She glares at him, then at the rest of us, before turning her back and returning to her table.
“What did she mean by that?” Orson asks.
“No idea.” Kingi’s glowering.
Orson clears his throat and asks Scarlett something about her opinion of the restaurant. While she answers, Kingi’s gazedrifts out of the window. He looks serious, thoughtful, a slight frown on his brow, and I remember that he didn’t introduce me as his fiancée.
I lean on the table and tip my head to catch his eye. “Are you having second thoughts about our bargain?”
His gaze comes back to me, and he turns his glass in his fingers. “Maybe. If it backfires, it’ll only make things worse.”
My brows draw together. Neither of us has really thought this through. If he isn’t able to convince the board members, they’re going to be shocked and insulted by what I’m sure they’ll see as an immature prank, and he’ll definitely lose the CEO role. And if they tell everyone what he’s done, if the press finds out… his reputation will be completely ruined. Nobody will trust him or take him seriously in the future.
“I suppose we need to decide whether we can really convince everyone,” I say softly. “Or whether we’ve bitten off more than we can chew.”
His lips twist. “It was a fun idea.” He heaves a sigh.
I smile. “You give up easily.”
He studies me, puzzled. “You thought it was a crazy idea to begin with.”
“I did. But I know how much you want this job. And I really think you’ll do some good in the role. Plus I want to say thank you for the money.” I’m conscious that Orson and Scarlett have stopped talking and are listening, but I feel it’s important to clear this up now.
I’m nervous about spending so much time with him, about being a part of his world, being in the limelight, which doesn’t come naturally to me at all. I know my own heart, and I’ll have to be careful not to believe this picture we’re painting for the world.
But I do want to help him. He’s my friend, and he’s saved my family, and that’s no small thing in my eyes. He’s genuinely a kind, honest guy. He’s just young and oversexed and a littlethoughtless because of it, but I can’t imagine there are many men in his position—thrust into a world of wealth and beauty—who wouldn’t be the same.
And now I really want to do it to spite Sabrina. The way she sneered at me annoyed me. She’s a nasty piece of work, and posting that headline about Kingi was uncalled for, even if he was clumsy about how he handled their fling.
“I think we should do it,” I announce.
His eyebrows lift. “Seriously?”
I shrug. “Yeah. I wasn’t convinced… but now I’ve met Sabrina, I really want to do it. What she did was cruel, and you didn’t deserve it. The kids at the Foundation will benefit hugely from you being around. And besides, I don’t have anything better to do over the next six months, so…” I shrug again and grin.
Orson and Scarlett have stopped talking and are waiting for Kingi’s reaction. He glances at them, and his lips slowly curve before he looks back at me.
“You’re sure?” he asks softly.
I nod.
“Okay.” He takes my hand, lifts it to his mouth, and kisses my fingers, just above where the ring sits.
To my confusion, Orson makes a sound like a chicken, “Bwah… bwa, bwa, bwa…”
Kingi gives a short laugh, lowers my hand, and says, “Fuck off,” to him.
“Why are you calling him a coward?” I ask Orson, puzzled.
He just chuckles, and then I’m distracted as the waiter arrives with our platter.
Oh my… Scarlett was right; even though I saw the menu, I was totally expecting a pile of deep-fried prawns and fish pieces, and the only tuna I’ve eaten came in a tin. Here, though, it’s cut into thin slices, and when I dip it in the wasabi crème, it tastesamazing. I’ve never eaten a quail egg either, so that’s a novelty, and although I’ve had oysters, these are served with a gorgeous dressing that floods my mouth as I tip the oyster in. Everything is beautifully presented, and it all tastes fantastic.
“That’s the best food I’ve ever eaten,” I declare as I eat the last seared scallop.
Kingi watches me, smiling. “It’s nice to see a girl enjoying her food.”
My eyes widen, and I pull aneekface. “Oh crap, I suppose I should be nibbling politely at everything.”