"Did your pops' flight make it in okay?"

"Yes, they landed a few hours ago."

"A few hours?" said Bruce in a surprised voice. "s.h.i.t, what are you doing here then? I thought you took time off during the visit."

"I did," sighed Harrison. "King George decided he had some business meetings first and is leaving me holding my d.i.c.k waiting. Honestly, my nerves are on fire. I hate being so powerless, simply awaiting my fate."

"Where's Clarice?" asked Bruce. "I figured you guys would be tied at the hip by now for the act."

"I sent her to the costume department." When Bruce didn't catch on right away, Harrison added. "Shopping, I sent her to the shops to splurge on some couture so that she looks like my fiancee."

"That is a h.e.l.l of a perk," said Bruce.

"Has to be done," said Harrison. "What good is marrying a rich man if he's not handing you a limitless spending account?"

"I guess you have a point," said Bruce. "It would be strange if you didn't spoil her."

Thinking again of her being spoiled and happy at the shops made Harrison smile to himself once more. Clarice was a lovely woman, and she really did deserve to be spoiled. He was glad to do it.

The ring of his phone blasted through the calm of the moment, and he nearly dropped it trying to pull it out of his pocket. His father's face and name glowed on the screen.

Harrison paled as he answered. "Yes, father."

"Harrison, change of plans, we won't be by until later this evening. Arrange a dinner for the four of us and we will meet you there at 6pm sharp." It wasn't a question or a negotiation among equals, it was a direct order from a boss to employee, and it boiled Harrison's anger. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to scream into the phone until he was hoa.r.s.e.

Bruce, intuitive hippy that he was, picked up on it immediately. He put both hands on Harrison's taller shoulders and stared directly into his eyes. He mouthed to him, "You've got this. Stay calm and you win."

It was cheesy, but it worked. Harrison took a deep breath, and the anger melted down. "Certainly, father. We'll see you at 6." He didn't wait for a response, but simply hung up the phone, the way he knew his father would have done. It felt oddly satisfying.

"Nice job," said Bruce. "Are you going to be okay during this whole thing? It won't do you any good to have the fiancee trick down if you lose your inheritance entirely because you punched your old man."

Harrison rolled his shoulders and shook his head. "I'll be fine, mate, cheers. It will be much better in person. He may own this place, but I have home field advantage when it comes to being comfortable here. Plus, he's so old now that I don't think I have the heart to punch him anyway."

"Well, that's a relief to hear. Don't stress, dude, you've got this," said Bruce. "I hate to duck out, but I've got to hit the showers before my shift starts. I'll have my phone on if you need me, okay?"

"Don't let Jones see you with that." Harrison's replacement for the week liked to make up for his inadequacies and inability to ever take over the resort by forcing the staff to adhere to rules they usually got to break under Harrison's watch. Plenty of them would be furious at him for a while for the switch, but Jones was reliable and independent, and that was what Harrison needed. His staff would just have to deal with it.

"Hey, you out-rank Jones, tell him that I'm special," said Bruce with a laugh. He patted Harrison on the back as he pa.s.sed by him and headed towards the staff facilities to prepare for his day.

Harrison sighed and checked his watch again impulsively, then immediately mocked himself for it. He suddenly had a great many hours to kill and he hadn't planned on that. It was like his father was extending his torture indefinitely, and Harrison knew he needed to find something to keep himself busy and keep his mind occupied so he didn't stress himself into a coma before he even got the chance to truly destroy his future with this ruse.

He wondered what Clarice was doing and, after only a moment's hesitation, pulled up her number on his phone. It rang a few times before she answered, out of breath from laughing. "Oh, hi honey," she teased.

Harrison smiled. She was all-in for the plan, apparently. "Hi dear. How are you enjoying the boutiques?"

"We haven't gotten that far yet," said Clarice, and then she hiccupped. He could hear Trudy laughing in the background. "We stopped at the bar first."

"You can take those drinks into the stores with you, you know."

"We can?" said Clarice in a silly, excited voice.

"Well, you can, since you're the queen of the resort and all. Tell the security guards to blame me."

"This is already the most fruitful relationship I've ever been in."

Harrison chuckled. "Father rang and said he won't be arriving until this evening for dinner, so you and Trudy can feel free to take your time shopping. We need to be ready to meet him by six."

"Sounds good to me," said Clarice. "I'll make sure I'm ready to go by then. What are you going to do all day?"

