I eventually fell asleep during the flight to the Caribbean. I dreamt Edgar kept unbuttoning my sweater and instead of stopping him, I pulled him in and kissed him. His lips were hot on mine and his arms wrapped tightly around me.

I sat up with a start, instantly wide awake. Edgar sat next to me, reading a book. He looked over at my sudden movement. I took a moment to catch my breath. It was just a dream. It didn’t mean anything.

“Are we almost there?” I asked him.

“Yes, your timing was perfect. Take a look.” He gestured towards the window.

In a surprising act of chivalry, Edgar had let me sit by the window. I had closed the blind when I wanted to sleep. Now I pushed the blind up to look out the window. The view was spectacular. The sun had reached the horizon and spreading pinks and purples infiltrated the sky. The water around the island was as blue as it looked in photos. The sand was golden against the dying light. As land got closer, I could make out tall palm trees and bright green foliage. It truly did look like paradise.

“It’s beautiful,” I murmured, still entranced with the view.

“Yes, I guess it’s nice. Have you never been?” Edgar asked.

“No, I’ve never even left the country. I mean, I’ve been to Mexico a few times and I went to Canada once, but no further.”

“Ah, well, you should like it. It’s really a lovely island. The perfect place to cheat on your special someone.”

“Way to ruin the mood.”

“I meant Mr. Coleman, of course. That’s why we’re here.”

“Right. I knew that.”

The ride to the hotel was just as beautiful. We passed colorful flowers and plants I couldn’t identify in the car Edgar had hired to take us from the airport to the resort. The chauffeur had taken my suitcase and ushered me into the backseat. The town car was luxuriously upholstered in rich black leather and there were two icy bottles of water already waiting for us. I could definitely get used to traveling on someone else’s dime, I thought as I let myself sink into the plush leather as I sipped my water. I could almost forget that I was here on work. Of course, if this wasn’t a work trip, I wouldn’t be here with Edgar, I reminded myself.

Pleasures, the resort, was an immense, white stucco set of buildings that were located right on the beach. The driver pulled up a long, private driveway to the entrance of the resort and escorted us out before getting our bags.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” I said, reaching for my suitcase.

“Nonsense darling,” said Edgar, in an overly sweet tone. “It’s our honeymoon. You don’t have to lift a finger.” As he said this, he wrapped me in a hug. He quietly whispered in my ear, “Showtime.”

Right, it was time to pretend to be the happy married couple. That was why I was here and why I was getting paid. Still, it felt strange being in his arms. They were stronger than his wiry frame would suggest. I wanted to snuggle into his chest. But instead, I disengaged myself, as subtly as I could, and said, probably a bit too loudly, “You’re right . . . dear. This is our vacation. Time to relax and be madly in love.”

Edgar cocked an eyebrow and I could tell he thought I was overdoing it. I stopped talking and followed him inside as he checked in with the hotel front desk.

The lobby of the resort was just as beautiful as the outside. A break from the heat, the interior was cool and air-conditioned without being too cold. Gleaming marble tiles lined the floor, and framed photos of tropical sunsets hung on the walls. Large potted plants gave the place a tropical feel. Edgar took me to the check in desk of the hotel, an immense counter with a smiling young woman behind it.

“Hello, Alice,” Edgar said, reading the woman’s name tag. “I’m Edgar Rake, and my wife and I would like to check in.” I felt a strange thrill being called his wife with his arm wrapped around my waist. It was nothing, I told myself. I was just nervous about this job, I decided.

“Welcome to Pleasures Mr. and Mrs. Rake,” said the smiling Alice as she pulled up our reservation. “Yes, we have you two in one of our honeymoon suites.”

“That’s right,” said Edgar. “Because this is our honeymoon.”

“Congratulations to both of you. I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time here,” Alice said with the same pleasant professionalism.

Now who is being too obvious, I thought. I leaned into him and whispered in his ear, “I think she figured that out. Don’t want to overdo it.”

At that, Edgar looked at me and gave me a wicked smile. He had a dangerous gleam in his eye that made me want to gasp.

“And we just can’t wait to enjoy being married,” Edgar said and pulled me into a kiss. I was so surprised, I didn’t resist. His lips were soft and hot on mine and I could feel just a touch of rough stubble on his face. He held me tight and his kiss was hungry. I lost myself in the passion and kissed him back, breathing in his woody cologne and feeling safe in his strong arms. David never held me like this . . . I violently pushed Edgar away. I couldn’t believe I had let him kiss me. I felt hot and confused. I was supposed to be taking a break from men, not kissing my boss. I didn’t want to admit that I liked it or worse, that I had kissed him back.

Edgar and Alice both looked startled at my sudden reaction. I had to think of something to say. I considered confessing all, but I would lose my job and lose Edgar the case. I was angry at him, but I still didn’t want to hurt him.

“Edgar, don’t be so rude to this lady,” I gestured to Alice. “We’re in public,” I lightly scolded, trying to sound playful. “We’ll have plenty of time for that this week.” It sounded forced, but Edgar nodded and Alice never lost her professional smile. She must be used to seeing a lot of PDA working at a couples-only tropical resort.

“Of course, darling. I’m so sorry,” he said to Alice, who waved it away like it was nothing. “I am just so happy that I convinced this stunning woman to marry me.”

“You are such a flirt,” I said to Edgar. I could feel myself blushing, and I hated that I couldn’t stop. As soon as Alice gave us our keys and directed us to where our suite was, I hastily grabbed Edgar’s arm and directed him to our room. I kept a smile plastered on my face, and waited until the bellhop left our luggage with us before closing the door behind us. The room was the height of luxury, but I refused to be impressed.

“What the hell was that?” I demanded, as soon as we were alone.

“I don’t know what you mean.” But Edgar didn’t sound convincing in the slightest.

“You’re my boss!” I yelled back.

“And you are also hired to act like my loving wife this weekend so I can get my job done. Unless you don’t want to have a job,” he said, a new iron in his voice. “What exactly did you think posing as newlyweds would mean? I’d hate to really be married to you if you thought kissing was off limits.”

His last comment stung, though I couldn’t say why. “I just wasn’t expecting that,” I said lamely. I was frustrated. The fact that I had enjoyed the kiss, even kissed him back, bothered me the most.

His voice softened. “I’m sorry,” he said. Surprised, I looked at him. “I probably shouldn’t have sprung that on you right away. But we do have to act like two people in love, or it will cause suspicion. Think of it like a play. When we kiss, it’s acting. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Sure,” I said. My voice had lost most of its venom. “You’re right. It’s just acting.” I wanted to believe the kiss didn’t mean anything, especially as it clearly hadn’t meant anything to Edgar. “I just . . . I think I need some time to myself and to wrap my head around all of this. I’m going to get a drink.”

“Good idea,” Edgar said. He sounded relieved, and whether it was because I wasn’t yelling at him anymore or because I was leaving, I couldn’t tell. “And when you’re at the bar, keep your eyes open for Mr. Coleman.” Chloe Coleman had given us a photo of her husband, so we’d know who to look for.

“Yeah, I’ll do that.” Before he could say anything else, I left the room.