Chapter 3
She’d never been on a yacht before. Hell, the closest she’d ever been was the ferry over to Toronto Islands, which yeah, so not in the same category. The sound of the engine kicking on and the shimmy of the floor beneath her feet as they pulled away from shore was unnerving. For the next few hours, she was trapped on board with a man who the few details she knew came from his show and the tabloids—neither of which were necessarily reliable as a character witnesses.
At least she wouldn’t starve.
The table inside the spacious cabin had been set with white linen and a single candle flickered as the centerpiece. The simple elegance didn’t match the opulence of the rest of the room; leather seats, mahogany paneling, plush carpeting that made walking in her heels challenging. Not that she was about to take them off. Vince was so much taller than her naturally, she needed every inch she could fake to feel on even footing with him.
“Red, white or champagne?” He wasn’t facing her, but his voice managed to fill the room.
“White, please.” She wasn’t really much of a wine person, but it seemed wrong to not accept a glass. Hopefully it wasn’t some ultra-rich thing that she’d fall in love with and never be able to afford to get again.
The distance between them gave Marissa time to catch her breath. There were many things she’d anticipated feeling—nervous, awkward, and creeped out—but she hadn’t anticipated aroused. Okay, yes, she was a normal healthy twenty-four-year-old woman who had no issues with sex. She’d been more than active since her late teens, and sex had been one of the few things she and Andrew had been good at, right up until the end.
The thought of having sex with Vince was so strange she couldn’t wrap her head around it. Even hidden beneath his clothing, she could tell that he was fit, strong. He probably spent hours working out between trips to…wherever the hell millionaire businessmen went. Andrew wasn’t out of shape, but he hadn’t seen the inside of a gym after high school. There weren’t muscles for her to squeeze or firm arms to wrap around her. The cut of Vince’s tailored dress pants left little to the imagination, especially regarding his ass.
Tight. Perfect. The sort of ass she would want to bite. Which, okay a bit weird.
Being naked with Vince would be enlightening in many ways.
The pop of a cork being pulled drew her attention. With precise motions, two glasses were filled expertly and her host turned back to face her. “Here you go.”
Marissa walked carefully across the cabin to join him, not wanting to lose her balance. “Thanks.”
“You’ll get your sea legs quickly. We’re not going far from shore.”
As he handed her a glass, their fingers brushed, eliciting another full body shiver. She was so screwed if this little bit of contact did this to her. This was supposed to be a business arrangement, not a private date night on The Bachelor. “Do you mind if we sit?”
He nodded, his face remaining impassive. “Of course. More comfortable location for us to have our talk.”
Marissa turned and took a step, only to falter at the feel of his hand pressed gently to the small of her back. Deep breath. In and out. Relax. Don’t orgasm. She increased her stride just enough to break the contact. “I have to admit, I’m a bit overwhelmed by everything. I wasn’t expecting to be on a yacht ever in my life, let alone tonight for supper with a man I’ve never met before. But you’re not even that man…so yeah. You mentioned an explanation. I think I’d like to have that now.”
“You’ll have it.” He pulled out her seat for her, waiting until she was comfortable before moving around to the opposite side. “Given everything that had been communicated to you, the least I could offer was the night out you’d been promised.”
Marissa stopped herself from reaching up to play with the loose strand of hair that brushed her cheek. “Well, I appreciate that. I have to say I’d been looking forward to this all week.” Not entirely the truth, but close enough to count. She took a deep drink of her wine and sighed. Damn, that was good. She’d have to get the name of it before she left.
“Geoff Taylor is my father.” Vince’s expression hadn’t changed, but there was something in his eyes, a look of anger that wasn’t there previously. “I found out what he was intending to do and I wanted to put a stop to it.”
He lifted his wine glass to his lips and took a sip without looking away. It was the same intensity he often leveled at the entrepreneurs on his show. She used to laugh when she saw someone squirm under his gaze, but now that she was being subjected to it, she was ready to contact each and every person and apologize.
“I can imagine it’s…awkward to find out your dad has reached out to…ah, someone like me.” Marissa managed not to squirm. Go me!
