiling face of the reporter to the construction site. The camera focused on Camden, shaking hands and smiling, but then panned to her when he moved to join her. She held her phone, attention obviously not on him, when he took her arm.
    She yanked it away from him, hiding the phone in what looked like a guilty movement, before scowling up at him. After a moment, she stomped away and left him looking a little lost as he stared after her.
    The reporter came back on, but a buzzing filled Jeanie’s head.
    “You saw it here first, folks. The most wanted bachelor might soon be looking to mend his broken heart. I’m sure the available ladies will be lining up for that job.” The reporter’s smile was just a little leering, and Lowe shut the television off with an audible click .
    “So, as you can both see, there’s a little hitch—”
    “Yes!” Camden punched his fist toward the sky before slamming it down. Then he pointed at her. “You lost ! I told you I’d win.”
    “Lost?” Lowe looked confused, and Jeanie swallowed hard.
    The headache battled with dizziness. This isn’t happening. Not for real. “You can’t…the bet? Really? But Tasha—”
    “Really, Jeanie? You’re backing out of the bet once you lost it? You know we’re on a timeline because of the press leak by my father. At this point? We’re out of time. I need to know if you’re in or out, because if you’re backing out of our deal, I have to figure out something else, fast. You were kind of my last hope, and besides…you promised.”
    Her first response would have been to tell him she was backing out. It was a terrible idea, and the bet had been a ridiculous one to begin with. But something about his face and the way he called her his last hope…
    “I didn’t say I was backing out. I simply wanted to point out the stakes had changed. Tasha is back and—”
    He cut her off with a wave of his hand. “Tasha cheated once, and she’ll do it again. I don’t care about love, but I’ll be damned if I stay with someone who betrayed me. She’ll ruin everything. She’s nothing but a risk to me and what I’m trying to do. You have to realize that, don’t you? We have to act fast. Are you backing out, Jeanie?”
    She turned away. “I don’t know.”
    He put his hand on her shoulder. She turned around, expecting to see the slick businessman back in action, but there was something else in his expression. Need. And maybe a hint of desperation.
    “I’m sorry I came on so strong about this,” he said. “This is your choice. If you want to back out now—if this is too much—I’ll find another way. But Jeanie…I need you. I promise, I’ll find a way to make this work for you. If you’ll just help me out a little longer.”
    She bit her lip, hard, and closed her eyes. Her first thought had been to tell him to hell with his offer, but then she’d seen his face. The genuine plea for her help. He was giving her a choice.
    And if she was honest with herself, nothing had really changed from when she’d first agreed to go along with this insane plan. She had nothing to lose. And if it all worked out? So much to gain.
    Finally, she nodded. If he was still in, she wasn’t backing out.
    The smile on his face couldn’t have been more genuine than if they were truly in love. “Then it’s settled,” he said. “We’ll do it Saturday. Lowe, clear my schedule for the weekend. I’m getting married.” With that, Camden strode out of the room whistling, and Jeanie