"So who came up with this idea again?" The corner of Billy's mouth lifted in a sardonic grin.

"My friend Josie suggested it," Amanda answered. After their food arrived she spent a good portion of their lunch telling him about her predicament with Ripley, leaving out major portions of the story. She didn't tell Billy that Josie was not only her friend but also security detail she hired after Ripley, who was once her fiance, began to stalk her. She was also vague about Ripley saying he was a troublesome ex who needed to finally realize it was over between the two of them. She didn't mention the two orders of protection since she didn't think Ripley really posed a physical threat. His brand of torment was more of the psychological variety. Also she didn't want Billy to jump to conclusions about her.

"Right, this was Josie's idea," Billy said. There was laughter in his warm brown eyes, but he kept a straight face. "I guess this Josie doesn't have the same reservations about white men you've expressed."

"I don't have issues with white men. I had been drinking. I'm not totally against the idea."

"What about Timmy Turner?"

Amanda froze. "I told you about...Timmy?"

"Yes, you said you had one white boyfriend in the third or fourth grade. He betrayed you and you've stayed clear of white men ever since."

"I can't believe I told you that." Amanda shook her head. "But there's more to the story than him turning against me."

Timmy Thompson was her blue eyed, blonde haired third grade crush. They met on the playground during recess when he asked her-the only black girl in Mrs Moore's class-why her hands were brown on the outside but pale on the inside. Even though she didn't have an answer for him they became fast friends until he started to hang out with a group of boys who used the "n" word. Her disappointment was profound but short lived as she encountered a more serious problem shortly thereafter. One day after school she went to her current foster home to find her bags packed and a social worker waiting for her. She was transferred to a new home that night and began school in a new school district a week later, all without ever receiving any explanation. She never saw Timmy again.

"Tell me the whole story then." Billy urged leaning forward.

Amanda sighed. "It's basically the story of my life. And really I'd prefer not to get into it right now."

"If you want me to be your fiance, don't you think you should trust me?"

"I do trust you Billy," Amanda said. "Please let me explain exactly what I need. We'd only pretend to be betrothed. I don't mean that you should buy a ring or I should start planning a wedding. I'm asking if it is possible to have a few more photo ops like yesterday, maybe throw a few bones to the press just for a few weeks. It would really help me out with this bad situation I'm going through right now."

"Photo ops like yesterday?" Billy was perplexed.

"Something told me you didn't see the pictures of us from yesterday that were plastered all over the GC Buzz website." Amanda opened her tablet, found the website and handed it to Billy.

"No I didn't see these I was working all morning….Oh boy, now I know why my entire family called me today. They must have seen these," Billy said as he scrolled through the photos. "When Hilary was in charge of GC Buzz she stopped all of the invasions of privacy. They must be desperate for views."

He handed the tablet back to Amanda. "So let me make sure I've got this right. You…" He cleared his throat. "I mean this friend of yours Josie believes that a few more of these pictures will deter your ex?"

"Yes, but I don't want to do it if it would harm you in any way. Especially when your mother sees the photos. She's not my biggest fan."

"I'm a grown man and I don't allow my mother or any one else to dictate who I spend time with."

"Billy I would be so grateful and it would only be for a few weeks. Until he gets the message that I've moved on and there is nothing he can do about it. I wouldn't ask if I wasn't at my wits end with the situation." Amanda hated how desperate she sounded, Fortunately she had a valuable asset to sweeten the deal. "In return, if you help me, you get free legal advice from one of the best attorneys in the country for life."

"I already have several attorneys at my disposal. I wasn't really in the market for another one."

"But you don't have me." When she noticed the corners of Billy's eyes crinkle in amusement, she added "I'd stake my reputation against all of your attorneys put together. I graduated at the top of my class. I was a law clerk with the Wisconsin State Supreme Court and I've never lost a case."

"My mother said she couldn't find anything about you online."

"If you don't believe me, I'll send you my CV, which includes references from judges, a Fortune 500 CEO and other notables." Amanda picked up her tablet and a few minutes later Billy's phone pinged, but he didn't make a move to read her text. "Aren't you going to look at it?"

"No, I believe you," Billy said. "That's not the problem."

"Then what is the problem?" Amanda gulped down some water wanting to throttle Josie for suggesting this idea in the first place. Now that she'd asked him, the competitive part of her nature felt strongly about winning him over. Billy stared at her, cocking his head to the side, sizing her up and her entire face burned.

"The problem is that we're sitting here on what I thought was a real date, because I really like you and I thought you liked me and this would be an opportunity for us to get to know each other better. But you want me to pretend you're my fake fiance. I'm just trying to wrap my mind around it."

"Billy, I do like you. I think you're such a nice person. But right now in all honesty, I'd make the worst real girlfriend on the planet. I know it's asking a lot, but I need you to do me this favor if you can."

"It's funny that you told me about Timmy Turner the other night when we were drinking but not this ex boyfriend you're trying to get away from."

Billy's skepticism was understandable. Amanda did not blame him. It was she who should have thought things through before she approached him. Still she found herself oddly motivated by his reluctance. No one in their right mind would readily agree to such a strange request without question. When Billy first demurred, she wanted to throw in the towel and run away in shame with her tail between her legs. But now the desire to win had taken over completely. She really wanted him to say yes.

"Timmy Thompson was the name of my grade school crush, and since I was pretty drunk. I wasn't exactly in control of what I told you about myself and what I left out. But I can tell you this…"

Billy's phone rang. "It's my brother, I better take this. Will you excuse me?"

