Chapter Text
"For God's sake, Penelope, are you going to be my girlfriend or not?"
Leaning back on the small sofa in the conference room, Penelope considered the man who was in front of her asking that question.
Colin was tall, with long legs and a broad chest, muscles tight in his dress shirt. He had long brown hair, which adorned a strong face with a square jaw and a full mouth. On top of all that, he had the greenest eyes she'd ever seen. Mesmerizing eyes that seemed to change color depending on his mood or the light in the room.
He was very handsome. And she hated him.
“Fake girlfriend, you mean,” she replied, leaning forward a little to pour herself some tea, which was on the coffee table.
“What difference does it make?” he replied, not failing to notice her cleavage.
“It makes all the difference in the world, Bridgerton. I thought you was smarter than that,” she said before closing her lips around the small cup of tea.
Full, perfectly kissable lips that Colin had once longed to kiss. But that wasn't going to happen again. Not with they hating each other.
“We've been talking for less than five minutes and you're already calling me an idiot,” he huffed impatiently, going to sit as far away from her as he could. Away from those rosy lips.
Penelope continued talking, as if she hadn't been interrupted:
“The difference is that I wouldn't be a real girlfriend, since the term 'fake' implies a relationship that doesn't exist in reality, only in appearance. Do you have trouble understanding this simple concept?”
She grinned evilly, reveling in the fact that she managed to call him an idiot without actually saying the word. Then she bent down again to take a small cookie from the plate on the coffee table.
Once again Colin could see the contours of her breasts. Even from a distance, his eyes were drawn as if her cleavage were a magnet.
“Of course I understand. This is just business, nothing more.”
“I'm glad we're making that clear.” Penelope took a bite of her cookie and involuntarily let out a slight moan of pleasure, closing her eyes to savor the aperitif.
Without meaning to, Colin felt his mouth water. How could she make cookie eating become such a sensual activity? She was the devil!
“Did you like this cookies?” He cleared his throat before asking.
Penelope opened her blue eyes, her long lashes fluttering before she stared at Colin, the wicked smile dancing on her lips as she said:
“I liked it. It's the only good thing here in front of me.”
Colin rolled his eyes, exhausted. He couldn't stand that woman. God, how he hated her! But at the same time, he couldn't help but admit that a part of himself craved her. He wanted to see that curvy body tremble beneath his again. Shut it up with a deep kiss that mouth of hers that looked like only knew how to insult him.
"Are you going to accept to be my girlfriend or not?" He chose to ignore yet another veiled insult from her and focus on what really mattered.
Penelope was prevented from answering by the sudden arrival of Benedict and Kate.
"Looks like they haven't killed each other yet," Kate commented, as Benedict walked over to meet Penelope, who rose to greet him with a hug.
“Ben!” she exclaimed, the wide smile spreading to her blue eyes.
Colin felt uncomfortable as he realized that she would never give him a smile like that. No, for him it would just be sour looks and insults.
"If we're really going to stage this fake relationship, you can't greet my brother with all that enthusiasm," Colin commented, as soon as the two of them released their embrace.
Penelope frowned at him.
“I didn't know you were jealous, Bridgerton. That must be why you can't keep a girlfriend. Women don't like insecure men.” She walked over to Kate and greeted her friend with a kiss on the cheek.
“I'm not insecure, Penelope. But I don't want to get out of this story like a cuckold. And even more so from my own brother. We'll have to stage this farce well.”
"So I'm already predicting that we won't succeed," Penelope remarked scathingly. "You've always been a terrible actor. I remember those horrible commercials you did as a kid…”
“Okay, okay. I think we'd better put hostilities aside for a moment.” Benedict raised the white flag of peace “let's focus on what really matters now.”
“Benedict is right. It's no use hating each other so much. I mean, you can keep hating each other, but without showing it by words and actions, okay?” Kate tried to help.
Benedict looked at her as if he was mentally telling her that she wasn't helping at all. Kate shrugged.
