One Midnight Kiss: A Billionaire Fake Fiancée Holiday Romance

My head throbbed with every step I took down the hallway. The sharp pain of a hangover reminded me of how much tequila I had consumed the night before. Not exactly my best decision. I didn’t drink a lot. I definitely didn’t drink a lot of tequila. Not since my college days.

Damn robots.

But who could’ve guessed Fox Samuelson, notorious tech genius and professional loner, would turn out to be surprisingly fun after a few shots? I certainly hadn’t.

I couldn’t remember the last time I had that much fun. Or laughed that much. It had been freeing.

But now, it was game time. We had to get serious. I smoothed a hand over the front of my cream silk blouse and then down my tailored slacks. My hair was pulled into a low bun—not the sleek look I would normally go for, but it was the best I could manage after fumbling through it half awake.

And my head hurt. I didn’t want to have my hair pulling my scalp.

I stepped into the lobby, inhaling deeply, hoping the scent of coffee might somehow jumpstart my brain before the caffeine even hit my bloodstream.

The hotel’s self-serve coffee bar was tucked in a corner near the elevators. I grabbed a paper cup and started pouring, wondering how badly I would burn my tongue if I gulped it down immediately.

Fox appeared out of nowhere, reaching past me for the carafe. He looked annoyingly fresh, like he hadn’t stayed up until three in the morning pounding tequila shots and swapping secrets at a rickety picnic table. His dark hair was mussed just enough to make it look intentional, the kind of tousled perfection that took absolutely no effort. It was infuriating.

“You look perky,” I muttered, more to myself than to him.

“Compared to you?” He turned to look at me, a teasing wink in his eye. “You look tired.”

Trust Fox to tell it like it is.

I couldn’t help it. My lips curved upward despite the throbbing in my skull. It was refreshing actually, being with someone who wasn’t afraid to have fun and be a little daring yet not shy away from being ruthlessly honest.

“Thanks,” I said. “Just FYI, women hate being told they look tired. That’s code for terrible. You’re basically saying I look like shit.”

“You don’t look like shit. You look beautiful. But tired.”

“I’ll take it,” I said.

He was trying to be playful, but I could feel the nervous energy coming off him in waves. The big presentation was this morning. Fox said he didn’t like public speaking. I got it. It wasn’t my thing either.

I wasn’t sure what made me do it, but I placed a hand on his chest. “You’re going to be fine,” I said softly.

For a moment, he looked almost startled. His eyes dropped to my hand. He didn’t move away. Instead, his fingers came up to toy with the ring on my left hand—the fake diamond ring I’d totally forgotten about until this very second. I felt it when I was in the shower, but the thing was stuck on, and I didn’t want to mess with it. Heat rushed to my cheeks, memories of last night flooding back. Fox, on one knee in the middle of the street, slipping the ring onto my finger as we both laughed like idiots.

I started to pull it off, but he stopped me. “Leave it on,” he said.

“Why?”

He held up my hand, the fake diamond catching the light. His eyes softened, just a little, and he gave me a crooked smile. “Because the universe just made a move,” he said. “Your friend was right. Don’t tell her I said that. But we can’t overlook this.”

I swallowed hard, feeling a flutter in my stomach that had nothing to do with the coffee. “Fox, this was a joke,” I said, trying to sound stern.

He leaned in, lowering his voice. “What if it wasn’t?”

“I think you’re still drunk.” I shook my head. “We should get going. We don’t want to be late.”

Thirty minutes later, I found myself sitting in the front row of a packed theater in the convention center, wedged between a group of excited investors and tech enthusiasts. I felt like I was in a foreign land. This was all so new to me. The energy in the room was palpable, buzzing with anticipation. I hadn’t realized until now just how big of a deal this was until I was sitting in the crowd. I didn’t realize how big of a deal he was.

The emcee announced Fox. There was a round of applause. He was like a celebrity in the tech world.

Fox walked across the stage like he owned it. He didn’t look nervous anymore. In fact, he looked in his element. He was dressed in black slacks and a crisp white shirt, his sleeves rolled up to his forearms. The crowd settled when he raised his hand. The man had serious charisma. People were on the edge of their seats. I felt like I was getting a different look at him. Like I was seeing what millions of other people saw. I wasn’t seeing the man I met in the conference room.

He was a magician in his own right. A wizard weaving a spell over his captive audience. He was animated, gesturing with his hands as he spoke, drawing the crowd in with his charm.

