My mouth is dry. I have heart palpitations and an empty feeling of dread in my stomach.

If Prince Kalib doesn’t buy the yachts then I’ll never be a pilot.

But worse.

I’ll be stuck working with these sociopathic lunatics.

“Prince Kalib,” I say, rubbing my sweaty palms on my skirt. “Imagine the worldwide press you’ll get when reporters hear about this. You’ll be known as the most charming and romantic man in the world. It will sound like a fairy tale.”

He just shrugs.

Time to lay it on thick.

“It will go down in the history books as the greatest love story ever told. A handsome prince who was so in love with his harem of sixty women that he bought them each a yacht.” That last part makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit.

“Forget the Taj Mahal,” I continue. “Your story will take its place. You’ll be the most coveted lover in history.”

He tilts his head slightly as he thinks about it. “Nah,” he says, crinkling his nose up. “I’d rather spend the money on myself.”

Marv slams the contracts on the table, looking like he’s going to tear the room up. Kara is still scowling at me. Dex is nowhere to be seen.

I don’t know where he went, and I don’t care. Actually, I’m insanely curious to know, but now is not the time. My six hundred thousand dollars and my future career as a pilot are on the line, and the line is extremely close to snapping.

“But it will be like spending money on yourself,” I say. Ugh. I can hear the desperation in my voice. “Imagine how well your harem will treat you if you spoil them like this. Women find it so sexy when men lavishly spend money on them.”

I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes at my own words. What I find sexy is a sideways look, a raised eyebrow, a flexed arm, a gentle touch, a private joke whispered into my ear, and a million other things that Dex has done over the past few days but had no idea he was doing.

I wish he was here. As much as I hate him right now, I still feel comforted when he’s around. Even if he is a huge asshole.

The prince walks over and drops to a knee in front of me. “If you find money sexy, Mrs. Riley,” he says, giving me the creeper vibe as he gazes up at me, “then I will shower you with gold coins and dry you off with one hundred-dollar bills.”

He tries to take my hand, but I react fast, reaching for my wine glass instead. I down the rest of it.

“You misunderstood me,” I say, leaning as far back in my chair as I can without falling over. “Grand gestures are romantic. Like purchasing sixty of the finest Gladstone yachts. And not only are they cost effective, they’re sleek, elegant, versatile, and get great mileage.” I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore. Do yachts even have mileage?

“Kalib,” Marv barks, standing up. “Last chance. Are you buying or what?”

The prince shakes his head. “Unfortunately, no.”

I drop my head in defeat. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.

It’s over.

I’ve lost everything.

My chance at being a pilot. My chance at a huge paycheck. My chance at working in the airline industry. My chance at love.

I’ll let you guess which one hurts the most.

“Wonderful,” Marv says. His tone suggests that it’s anything but wonderful.

He tosses the contracts on the table and looks at his wife. “We’re leaving. Now.”

Voices ring down the hall as Kara gets up-lots of voices, like an approaching crowd.

All of our heads turn to the door as it gets louder. All of the voices are female. All of the voices sound extremely excited.

My heart stops when Dex walks back in. His eyes settle on mine first, and that determined look gives me goosebumps. He looks like he’s determined to get me back. He’s looking at me like I’m a challenge that he’s never going to give up on.

And then I see what’s behind him.

A crowd of beautiful half-naked women pouring in through the door.

And I’m back to wanting to throw up.

“Mr. Dex,” Prince Kalib says, stepping back in shock. “This is highly inappropriate.”

A stunning redhead squeals as she shuffles forward on stiletto heels. “Thank you so much!” She jumps on the prince and peppers his cheek with kisses. “My own yacht! I can’t believe it!”

My mouth drops as the rest of the women scream, shout, cheer, squeal, and holler as they swarm into the room like a horny herd of lingerie models. They surround the prince, all talking at once, all thanking him for their new yachts.

The look on Prince Kalib’s face is pure panic as he gets overrun by beautiful women. His heated eyes cut through the slathered-on makeup and over the top hairdos and lands on Dex.

