Chapter 4
Vince wanted to laugh at the look of shock on her face. He’d been nearly as shocked himself when he’d mentally decided to make the offer. His intent tonight had been to simply treat the young woman to a nice meal, good wine, and pay her for her time. He no more wanted a sugar baby—or whatever the hell they were called—than he wanted to get back together with his ex-girlfriend Thea. But the moment he came out to see what was taking Caroline so bloody long, and laid eyes on Marissa, the very carefully constructed plan he’d worked on evaporated from his mind.
It turned his stomach to think what his father would have done with her if he’d been here in his place.
Marissa stared at him for a good long minute before she gave her head an adorable little shake, sending her blond curls dancing across her head. “I’m sorry, what?”
“No sex. It’s a relatively simple concept.”
Her awkwardness was as cute, as it was priceless. He didn’t crack a smile, nor did he give any indication that he was aware of her feelings. He had no doubt she’d be appalled at his ability to keep things compartmentalized, a necessary skill he’d learned the hard way. If people thought you had a soft underbelly, they tended to attack there first.
Not that her feelings toward him mattered. Nope, as far as she was concerned, he was the asshole mercenary business man from Bull Rush, who was only out to make a buck.
That meant no laughing at her cuteness.
It was hard admitting to himself that hiring someone to pose as his girlfriend made sense. His last two relationships both ended the same way—in the headlines, with his name dragged through the mud, so he had no desire to actually find someone to date. But his father had made it clear that Simon didn’t believe that Geoff had changed, which meant he wouldn’t trust Vince either. And seeing as Simon was the only one Geoff was willing to sell GreenPro to, thus finally getting out of Vince’s professional life for good, then Vince was willing to do whatever it took to make this deal.
Including hiring a sugar baby to play house.
This would be so much easier if she wasn’t so fucking beautiful.
The blush that had started high on her cheeks had now crept down her throat, getting dangerously close to her cleavage. She had spectacular breasts, full and round, perfect for squeezing. The black dress had been a good choice for her. It had been challenging to keep from plying her with compliments, to keep from seducing her with light caresses and whispered conversation. He’d done that before with other women; he was really fucking good at it.
Keeping Marissa at arm’s length was for her benefit as well as his. This was about business for both of them. He had no illusions that she’d walk away from their arrangement as soon as she had her debts paid off. He didn’t have time for a needlessly emotional departure, or her thinking that because they’d screwed he wanted more from her. A relationship, or even marriage.
No fucking way.
He wasn’t a monster, despite some of the claims that had been bandied about in the media. Too many wealthy assholes in the world leaving things worse than how they’d found them. Society had painted him with that brush, and despite how much he wanted to protest the label, it was pointless. So, he wore it like an expensive suit, and kept his true self to himself. That also meant keeping it from his date. She was clearly smart and he had no doubt she’d agree to his terms once they were presented to her.
Marissa shoved another piece of chocolate cake into her mouth. She’d missed a bit at the corner of her mouth, drawing his attention to her full pink lips. His cock threatened to come to life when the tip of her tongue darted out to wipe away the treat, before she cleared her throat. “Really? No sex?”
“You sound surprised.” It was something he’d assumed would be easy enough for him to abide by. All he had to do was keep it in his pants. And unless she had some hidden agenda, he couldn’t imagine that it would be difficult for her to agree as well.
Marissa cocked her head and narrowed her gaze. “I am. I’d just assumed…I mean you’re paying for…” She shook her head, sending the loose tendrils around her head bouncing. “I guess with us meeting because of a sugar daddy site, I figured sex was a given. I mean, you didn’t find me through…” She sighed. “I’d been bracing myself all week for the sex thing. I was ready for the sex thing.”
“If it’s going to be a problem for you, then we don’t have to take things any farther.”
“It’s not that. It was simply unexpected.” Finishing her meal, Marissa stood, taking her wine with her. “I’m relieved, if I’m being honest. It makes things easier. In a way.”
He couldn’t image how vulnerable she must feel being in this situation. “More professional.” Getting up, he trailed along behind her.
He’d noticed her having difficulty earlier, and had broken his self-imposed no-touching rule to help her to the table. The phantom feel of her warmth still clung to his skin where he’d connected with her back. She was full of life, still excited about the things to come for her. He might only be thirty-five, but he’d lived more than most. So had most of the women of his acquaintance.
The yacht shuddered as the engine powered down. Marissa stumbled again and grabbed the edge of the table for support.
“Why don’t you take those heels off?”
Her eyes sparkled and her body relaxed. “You don’t mind?”
He shook his head. What the hell was he supposed to say? No, keep tottering around until you face-plant. I’ll be sure to laugh. “Not at all.”
“Thanks. These shoes are new and I haven’t mastered walking on a boat yet, let alone on carpet.”
