Vina’s shock was as amusing as it was predictable. Orion barely managed to hold back laughter as he watched her stare at him in wide-eyed surprise, like she’d just been caught with her hand in the cookie-jar.
Straightening from the car, he teased, “You didn’t think it would be that easy to run did you?”
“I wasn’t trying to run,” she retorted, recovering faster than expected.
His eyebrows shot up. “Really? Then what are you doing out here?”
“Checking what time the cabs stop running,” she countered smoothly and without even a blink. “I didn’t bring my car so I have to make sure I have a way to get home.”
Orion had to admire the woman’s pluck. If he hadn’t witnessed her flexing her deception muscles so many times on and off the phone, he would’ve fallen for it. But he wasn’t her grandmother, so he countered, “You could’ve asked the concierge.”
“I could have, but I prefer to do things myself.” In a move that only an expert could pull, she flipped the script on him. “What about you? What are you doing out here?”
“Waiting for you.” A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
“More like stalking me.” She flipped her hair as she eyed him threateningly. “That’s a crime, you know. I have half a mind to call the police on you.”
This time Orion couldn’t hold back his grin. “Oh, you’re good.”
“Good at what?” Though she was trying to keep her expression serious, the small twitch at the corner of her mouth betrayed her. It let him know that she knew exactly what he was talking about.
Still grinning, he pulled his phone from his pocket and held it out to her. “Here. Call them.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “What?”
“Call them,” he dared. “Then we can tell them all about how you rammed into my car then ran.”
Vina stared at him, then at the phone, then back at him. Her lips thinned and her eyes narrowed, as if she was evaluating the possibility of him ratting her out to the police. Finally, her shoulders slumped and her eyes softened as if she’d made her decision. He expected immediate surrender. Instead all he got was another question.
“East or West?” she asked.
He frowned. “What?”
“East or West,” she repeated. “Choose a side.”
Though he had no idea what the cardinal points of the compass had to do with having a drink together, he gamely chose, “West.”
She eyed him for a long moment then sighed. “All right then. Let’s go have that drink.”
She spun on her heels as if to head back into the hotel, but Orion quickly moved to intercept her. With long strides, he came up behind her then closed his fingers around her upper arm. “Since we’re already out of the hotel, why don’t we get out of here?”
Vina lowered her gaze from his face down to his hand that was still gripping her arm. Her silent message was clear. Get your hands off me.
He quickly dropped his hand, then to ease the subtle tension that had seeped in, offered, “I know a better place.”
She studied him with suspicion. “Where?”
“Not far from here.” He moved towards the passenger door of his car and, with flourish, opened it for her. “Get in.”
He could see the protest dance on her lips and expected her to voice it. However, after another long stare, she shrugged and got into the car. Minutes later they were on their way towards their destination. Uncomfortable was not an accurate enough word to describe the mood in the car. The silent tension between them was so thick, not even the sharpest of knives could’ve cut through it. Vina kept her eyes glued to the view outside her window while she clung to her purse, as if afraid that he was going to snatch it.
Yet, despite this tension, Orion still couldn’t shake his attraction to her. He couldn’t help snatching glances and admiring her. He took in the creamy, perfection of her skin and wondered how it would feel against his fingers or better, against his mouth. His gaze lingered on her rose-petal pink lips, caught how she kept worrying the bottom one with her small teeth, and he wondered how it would feel to tease that lush lip with his tongue. He really needed to get to know this woman better.
Breaking the silence in the car, he said, “I’m sorry.”
“Hmm?” Vina turned her head to face him.
“Sorry,” he repeated.
Her brow knotted in a confused frown. “For what?”
“For a lot of things.” He kept his eyes on the road as he listed, “For misjudging you. For listening to your conversation-”
“Eavesdropping on my conversations,” she corrected even though she was staring at him like he’d suddenly grown two heads.
“For eavesdropping on your conversations,” he agreed gamely. “It was rude of me.”
Judging by the way she studied him with her head cocked at an angle, it was obvious that his apology had taken her by surprise and that she was trying to decide if it was genuine. After a long pause, she said, “Well, as long as you know what you did wrong then… apology accepted.”
“What?” He snatched a glance at her. Given their previous interaction, he’d expected her to berate him further, refuse his apology, maybe even make him grovel a little more.
“Apology accepted,” she repeated.
Fighting to hide his surprise at her quick capitulation, Orion cleared his throat then asked, “Aren’t you going to apologize too?”
“For what?”
He turned to give her a knowing but silent look.
She huffed in annoyance. “Fine, I’m sorry.”
“For what?” He mimicked her earlier question.