Dex is standing there, staring back at him with a smug look on his face. “I told them the good news,” he says coldly. “That they’re each getting a new yacht!”

He shouts the last part like a game show host giving away the top prize, and all the girls scream in reaction.

I cover my ears as sixty women shriek around me, cringing as I expect the windows to shatter at any moment.

Prince Kalib starts biting his fingernails as the girls swoon around him. He tries to say something, but he stumbles over his own words.

Dex struts over to the table, giving me a wink along the way, and grabs the contract. “And he’s going to sign the contract now, in front of all of you!”

A new round of screeching rips through the room as Prince Kalib rubs the back of his neck, looking extremely uncomfortable.

Dex hands him the contracts. “Does anyone have a pen?”

Marv is at his side in the blink of an eye. “I have one right here,” he says, holding up a golden pen.

The prince swallows hard as he reluctantly takes it. He’s breathing heavily as all of the long-lashed eyes stare at him, brimming with excitement.

“I will sign it later,” the prince says, his voice a little shaky. “After I read the contracts.”

“Who wants to see the prince sign right now?” Dex shouts, getting the girls all amped up. They clap and cheer so loud that the prince gulps.

Prince Kalib glances at me quickly and then takes off the pen cap and signs the contracts. He looks a little stressed as he scribbles his name on the dotted lines.

My eyes land back on Dex (why do they always do that?) and I see him whispering something to Marv. The billionaire nods and then they shake hands. What was that about?

“There,” Prince Kalib mutters, slamming the cap back on the pen as he grits his teeth.

“That’s not all,” Dex announces as he grabs Marv’s phone off the table and waves it over his head. “The generous Prince Kalib would like to make it official right now! He’s going to wire the money in front of all of you!”

The girls erupt like a sexy volcano, cheering as they fight to get closer to the cringing prince. An Asian girl grabs him by the tie and pulls his tight lips onto hers.

Marv takes his phone back and sets up the three-way call between their banks. A minute later, Dex is holding the phone in the air, walking over to the prince.

“When the benevolent prince gives his approval,” he shouts to the excited crowd, “you will each be the lucky owners of a brand-new luxury yacht. How does that sound?”

It sounds deafening. At least to me.

When the screaming dies down, Dex thrusts the phone into the prince’s hands. Prince Kalib takes a deep breath as he holds the shaking phone to his ear.

“Hello.” His voice is so shaky. I love it.

“Yes,” he grunts, gulping after every word. “One hundred and twenty million.” He turns increasingly pale with every second that passes. “I approve,” he says, wiping his sweaty forehead with his hand.

There’s complete silence in the room. Everyone is staring at him in stunned anticipation.

He nods, looking like he’s going to throw up, and hands the phone back to Dex. “It’s done.”

The room explodes into cheers as the prince crumples to the floor, muttering something about how his father is going to murder him.

With all of the bodies jumping around in celebration, I somehow end up in Dex’s arms.

Right where I belong.

He squeezes me as he lifts me off the ground like he’s never going to let me go. “Congratulations,” he whispers into my ear. “You’re rich!”

I am rich. I have an utter fortune but it’s not in my bank account. It’s in my arms.

“You know that guy back there wasn’t the real me, right?”

I squeeze him a little tighter to let him know that all is forgiven. It was an asshole move, but it’s probably something I have to get used to with Dex. Being a bit of an asshole is part of his charm. And as long as he keeps his body nice and hard like this, I’m willing to let his occasional caveman actions slide.

Besides, he’s got a really good heart under his hot, muscular exterior.

I know he loves me. I know he wouldn’t do anything to hurt me anymore. I know he’s the one for me.

So what’s the point in fighting it?

Fate always gets her way.

She’s a stubborn bitch.

Speaking of stubborn bitches, Kara is strutting over with a triumphant look on her face. “Great job, Dex,” she says, grinning like a Bond villain. “You killed two birdies with one stone.”

Dex pulls me protectively behind him as she approaches.

“You sold the yachts,” she says, smiling wickedly. “But best of all. You got her fired!”

Crappers.

I forgot about that part.