“I was more concerned for your well-being than his reputation.”
“Oh.” She swallowed down a too-large sip of wine, her eyes watering as she tried not to cough. “Thanks.”
“As I said, we have time, so why not enjoy ourselves.” The smile he gave her didn’t reach his eyes, which was a real shame, because he had amazing eyes. “Tell me about yourself.”
She’d seen that look before; every time she’d look the mirror since Andrew had broken her heart before shattering her life. It was the face of a person who’d given up on others. Who’d been betrayed beyond the point of no return. Not exactly what she expected from a man like Vince. It was hard to imagine what could have happened to him.
Marissa fingered the rim of her glass, uncertain of where to start. “What would you like to know?”
“I read your profile and the emails you shared with my father. You said you’re attending college.” His gaze dipped from hers, roaming down to her cleavage for a moment before snapping back up. Interesting. Perhaps he wasn’t as immune as she’d assumed. “You’re older than the typical freshman, which I found curious.”
“I’m taking a business degree. I’d actually started it five years ago, but stopped when my boyfriend at the time opened a business of his own. He asked if I could help him out and I said yes.”
“Why go back now?”
Oh you know, my ex thought I was cheating on him and took all the money from the business before leaving me holding the financial bag. “The timing was right. I needed to start over and finishing my education, doing something for me, felt like the right thing to do.”
He nodded. “Except you needed money. Your boyfriend can’t help you out?”
There were two ways she could go about this. First, she could dance around the topic, say what little she needed to, so he’d agree to their arrangement. Or she could lay all her cards on the table and hope for the best.
She was a terrible liar.
“I’m going to be honest. Andrew—that’s my ex—well he left me.” She took another sip of wine to fortify herself. “I was happy with my life up until six months ago. I…things didn’t end well between us. I’m on my own and have some unexpected debts that I need to clear. I’m in school full time, I’m working double shifts at my job when I can and I’ve taken out as many loans as the bank will give me. But Andrew is making things difficult and I need to find a creative way to get out of this mess. So, here I am.”
Vince’s frown scrunched his face in such a way that somehow enhanced his good looks. “What unexpected debts?”
“Just…some bills I hadn’t accounted for.” As much as she wanted to put everything out in the open, she still wasn’t exactly certain she could trust Vince. And her reasons were hers; they shouldn’t matter when it came right down to it.
“I see.” Before he could say anything else a waiter came out with two plates of salad.
She smiled up at the man as he laid her napkin across her lap. “Thank you. I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
The waiter’s eyes widened before he flicked his gaze to Vince. “Ryan, Miss.” He didn’t give her time to ask anything else and scurried away.
She watched him go. “Okay…” When she turned her gaze back to Vince, he was frowning. “What?”
Vince picked up his wine glass and leaned back to stare. “You’re not the type of woman I was expecting.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.” She picked up a forkful of salad and shoved it into her mouth to stop from talking. The way her brain was currently spinning, nothing good would come out.
Clearly, he was a serious man. Marissa couldn’t imagine the sort of life a famous millionaire businessman led. No doubt it wasn’t as exciting as the movies made it out to be. Or maybe he faced as much pressure as the rest of the public. Was it enough to have millions, or was he trying to get to the next level, become a billionaire? Did it keep him up at night? Did he feel lonely? What kind of lover would a man like that be?
“What thoughts are racing through your head?” His smirk disappeared behind his glass. “The look on your face was fascinating.”
Her face flushed and she squirmed in her seat. “I was wondering what kind of person you were. I don’t know much about you.”
“Not a tabloid reader?”
“Sure, but I’m not an idiot. I know most of that stuff is garbage.”
“You’d be surprised how many people don’t share your point of view.” He cocked his head to the side. “Ever watch the show?”
Her face immediately heated. “Ah, I might have caught an episode or two.”
“Regular watcher, aren’t you?”
“My DVR was full of them, but Andrew took that went he went.”
“Bastard.”
“I know right! Who takes a DVR with someone else’s shows on it?” Yes, she was still bitter, and she probably always would be.