“For- for – for - you know-” Her eyes sparkling with unrestrained irritation, she turned slightly in her seat to face him. “You’re the one who started it. If you hadn’t eavesdropped on my phone call or come at me so hard after I hit your car-”
“Ah, so now you accept that you hit me?” he prodded, his eyebrows raised in question.
Vina opened her mouth then closed it before glaring at him.
Amusement in his tone, he teased, “You may continue your apology.”
“Forget it.” She kissed her teeth. “You’re so annoying.”
He smiled, “And you’re very pretty when you’re annoyed.”
Though she glowered at him, he caught the slight tilt of her lips that said she wasn’t quite as angry at him as she was pretending. Grinning, Orion turned his attention back to the road. Thirty minutes later they were seated at his favorite bar, Cassidy’s, making their orders.
“Don’t order something too expensive,” Vina warned as she glared at him from across the table. “I know how much repairing a bumper costs.”
“The magnitude of your generosity astounds me.” Shaking his head, he offered, “Don’t worry, I’ll pay for our drinks.”
“What? No. It’s supposed to be on me.” With a roll of her eyes, she sighed. “Okay… okay… just order what you want.”
Orion chuckled. Vina never ceased to surprise him. Whenever he thought she was about to turn right, she turned left and when he waited for her to turn left, she decided to go straight ahead. Speaking of directions… he waited until the server was gone to ask, “What was that East – West thing about?”
“What East- West thing…-oh, that.” Her eyes lit up in recall. She explained, “West was I go for drinks with you. East was I pay upfront for the damages and we never see each other again.”
Her response left Orion speechless. So basically, what she was telling him that a choice he’d made so thoughtlessly had been the difference between him seeing her again or her disappearing completely from his life? If this wasn’t fate then he didn’t know what was.
“Was it a really bad hit?” Vina cut into his thoughts. There was genuine concern in her eyes, as she offered, “If it was very expensive to repair the car, I don’t mind paying for it.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He waved away her offer. “It’s already taken care of.”
He set his arms on the table and leaned forward slightly so he could have a better look at her. Now, that he was so close, he could see the gold flecks in her brown eyes that flashed every time her eyes widened or flared. How could he possibly have thought of this woman as average? Not outstanding? He must’ve been blind.
He was obviously staring too hard because Vina swiped her palm over her cheek. “Is there something on my face?”
“Why?”
“You’re staring.”
“Sorry.” He gave her a sheepish look.
Never one to let anything go, Vina asked, “Why were you staring?”
Fortunately, the server chose that moment to bring their drinks, saving Orion from having to explain himself.
Once the server was gone, Vina turned her attention back to Orion. Squinting as she studied him, she said, “You know, you look very familiar. Have we met before?”
“Yes.” Orion laughed. “At the mall.”
“No. Before that.” She inclined her head as she watched him. “I feel like we’ve met before.”
“We could have.” He shrugged. “I’ve lived in Santa Barbara for quite some time so-”
The ring of his phone cut into his words.
“Sorry,” he apologized before plucking it from his pocket. He cursed under his breath when he saw the name on the screen. Damn! In his pursuit of Vina, he’d completely forgotten that he was supposed to meet another woman. He sucked in a tired breath then answered the phone. “Hello?”
“Orion. Where are you?” Robin cheerfully asked. “I just got to the hotel.”
“I’m sorry,” he apologized, aware of how unabashedly Vina was eavesdropping on his conversation. To Robin, he explained, “I already left the hotel.”
“What?” Robin’s voice rang with irritation. “Are you kidding me? How could you just leave when you knew we were supposed to meet?”
Resisting the urge to remind her that she’d known they were supposed to meet too yet still had the gall to be – he looked at his watch – one and a half hours late, he said, “I’m sorry. Something came up.”
“If something came up then you should’ve told me. Do you know how long it took me….” With each word she spoke, Robin’s voice kept rising until she was practically screeching.
Wincing, Orion held the phone slightly away from his ear. Vina on the other hand seemed to be thoroughly enjoying his predicament. Grinning widely as she watched him, she twirled the umbrella inside her tropical cocktail.
After several more earnest apologies and a promise to organize another meeting, Orion ended the conversation with Robin.
Vina immediately confronted him. “You stood up your date?” Giving him a faux-coy look, she pointed to herself. “For me?”
“Don’t flatter yourself.” He took in a healthy gulp of his drink. “I just didn’t want to meet up with her.”
“Then you should’ve told her not to come.”
“You’re one to talk.” Orion guffawed.
Vina narrowed her eyes. “What does that mean?”
“You were doing the exact same thing with your little costume gig.”
