Page 27 of Faking with Three

“You good, man?” he asks, not even bothering to hide the knowing tone in his voice.

“Yeah, fine. Just making sure everything’s ready,” I say, maybe a little too quickly.

“Uh-huh,” he says, drawing it out. He elbows me lightly. “Just try not to drool, okay? We need this to look professional.”

I roll my eyes and turn back to my viewfinder, but it’s impossible to ignore the way my chest tightens as Marcus arrives and Olivia’s face lights up with a smile. He’s dressed up too—a nice button-down, sleeves rolled to his elbows in that way that women seem to love. They take their seats, and I signal to them that we’re starting.

I take a deep breath and step forward, trying to find my “director” voice. “Okay, we’re rolling. Just be yourselves. This is all about the chemistry.”

Olivia glances up at me with an amused smile. “Chemistry, huh?”

“Yeah, you know, the sparks. The... whatever. Just go with it,” I mumble, feeling a little ridiculous.

Marcus leans in closer to her, looking like he’s genuinely interested in what she’s saying. I feel this inexplicable urge to yank him back by the collar.

“So, Olivia,” Marcus says smoothly, “tell me more about what it’s like running a company that’s about to go public. That’s a pretty big deal.”

“You won’t stop calling me that, would you?” she laughs.

Marcus’s nose scrunches. “Old habits die hard.”

Olivia leans forward slightly, her fingers tracing the edge of her wine glass. “Well, about your question… it’s definitely stressful,” she admits with a small laugh. “But exciting. I just hope we don’t crash and burn on launch day now that we have chosen to go down the hard path.”

Marcus chuckles, his gaze softening as he looks at her. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. You seem like you’ve got it all together.”

“Cut!” I bark out, louder than I meant to. Both of them jump a little, turning to stare at me in confusion.

“What?” Olivia asks, frowning. “What was wrong with that?”

“I just... I thought I saw a reflection on the lens,” I lie. “Let’s go again from the top.”

Jax groans beside me, rubbing a hand over his face. “Dude, relax. We can’t keep doing this. It needs to flow naturally, or people are going to know it’s staged.”

“I’m relaxed,” I snap back, but I know I’m anything but. I give Jax a tight smile and motion for them to start again.

Olivia throws me a look that saysreally?before turning back to Marcus. They dive back into their conversation, and Marcus reaches out to touch her hand briefly this time. I grit my teeth so hard I’m surprised I don’t crack a molar.

“Cut!” I shout again.

Now both Marcus and Olivia turn to glare at me.

“Ethan, what the hell?” Olivia says, her voice tinged with irritation. “We’ve barely started.”

I wave my hand dismissively, trying to play it off. “Just trying to make sure we get the best shot.”

Marcus leans back in his chair, clearly amused. “You sure that’s all it is, Ethan?” he asks, one eyebrow raised in challenge.

I can feel Jax’s smirk without even looking at him. “I’m telling you, man,” Jax mutters, “we need to keep this moving. The whole point is that it feels like a real date.”

I swallow hard, trying to focus. “Right. Yeah. Let’s keep going. No more interruptions.”

“Promise?” Olivia asks, giving me a look that’s half teasing, half annoyed.

“Promise,” I say, holding up my hands in surrender.

They go back to their conversation, and I force myself to stand back and let it happen. But it’s torture. Marcus leans in close, listening intently as Olivia talks about her plans for the company’s dating game simulator. She’s animated and excitedin a way I haven’t seen before, and it’s obvious she’s passionate about her work.

“That sounds incredible,” Marcus says, his voice low and sincere. “You’ve really built something amazing, Olivia.”

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