I grinned at her little inside joke. And her face just lit up.

  Why did my heart stutter out of rhythm for a second?

  This was all an act. Max was nothing like the type of woman I usually dated.

  For starters, she seemed like the kind of woman who wanted a relationship. Who deserved a relationship.

  Max finally looked away from me. “And that brings us to the present.”

  “On a very important day,” Ford said. “Theo, why don’t you and I take a walk and talk through the final details? Then we can grab our pens and make it official.”

  Victory shot throw me. “Absolutely.”

  Ford and I stood.

  Pam started to get up. “I’m coming too.”

  “Oh, I’d hate to bore you with the details,” I said. I couldn’t risk her messing up my deal again. “Why don’t you and Max get to know each other?”

  Max glared at me. Apparently even kind-hearted Max didn’t want to spend time alone with Pam. Well, tough shit. This was what I’d wanted all along—time to talk things through with Ford and nail the agreement down. Max would just have to take one for the team. I gave her an encouraging nod. She definitely wasn’t happy…but she also wasn’t actually my girlfriend, so I decided that an uncomfortable half hour or so for her was a price I was willing to pay.

  Ford nodded. “Agreed. Let’s leave the women to their gossip.”

  Now Max looked like she wanted to kill me and Ford.

  Pam didn’t look particularly happy either.

  Maybe she and Max could bond over the annoying men in their lives.

  I clapped Ford on the shoulder and lead him to the room where I’d left the contract.

  “We need to wait.”

  After my walk and talk with Ford, we’d reconvened at the teak table on the deck, the contract in a sleek leather binder between us. Pam had pulled Ford away for a few minutes, and now he was dropping a bombshell that had me clenching my fists in anger and frustration.

  I glanced between a sheepish looking Ford and triumphant Pam without hiding my confusion. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “Pam thinks—I mean, we think we should have our lawyer take one last look at the contract before we sign.”

  I slapped the leather binder on the table. I didn’t know what the hell was going on in their relationship. But I was fed up and done letting it affect this deal. “This is the exact same contract your lawyer reviewed and approved three days ago. Nothing has changed. You’re welcome to read through it again to prove it.”

  Pam wrinkled her nose. “We just want to be careful. This partnership is risky for us.”

  “But how?” It was a struggle to keep from shouting at her. “It’s clearly a win-win, Pam. We’ve been over this a dozen times.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Max watching the whole shit-show, wide-eyed. Probably enjoying my misery.

  “Theo, you have my word that we’ll sign—we just want to take the actual document to our guy,” Ford said.

  If only I could believe him. Ford would never admit it, but at the end of the day, he was an insecure man. Whatever Pam had said to him had gotten in his head. I wondered if delaying the signing was her way of punishing me for not giving her what she wanted.

  I counted to five before answering, hoping it would be enough to keep the venom out of my voice. Getting aggressive wasn’t going to help my cause. “Fine. Take a few days. Excuse me for a moment, I need to talk to Captain John.”

  I pushed back from the table and headed to the cockpit. I’d planned for a leisurely cruise back to the dock as we celebrated our partnership, but now I wanted John to take us back as quickly as the Brilliance could manage. The back and forth with the Petersons was exhausting, and I was in no mood to fake camaraderie with them.

  Fuck. I was so angry I wanted to break something.

  Hell, I’d faked a relationship for these people. What more could they possibly want from me?

  Once John had the directive, I took a few minutes to collect myself, staring out the window at the blue horizon, hoping it would calm me.

  “Hey, you okay?”

  I turned abruptly and found Max standing behind me, frowning.

  “So now you’re sympathetic?”

  She shrugged. “I mean, you’re not my favorite person, but I’ve decided I like you better than Ford and Pam. Not that that’s a very high bar.” Max glanced over her shoulder to where Pam and Ford were seated, just beyond the tinted glass doors. “I know it’s probably not my place to say anything, but she is awful. Just a small-minded, bitter woman. She didn’t stop complaining the whole time we were alone together. And she low-key insulted me a few times. Meanwhile, the only time Ford ever says anything kind about his wife is when he’s talking about her looks. So yeah, I wish this hadn’t ended with both of them causing you unnecessary problems.” She shook her head. “Why do you want to work with him again?”