Harrison looked longingly out the employee entrance. "I think I need some time with my surfboard and the sea. It's the only thing that will relax me now."

He didn't know why, but he could hear Clarice smiling. "That sounds lovely. I'll see you tonight then?"

"Tonight, Clarice."

His time on the sea did wonders for Harrison's nerves and his mood. The waves weren't incredibly great, and the beach was simply packed with tourists, but it didn't matter. Nothing could get between him and happiness when he was riding waves. It was one of the biggest things that kept him attached to Bali even on the days where he hated everything else about his life. He would give up everything else first before he would give up his access to the ocean.

He surfed as long as he could before he had to return and get ready to meet his father. There was no new word from him when Harrison finally made it back to his Jeep and his phone, but there was a text from Clarice letting Harrison know that she had finished her shopping and was back at the penthouse suite, getting ready. He told her he was just wrapping up and would join her shortly.

Make sure you knock! were her exact words in the text, followed by a little smiley face that Harrison tried hard not to interpret as an invitation to ignore the words themselves. Not that he would do it, but there was something deeply erotic about the idea of walking in on Clarice in a state of half-undress, rolling stockings up her gorgeous legs to attach to a garter belt...

Now that he was a little calmer, his usual ramped-up levels of l.u.s.t came roaring back to his mind, and he was suddenly consumed with the idea of getting his d.i.c.k wet.

He could probably wrangle a quickie with one of the many women on the beach in front of him, but he didn't. Instead he daydreamed about his hands undressing Clarice, and taking her hard against a wall or bent over the fancy sofa in the penthouse, her long black hair spilling across her pale back. By the time he arrived back at the resort, he was so achingly hard from those thoughts, he had to use his gear bag to cover the bulge in his trousers as he slipped in the employee entrance and made his way back to his own penthouse.

He tried his d.a.m.nedest to keep his mind off Clarice's body as he showered, shaved, and changed into one of his favorite suits, a double-breasted gray-blue number with a navy blue shirt that made his eyes shine like sapphires and accentuated his broad shoulders. He matched it with a Windsor-knotted black tie and cufflinks from his mother's father that she had given to him when grandad had pa.s.sed. He had gotten his hair routine down to a science. A quick brush and some product had it looking perfect in minutes. He was satisfied with the man who looked back at him in the mirror.

Before he sat down on the bed to put on his fancy shoes, he texted Clarice to see how her preparations were coming along. They had less than an hour before they would be expected at dinner.

Almost ready. You can come over if you want.

Harrison grinned and texted her back: Oh, I want. For good measure, he followed it up with a winky face.

He waited to see if she responded, or if he had crossed a line with his flirting. It was only a few seconds before she replied back with a Ha-ha, who wouldn't? and a little yellow face that was rolling its eyes sarcastically.

"Little minx," he murmured, stuffing the phone into his breast pocket. He was starting to realize he was going to have a hard time wanting to keep this arrangement strictly professional.

Even though the plan hadn't even technically begun yet, Harrison felt lighter than ever, and couldn't stop himself from whistling like a cliched update of d.i.c.k Van d.y.k.e in Mary Poppins as he headed out of his suite and down for Clarice's. He shared a few charming smiles and h.e.l.los with guests, including a few women who basically collapsed into his arms when he greeted them. That was something he would probably never tire of.

He reached his mock fiancee's room and rapped his knuckles on the beautiful white and gold door. "Darling, it's me, your dashing husband-to-be, come to whisk you away to dinner."

He could hear mumbling behind the door, and Trudy's voice say, "He's really into this, isn't he?"

"Yes, I am 'into this', it is my life after all," said Harrison, pressing his face against the crack in the door. "And I'm not deaf!"

"Hold your horses, Tonto!" came Clarice's voice.

There was some rustling, and then the door came swinging open to reveal Trudy standing there with a sarcastic pout and one hand on her thin waist. The pink dress she had been wearing before was gone, replaced with a cozy-looking romper in emerald green that showed off her smooth legs.

"Did I buy that?" he asked, pointing at her outfit. "And those?" He definitely recognized the gold sandals from the shops. They were one of the best sellers.

"You most certainly did," said Trudy as she moved back to allow him in.

"A worthwhile investment, you look beautiful." He bent to give her a peck on the cheek, and for the first time he saw her blush and stumble just a bit in her hard-a.s.sed act. "Is my bride ready to face her future?"

"Almost!" hollered Clarice from the bedroom. "Don't come in here, I'm not done."

