by Elyse Riggs
“I’m with Kaylee,” I answer. “And it’s none of your fucking business who I am.”
The asshole has the audacity to take a step forward. I feel my fists clench.
“Well, my business with Kaylee is none of your business. So you can get lost.” He pokes a meaty, sweaty finger up into my chest.
That’s a big mistake. I’m already coiled like an enraged snake, ready to strike. The minute his finger connects with my chest, something inside me just snaps. I swing my fist and connect with his face, releasing all my pent-up rage.
I hear the satisfying thud sound of my fist connecting with his face. Then the guy’s head snaps back, and he stumbles backward, falling onto his ass in the sand.
I’ll be the first to admit I hit him a lot harder than I meant to. But still, the last thing I expected him to do is sit there in the sand looking like he’s going to cry.
That’s what he does, though. I step forward to glare down at him. My hand throbs with pain, but I’m more than ready for round two. In truth, I want to keep going. I have a lot more aggression to get out on him if he’s game.
But he just sits there like a coward. “Hey, asshole, got anything else to say to Kaylee?” I bare my teeth at him, daring him to make a move. “Not so tough when you’re not pushing women, are you?”
He looks up at me and I see fear in his eyes. That only makes my body tense up more. He’s going to have a shiner on his eye and I’m fairly sure I jammed my hand, but I’m ready for anything.
He makes eye contact with me and then shakes his head and spits on the ground. “Careful, Kaylee,” he says, not daring to take his eyes off of me. “Some guys are more dangerous than others.”
Then he gets up and turns to stagger back in the direction of the resort parking lot. That’s when I realize I’m holding my breath for a round-two that isn’t going to happen.
I exhale as he runs away. Then I check on Kaylee. She’s standing there as white as a ghost. She bends down and picks up her hat.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she says softly.
“I know,” I say, as I shake out my right fist which is still stinging.
She takes a step closer and studies my face. “How did it feel? I always wanted to do that. Punch him right in the face. I might have done it myself if you hadn’t beat me to it.”
“I’m not going to lie to you, it felt great,” I say, smiling. “Look at you and I. House hunting, paddle boarding, igloo coolers, state-of-the-art surveillance, and brawling on the beach. It’s been a big day.”
“Huh,” she says. “You’re right, it has. Thanks, Chase.” She crossed the distance between us and gets up on her tippy toes. She tilts her head back and kisses me deeply on the lips. All of my anger melts away with that kiss. I realize I would fight that guy all over again for her. I’d fight a hundred guys for her.
Then, without a word, she turns to go meet her friends. I watch her walk away, until she’s almost to the Beaky Tiki.
Then and only then do I go back to the cheap drugstore folding lounge chair so I can listen to the rest of the recording.
Standing up for Kaylee felt so good. If I’m being honest, I have wanted to punch guys all weekend long for watching her walk by. Not that I can blame them, but I still felt it building. Jealousy? Me? I have never been jealous in my life. And this isn’t even a real relationship. I keep telling myself that, but my body doesn’t believe me. Something about Kaylee makes me crazy.
Chapter Forty
Kaylee
I get to the table at the Tiki and give hugs to Angie and Fi, who seem to be arriving earlier and earlier every time we meet now. Either that or I am developing a habit of being late, which is also possible.
By the look of it, they started drinking without me too. And they definitely have that let’s dish look about them. I wonder if there’s any chance that this doesn’t have something to do with my being fake engaged to a Covington.
“What?” I ask as I sit down and stretch out in my chair, soaking up the sun. I’m still proud of myself for my successful corporate espionage efforts and also surprised by Chase’s actions confronting Brad. Honestly, it’s a lot to unpack.
Fi raises an eyebrow. “The shiny black bikini? That can only mean one thing. You’re mad and trying to hurt the man, aren’t you?”
“Or you’re trying to make him jealous,” Angie chimes in. “That bathing suit is nothing short of a superpower. You’re fake engaged to a freaking Covington, who the hell could you possibly be trying to make jealous?”