  I sighed. “Once the agreement is signed, I think I’ll be able to get away with crossing paths with her just a handful of times a year, at social events. And when he’s focused on work instead of his personal life, Ford’s not that bad. He crafts genuinely gorgeous yachts. He’s one of the best in the business.”

  “If you say so.” She sounded so skeptical, I couldn’t help but laugh.

  Max looked back again through the tinted glass doors. “I think they’re watching us. Should we do something couple-y?”

  “I don’t think it matters at this point,” I grumbled. I glanced at her. “Thanks for coming up with that story about how we met. Almost as good as what I would’ve said.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I had to bite back a wince. Shit, had I messed up the moment by teasing her again? Honestly, I didn’t know what it was about her that made me want to needle her a little, but I couldn’t help myself.

  To my relief, she just laughed. She had a gorgeous laugh.

  “Oh really? You think you could’ve come up with something better?” she asked. “Like what?”

  “I don’t know, maybe we both went to the same personal trainer or something? And you saw me finishing my workout and you just had to meet me?”

  “How … creative,” Max said, then pressed her lips together in a smirk.

  “We made a good team out there.”

  “We did,” she agreed, then grudgingly admitted, “You’re not that bad.”

  I clapped a hand to my heart. “An actual compliment. I think I’ll die of shock.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  I smiled over at her. “I do think we sold it. You’re quite the actress.”

  “Maybe it wasn’t acting. Maybe I’m completely and totally in love with you, Theo Barnes,” Max said, clutching her heart just like I had a few seconds ago and fluttering her lashes at me.

  “You wouldn’t be the first.”

  Max laughed at me, like what I’d said was preposterous.

  But something in the air between us shifted. What had been casual and relaxed a second ago now crackled with unspoken tension. Even though we were faking it, I couldn’t deny a very real attraction to the beautiful, inconvenient woman standing in front of me.

  “Uh-oh,” Max said, glancing beyond me. “Incoming.”

  I turned to see Pam heading inside, staring at her reflection in the glass and smoothing her hair and adjusting her breasts.

  “Fuck,” I sighed. “I’m in no mood to deal with her. Do you think if I offer her a thousand dollars, she’ll do a U-turn and leave us alone?”

  Max snorted. “No. She’d only leave you alone if…”

  “What?”

  Max didn’t say anything.

  “Max, what are you thinking?”

  “Okay, don’t read anything into what I’m about to do,” Max said quickly. “This is purely a Pam-evasion maneuver.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I asked.

  “Just answer: Do you trust me, yes or no?”

  “Yes.” Maybe I shouldn’t—I usually wouldn’t, not with someone I barely knew—but for some reason, with Max, I did.

  I heard the door slide open as Max moved closer to me.

  “Sorry for breaking the rules,” she whispered as she wrapped her arms behind my neck and pulled me into a kiss.

  I was shocked, but it only took me a half second to relax into it. I pulled Max closer and took the lead, pressing my lips to hers to make it clear she didn’t need to be tentative with me. Whatever she threw my way, I could handle it. I wanted it.

  We might be faking it, but the kiss was one hundred percent real.

  I could feel Pam watching us, so I amped up the show, dipping Max back a little. I felt her mouth curve in delight as she tightened her arms behind my neck.

  “Excuse me,” Pam said. “Am I interrupting something?”

  I straightened Max up slowly, regretting that I had to pull away from her to deal with Pam.

  “Sorry about that,” I said, giving Pam a cheeky smile. “It’s hard to keep my hands off of her. We should probably go find somewhere a bit more private. We have a…conversation…to finish.”

  Max giggled and swatted at me playfully.