Ryan silently drifted back into the room and removed their plates. Vince hadn’t touched his salad, nor did he acknowledge the waiter when he removed it. It was strange, but it pissed her off, his lack of recognition of the man who was helping to make this evening a pleasant one. When Ryan came back again, this time with a steak dinner, she made sure to smile up at him again. “Wow, this looks amazing. Please pass on my thanks to the chef.”
That earned her a small smile. “I will, Miss.”
“Why do you do that?” Vince didn’t bother to wait until Ryan had left.
Ah, there was the authoritative figure she remembered seeing on television. “Do what? Be polite?”
“Leave us.” Vince was clearly speaking to Ryan, but he didn’t look at him. The waiter cast a quick glance at Marissa before rushing away once again.
“I think he’s scared of you.” Not that she’d admit it, but she was a bit intimidated too. “Not a great way to run a staff.” Or to win over a woman. Not that he was trying to do that. Obviously.
“You run a large staff yourself?” He cocked his eyebrow before picking up his knife and fork. “You haven’t answered my question.”
“Why am I polite? Because I believe in treating others with respect. You don’t know them, what their lives are like. Giving them a smile when they need to see one might be the difference between them having a good day and them having a breakdown. It costs me nothing and it might mean the world to them.”
“Did your mother teach you that?”
A surprised laugh escaped her. “She didn’t have to. It’s called being a good person.”
His gaze narrowed. “Are you implying I’m not good?”
“I’m implying that I agreed to this evening to spend time with your father. You’re here in his place without my knowledge, so excuse me if I’m not going to let myself get bullied for being polite to the people around me.”
Silence descended over them as they ate, giving Marissa time to catch her breath. This was a far more intense meeting than she’d anticipated. She’d wrongly assumed that the persona Vince wore on the show was fake, that he would be charming in person.
Maybe that was a thing about him that the tabloids and celebrity gossip shows wouldn’t know. Perhaps millionaire business man Vince Taylor was a horrible conversationalist. She stopped eating to watch him. At first glance he appeared relaxed, a man enjoying a good cut of meat. But the closer she looked, there was something else simmering just below the surface. She didn’t have a clue what it might be and there was only one way to find out.
“Tell me something about yourself.” The question came from her almost as quickly as it passed through her head. He froze, looking up at her. She set her knife and fork down and rested her hands in her lap. “Something that I wouldn’t know from reading about you or seeing you on TV.”
He resumed chewing. “I’m an asshole.”
She snorted. “No, they have that down. In great detail. Something else. What’s your favorite color?”
“Don’t have one.”
“Liar. Everyone has a favorite. Blue? Black?” She smiled at him when he set down his utensils. “Grey?”
“Green.”
“Nice. I’m a blue person myself. I find it calming.” She looked directly into his eyes, trying to find a semblance of peace in his stormy blue irises. The wine must be going straight to her head, because what she saw in him was anything but peaceful.
He crossed his arms. “If we’re going to play twenty questions, then it’s my turn.”
You poked the bear, idiot. “That’s fair.”
“How many men have you had sex with?”
It was strange how a simple question ignited a fire inside her. Annoyance and arousal fought for prominence. “That’s a very personal question.”
“You’re here because you want me to be your sugar daddy. It’s reasonable.”
If she thought she was blushing earlier, she had no doubt her face was currently beet red. “I’m here because I wanted your father to be my sugar daddy.” And didn’t that sound horrific to her own ears. “I’m here with you because you wanted to protect me.” She made sure to infuse plenty of sarcasm in her air quotes.
He snorted. “My father reached out to you because he needed to come across as respectable for a business deal. He’s not exactly known for being able to keep a woman on his arm for long.”
“Neither are you.” Shut up, idiot.
“I’ve taken over the deal and likewise, the need to appear respectable in the eyes of a man who holds no fondness for my family. While I have women I could reach out to, it strikes me that perhaps my father had the right idea. For once.”
Shifting in her seat, she tried to force her brain to catch up to what was unfolding. “I’m sorry, you want to be my sugar daddy? And you want to know how many men I’ve slept with?”
“Possibly. And yes.”