"Of course," Amanda said. Billy rose from the table and walked away to the lobby area of the restaurant.

"It's about time you picked up," Jack Abbott said without offering a greeting first. "I'm in a meeting and I have to get back in a minute. Jabot board members were not happy to see an Abbott back in the gossip columns again. I won't even ask who the Hilary look alike is because I don't have time for an explanation."

"I just saw the pictures," Billy replied. "I had no idea we were being photographed."

Jack kept talking, Not acknowledging that Billy even spoke. "I called you earlier to have you clean up this mess with GC Buzz. Since I couldn't get a hold of you, I went ahead and did it myself."

"What did you do?" Billy looked back across the restaurant at Amanda who was scrolling through her tablet.

"I talked to the entertainment editor and told him if he wants Jabot to keep advertising with them they won't post another Abbott photograph without express permission of the person being photographed."

Billy chuckled not taking his eyes off of Amanda. "And what was their response?"

"He agreed of course," Jack stated confidently. "Billy, I really don't have time for this and since you're on sabbatical I need you to deal with GC Buzz from now on. I'm going to text you the name of the editor I spoke with. I'm counting on you to keep our private lives out of the limelight and focus on our company and our philanthropic pursuits, that's it. The editor said that he was going to notify the photographers, but just in case something falls through the cracks, I want you to handle it."

"You can count on me, brother," Billy said. "I won't allow our private lives to become gossip fodder again. I'll make sure not another picture makes it to the press."

"Huh," Jack said. "I was half expecting an argument from you about not giving a damn about what other people think."

"You make it sound like I don't do my part to uphold the reputation of the Abbott name."

"I'm sure you're being facetious so I won't even dignify that with a response. And besides my minute break has been up and I have people waiting for me."

"Don't worry about a thing big brother. I got it covered." Billy confirmed.

"Great, I'll let the board know. Let's have lunch this week so you can fill me in on your new friend that's got the paparazzi back in our orbit again."

"Sounds good," Billy replied before he and Jack ended the call.

When Billy returned to Amanda she closed her tablet and looked up at him expectantly. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is great," Billy put his phone back into the breast pocket of his jacket. "So where were we again?" He paused for effect. "Oh right, we were talking about Josie's plan to have you photographed with me under the pretense that we're engaged so your ex boyfriend believes that you've moved on. That's it in a nutshell right?"

"That's basically it," Amanda nodded. "And I'm thinking if we appear in photos together two or three times that should be enough. And maybe you could make a statement if a journalist asks you."

"Photographers could be here right now," Billy said, fighting hard to keep his poker face. He knew there was about a zero percent chance of them being photographed again since Jack put the fear of God into the GC Buzz editor. There's no way that an editor would want to be responsible for the loss of a major advertiser like Jabot. Of course he wouldn't tell Amanda this. Not when he could have so much fun keeping this information to himself.

"You think so?" Amanda lowered her voice, then scanned the restaurant.

"That couple behind you to your right looks mighty suspect to me."

Amanda flicked her gaze over her shoulder at the well dressed elderly couple who were quietly enjoying their meal.

"They are eighty years old if they're a day," Amanda kept her voice low.

"So?" Billy shrugged.

"They're not photographers for a gossip column."

"You never know. People are working well after retirement age these days."

"I don't see a camera."

"Did you see anyone with a camera yesterday?"

"Well, no," she admitted. "And I guess you're right. Someone could be photographing us at any time."

"Right, which is why if you want the press to believe you're my fiance, you've got to act like my fiance."

"Meaning?"

Billy moved from his seat so that he was behind her. "Stand up for a sec," he said. She stood and he moved her chair next to his then indicated she should sit again. When he was seated next to her, he leaned in so close his lips were a hair's breadth away from her ear. Her skin smelled so sweet he had to resist the urge to devour a path from her throat to her pretty plump lips. Instead he draped his arm over the back of her chair and said, "Now we seem like we're in love to anyone who looks in this direction."

Amanda squirmed and appeared embarrassed, her eyes darting to the elderly couple who glanced their way, but not finding anything too interesting, went back to their meal. "They are so not photographers," she whispered.

"What about them over there?" Billy said. Unable to resist the close contact, he brushed his lips against the sensitive skin below her ear and he felt her shiver. "Near the door to the kitchen," he said before lightly kissing her again.

Amanda turned her head to see three members of the wait staff talking amongst themselves and laughing, not paying them any attention whatsoever. "I don't think they are interested in taking pictures of us."

"You never know," he said. God, he wanted to taste her lips so badly. But it was too soon. He had to find out what kind of game Amanda Sinclair was trying to play with him. He didn't for a second believe any of this was about an ex boyfriend. He'd seen how fierce Amanda was in handling Devon and his mother. She'd do the same with an ex instead of this elaborate ruse-pretending they were engaged for the press. Also why would she hide behind this friend Josie and instead admit this was her idea. She wasn't asking for money, so what the hell was this all about? His suspicions did nothing to quell the attraction he felt. He lightly brushed his lips against her cheek. Her eyelids fluttered closed and she licked her lips.

"So does this mean you'll do it?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Do what?" He asked, getting lost in the scent and the softness of her supple skin.

"Pose as my fiance for a few weeks."

He drew his face away and looked down her body. She was wearing a conservative white blouse and black slacks. "If you want this to be believable, we're going to have to make a few changes."

"Like what?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet to pay the bill. Then he stood and offered her his hand. "Come with me."