The only thing that would make Max hesitate was if he discovered Claire wasn’t the efficient workaholic he wanted.
“I’m sorry, did I miss something?” Max asked as Jason smiled.
Jason shook his head and started to chuckle. “Her strategy skills are even better than I thought. She had no plan and very little time to put it together but it worked.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You fell for her image.” Jason dragged his hands over his face. “Don’t feel bad. Everyone does. Claire played you and you have no idea.”
Max scowled at him. “I know all about the party-girl image. That was the project she had to do in order to apply for the job.”
“No, not that one.” Jason knew he had to lie convincingly for this to work. “Claire Miller is a hot mess,” he announced. He never thought he would say those words.
“No, she’s not,” Max said with a big smile. “The only reason people hire her is because she meets her deadlines and is consistent. She’s a dull girl who lives and breathes work. Those are perfect qualities for my assistant.”
“You believe that?” Jason asked as the anger swelled in his chest. He didn’t like how Max had just described Claire. She was intense and passionate. Opinionated and driven. But dull? Never. “The workaholic image, that she’s professional and is good at what she does, is only what she projects. The party-girl image? That’s the real her.”
“What?” Max’s eyes bugged out. “I don’t believe you.”
“She keeps the outrageous pictures and gossip off-line because it doesn’t match her professional image.” Jason clenched his teeth before he embellished the lie. He worried that he would get tripped up with his stories and ruin everything.
Max gave an irritated sigh. “Let me see if I get this straight. The party-girl image is the real Claire Miller and the hardworking woman is the fake?” He asked as he retrieved his phone and swiped the screen as he searched for a picture. “How is that possible?”
Jason shrugged. “She’s really great at what she does.”
Max turned his phone around and showed the picture on the screen. “So this shot of her at the Roller Derby...?”
Jason winced. The action shot explained a few of the bruises he had found on Claire. “That is not edited,” he explained. “She’s actually doing that. Her Roller Derby name is Claire Carnage.”
Max squinted at the small screen as if it would reveal Claire’s trickery. “How do you know all this?”
“I’m a client and I’m...hooking up with her.” He hated that term to describe what he shared with Claire and immediately regretted using it for Max’s benefit.
Max’s eyebrows shot up. “Does she sleep with all her clients?”
“No.” Jason curled his hands into fists. “But I have discussed taking business away from her. I can’t imagine working with her after the fling fizzles out. She made a scene here earlier this week with one of her former clients. Something about a costly mistake. I didn’t get all the details.”
“I assumed she avoided drama.” Max’s voice rose. “It’s always the quiet ones, isn’t it? So you two are hooking up. Is she worth the trouble?”
“She’s not the hot and sexy woman you think she is.” Jason said. She was definitely worth the trouble but he wasn’t going to tell Max that. He also wouldn’t mention that Claire had a rare feminine beauty and sensual grace. Many didn’t see it compared to the in-your-face brash sexuality that surrounded them all the time.
“I should have known,” Max muttered to himself.
“You will lose interest in her very quickly,” Jason predicted. “I suggest you cut ties and leave before you get stuck with her.”
“I’ve been wrong about her?” Max asked. “It’s been a well-constructed image this whole time?”
“That’s right, Max.” Jason heard Claire say. He turned and saw Claire standing at the end of their table. Her blond hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. She wore a blazer over a red button-down shirt, dark jeans and boots. He recognized that look. It meant she was all business.
“You were tricked,” Claire announced. She didn’t smile or gloat as she kept her eyes on Max. “It was easier than I thought. Be thankful I didn’t do it in front of your colleagues.”
“You can’t trick me. I knew it all along,” Max said, puffing out his chest. “I just couldn’t figure out why.”