“Yacht.”
She looked up at him owl-eyed. “Pardon?”
“It’s a yacht, not a boat.”
One moment she was a timid girl, the next she was laughing at him with her eyes. An impressive feat that made him want to take a closer look at her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m even less experienced walking on a yacht. You’re the first millionaire I’ve met.” She sounded less than impressed.
“Multi-millionaire,” he corrected. “Practically a billionaire.”
She rolled her eyes.
He mentally slapped himself. Way to prove the world right, asshole.
Vince knew money was only one aspect of him that some people were attracted to. Power was the other. Being with him opened doors that otherwise would remain shut. Being in his circle of influence would provide her with opportunities that she wouldn’t otherwise have. “I’m glad you find my status non-threatening. Over the next few months you’ll be speaking with several people of means. They might not be as forgiving if you tell them you like their boat.”
She removed her second shoe and smiled up at him three inches shorter than she was a moment ago. “I’ll be sure to re-watch Pretty Woman to brush up on my rich-person speak.”
Marissa was no Julia Roberts. Her hair was long, blond, and pulled into one of those messy bun things women her age seemed to favor. Her hazel eyes suited her complexion, as though someone had manufactured her to be a natural beauty, rather than her being blessed by winning the genetic lottery. Her pale skin was flawless except for the light dusting of freckles across her nose. He could imagine connecting the dots to see if they held a hidden picture that reflected her inner spirit.
Shit, he couldn’t see her that way. He needed to treat Marissa the same way he did Caroline or one of his other staff. Shoving aside his uncustomary sentimentality, he moved sure-footed and took her glass. “More white?”
“Sure, though I have to warn you that I’m a bit of a lightweight. I haven’t had that one before. I’m not a huge wine drinker. Well, I don’t mind it, but the good stuff is usually expensive.”
He shouldn’t, but the urge to tease, to prod her ever so slightly was too strong to resist. “What do you consider expensive?”
“Well, normally if I’m buying any I keep to around ten dollars or under. Sometimes though I’ll splurge and get a fifteen or twenty-dollar bottle.”
They really did come from different worlds. He made sure to fill her glass a little higher, knowing she wouldn’t be able to afford the six hundred dollar Pape Clement Blanc on her own. She had moved to the window. The view of Toronto from the cabin was beautiful. Lights from the CN Tower danced in the sky, accentuated by the shift of spotlights and flash of cars moving down Lake Shore. Jesus, she was stunning. Exactly the sort of woman everyone expected him to have on his arm. The type of woman he would have expected to marry once upon a time.
Oh hell no.
“Rules.” He waited for her to turn around before crossing the cabin to join her. These rules were as much for her benefit as his. The last thing he ever wanted to do was act like his father. He held out her glass, taking a sip of his own as she did. “I think it’s in both our best interests to establish them.”
“Sure. Rule away.” There was that sparkle in her eyes again. She turned to look back out over the city, though he could watch her face in reflected back at him from the window.
“I’m to give you forty-eight hours’ notice before an event. There will occasionally be unexpected gatherings, but my schedule is normally booked well in advance, so I have notice.” He looked down at her bare shoulder and noticed a tag peeking out from the confines of the dress. He hooked the thread and tugged the mark out. “I’ll provide you money for clothing. Starting with this one.” With a quick snap, the tag was freed.
Shock was an expression that she wore as well as the dress. “I…thank you.”
“Of course, you can’t go public with our arrangement. Yes, there’s a chance that we’ll be seen together, which is fine. But if people learn that I’m paying you for your company, it will cause me grief.” That was the understatement of the century.
When Thea had blown up their relationship, they’d barely made it off the red carpet for the Juno Awards. The screaming match and her accusations of cheating had been caught by dozens of people and were up on YouTube before he’d even taken his seat inside. He’d been perceived as the villain, no doubt due to his role as the asshole in the show. He didn’t want to give the public another reason to harass him.
“The money on the table is yours for your time this evening. I’ll have Caroline provide you with a contact where you can get additional clothing and jewelry for our times together.”
She nodded and swallowed down more wine as she caught his gaze in the window. “Any requests? Seeing as you’re paying.”
The question should have sounded crass, would have had it been asked by any of his other female acquaintances. Somehow when it came from Marissa, it was more teasing than testing. He was paying for her to play a part and intended her to fall into the role flawlessly. The last thing he needed was for any of his peers to suspect he was paying for her company. “I prefer my women to dress in dark or neutral colors. I don’t want to draw unnecessary attention.”
“Noted. Anything else? Designers I should avoid? Jewelry I shouldn’t splurge on?”
Now she was testing him. “I would hope that you’d take this seriously. If this is nothing but a game to you—”
“I was wondering the same thing about you.”
Vince frowned. “What do you mean?”
