She was distracted when a tall imposing man grabbed her and kissed her without permission
The Mutually Beneficial Arrangement
Julian fell into step beside her, maintaining a careful distance. “The photographers had been following me for three days,” he explained. “Usually my security team handles it.” “I gave them the afternoon off because I thought a street festival would be anonymous enough.” “Clearly I was wrong.”
“Why are they following you?” she asked. “My ex-fiancée gave an interview claiming I left her heartbroken and emotionally damaged,” he answered. “It was very public and very dramatic.” “The media is having a field day painting me as some kind of heartless corporate villain.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “The truth is more complicated, but nobody wants complicated,” he muttered. “They want their story.” “So you decided to create a different story by kissing a stranger?” she asked.
“I panicked,” he admitted. “I saw them closing in and saw you standing there looking calm and confident.” “My brain just short-circuited into thinking if they saw me with someone else, they’d drop the heartbroken ex-fiancée angle.”
He glanced at her. “It was stupid and impulsive and completely unfair to you.” They reached the corner where Olivia needed to turn toward the gallery. She should say goodbye.
She should let this bizarre incident end here. However, curiosity, her eternal weakness, made her pause. “Why would one kiss convince them of anything?” she asked.
“Because those photos are probably already online,” he said. “By tomorrow, every gossip site will be speculating about my mystery girlfriend.” Julian smiled wryly. “I created an entirely new problem while trying to escape the old one.” “Story of my life, actually.”
Despite herself, Olivia felt a flicker of sympathy. She understood what it was like when one moment of chaos derailed carefully laid plans. “I really do need to get to my meeting,” she said. “Of course.”
Julian extended his hand, then seemed to remember and dropped it again. “I’m deeply sorry if those photos cause you any trouble,” he said. “Please contact me. I’ll do whatever I can to fix it.”
Olivia nodded and walked away. Her mind was already shifting back to the exhibition and to Mr. Tanaka’s concerns. She focused on the thousand details that needed her attention.
By the time she reached the gallery, she had almost convinced herself the encounter had been some kind of strange fever dream. The meeting went well. Mr. Tanaka approved the lighting setup.
The installation crew confirmed everything was on schedule. Olivia should have felt triumphant. Instead, she kept remembering the moment before the kiss when Julian’s gray eyes had met hers with such desperate urgency.
She also remembered the moment after. They had held an entirely different emotion she could not quite identify. Her phone buzzed as she was leaving the gallery from an unknown number.
“Miss Carter, this is Rebecca Chen, assistant to Julian Rhodes.” “Mr. Rhodes asked me to reach out regarding the incident this afternoon.” “Several media outlets are requesting information about you and we wanted to coordinate our response to protect your privacy.” “Would you be available for a brief call tomorrow?”
Olivia felt cold dread settle in her stomach. “What kind of media outlets?” she asked. “Entertainment news primarily, though a few business publications as well,” Rebecca replied.
“Mr. Rhodes has instructed his publicity team to decline all comment,” Rebecca continued. “But we wanted to ensure you were aware of the situation and offer any support you might need.”
Olivia pulled up her browser and searched her own name. The first result was a photo of the kiss. It was crystal clear and perfectly angled to look like a passionate embrace rather than an ambush.
The headline read, “Tech billionaire Julian Rhodes’s secret romance revealed.” Her phone rang again. It was her best friend, Cassie.
“Olivia Carter, you have approximately 30 seconds to explain why you’re all over TMZ kissing one of the richest men in New York,” Cassie demanded. “Or I’m coming over there to physically shake the truth out of you.”
Olivia closed her eyes. So much for this being over. “It’s complicated,” she said. “Girl, everything involving billionaires and public kissing is complicated,” Cassie replied. “Start talking.”
As Olivia explained the afternoon’s chaos, she found herself replaying the kiss in her mind. She thought about the way Julian had apologized immediately. She remembered the protective way he had shielded her from the cameras.
She recalled the genuine distress in his eyes when he realized what he had done. She should be angry. She was angry. But she was also, against all logic and reason, curious about what happened next.
