The look of pure shock on Max’s face was worth the sloppiness of his proposal. Grady laughed, not sure why his stomach felt odd. “Not a real engagement, but one that I think you will find profitable.”
“You’re insane.” Max blinked several times before finally shaking his head, looking as though he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. “I should have known you would be batshit crazy. The rich ones always are.”
If he was being honest with himself, Grady didn’t quite believe he was doing this. But the longer he’d thought over Lincoln and Serena’s proposal, the more he knew it was the best way to ensure everyone involved came out of this no worse for wear.
All he had to do was convince Max it was a good idea. “I think I better start at the beginning. Is there somewhere we can talk? Maybe I can buy you a drink?”
Max looked over his shoulder to where the other man had disappeared earlier. “Yeah. Sure. We don’t want Zack butting into this conversation. Not unless you want to go a few rounds in that ring with him.”
“Oh. Is he your boyfriend?” That wouldn’t bode well for his plans. Not to mention Grady didn’t know the first thing about boxing.
“Best friend. Who’s a bit of a control freak.” Max looked once more over his shoulder. “A nosey one. We’re heading out!”
Zack stepped into the doorway. “Give me a call later, okay?”
“Yup.” The sigh that escaped Max was barely audible. “Let’s go before he sends Nolan after us. That man has a way of getting all the information, even if you have no intention of sharing.”
Grady fell into step beside Max, knowing there was no point in continuing the conversation until they got to wherever it was they were going. Thankfully, the walk was only ten minutes long and their destination of the Pear Tree looked to be a restaurant of some taste.
“They have a great microbrew here,” Max said before holding the door open for him.
The hostess took them to an empty table near the back, a quiet spot far away from the few other patrons who were here for either a late lunch or an early supper. Max only ordered a beer, which told Grady that this wasn’t going to be much of a date.
Not that he wanted it to be one.
No way.
Only once their waitress dropped off the beer, did Max finally look Grady in the eye again. “So Canadian reality superstar, Grady Barnes, tell me what the hell is going on with you?”
“Yeah, there aren’t enough hours in the day to do that. But let me give you the rundown of my current problem.”
No matter how many times he’d gone over in his head what he’d planned to say, the moment the words started coming out of Grady’s mouth, he knew how ridiculous everything sounded.
“To say that my father and I don’t get along is pretty much the definition of understatement. He demands, I push. He threatens, I burn the proverbial barn down. It’s how we roll and has been since I was twelve.”
“Charming.” Max looked far from amused.
“His current play is to use me as a bargaining chip for a business deal. Apparently, I’m to marry this young guy who’s just come out, and my father lands a contract that will secure land for property development he wants to do. That’s what his company does: retail and land development. I tried my hand at working there. Once. But that’s the gist of it. Like an arranged marriage, but with the pertinent parties unaware that they are being used as part of a business deal.”
Max’s face contorted into a frown that somehow made him look cuter. “I can’t believe someone would do that.”
“You haven’t met my father.”
“So why don’t you just say no?”
Here was the part that Grady knew would make him sound petty, but there wasn’t any way around it. “He’s threatened to cut me off. Has, in fact, to a certain extent. I’d been living in a condo in downtown Vancouver for a few years now. My brother, Lincoln, told me yesterday that father moved my stuff and has rented it out.”
“How the hell can he do that?”
“He pays the mortgage. His name is on the papers.” Grady finished his beer far faster than he probably should have, and signaled the waiter for another. “I know, rich-guy problems. Trust me, I know how this sounds and how it makes me look. If my father hadn’t sabotaged everything I’d ever wanted to do with my life, tried to force me into something I don’t have the talent, let alone the inclination, for, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
He’d tried to make things work with his father about five years ago. He’d fought tooth and nail to be allowed to complete his Bachelor of Arts degree in literature. After he graduated, he’d taken a lower-management job at his father’s company and, for once, had treated the entire situation with serious attention, worked as hard as he could to make his father proud. The problem was, the harder he worked, the more his father pushed. Projects and planning that were way above his experience level were thrown on his desk. Grady had never been certain if his father had wanted him to fail, or had been blind to Grady’s actual skills.
After six months, Grady had left the company and swore he’d never let his father pressure him into anything ever again.
Max shook his head. “I don’t see how I can help.”
“Look, I know this is probably hard to believe, but the money is only part of this. I’m trying to keep this poor guy from being forced into a relationship with me that will be doomed from the beginning. My father would never believe that I’ve been dating someone in Vancouver, because I try to avoid being there as much as I possibly can. But he will believe that I’ve been in a secret relationship with you, especially since his assistant has pictures of us from the night you brought me back to the hotel.”
“That’s probably the prick who cornered me in the alley the other night?”
Grady couldn’t stop his hand from balling into a fist. “He what?”
Max swallowed down his beer. “Tried to buy me off, I believe. There was a check, though I never gave him the chance to give it to me.”
