“I’m a decent human being. Just because I date lots of women, and have been labeled a playboy, that shouldn’t make you think any less of me. I’m not ready to settle down. I don’t even want a girlfriend. I just want to have fun, be carefree, and run my business. I’m not ready to settle anytime soon. What’s so wrong with that?”
“It’s okay to enjoy a bachelor lifestyle,” I said. “But I would never date a man who was dating two other women right along with me. I just have more self-respect than that.”
“Well, you’re in luck. I have just settled down with you. You’ve swept me off my feet, and there’s only you in my life.”
“The world will think I’ve tamed you...until our Caribbean escapade is over.”
“It’s a wonderful business arrangement for both of us,” he said. “Once the papers are signed, we’ll casually break up in a big public spectacle.”
“And you’ll go back to your old lifestyle? Being a billionaire playboy who can’t handle his tequila. Flying off to Vegas and having wild sex.”
“You’ve Googled me, I see.”
“You had sex on an elevator with a showgirl.”
“She was my high school sweetheart. Funny how they leave that out. I went to Vegas to win her heart back.”
My gaze narrowed. “I take it you didn’t get the girl?”
“No, I didn’t. Money can’t buy everything.”
“I suppose it can’t,” I said softly.
“I could buy anything I wanted. But not her.”
“I’m seeing another side to you. I’m getting to know the man behind the wallet just a tiny bit more.”
Money. Women. A good time. They all came easily to Marcus. And maybe there was something deeper out there for him. I knew there was, but he just wasn’t ready for that leg of his journey. Maybe one day he’d grow up. But for now, it was my job to help him keep his client. Marcus told me his client believed strongly in monogamy, so much so that he didn’t want to be associated with Marcus and his crazy antics and outrageous newspaper headings. Marcus told me he had quit drinking and only drank socially now. I would tell his client that I had tamed him, that I had won his heart, and Marcus had given up his old lifestyle. If his rich client believed it, he might give his account back to Marcus.
I also thought Marcus was hurt from the old girlfriend that he tried to win back. Maybe when he couldn’t win her heart, he just went wild. Maybe he dated and drank too much to get his mind off the woman he loved, the woman who rejected him. Maybe he wanted to numb the grief. I knew I sometimes did that.
There was a momentary pause as Deevus hopped up onto the counter. He stared at Marcus, then rubbed up against him. Markus petted him, and it was adorable to see him love animals so much.
“This is a great opportunity for me,” I said. “I was practically ge
tting kicked out of my apartment. So I can’t thank you enough. I’m a good actress, and I’m going to play the part well. I’ll give you an Oscar-worthy performance. I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
“There’s more than just a paycheck. You’ll get to travel. Get to shop. Get your hair and makeup done by professionals.”
I blinked. “Shopping. Hair. Makeup. See...I can’t tell if you’re trying to reduce me to a chauvinistic stereotype or if it’s just really early in the morning...?”
His eyes widened slightly as he glanced nervously between me and the cat, feeling judged. “I...I wasn’t trying to. Most of the women I know would love to shop.”
“I’d rather take pictures of the turquoise water and breathtaking scenery. This might be my one shot at seeing a beautiful place like this. I want to soak up and see everything I can.”
“Surely, you’ll come back again.”
“I can’t afford to pay my rent. How could I ever afford a tropical vacation?”
Sometimes it was easy to forget that while Marcus and I came from two different worlds, I couldn’t afford stuff like that.
He blinked in surprise as I headed down the hall to my bedroom, Deevus—bless his mangy little heart—hopping loyally behind.
“I’m going to get dressed.” I winked. “Don’t steal anything while I’m gone.”
He laughed.
I took my time in the shower, washing, conditioning, and then re-conditioning my hair as he waited out in the living room. Hey—if he wanted to come over at seven in the morning, be my guest. Just don’t expect me to “hop to” at the slightest whim or command. After a while, I heard him speaking in a low monotone on the phone. My lips twitched up in a smile as I wrapped myself securely in a towel and skipped across the hall to my room. Bored enough to make work calls? My evil plan was working.