“Right. Have you thought about Agatha's offer” Benedict ask “Do you think you can sustain that for a whole year?”
"That's what I was asking her before. Until you two arrived,” Colin replied, “for my part, I can keep up this charade. It's no sacrifice.”
“Penelope?” Benedict asked, looking at his friend.
She didn't respond right away. She just bit lightly on her lower lip, staring into space. Would that work? Colin and her had hated each other for a long time. How could they show the world that they loved each other? No, that sounded too crazy.
“Penelope?” repeated Benedict when seeing that she didn't answer.
"Did she have a stroke?" Colin joked.
Penelope turned her eyes to him and replied in an insolent way:
“If I had a stroke, it would be a lot easier to bear being your girlfriend, Bridgerton.”
“Fake girlfriend, you mean. There's a difference, Penelope,” he countered with a wry smile.
"What did I say about putting hostilities aside?" Benedict got into the conversation, impatient.
Penelope sighed and finally answered.
“I need to think about it.”
“You had a week to think about it!” said Colin, impatiently.
“Must be easier for you to form thoughts, Bridgerton. With that empty head you have...
She did not complete the insult, as Benedict interrupted her to ask:
“How much time do you need?”
"At least tonight," she asked.
“Okay. So tomorrow we will meet here to make the final decision. Agatha's deadline is up tomorrow afternoon, so I think we have some time. Colin, can you wait until tomorrow?”
"It's not like I have a choice, do I?" It has to be a unanimous decision,” he grumbled in response.
“Excellent. So, the meeting it's scheduled for tomorrow at 9 am.”
Penelope gave Benedict and Kate one more hug, leaving the room without saying goodbye to Colin. She went to her own desk to get her things. It was still early, but she had decided to go home first and try to think about Agatha's offer. Once she was inside the elevator, she began to ponder what was at stake.
She had a lot to consider. Accepting that deal would have a huge impact on her life. She needed to consider all the consequences that would follow from that. Unlike Colin, who'd built his career on the Bridgerton name, she'd fought for everything she'd achieved. Nothing in life was easy for Penelope Featherington and she was aware of how much she would lose if that deal went wrong, after all, the rope always snaps to the weaker side.
************
Enjoying the view of London from the conference room's large window, Colin remained seated in the armchair even after Benedict and Kate had left.
He was worried that Penelope's answer would be negative. Although he didn't like this deal as much as she did, he was more than willing to accept it. It would be a big step in his own career and he knew she would benefit from it too. So why the damn hesitation?
He got up with a sigh and went to pour himself a small dose of whiskey, in an attempt to assuage his own fears. He felt the drink burning down his throat and it seemed to calm his spirits a little.
Again, his thoughts wandered to Penelope. Since they'd met again a year ago, working at the same company, the media conglomerate Regency Global, run by CEO Agatha Danbury's ruthless iron fist, the two had further escalated their existing rifts. Penelope hated him and Colin's feelings for her were mutual.
Colin spent the last few years, before taking the job at the newspaper, traveling as a youtuber around several countries to showcase local cuisine. However, with a desire to put down roots again in London, and after an offer of work he couldn't refuse personally made by Agatha Danbury, he found himself taking the job at the newspaper. Colin is one of the columnists for the leading UK-wide circulation magazine, Regency Magazine. A job he found interesting, but still not what he really wanted.
Penelope is also a columnist for Regency Magazine as well as Femme Magazine. They were always passing each other in the halls, and she loved to slash at him, to tease him. The two also competed for the best stories and always competed for the same news. It was no secret to anyone in the Regency Global that they two hated each other.
For Colin it was even funny to have created that rivalry with Penelope, since she was very close to his family, being best friends with his sister Eloise.
In fact, as long as Colin could remember, she'd always been at the Bridgertons' celebrations. They had known each other since they were teenagers and, at one point, had even built a good friendship, but suddenly, one day, everything between them had changed.
Setting the drink aside, Colin sat back in the armchair, loosened his tie and remembered the offer Agatha had made a few days ago.