Page 63 of The Billionaire's Fake Fiancée

“There we go!” I say. I give him the hand mirror and spin him around so he can see the back. “Divot no more.”

He thanks me, but makes no move to leave. He stays chatting away with Gail while I wash her hair and blow it out.

Marvin keeps Gail talking about things in their lives, and I keep working on Gail’s hair.

I guess I’m the help now, at least in Marvin’s eyes. But then at one point, as casual as can be, Marvin turns to me and says, “Is Rex busy preparing for the review?”

I detect a micro scowl on Gail.

“Umm…” I shrug. “I don’t get into that side of things.”

Marvin turns to her and says, “We really should establish a timeline for the whole thing.”

“I’ll decide on the timeline when I decide on the timeline,” Gail says casually.

“I’m just saying it would be helpful to our guest to know the time frame he’s working with,” Marvin says.

“I’ve got it under control,” Gail says with a smile.

He seems to want to say more, but Gail’s sweet steely thing seems to stop him. I wait to fire up the blow dryer, hoping Marvin says whatever he wants to say.

Somethingwasweird—Marvin said “weshould establish a timeline,” and then Gail came back with “Iwill decide.”

Does Marvin think he’s helping to drive this review?Ishe helping to drive it? Is he involved? It sure sounds like that! Which is something that will be very interesting to Rex.

Is Marvin the one putting his thumb on the scale?

Marvin says no more, so I blow out Gail’s hair. I’m feeling extremely pleased with her cut. The result is more brilliant than I could’ve imagined.

“Gail,” I say, grinning. I spin her around to the mirror.

She brightens up and touches the side of her head. “Oh. Wow. Thank you! I love this. I love how…”

She doesn’t have words, but I do. I explain how I’ve thinned out the bulk on the sides and added layers to free up the natural curl. The shape gives her face a kind of lift.

Gail’s beaming. “It’s perfect!”

“Verypretty,” Marvin says, but in an uncertain way. Like he doesn’t think it’s very pretty at all. What an asshole!

I don’t even care. Gail knows it’s good, and I do, too. And everybody will tell her so. And most enjoyable of all, I have an interesting puzzle piece for the mystery of Gail’s assets not being already in Rex’s lap.

Chapter 10

Rex

She bangsinto the suite while I’m busy at my desk, and instead of proceeding to her room as she’s supposed to, she stands behind me. I can feel her eyes on me, wanting me to turn around, give her attention. Tabitha is constitutionally incapable of not interrupting me.

“Do pass go,” I growl, eyes fixed on the screen. “Do collect two hundred. Do proceed directly to your room.”

“You wouldn’t be talking like that if you knew my news,” she says.

“Don’t tell me you messed up the haircut.” Not that I think she would. Tabitha’s a pro.

She sighs. I hate how badly I want to turn around and see what kind of annoying expression she has on her face. I hate how badly I want to go to her and breathe in her floral scent, or say something rude just to enjoy her reaction.

Her silence finally drives me crazy enough that I spin around. “What?”

She’s wearing white shorts and a snug little brown striped top that perfectly highlights the contours of her breasts and the pleasing line of her collarbone, but it’s her proud expression that gets me.

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