She shot him a deadpan look. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Liar,” he taunted. When all she did was wrinkle her nose at his accusation, he explained, “I was set up on the date too. Like you. I was going to go through with it but-” He grinned. “- luckily you distracted me.”
“Luckily, huh?” Vina smiled, her first official smile since they’d crossed paths today and it almost turned his heart inside out. Lust, sudden and shockingly intense, shot through him to center at his groin. The more primitive part of him wondered what she’d do if her kissed her, right now, right here. What would she do if he slanted his mouth over hers and tasted that sensual smile? Probably slap him.
A reluctant smile tilted his mouth as he watched her sip her cocktail. A moment later, she exclaimed, “Ah! I know why you seem so familiar.”
“You do?”
She nodded. “You look just like Lee Sang-joon.”
Orion could’ve sworn that his heart stopped beating then. Swallowing hard to get rid of the stone that had suddenly lodged itself in his throat, he asked, “Lee Sang-joon?”
“He’s a famous Korean actor who died a couple of years ago in a plane-crash.” She leaned forward to stare at him closely. “Now that I look at you the resemblance is just- You look like an exact duplicate.”
“I do?”
“Yeah. Oh wow.” She trembled a little as if shaken by the resemblance. “You could be his twin. Are you sure you’re not related to him or something?”
Orion stared at her for a moment then said, “I am.”
Vina blinked. Then blinked again. “You’re what?”
“I am. I’m related to Lee Sang-joon.” He paused. “He’s my father.”
SHOCK ROCKETED THROUGH Vina as she stared at Orion in wide-eyed shock. She gasped. “No.”
He nodded. “Yes.”
Despite the uncanny resemblance, she still refused to believe it. “Lee Sang-joon is your father?”
“He is,” Orion said.
There was none of his usual jokiness in his response, which is what convinced her that he was telling the truth. Lee Sang-joon really was his father. For a moment, Vina didn’t know how to react. It wasn’t every day that you met someone related to your favorite celebrity. Still, Lee Sang-joon was dead now, so… Vina bit down on her immediate excitement and instead said, “I’m sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for?” His smile was back, but the amusement that usually accompanied it was missing.
“You know for- you know-” She didn’t want to say for his death.
But Orion understood her anyway. “It’s okay. It was seventeen years ago.” His grin widened as if he was deliberately trying to ease the sudden awkwardness between them. “I can’t believe you still remember him.”
Vina hesitated for a moment before quietly saying, “How could I forget? He was my first Oppa.”
“Oppa?” Orion laughed, clearly amused by her use of the affectionate term many fans used for handsome celebrities who they half in love with. “But he was over forty-years-old, and you were what? Fourteen?”
“What does age have to do with being an oppa?” Vina countered cheekily. “Your father was fine. And I was his biggest fan. I think I watched everything he was in. I still have a copy of The Confessor at home.”
“I can’t believe you still have it. That was his worst movie.”
“Like I said.” She pointed to herself. “Me. Fan.”
“Okay, Miss Fan.” He chuckled. “I believe you.”
Unable to hide her excitement and curiosity any longer, she leaned towards him slightly and asked, “How did you get to the US anyway?”
“The usual way.” He teased, “A flight.”
Vina wrinkled her nose. “You know what I mean.”
Orion chuckled then said, “College, then my mom got a job teaching here… you know how it is.”
“Ah… I see.” She nodded. When the rest of his statement sunk in, she asked, “Your mom is also here? Is she still an announcer.”
“No, “ he helpfully supplied, “she’s now a professor teaching media studies at Allerton Institute.”
“Cool.” Vina grinned. “I bet all the female students want to be just like her.”
“I doubt it.” He made a face. “My mom’s kind of weird.”
“Why would you say that?” She playfully swatted his arm. “I remember being envious of how fashionable and classy she was. I wanted to be just like her when I grew up.”
“Really?”
Vina nodded. “If I hadn’t gotten pulled in by the cooking thing, I probably would’ve tried to be an announcer like her.”
“Cooking thing?” Orion’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re a chef.”
“Yeah.”
“Where?” He looked genuinely curious. The curiosity was mutual. When Vina had agreed to have a drink with him, she’d expected to suffer through a few painful minutes of small talk as they both quickly gulped down their drinks before making a hasty retreat. Yet suddenly, it was turning into something more. She didn’t want to leave any longer and genuinely wanted to know more about Orion.
As the minutes flew by, she realized that he was easy to talk to. Despite their bumpy start, conversation between them seemed to flow as easily as water in a stream. As she found out, he was a building contractor and had worked for one of the country’s largest construction companies before branching to start his own business. Unlike her, he was now a citizen of the United States as were his mother and younger brother, Julian.