I look down at the tank top over my bikini. My disguises may have worked on Chase’s clueless billionaire family, but it clearly isn’t going to work on my friends. They know me and my wardrobe choices too well. It hasn’t occurred to me before now, but maybe in a weird way, I am trying to make Chase jealous.
There are totally moments that I don’t want to let him go. Is it crazy for me to wonder what it would be like to be engaged to him for real?
“For your information,” I announce, “this bathing suit was absolutely integral for operation spy on Chase’s brother during the important and secret board meeting.
“Hey, what’s wrong with a little bit of fun corporate espionage in the sun? My spy mission was a success, by the way, thanks for asking. I finally got to use that little spy kit your ex got me for Christmas that year, Fi. Works like a charm.”
Fi takes a sip of her drink. “Well, congratulations. I always knew you’d make a good spy. Wait a minute, wasn’t today supposed to be house hunting?”
“Yep, house hunting this morning and then corporate espionage before lunch. It’s been a big day already. Check your phones, I just sent you guys a few pics.”
Angie looks practically ready to burst. “So, tell us! How did it go looking at multimillion-dollar beach front property? I’m so jealous.”
“Well, we drove around all morning. Chase wasn’t super impressed with any of the estates. The last place we visited was an adorable ocean front cottage. I loved it. Chase might be considering it anyway, I’m not really sure.”
“I think he sees something here he likes,” Fi says, winking at me.
Suddenly I wish that were true. “Oh, believe me, Fi, he’s still a billionaire tourist,” I remind her. “He’s still leaving on a private jet tomorrow, remember? I have to admit, he is a marked improvement over the last guy, though.”
Since I’m still trying to unpack what just happened on my walk to the Tiki, I decide to run the situation by my friends to see what they think.
“Holy shit,” Angie says, watching my expression and elbowing Fi, “there’s more going on with you than just the Covington, the beachfront mansions, and the corporate espionage?”
I smile sheepishly. The way she says it makes me feel like a Kardashian. But it’s true, there’s a mind bogglingly crazy amount of drama that I’m steeped in right now. And it’s funny, because just a couple of days ago, Fi and Angie were saying they were missing my brand of drama.
“Well, I have you two to thank for all of this,” I say, pointing an accusing finger.
“What?” They both ask, jinxing each other and then arguing about who owes who a Mai Tai. Hey, we have our own rules for this sort of thing.
I smirk at both of them. “Wasn’t it just Thursday that you were both complaining that I wasn’t bringing any drama to the table? Well, it’s true. I’ve got more.”
Fi gasps and Angie squeals with excitement and there’s not a single hint of sarcasm. I love my friends, they are the best.
I lean forward to huddle with them because right now we are getting more than our share of attention from the paparazzi. Somehow, they haven’t caught on to the fact that I’m the Covington fiancé, but they have figured out that we are smoking hotties over here and way out of their league. That doesn’t keep them from watching us though.
“Okay, are you ready? I ran into Brad. Just five minutes ago, on the walk from the resort to here. That’s why I’m late.”
Angie’s mout
h falls open. “Shut the fuck up. Just now? What happened? Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Fi adds. “All of those exact questions,” she points at me. “And go.”
I shake my head. “Yeah, just now. And get this. He was super pissed I called the cops about the money.”
I caught Angie taking a sip of her drink. She turns and spits it right out into the sand. “Are you serious? What did he expect, a thank you card? You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. I hope the police lock him up.”
Fi nods vigorously.
“Me too,” I agree. “Brad looks like shit by the way, so there’s that. Anyway, he got hot, threatened me, and knocked my hat off,” I point to the monstrosity on my head, which I now realize I forgot to take off when I got here. What kind of friends let me wear a hat like this? And how the hell are the paparazzi not catching on to me?