Why couldn’t he charm regular consumers like he did these people? If he could, everyone in the country would buy Hanna.

I tried not to let my nerves show as he caught my eye, smirking as he continued his pitch. The presentation I had helped put together was playing on the massive screen behind him without a hitch, to my great relief. I’d worried it might glitch, but everything was smooth so far. Even my headache seemed to fade.

Fox paused and looked directly at me. Something in his eyes told me to brace myself. I didn’t know for what, but something was coming. “This tech isn’t some shiny new thing to show off,” he said, looking straight at me. “It’s about the home, the family. My fiancée is here today, and we have a Hanna in our home.”

My jaw clenched. Did he really just say that? My eyes widened as a ripple of laughter spread through the crowd. He kept going, his gaze still locked on mine.

“She was nervous about it at first,” he continued, making the audience chuckle again. “Having AI living in our walls seemed a bit too sci-fi. But she came around. She’s brilliant, sharp as a tack. If she thought Hanna was a good idea, I knew it was tech I had to create.”

My heart was pounding in my chest. He wasn’t making up some fictional fiancée for the sake of his presentation—he was talking about me. The real me, with all my flaws and insecurities. He was using my actual reactions, my actual skills, to sell this. The engagement was fake, but he was actually describing me. I felt exposed.

“I designed Hanna with her in mind,” Fox said, his voice softening. “Something that just gets me. Something that makes perfect sense, just like she does.”

The room erupted into applause, and I had to force myself to join in, plastering on a smile. I couldn’t wrap my head around what had just happened. This had not been part of the plan. Fox had gone way off-script and I was frozen in shock.

He continued his speech, playing to the crowd. After, I watched in bewilderment as he deftly tackled questions from the crowd, his answers sparking even more applause.

I had to admit that Fox was doing an incredible job. His charisma was infectious, his pitch flawless. I was barely paying attention to the tech he was talking about. I was looking at the screen behind him with the images of happy families, couples, and even teenagers using Hanna. It was strange to hear Fox talk about us and our home while I was looking at those images.

As the presentation ended and the crowd gave him a standing ovation, I tried to get a grip on my emotions. I clapped along and pretended everything was fine. If I was lucky, I could slip away. I was sure Fox would be tied up for the next couple of hours.

The crowd started to disperse after Fox left the stage. I needed to get out of here, needed a moment to breathe.

Before I could make my escape, Fox appeared at my side, flanked by a small group of investors and tech industry bigwigs. They were all buzzing with excitement, congratulating him and, to my dismay, congratulating us.

“I didn’t know you were engaged,” one of them said, giving me an impressed look. “This makes so much sense now, Fox. I can see why you’re so invested in this project.”

I managed a polite laugh, feeling like I was going to be sick. Fox was basking in the attention, looking more relaxed than I had ever seen him. He met my gaze, and I could see the triumph in his eyes. He lied easily. There was no hesitation as he told them about me and the tech. He talked like it was all the most natural thing in the world.

I felt like I was in a dream. I did my best to play along, choosing to smile and nod to avoid saying the wrong thing.

Eventually, the investors moved on, and it was just the two of us. I rounded on him, trying to keep my voice steady. “Why did you do that to me?”

Fox’s smile faltered. “What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean,” I snapped, pulling off the ring and holding it out to him. “I get what you were doing. I do. It worked. But that—this?” I gestured between us. “This wasn’t part of the deal. You should have talked to me first. I don’t appreciate being blindsided. You can’t just spring that on someone in front of thousands of people.”

He looked at the ring in my hand and let out a dark chuckle, shaking his head. “What exactly did that prick do to you, Natalia?”

My breath caught in my throat. How did he know I was thinking about Andrew? It was like he could see right through me, peeling back the layers of armor I’d built up over the past year.

That scared the shit out of me.

Without another word, I turned on my heel and cut through the crowded convention center, ignoring the curious looks I got as I pushed past people. I needed space, needed air. The sun was bright when I stepped outside. I wanted to take a second to appreciate the warmth, but not now. I had to get away from him.

I hurried back to the hotel, barely paying attention to the traffic. I rushed into the elevator and pressed the button for my floor, desperate to put as much distance between us as possible.

Unfortunately, Fox slipped into the elevator just before the doors closed. He didn’t say anything, just leaned against the wall, watching me with a concerned expression.

I glared at him. “What the hell are you doing, Fox?”