“If this was a game.” Marissa turned and drank down a more than healthy portion of wine. “I mean, you tricked me into thinking you were someone else—”
“It really was my father.”
“—and then you throw all these rules at me. I just wanted to try and find a way to help myself with a problem, not create more issues.” She set her glass down and turned her back to him.
Okay, this wasn’t at all what he was expecting. “Are you okay?”
“Not really.” She shook her head and her shoulders dropped. “Can you have the captain or whoever drives the boat to take us back? I’m ready to leave.” She strode over, picked up her shoes and took three hundred dollar bills off the pile of cash. “You took the tag off so I have to keep it now.”
There were two things Vince wasn’t used to dealing with: rejection and dismissal. Marissa had managed to hit him with both with a single sentence. She looked over the railing that led to the galley. “Ryan? Hello?”
“What are you doing?”
“Leaving. This isn’t going to work.”
“Why not?”
Marissa straightened, smoothing her hands down her dress before facing him. “This is a terrible idea. I thought I was okay selling myself off. I mean, it’s just sex right…except you don’t want sex. I was actually mentally ready for sex, but no sex is just confusing. And yeah, Naomi said there might be dinners and movies and stuff, but then you’re here. And your dad is apparently so horrible that I needed to be protected from him. And…I thought I could do this but I don’t think I can.”
Vince opened his mouth to answer, shoot off a dismissal, something.
Nothing came out.
If she noticed his hesitation, she didn’t acknowledge it. “The only reason I was going to do this was because I can’t see another way out of my current mess without having my entire financial future come crashing down around me. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let Andrew’s temper tantrum ruin my life, but I’m not about to make matters more complicated than they already are. I’ll find another way to work this out. I just…yeah. I’m sorry.”
How could he have thought she was an innocent or weak? There was a core of steel to Marissa that transcended her years. Her internal fire glowed in her eyes that infused every inch of her. Only a pathetic man would dare harm a woman like this, try to grind her down so he could influence her. Do anything to destroy her dreams.
Without looking, he set his glass down and crossed over to the intercom. “Captain, could you take us back to the marina?” He turned it off without waiting for a response. Before she could say anything else, he reached over and retrieved the remaining stack of cash. “Regardless of how tonight went I intended this for you. Never let anyone take advantage of your time and not provide compensation. You are your brand. Demand others treat it and you with respect.”
She stared at him for several heartbeats before slowly reaching up and taking the money. “Thank you.”
“You’re right. I bullied my way into a situation without fully considering the consequences. My intent was to save you from my father. In the end, you had to save yourself from me. I’m sorry for that.”
“You didn’t actually do anything.” The blush crept across her cheeks again. “You weren’t that bad.”
“I was an asshole. As usual.” No wonder Simon didn’t trust his family and the media looked for whatever they could on him. His tendencies to try and control everything in every situation got him into trouble on more than one occasion. At least Marissa had called him on it; many others wouldn’t. “But now that I know you, I would like to help. At the very least, maybe I could offer you some ideas on how to get out of your predicament. Whatever it happens to be.”
The yacht shuddered as it began to change course to take them back to land. Marissa looked behind her at the changing skyline before sighing. “Maybe.”
“How about a fresh proposal? One between you and I and nothing to do with that site or my father.”
Marissa bit down on her bottom lip. “What are you suggesting?”
His chest tightened and his blood rushed a bit harder and faster through him. Shit, he was nervous. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d dealt with someone who could walk away with little more than a fuck you, buddy. Didn’t know the last time he was this excited. “Maybe we go out to dinner. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but it will be a chance to get to know one another properly. As friendly acquaintances.” She smiled and something loosened in his chest. “At least this time you’ll know that it’s me who you’re meeting you and not someone else.”
“That seems reasonable.” She pushed a lock of her blond hair behind her ear and smiled.
“If things go poorly, or even if one of us changes our minds, we cut our losses and walk away.” Vince laced his hands behind his back and waited for her response.
For the life of him, Vince couldn’t read her expression, get a sense of what she was thinking. But he knew, could tell on an atomic level, that he needed her to say yes. That feeling alone made another date worth pursuing.
Marissa finally let out a little sigh, held out her hand, giving him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I agree to your terms.”
When she slipped her hand into his and squeezed, his body responded with anything but indifference. Vince was overwhelmed by the smell of her, the softness of her skin against his, the fucking light that danced in her gaze. She was young and fresh, and he wanted to drag her into his world where he would get her dirty. The dark, bitter part of him wanted to use her, wanted to fuck her just to hear what noises she’d make in bed.
No. The last thing he needed was to lose control and go down that path.
Marissa, oblivious to the war raging inside him, tightened her grip. “Deal,” he said with a smile, his voice was little more than a whisper.
He’d won. For now.