  “I was just coming in to use the ladies’ lounge,” Pam said, aiming for dignity and falling short.

  “Okay, we’ll meet you back outside,” I said, taking Max’s hand.

  “How much longer until we dock?” Pam asked as she stormed through the room.

  “About thirty minutes. We’re at top speed now.”

  “Good.”

  I glanced down at Max as we headed outside. Only a half hour left with the woman I’d impulsively hired to be my date.

  Thirty more minutes of a fake relationship that was suddenly feeling shockingly real. As someone who usually avoided romantic entanglements like the plague, I wasn’t at all sure whether I liked that or not.

  4

  MAX

  “Good riddance, huh?”

  “Yeah.” Theo sighed as he watched Ford and Pam walk down the dock. “That did not turn out the way I’d hoped on so many different levels.”

  Did he mean the part where I kissed him? The rest of the trip had passed quickly, so we didn’t have a chance to address it, and I wasn’t sure I even wanted to. I mean, what was there to say? Yeah, it was an incredible kiss, but it was a one-time thing. Theo and I were definitely not compatible. And I wasn’t even sure if I’d want to date him since I wasn’t into guys with big egos.

  But … despite the cocky personality, there was something about Theo I sort of liked. He gave credit where credit was due. He was determined and smart. He’d spent this whole afternoon trying new angles, new tactics, to close this deal. I still didn’t get why this particular deal mattered so much to him, but I could respect a guy who worked this hard to go after what he wanted.

  I glanced at the pile of my photography equipment. “This is going to take me a few trips. So we should probably… you know.” I gave an awkward wave.

  How did you say goodbye to your fake boyfriend you would probably never see in person again? I’d still be in touch with his company to turn in my work, but when you were as rich as Theo, you weren’t the one who hired or interacted with your photographers. So for him and me, this was probably it.

  But to my surprise, Theo didn’t leave. Instead, he effortlessly grabbed a heavy box of my equipment.

  “Be careful with that!” I said. “Really, I appreciate the help, but some of that equipment is fragile and important.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Do I look like the kind of guy who drops fragile and important things?”

  Well. When he put it like that, it sounded almost…sexy. Like he was the type of guy a woman could rely on.

  Don’t be an idiot, I told myself. He’s just talking about photography equipment.

  He rolled his eyes. “Just let me help you, woman.”

  “Okay. But don’t drop anything. I’m serious.”

  He mimed almost dropping the box, pretending to stagger under the weight.

  “Asshole,” I said.

  He flashed a grin that heated my blood.

  Between the two of us, we managed to carry everything off the boat in one trip.

  “Where’s your car?” he asked as we started down the dock.

  I nodded toward the distance. “The farthest spot in the auxiliary parking lot.”

  “Let’s do this,” he said, starting off on the journey.

  We walked in silence, each probably thinking about the many ways the day had turned upside down. I mean, I never imagined I’d fall asleep on the job then end up being an arrogant billionaire’s hired help for the afternoon. And it was obvious that Theo thought he’d be walking off the Brilliance with a signed contract in hand.

  “When are you going to talk to Ford again?” I asked.

  Theo’s mouth twisted downward. “Not sure. Hopefully by the end of the week—and hopefully without Pam there.” He glanced at me. “Thanks again for helping me out. I know it was weird, but you did great.”

  “Once I decided I was on your side, it might have been a tiny bit fun. Minus Ford being the poster boy for fragile masculinity and Pam being an absolute terror.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, sorry you got the brunt of that. I thought you were going to murder me when I left you alone with her. She’s clearly jealous of you.”

  “Please,” I snorted. “I know you’re trying to be nice, but I don’t need other women to be jealous in order to feel good about myself. Besides, according to Pam I’m a troll with tattoos.”

  “That’s what she wants you to think, but the truth is she was threatened by you. Because she was practically doing back flips to get my attention and all you had to do to get it was walk into the room.”