She also found herself sharing more than she would with someone who was practically a stranger. She gave him a rundown of all the countries she’d been too courtesy of her father’s job, how she’d ended up being the Executive Chef at Tellers, and more. Soon the conversation turned to dating, and Vina found out that like her, Orion was under pressure to get married.
“What’s the hurry?” Vina frowned. “You can’t be any older than thirty years old.”
“Twenty-nine actually.”
“Twenty-nine?” Her eyebrows rose. “Now it makes sense.”
“What makes sense?”
A glint of humor lit up her eyes as she said, “Why you’re so immature.”
“You’re one to talk.” Orion laughed. “You’re no better than me.”
“Yes I am,” she insisted. Then before he could refute that ridiculous assertion, she asked, “If you’re just twenty-nine, why is your mother so intent on getting you to the altar?”
“Because her shaman said so.”
“What?”
Orion sighed deeply. “Apparently if I don’t marry a tiger soon, the sky is going to fall or something.”
“A tiger.” Vina frowned. “You mean a tiger, of the zodiac sign tiger?”
“Yup. That’s the one.”
Vina had heard of people who believed in shamans and zodiac signs but this was new to her. “What’s a tiger got to do with marriage?”
“I’m a dragon, so according to Master Yoon-” He rolled his eyes. “- my perfect match is therefore a tiger, and if I don’t marry one bad things will happen.”
“O-okay.” Vina gave him an incredulous look. “I see.”
“Trust me, I think it’s just as ridiculous as you do.” He heaved a tired sigh. “And this was the last time that I’m going to humor her – or them… whatever.”
Vina arched her eyebrows. “Is she going to stop though? If she’s anything like my parents, then I bet she’s relentless.”
“She is. I guess I’ll just have to be more relentless.” He sighed. “Parents.”
“I hear that.” She lifted her glass, and they clinked glasses together in a toast before each taking a sip of their drink..
“What about you?” Orion studied her. “Did you dump your guy because you’re not ready to settle down either?”
“Something like that,” she answered distracted by the idea that was slowly crystallizing in her brain.
It was a crazy idea, a ridiculous idea. The alcohol must have been getting to her otherwise she wouldn’t even be considering it. But the more she stared at Orion, the more attractive he, and the idea, looked. But he’d think she was crazy if she pitched it to him, right? Still one never knows until they try.
She stiffened her shoulders and pulled in a steady breath before asking, “You said your mom was looking for a tiger right?”
“Yes.” He nodded as he used his finger to circle the rim of his glass.
“Why not give her what she wants?”
“No way. I’m not dating some nineteen years old just to make her and my mom’s crazy shaman happy.”
“I’m not talking about a nineteen-year-old girl.” Vina pointed to herself. “I’m talking about me.”
“What?” Orion stared at her like she’d suddenly grown two heads.
“I’m a tiger.” Smiling, she leaned towards him. “Orion, would you like to be my boyfriend?”
WAS SHE SERIOUS? No way. Orion blinked. “I think I heard you wrong. Did you just ask me to be your boyfriend?”
“Yes, you heard me right. So?” Vina stared at him expectantly. “Would you like to be my boyfriend?”
She was serious. Absolutely serious. Good God!
Feeling a little shaky, Orion picked up his glass and tossed the remaining liquor down his throat in one gulp. Still, the bitterness of the bourbon was not enough to get rid of his shock. He pulled in a deep breath before saying, “I’m sorry, Vina. You’re a very beautiful woman but these things usually take a little more time for-”
“Oh, cut it out,” Vina interrupted him with a chuckle. “I’m not looking for a real boyfriend.”
He frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m looking for a fake boyfriend.” Her eyes danced with mirth as she explained, “We’re in the same situation – being pushed into relationships when we’re not ready for them. The way I see it, we could help each other out.”
Maybe he was still in shock or just a dunce, but he still didn’t understand where she was going with this.
Vina must’ve seen his confusion because she continued, “You said your mother was looking for a tiger, right?” She pointed to herself. “I’m a tiger. My parents are looking for someone who’s got a stable job and a good background. You fit the bill. If we pretend to date each other, our family’s would quit harassing us.”
It was beginning to sink in now and, honestly, her idea was so out there, so crazy that instinct told him to shut it down immediately. But the animation in her eyes as she explained it had him hooked and willing to listen. Still… Orion closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. “That seems like a lot of effort just to avoid going on blind-dates.”
“Not, it’s not. Compared to actually going on those dates, it’s less work. Think about it-” Vina leaned forward until she was practically seated at the edge of her chair. “We wouldn’t even have to actually go on dates. We could just say that we’re headed out to meet each other, then spend the day or evening doing whatever we like. The only time we would meet is if my family or yours insist on meeting face-to-face but otherwise we’d be home-free. No more blind-dates.”
