Dating The Ruthless Tycoon

Electra stares at the man sitting across from her at the table in the restaurant. Hands folded across her chest and her face set in defiance, she listens to him.

"Listen. Like you, I don't want this, but if we ever want this to stop, then we have to give them something. Something that'll get them off our backs." Anders says, his eyes search hers, checking to see if she gets his point.

This is the second date their families have set both of them on in less than a week.

Anders has lost count of the number of blind dates he has been on in the last months. His grandmother is intent on seeing him get married before she leaves this world as she puts it. Anyone would think Anders is a grown àss man but his granny had a strong hold on him and he'd do anything for her.

And although he didn't know much about Electra, he was certain she was under some kind of pressure too.

"So what you're basically saying is that we pretend to be a couple for the oldies?" Electra asks, referring to both their parents.

"Exactly!" Anders emphatically concurs. "We'll pretend, but we both know that that's all it is; an act with no strings attached." He says with a wave of his hand.

She eyes him in suspicion. "What's the catch? What's in it for you?"

Anders shrugs. "My peace." There's more, but he can't tell her.

Electra's brows grow together.

"Just that?" She asks, incredulity lacing her tone.

"Isn't that enough?... What? You think I enjoy going on dates with random bimbos sticking their overly done makeup up my face? Well, no. I'll take my peace any day." Anders says in a strong tone.

Electra cocks a brow at him. She tries to hide the anger that rises in her guts.

"Bimbos huh... And you want this bimbo to play your girlfriend?"

"Let's be realistic. I don't like you and you just as much don't like me." He says remembering the first time they met at the workshop.

He had taken his friend's car for repair that day and instead of meeting his usual mechanic, Paul, he met her.

Having a rough start to his day and thinking she was a new receptionist, he snapped at her, asking her to go call the mechanic. What he did not know was that Paul no longer worked there and that Electra had taken up Paul's place.

When he did know, he passed her a look that questioned her skill at the job, questioning her abilities.

Electra was appalled by his assumption of her capabilities. She hates it when anyone undermines her and her work.

It made everything worse when he found out later that evening that she was his blind date. A disaster.

The date had been memorable, consisting of a nice meal, barely touched and hot exchange of insults which they both lashed at each other.

It was a tug of war with words and each wanted to have the last word, they ended up spending more than the one hour the date was supposed to last, causing their parents to think that it was a good match.

Usually, Electra goes back home half way through any date, cussing and listing all the big X she noticed in her dates.

But her date with Anders had been different. She got home late and went straight to bed, not uttering any words to her family as her anger had boiled over.

Anders on the other hand had called his granny to complain about Electra. Something he had never done. His grandmother was pleased to hear that Electra could evoke a reaction in her grandson.

For both families, it was a good enough reason to set them up for another date.

Anders picks his glass of wine and sips from it to quench the dryness in his mouth before he continues.

"We can't stand each other. That works fine with me. You won't wake up one morning and claim to be in love with me."

Electra scrunches her face. Anders' words sound like a bitter pill in her mouth.

"That's very unlikely." She tells him, eyeing him and refuting any possibility of that ever happening.

"Exactly my point."

Electra rolls her eyes, still irritated at the thought of falling for Anders.

Anders smiles as he reads her repulsion.

"Don't even think about it. Women like you beg to be with me. I'm rich and I'm hot." He says, his arms spread out in prideful arrogance.

Electra scoffs. "Yeah right. A hot piece of shit you mean." She mutters.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing... So how long is this- act supposed to last?"

"A year." Anders says noncommittally.

"A year!" Electra yelps.

"Yup! One long year of peace. No blind dates. No meeting random men-"

"Or bimbos." She cuts him, still angered by his reference to her as one.

He tilts his head and points a finger to her as though the word was in front of her.

"And that too... Think about it. We could do whatever we want. After one year, we'll come up with a good excuse for a break up and then we go our separate ways. It's that easy." He shrugs.

Electra pauses to think about his proposal. As much as she hated the idea, she had to admit he did have a point.

One year.

It was just the right amount of time she needed. A good excuse to escape her father's dottingness and live the life she wanted. She eyes him as she thinks about it.

"Okay. Deal!"

"Great! Now let's celebrate." Anders says as he picks up his fork, ready to feast on the delicious looking steak.

"We get to eat on this date." He says with a chuckle.

"Sure... A caveat though." Electra looks him squarely in the eyes. "You don't fall in love with me."

Anders scoffs and an arrogant smirk lifts the corner of his lips.

"Don't you worry about that. I'm not into girls like you." His eyes trail her outfit in disapproval just before he fills his mouth with a piece of steak.

"Girls like me?"

"Yes." He says, not noting her annoyance, he continues. "I mean who wears slacks, chiffon sleeves, a pair of flats and packs their hair into a messy ponytail for a date?"

It surprised her how detailed his description of her outfit is. He did look at her. Really look at her.

Anders waves his other hand over her. "I like my women- feminine. You're not."

Electra grows rigid but she manages a smile. A tight smile that doesn't reach her eyes. It's the best she could do to hide her hurt at his words. This is not the first time she has been told that.

Having grown up as the only girl amidst four boys, a father and no mother for a model female, Electra counts herself a part of the male gender. She dresses and behaves like one. She doesn't know any other way to live. She grew up with no interest in makeup, pretty dresses and high heels.

"By feminine, you mean clad in a tight little dress that leaves very little to your imagination. All smiling and blushes over everything dumb thing you say?... Like the bimbos you're avoiding?"

Anders' pauses.

She titles her head at him in a dare.

He quickly recovers and continues to chew. He clears his throat.

"That's not exactly what I meant. You sound offended."