  My mouth snapped shut. My whole professional life was spent making others look good. I’d never really thought of myself as one to catch anyone’s eye. Was he actually being sincere, or was he just toying with me again? I couldn’t be sure, but I resolved to stay on my guard around him.

  When we finally reached my car, the sun had gone down and I realized that I was exhausted and starving.

  “Is there any place close to get a decent meal?” I asked Theo as I slammed the trunk shut.

  “Yeah, I’m hungry too. I know a place that’s sort of hidden away. Actually…” He gave me an unreadable look. “Let’s grab dinner together—my treat.”

  That sounded like a potentially dangerous idea. I’d only known him a short while, but with Theo, I got the impression he was always working an angle. Always focused on a goal. I didn’t know what else he could possibly want from me, but I couldn’t think of any way to refuse without being rude.

  Fine, then—it would just be a casual dinner. I could handle that. “Sure. Thank you.”

  The restaurant, the Salty Pelican, was a short walk from the dock and was indeed hidden on a side street. It didn’t have an ocean view, so the place seemed to be filled with locals instead of tourists.

  “Hey Theo!” the grizzled, grey-haired bartender called out when he walked in the door. “Good to see ya.”

  Theo waved at the man. “Hi, Burt. Quick dinner tonight.”

  “Sit anywhere,” he yelled back. “Sally will be out in a sec.”

  I scanned the modest spot. Low ceiling, multicolored Christmas lights over the bar, pale wood tables packed with people. The place was more of a pub than an actual restaurant, and after the day I’d had, I was looking forward to a menu filled with fried delights.

  “Are you a burger person?” Theo asked as we sat down in a corner booth by the kitchen door. He handed me a menu.

  “Who isn’t a burger person?”

  “Fair point,” he said. “These guys do it right. Angus beef, incredible add-ons, like caramelized onions and blue cheese. And they have tons of specialty beers on tap. Although I might need something a little stronger after today.”

  His stress furrow was back.

  “Hey, it’s going to happen. Don’t worry,” I said. I didn’t actually know enough about the yacht business to know if it actually would be okay, but it seemed like the thing to say.

  “Oh, I’m not worried. I’m just pissed it didn’t go down the way I’d planned,” Theo said as he scanned a menu. “I always get what I want. Usually when I want it.”

  I started to laugh but realized he was dead serious. “Is that a fact?”

  His eyes flicked up from the menu for a moment. “Yup. It’s what I do. I win. I made a plan to make my first million before I turned twenty-one and I made it happen. I’ve achieved every goal I’ve set since I turned eighteen.”

  “Must be nice,” I muttered.

  “What? Don’t you have goals?”

  I felt a little jolt of irritation at the condescension in his voice, but honestly, I was too tired to snap at him. Besides, it was thanks to him that my goals for the internship felt a little closer. “I do. In fact, your payment is going to help me reach it. I’m saving up for a high-profile photography internship with an amazing photographer.”

  A friendly-looking woman with blonde hair piled on her head stopped by our table. “Hi, Theo! You brought a friend—I think that’s a first. I’m Sally.”

  Yeah, no surprise to hear that the women Theo usually dated probably wouldn’t appreciate going to the hole-in-the-wall place. That was fine—it just confirmed that this truly, definitely, completely wasn’t a date.

  “Hi, I’m Max.”

  “We’re starving,” Theo said. “Let’s start with a double order of calamari and a bottle of merlot.”

  He didn’t even glance my way as he ordered.

  Sally pulled her pad from her apron pocket and took the order down. “Okay, calamari for two and—”

  “Uh, make that an order for one, actually,” I interrupted. “I don’t eat calamari and red wine gives me a headache.”

  “Oh.” Theo uttered the single syllable as if he’d forgotten that I might have opinions and preferences too.

  “I’d love to try the truffle fries, and I’m going to have the Paris Burger, please,” I told Sally. “Oh, and I’ll take whichever pale ale you think is best.”

  She scribbled on her pad. “Got it. And you, Theo?”