Even when the opportunity presented itself, Max hadn’t betrayed him. “This is why you’re perfect. Justin will tell Father that you’re not interested in money, that he’s seen you with me, and that he didn’t believe me when I told him there was nothing going on between us.”
“There is nothing going on between us. There won’t be anything going on between us because I haven’t agreed to this insanity.”
“Yet.” Grady grinned. “I promise it won’t be forever. I need to have a fake fiancé for a few weeks, a month at the most. That will force Father’s hand so he’ll have to secure Les Bouchard’s support some other way, and I won’t have to get married to someone I don’t know. Plus, I’ll pay.”
Max choked on his beer. “What?”
“Clearly you guys are trying to get your gym up and running. While Father has threatened to cut me off if I don’t do what he wants, there’s no way he’ll go through with that if he thinks I haven’t set out to sabotage this. As soon as I have access to my money again, I’ll be happy to make an investment into the gym, as a silent, noncontrolling partner. You can even pay me back once things become profitable, if that’s what you want.”
Max sighed as he considered Grady’s offer. His eyes flicked from Grady, to the table and back, and he tapped the side of his beer mug. He was clearly a man of morals who was being asked to do something that went against his instincts. Grady lacked a lot of that impulse control, and could only imagine the battle going on inside his very handsome head.
Yeah, fake engagement or no, it wouldn’t be a hardship to spend time in Max’s company.
Grady knew the moment Max came to a decision, and from the tight lines around his mouth, he knew that it wasn’t going to be in his favor. Time for one last Hail Mary before he’d have to come up with a plan B.
“Have you ever just done something for the hell of it? Gone out and had a good time, not worried about the consequences of what would happen the next day?” Grady slid his hand across the table, close to, but not touching Max’s. “Have you ever just said, ‘Fuck it,’ and done something crazy?”
Max didn’t need to vocalize his answer for Grady to know what it was. Despite his relaxed exterior, his jovial nature that came through with his easy smile, Max was a fixer. And fixers by their very wiring always put themselves second to the needs of others. His mother had been a fixer, and Grady had watched his father take advantage of her good nature right up until her suicide.
In a way, he was just as bad as his father, knowing that given the right incentive Max would do what he wanted.
He was just as much of an asshole. Maybe it was a Barnes family trait.
“Come on, Max. Just once, let loose and have some fun. I’ll put in place any safeguards you want.”
Before Max could answer, one of the other waitresses came over with his second beer. “Here you go, Mr. Barnes.” She smiled and leaned over a bit too much, showing off some impressive cleavage. “Please let me know if there’s anything else you need.” She gave him a look that was pure sex, before sauntering away.
Max coughed, clearly trying to hide a laugh. “Does that happen to you a lot?”
“More than you’d probably guess. Being a reality star seems to put me on a different level from other celebrities. It’s like they think they know the real me because they saw me living a fake life on television for a few months.”
Max looked away for a moment. “That must be hard for you.”
“Only if I’m trying to convince handsome bar owners to be my fake fiancé for a few weeks.”
Max turned his intense gaze back on him. “Why me? There must be a dozen other people you know, people in other cities who would be more than happy to help you out. Why me, a stranger who you’ve met three times in your life?”
“Because you’ve had opportunities to screw me over, to steal from me, to be bribed, and not once did you give in. You’re a good man who cares for strangers, even drunk ones who puke in alleyways. If I’m going to be forced into the company of a man, to pretend that we are in a relationship so my father doesn’t use me as chattel to advance his business ventures, then I’d rather it be someone like you.”
Grady had never been much for the proverbial mic drop, but that was pretty solid.
Max looked at him hard for a few more moments before that brilliant smile of his broke across his face. “You really are an asshole.”
“I am. But you know that going in.” Damn, the excitement building inside him bubbled with a near physical pop. Grady leaned closer. “Come on. Say yes. It’ll be fun, and you’ll be helping the gym.”
“That’s not fair. But, and I can’t believe I’m even saying this, give me a day or two to think about this?”
Not the immediate acquiescence that he’d hoped for, but it would have to do. “Deal. I’ll give you time to think, but I need to be back in Vancouver sooner than later. Lincoln is getting married in eleven days, and I’m expected to be there. If you’re not up for this, then I’ll have to find someone else. Fast.”
The thought of making this proposal to one of his friends was far from appealing. His father would never believe that Grady had developed feelings for one of them. Nor would Justin, and it was far more critical to win over his father’s guard dog if he wanted any chance of pulling this deception off.
Max at least seemed to understand the weight of the situation. “I promise, no more than two days. I just . . . I need to think this through.”
Max finished his beer, and for the first time in days, Grady felt as though things were finally starting to go his way. Max was a good guy, and Grady had no doubt that given time to mull things over, they’d be able to come to some sort of arrangement.