There were two ways she could play this; answer his question and see how things played out, or shut him down and walk away from one of the hottest men she’d ever laid eyes on. Considering she was on a boat in the middle of the lake, with a man she didn’t know, it was probably best to play things safe. “One. I did some…things with a few other guys. But actual intercourse? Just one.”
“Thank you.” Vince smiled, and this time it reached his eyes. “Your ex?”
“Yes.”
He nodded slowly, his gaze locked on hers. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”
“A little. This whole night wasn’t exactly what I was anticipating.”
“You’re not what I was expecting either.” He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a near purr. “Did you enjoy it? Fucking him?”
Rage or at least annoyance should be racing through her, not this unnatural desire to hear him say fuck again. “Not that it’s any of your damn business, but yes, we were good together.”
“What did he do that you liked? What did he like? Tell me.”
“You want to know about—” She shook her head and looked down at her hands. “I don’t talk about my sex life. Not even to celebrities.”
“Not even with someone willing to pay you?” Vince reached into his jacket and pulled out a stack of bills. “That’s a thousand dollars.”
Shit. That was a lot of money. Sure, it might have been a drop in the bucket for him, but to her that was a good chunk of one of her debts, or rent, or hell, the books she really needed for this semester’s business ethics class. Oh the irony.
He slid it toward the center of the table. “Don’t you want it?”
“I do.” And she did, desperately. Yet, there was that part of her, the same part that hadn’t wanted her to sign up for the website in the first place, screaming that this was a line in the sand. Selling her time—or even her body—was one thing. Selling her confidences, even from a man who’d tried to destroy her life, well, that was apparently her breaking point. “But I can’t.”
Vince crossed his arms again. “Why? You said yourself your ex was an asshole who wronged you. Why the loyalty?”
Good question. “Surprisingly, it’s not about him. I have to live with myself and my actions. Despite how badly he screwed me over, how much I would love to get even with him, I’m not about to go into the details of my past relationship with a stranger. I don’t kiss and tell. As I said, it’s none of your business.”
He didn’t look away, didn’t relax. Silence stretched on from seconds to minutes. An unspoken war raging between wants and ideals battled inside her. Even when Ryan came back and removed their plates, replacing it with a delectable chocolate lava cake, Vince remained stony. Apparently, he wasn’t the sort of man you could say no to. Well, better to know that now before things got too far. Best enjoy things while I can. Picking up her spoon, she broke into the lava cake and watched the rivers of chocolate spill across the cake. Wanting to giggle at the sight, she finished her wine with a single swallow.
Yep, definitely getting drunk.
Vince cleared his throat, wrenching her attention away from dessert. “As I said, for once I believe my father had the right idea. Dinners, social functions, maybe one weekend away. I will pay for your time, will provide an allowance for clothing and any accessories you might require. When my deal is done, then we can part company.”
The sound of his voice made her jump, sending a spoonful of chocolate to the napkin on her lap. Thank you, Ryan. “What?”
The tension that had enveloped him lessened. “I needed to be certain you weren’t going to sell me out. Tabloids pay well for even a little information. A photograph of us in bed? You wouldn’t need to worry about any debts you might have.”
“You were testing me?” Okay, that pissed her off. Who did he think he was?
Apparently, a jaded rich guy.
“Don’t sound surprised. You’re the one who just told me you like to put yourself in other’s shoes. My reputation is my brand. The last thing I need is it getting out to my investors that I’m paying a woman for her time and company. But having you available would make certain aspects of this easier for me.”
She was nothing more to him than a tool that needed to be acquired for a job. The right widget that would help him secure the big deal. Fine, she could at least appreciate that. It was really no different than what she was doing with him. She needed money and this was an easy way to get it. Even if that meant going against everything that she believed was important, some of her primary values.
Like the concept of not having to sell herself off to the highest bidder.
Shit, what the hell have I gotten myself into?
He continued, apparently oblivious to her mental struggles. “Dates. Clothing. Spending money. From you I need your attendance and what you showed me here tonight. Be friendly and smile.” Vince leaned forward, his forearms bracketing his untouched dessert. “One other thing. There won’t be sex of any kind between us.”