Page 64 of The Billionaire's Fake Fiancée

“The cut turned out more brilliant than brilliant,” she says. “I knew I was going to improve Gail’s hair, but that was some major haircut magic. Chef’s kiss!”

“A chef’s kiss is a gesture, not a phrase,” I inform her. “It’s a gesture where you kiss the tips of your fingers. Why not just do the gesture?”

“Because,” she says happily.

“So what’s the news? Ridiculous things I’m supposed to have said or done?”

“Believe it or not, there are other shipboard subjects besides you and your fantastical stamina. Though Gail does think you work too hard. Her husband died of a heart attack from working too hard. Did you know that?”

“Old news,” I say.

She flops down in Clark’s chair, careless of the fact that she’s interrupted a very complex task. “You work way too much. It’s not healthy.” She crosses her long, shapely legs.

I force my eyes back onto the monitor.

“You need to think about your health. But that’s not what I need to tell you.”

I should order her out. She’s my employee, after all, but for some perverse reason, I want to hear what she has to tell me. It’ll be useless and infuriating, but I need to hear it. And her just blurting it out would be too easy. She’s waiting for me to ask her. Tabitha never fails to disappoint.

I frown. Is it her hand? Did the haircut set back her injury? I spin back around. “Tell me.”

“Some very important information on Marvin.”

This gets my attention. “What about Marvin? Did he try to talk to you again? Do I need to get thick with him?”

She bites her bottom lip, as though she’s trying not to laugh. I want to go over there and…I don’t know what.

“Ihopeyou don’t get thick with him,” she says. “I think it would be inappropriate for you to get thick with Marvin, don’t you? Considering you have a gorgeous fiancée right here on board? I mean, what would Gail say?”

“That’s not whatgettingthickmeans,” I say through gritted teeth.

“I assure you,” she continues, “he is not hitting on me.”

“Why don’t you tell me what happened and I’ll decide.”

“He might have said something that has to do with this review you and Clark are so curious about. Something that could provide insight.” She uncrosses her legs and crosses them the other way, slow and sultry, and then settles her hands in her lap.

“What? What did he say?”

“Oh, wait…” She touches her cheek with the tip of her finger. “I’m sorry, I just remembered that I’m not being paid to talk about Marvin or report to you about Marvin or worry about Marvin in the least.” She tilts her head. “My bad.”

I stand. “If you have some information that’s important to me, you need to tell it to me.”

“I will. But you’ll have to do something for me, then. The telling of the information will occur in the hot tub up on the high deck.”

“No, it’ll occur here,” I say.

She winces. “Sorry. I’m going to the top deck and getting into the hot tub and that is the place I will tell it. And I assure you—itiseyebrow-raising.”

“I don’t do hot tubs,” I bite out.

“Well, that’s the only place that I’m gonna tell you this very important information. And you need a break anyway. Have you not heard the studies of how you need at least a fifteen-minute break for every twenty-hour work sprint?”

“What does Marvin have to do with the review?” I ask.

She sits there like the cat who swallowed the canary. “Tune in at the hot tub to find out!”

I go right up to her, grabbing the armrests on either side of her, caging her with my arms.

---