They chatted for another twenty minutes before Max looked down at his phone. “Shit, I need to check in with my parents . . . I have to make a call.” A blush colored his cheeks.
“No problem.” Grady stood and threw more than enough cash on the table to cover the beers and a generous tip. “Let’s get out of here.”
He hadn’t realized how dark the restaurant was. The late-afternoon sun was bright enough that Grady didn’t immediately see Justin leaning against the car in front of the Pear Tree. It wasn’t until he heard the telltale clearing of his throat that he realized what was happening.
“Fuck.” Grady turned to look at Max, but spoke to Justin. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Just checking in with you.” He stepped away from the car. “Hello, Mr. Tremblay. I’m surprised to see you again.”
Max snorted. “Likewise.”
Justin tapped his open hand against the side of his hip. “Grady, your father wanted me to tell you that he needs you to come home early. There are some family obligations you’re expected to attend to before the wedding.”
“I spoke with Lincoln yesterday. He didn’t mention anything.” Shit, he hated when Justin threw him for a loop. He took a breath, and did his best to not let his anger take over. Years of practice and he still struggled with this.
“While your brother is the one getting married, he’s not the one planning all of the events. He goes where your father tells him he’s needed. Like yourself.”
Shit. This wasn’t good. Justin must have said something to his father that made him up the timetable. Or else the bastard was simply annoyed that Grady wasn’t around to keep an eye on. “I still have business in Toronto.”
“A fling isn’t business. Your father expects you home. I’ll have the ticket emailed to your account later tonight.”
“I’m twenty-eight, not eight. My father has no right to tell me what to do and where I can spend my time.”
He was about to continue his tirade, when he felt Max’s hand cover his fist. “It’s fine. You can tell him.”
Grady turned to face Max, the words not quite penetrating. “What? No.”
Justin crossed his arms. “Tell me what?”
Max lifted Grady’s hand and encouraged his fingers to unfurl so he could slide their palms together. “We’re engaged. Grady didn’t want to say anything because of the wedding. It isn’t fair to Lincoln to steal the limelight that way. We were going to wait until after before we mentioned it.”
Justin’s hands fell to his side. “You’re not serious.” It was a statement spoken with certainty. “Grady can’t commit to a box of cereal, let alone a human being.”
Max stepped forward, looming more than a few inches over Justin. “I told you the last time I saw you that I’d call the cops if you didn’t leave me alone. While I can’t do that here, I’m going to make something very clear. Grady and I, what we do, our entire relationship, has nothing to do with you. You can’t intimidate me, bribe me, or bully me away. If you insist on making a big deal of our engagement before the wedding, that’s on you. We were being respectful.”
It was strange having someone speak so passionately on his behalf. No one, not even Lincoln, had been so ardent in his defense before. “Max—”
“No.” It was strange how quickly Grady had gotten used to Max’s expressions. Could almost tell what was going on inside that handsome head of his. Grady knew that Max had come to some sort of decision, something he was fixed on, now he’d made up his mind. “In fact, if your father is so adamant about you coming home early, then he can purchase a ticket for me as well.”
Grady ignored Justin, turned, and gave Max’s hand a squeeze. “Are you sure? This wasn’t what we’d discussed.”
“No, it wasn’t.” His voice was firm, leaving no doubt that he was all in. Max had a sparkle in his eyes that Grady hadn’t seen before. It was a sexy combination. “But you were right in what you said, and circumstances change. We can discuss the particulars in private. I’ll need to talk to the staff at the bar, make sure everything is covered with my assistant manager, Cameron. But I can make this work.”
“Well, then.” Justin stepped back to the car. “Aren’t you two lovebirds the affectionate pair. It makes my heart swoon.”
The only warning Grady got that Max was about to do something was the soft growl reverberating in his throat. The next instant Max placed one hand behind Grady’s head and the other bunched in the front of his shirt. The kiss started off hard, almost angry. He opened his mouth, softening, letting Max in, needing to take control. The first caress of his tongue against Max’s caused a flex of fingers against the back of his head. Yes, that’s it. He stepped closer, ignoring the awkward angle of Max’s arm between them, and slid both of his hands to the top of Max’s ass.
One moment Grady was aware of everything; the smell of the city around them, the heat rolling off Max’s body, the honking of horns and blaring of sirens somewhere in the distance. The next, the only thing he could focus on was the race of arousal coursing through his body, the way Max’s cock had stiffened and pressed against his own erection. The kiss softened, deepened, became something more than the simple act of flesh pressed together.
As quickly as things started, the kiss came to its natural conclusion. He didn’t want to step away, didn’t want to lose the warmth of Max pressed against him. But standing in the middle of a sidewalk dry-humping a man he barely knew went a bit far, even for him.
All he could hope was that things would be resolved quickly so he wouldn’t give in to the temptation Max presented him.
Grady turned to face Justin. “Tell Father we’ll be there.”