Anyway, I can see by their expressions that Fi and Angie are ready to get up and punch Brad themselves, and they’re leaning forward hanging on every word. “Then what happened?” they ask in unison.
“Chase,” I say, swirling my drink around in my hand and acting as nonchalantly as I can. “He ran over and got in between us. Then that asshole, Brad, started spouting off and put a hand on Chase’s chest.”
Fi and Angie scoot even further forward. I can’t blame them, it’s a good story. I crack a smile, and they relax a little, figuring by my body language and the fact that I’m okay that the story has a happy ending.
“Well, what did he do?” Fi asks.
“Clocked him. Right in the face. Hard.” I held a hand over my heart. “Swear to God, that dude’s going to have a hell of a shiner. Then he just turned tail and ran like the coward he is.”
“Oh wow, that must have been so amazing,” Angie says.
“I wish I could have seen that,” Fi says.
“That doesn’t sound like a fake fiancé, that sounds like a real boyfriend,” Angie chimes in.
I sigh. “And I’m telling you no,” I answer. “He was just being nice. This is a business transaction for him. A very sexy one, but all the same. It just is what it is.” I shrug.
Fi takes a sip of her drink while she studies me for a moment. “If you say so. But if we’re being honest here, I’m about to knock that awful hat off your head too. What were you thinking?”
I grin at her. Then I take off the hat, grateful that somebody finally got around to calling me on it. “It was part of the disguise. You know, for the corporate espionage.”
“Yeah, well, make sure you burn it afterward,” Angie chimes in.
I place a tongue firmly in my cheek. “I don’t know, now it’s got sentimental value.”
Fi reaches for it and I giggle and lean back, holding it away from her. Angie reacts by throwing her balled up napkin at me.
Then Angie gets serious and leans forward. “You’d better be careful, Kaylee. The photographers here are onto you.”
“What?” I look around me, but it doesn’t feel like I’m attracting an abnormal amount of attention.
“I keep hearing whispers of your name,” she continues. “I think the cat’s out of the bag.”
I frown. “If my identity is out, somebody would have probably confronted me by now, right?” As casually as I can, I glance around the rest of the bar. It’s true I’m getting stared at a little. But I’m loud, and also wearing a bikini under the tank top.
Then, out of nowhere, one of the paparazzi actually approaches our table. A skinny, bald guy with glasses materializes boldly and rudely right in front of us. “Excuse me, miss?”
Fi shoots him a savage glance. “Get lost, creeper.”
The photographer’s red, sweaty face gets even redder and sweatier, and then he leaves all flustered.
Fi looks pleased with herself. “Don’t worry, we’ve got your back, Kaylee. With any luck, he’ll tell his friends you’re not who they think you are. But I don’t think we’re going to be able to hold them off much longer.”
I nod in agreement. “Well, in another twenty-four hours or so this whole thing will be over anyway.”
“Your life is so exciting,” Angie says. “I want more details. Are you still sticking to your no sex rule? In that bathing suit?”
I laugh and then we catch up on the other juicy details, only now we have our food. Before long, my friends have to get back to their jobs. I stay behind, finishing my drink and staring at the surf. For a brief moment, everything feels normal.
For some reason I’m in no hurry to get back to Chase. He stuck up for me with Brad earlier, but I don’t know what that means. I’m starting to feel mixed emotions about everything.
It feels like I’m getting sucked into an emotional rip tide. Only I don’t know which way to swim to get out of it. Or if I even want to. How did this get so complicated?
Right now I have questions, but no answers. And I should get back to the resort. With any luck at all, the recording I made would help Chase figure out what the board is thinking. I’ll do whatever it takes to help him. And then he’ll be gone.
Chapter Forty-One
Kaylee
I take my sweet time getting back to the cheap lounge chairs where I left Chase earlier. When I get there, he doesn’t even notice me. He looks lost in thought as he taps along at something on his phone. His face is scrunched into a frown.
I get into the chair next to him. “Hi.”