The coffee shop where Olivia agreed to meet Julian three days later was nothing like she had imagined. It wasn’t the upscale establishment billionaires frequented.
Tucked into a quiet corner of Brooklyn, it served artisanal brews to local artists and writers. They treated the worn leather chairs like second offices. Julian arrived exactly on time.
He was wearing jeans and a simple navy sweater. It probably cost more than Olivia’s monthly rent but looked casual enough to avoid attention. He spotted her immediately and approached with that same careful distance.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet,” he said, sitting across from her. “I know the media attention has been intrusive.” Intrusive was an understatement. Olivia had spent the past three days fielding calls from reporters.
She had been explaining to her bewildered boss why paparazzi were lurking outside the gallery. She was also assuring her worried mother that, no, she was not secretly dating a billionaire.
“Your assistant Rebecca has been helpful,” Olivia admitted. “The legal team she connected me with got most of the photographers to back off.” “It’s the least I could do,” Julian replied.
Julian ordered a black coffee when the waiter came by. Then he focused entirely on Olivia. “I have a proposal and I want you to hear me out before you refuse.” “That’s not a promising start,” she noted.
A hint of a smile crossed his face. “Fair enough. Here it is.” “The media has already decided we’re together.” “Fighting that narrative will keep both of us in the headlines for weeks.”
“But if we give them what they want, if we pretend to date for about six weeks, the story becomes boring and they move on,” he argued. Olivia stared at him. “You want to fake date me?”
“I want to offer you a mutually beneficial arrangement,” Julian leaned forward slightly. “Six weeks of occasional public appearances. A few dinners.” “Maybe attend a charity gala together.”
“Nothing inappropriate. Everything on your terms,” he promised. “In exchange, I’ll fund your community arts program.” “How do you know about my arts program?” she asked.
“I did research after our encounter,” he admitted. “You run weekend workshops for underprivileged kids in the Bronx teaching them painting and sculpture.” “You fund it entirely out of your own salary, which means you can only afford supplies for about 15 students.”
He pulled out a folder. “I’m offering to fund expansion to 50 students plus hire two additional instructors.” “I’ll cover all supplies and exhibition costs for a full year.”
Olivia’s hands trembled slightly as she opened the folder. The numbers were staggering. With this funding, she could transform the program from a scrappy weekend operation into something genuinely impactful.
“Why would you do this?” she asked. “Because my company is launching a new educational software initiative in three months,” he explained.
“Dating someone who dedicates her free time to teaching underprivileged children makes me look less like a heartless villain,” he said. “And because I genuinely believe in what you’re doing.”
It was manipulative and calculated. It was everything Olivia normally despised about wealthy people who treated charity like a transaction. It was also an opportunity to change dozens of children’s lives.
“Six weeks,” she said slowly. “What exactly would that involve?” “Dinners at restaurants where we’ll be photographed,” he answered.
“My company’s charity gala next month. Maybe a weekend trip that gets covered by travel blogs.” “We maintain the appearance of a relationship, then have an amicable breakup after the media loses interest.”
“And the kids get their program either way,” he added. “Even if I’m terrible at this and the whole thing falls apart, the funding is guaranteed regardless.” “I’ll have my lawyers draw up a contract.”
Julian’s gray eyes held hers steadily. “I’m asking you to help me, Olivia, but I’m not holding the program hostage.” “If you say no right now, I’ll still fund it.”
That surprised her. “Then why the arrangement at all?” she asked. “Because I think you might actually say yes, and I need this to work,” he confessed.
“Sienna’s interviews are damaging my company’s reputation,” he said. “We’re about to launch products in the educational sector.” “Parents don’t want to buy from someone portrayed as emotionally abusive.”
“Dating someone like you, someone real and passionate about making a difference, changes that narrative,” he concluded. Olivia thought about the 15 children she currently taught. She thought about Marco, who had discovered an extraordinary talent for watercolors.
She thought about Jasmine, whose sculptures showed raw emotional power. She thought about all the kids she had to turn away because she simply didn’t have resources. “I need 24 hours to think about it,” she said.
“Of course.” Julian stood, leaving a business card with his personal number. “Whatever you decide, thank you for listening.”