“Hah!” He chuckled, amused by both the idea and her enthusiasm for it. “That would never work.”
“No. No. It could work.” Her eyes glowed with her excitement. “All you need is a tiger, and you’re all I need. You’re perfect for my family. Though you’ve got a good background, you’re not relying on it to make your way in the world. Plus you’re handsome too. They’ll love you.”
Orion’s ego swelled at her flattering summary of his qualifications, and he started to smile. But then common sense knocked, reminded him that the craziness of this plan wasn’t the only reason he couldn’t go through with it. There were other issues to consider. Sobering up, he said, “Our qualifications aren’t the problem.”
“Then what is?”
“My mother.” At her confused look, he explained, “You don’t know my mom. If I say I’m dating someone, she won’t just take my word for it. She is quite capable of following me around to make sure I’m actually going on dates. If I agreed to do something like this – we’d have to actually have to date.”
The moment he finished his statement, he realized that he’d made it seem like he might actually be interested in Vina’s crazy plan. Thankfully, she was more occupied with his concerns.
“Really?” Vina frowned. “She’d follow you around?”
Orion nodded. “Which is why this can’t work.”
“No. No. Wait. We can still make this work. Let me think.” Lips pursed, she stared down as if hatching another plot. When she looked up at him again, her eyes held a note of nervousness, “What if we actually go on dates?”
“What?”
“Not real dates.” She blew out a long breath and smiled. “Fake dates – do things together but separately.”
“You’re losing me.”
“I mean-” She paused as if searching for the right words to explain herself. “You said that you’re into architecture and that in your free time you like to visit landmarks, right?”
“Yes.” He nodded. But what did that have to do with anything?
She explained, “When you’re going to those landmarks, I can go with you and keep you company. If your mother follows you, then she’d see me there.”
“That sound a lot like real dating.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” Vina bit her bottom lip as she studied the table. A moment later, she met his eyes. “But we’d know that it wasn’t a real date. We’d be going as friends – friends helping each other. And you wouldn’t have to go on any more real dates because you’d have a back-up plan.”
He offered a non-committal, “Hmm.”
“If you’re not sure it will work, we could do a test run before fully committing,” Vina offered desperately.
Or he could just tell his mother that he wasn’t going on any more dates! The option played on his lips yet he couldn’t voice it. Though he wasn’t interested in fake dating, the thought of spending more time with Vina didn’t seem that bad. He studied her keenly and noted the desperation in her eyes. Something told him that if he didn’t agree to this crazy plan of hers, she might find some other suitable man and do her fake-dating thing with him. That thought sent immediate irritation lancing through Orion.
“A test run?” he asked hesitantly.
“Yes.” Vina lit up as she explained, “A month or so of fake dating. If you don’t like it, we can quit. If you do, we can go on doing it.”
“Hmm.” He paused as if thinking about it. But the truth was that he’d already made his decision, he just didn’t want to seem too eager. “Who would choose where we go on dates?”
The smile that Vina gave him was so bright, he was surprised the whole room didn’t. “So you’ll do it?”
“I didn’t say that,” he refuted stubbornly. “I’ll think about doing it.”
“Come on.” She reached across the table and set her hand over his. “Just do it. This is a good deal for both of us. I promise I’ll make our dates really fun for you.”
The touch of her hand was like electricity on him. Her hand was so soft, so small, and yet the feel of it over his titillated, teased and seduced him beyond reason. Maybe it was that touch that did it, either way, he found himself surrendering to her.
“Fine,” he sighed. “But I get equal say on where we go for our ‘dates’.”
“That’s okay. We’ll just switch on who decides what we’re doing for our next date.” She pulled back from him to sit back in her seat. “How many dates a week would convince your mother that you’re really in a relationship?”
“One a week should be enough. After all my girlfriend is a working woman,” he teased with a smile. After a brief pause he asked, “What if you meet someone new who you actually want to date – for real?”
“That’s not going to happen.” Vina chuckled. “I’m not in the slightest bit interested in something real. But if you find someone you want to date, just let me know, I’ll willing step aside.”
Her response should’ve thrilled him – yet, it didn’t. For some odd reason he felt… disappointed. Orion mentally shook his head. What was there to be disappointed about? He wasn’t looking for a serious relationship anyway, and if Vina wasn’t either then this arrangement was perfect.
Yes, it was perfect.
“Do we have a deal?” Vina held out her hand, expectation shining in her eyes.
Orion hesitated for only a moment more before he captured her hand in his. “We have a deal.”