He turns to me and then pulls the earbuds out. “Hi, yourself. How was lunch?”
“Good. Did you eat?” I ask.
“I grabbed a bite from the bar, thanks. You’re probably wondering what’s on the recording.”
“I’m all ears,” I say, settling into the chair and stretching out. A nap in the sun right now would be perfect.
“Well, it’s good news and bad news. Which do you want first?”
It’s a choice I didn’t expect to have to make. “Um, how about the good news?”
“Okay, the board of directors took a practice vote, and I picked up a couple more years.”
“Hooray! So, what’s the bad news?”
“There’s an impromptu meeting tonight. The rest of the board has figured out that Liam is here, and they want a virtual meeting. It’s a chance to sway another board member or two, and it could mean the difference between success and failure.”
I turn to Chase. “Wow, these people really are out to get you, aren’t they?”
I know about Chase’s reputation in passing. He’s the billionaire playboy who refuses to settle down. I guess I can’t blame the board for being suspicious. Then I remember I’m supposed to be helping. “What the hell do they expect to see or hear in a virtual meeting that’s going to change their mind?”
“There are several main concerns that they brought up. One is the fact that we’re such a new couple.”
I sigh. “Okay. What can we do?”
He considers it. “What if we lean into it and don’t get defensive about being a newer couple? We should play it cool.”
The more I think about it, the better the idea is. “That’s a great idea. It’s turning a perceived weakness into a strength. There’s no reason two people can’t get legitimately engaged right away even though it happens to happen right in the middle of a battle for control of a company, right? It could, technically, all be a big coincidence.”
Now that I said all of that I worry that I shouldn’t have continued the thought out loud. Oh boy. I give him a sheepish half-smile. “All I’m saying is, nobody ever said love has to have good timing.”
The fear that washed over his face cleared when I add the last part. Then I see his face light up with another idea. “Good timing. Proving love. I think you’re on to something, Kaylee. And you’re right, we never said we weren’t a new couple. So, we’ll own it when we’re confronted tonight. We can set the mood, and at least have control of the environment. And we are engaged. You have a ring and everything. They’ll try to poke holes in our relationship because it’s so new. But we have control
over their surprise now.”
We sit in silence a few more minutes before Chase jumps back in. “You know, I’d feel better if we had one more thing in our favor. It doesn’t have to be enough to change everybody’s minds, it just has to balance out the gotcha that they think they have.”
I sit up. “Oh, what about the house you just bought? That proves that you’re buying real estate and settling down. That’s something, right?”
I could see the excitement on Chase’s face. “Kaylee, you are absolutely right.” He grabs and dials his phone. “If I already have the offer in writing before the meeting tonight, that should be pretty convincing.”
“Hello? Fred? I need that offer paperwork emailed to me right now. Yes, that’s right. Which property? 7823 Hyacinth. Okay, I’m going to fill it out and then I need it back within the hour. Stop laughing, I’m not kidding. Yes, seriously. Within the next hour.” Chase listens for a moment before he jumps back in. “Okay, Fred, make it happen. Talk soon.” He hangs up.
I’m only half listening now. He’s right, they will probably try to poke holes in the idea of us as a couple, and rightly so. But in my estimation the entire thing comes down to a he and she-said, they-said situation and who’s to say which one is right?
For the first time today, I start to feel more confident about Chase’s situation. And the timing couldn’t be better for him to get this meeting tonight with the final decision tomorrow.
I have to admit I’m going to miss some of this. As I glance around, I know for sure that he’s not going to miss the bargain basement beach toys. But the image in my head of him carrying them through the resort still makes me smile.
I sit up again. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot, can I have my phone back?”
He grins and hands me my phone. “I truly couldn’t have done it without you.”
“I know,” I answer, accepting my phone.
Chase leans back in his chair. “The meeting’s going to happen in my suite, tonight at eight. Oh, I know, we should order expensive take-in and be looking over furniture catalogues and pictures when they come in.”