"She's lying, she wants to make an entrance," said Trudy. "Because she's a drama queen when she's happy!" She cupped her hands around her mouth when she let out the last bit, making sure Clarice heard every single word.

"That is slanderous! I'm a loveable goofball!" a m.u.f.fled voice shot back.

"You're certainly one of those things," said Trudy, shaking her head. She gave Harrison a once-over and nodded in approval. "You clean up pretty nice, Harrison."

He put his hands in his pockets and gave her a half-smile. "Trudy, are you warming up to me?"

She was smiling as she walked a little closer to him. "I am literally the jaws of h.e.l.l that will come calling for you if you so much as make that girl cry one single tear during this little charade of yours," said Trudy.

He wouldn't tell her, but he actually was a little thrown off by that. "But h.e.l.l is warm, right?" said Harrison.

"Knock it off, Trude!" called Clarice. "I graduated Girl Scouts a long time ago, I don't need a bodyguard."

"And anyway, I wouldn't dream of it," said Harrison. "Clarice is my savior, my guardian angel, why would I ever make her cry?"

Trudy stalked up to him and put a finger in his face, even though her tone was far more playful than not. "Just don't, alright, rich boy? I know where to hide a body, too, you know."

"Do you? I'm not actually sure I would know where to hide one. How'd you get good at hiding bodies?"

"How do you think?" she nodded towards the bedroom and gave his nose a tweak.

Harrison laughed. "Oh, you're very good, I like you."

Trudy chuckled and disappeared into the bedroom for a moment, and when she returned, she had her purse on her shoulder. "I'm out of here, you two. Have a lovely time tonight. Clarice, I expect a phone call!"

"For sure, babe!" yelled Clarice.

"Evening, Trudy," Harrison said, bowing his head as she pa.s.sed.

"Good night, Harrison." Trudy paused in the doorway. "Remember - jaws of h.e.l.l." She pointed at her own face and then disappeared into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

"Sorry, she's insane," said Clarice.

Harrison paced around the living room. "No worries, she just loves you, that's all. I don't blame her."

"I'll be out in just a minute."

Harrison watched the view of the sun setting out the window while he waited. "How about you give me the run down on your history, if you don't mind the loud voices?"

"No, that's a good idea," she said. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, your full name would be good, for starters. Give me the highlights first."

"Full name is Clarice Elizabeth Blackburn, born in a small town in upstate New York. I moved to the big mean city with my girls after college to get a taste of the real world."

"Bold," he said.

"Not really, we were out there every weekend anyway. I took my love of reading and judging people and turned it into a job as an editor, and now I work for a publishing company as both a giver and destroyer of dreams."

Harrison chuckled to himself. "I like that, it's very Eastern of you. What's your family like?"

"Parents divorced in my early twenties, but they're doing okay. Mom still lives in the small town where she owns a little flower shop. My dad is a banker in the city. I have one older sister, but she got boring."

"Boring?"

"Got a BS artsy degree to make my parents happy, and then she married her college sweetheart, moved to the Midwest and started popping out kids. We only see each other during the holidays, usually. She's got a completely different kind of life than me."

"Certainly," said Harrison. "What kind of life is it you have, exactly? I'm going to a.s.sume you're not with any man at the moment... or that he's in for a big, big surprise when he learns where your trip was..."

Clarice let out a light, happy laugh that made Harrison smile. "No, I don't have a man. I haven't been with anyone in about two years."

"Two years?" said Harrison. He turned toward the half-open bedroom door in shock, as if she was standing there to see his reaction. "You're fooling me."

"No, I'm not."

"That's insanity, what is wrong with the men in your city?"

"How much time do you have?"

"I'm being serious," said Harrison. "I am shocked a woman of your caliber isn't fending men off constantly."

"I am, just not any men of substance, unfortunately."

Harrison shook his head, sincerely confounded by the revelation. "Sorry, I interrupted you. Continue."

"There's not much more to tell, really. I go to work, go home, and sometimes I go out with the girls or with other friends or clients. I'm in a pretty dull rut myself. This vacation is the first out-of-the-ordinary thing I've done in a while." She paused. "Which brings up another issue: where are we going to say we met?"

He rubbed a soft rose petal from one of the vases between his fingers. "We met at an opening night gala at a museum."

Clarice let out a harsh laugh. "Oh we did, did we? You think I attend a lot of galas?"

"Don't you?"

"Well, like one or two, maybe. My company is pretty big."

"Exactly, so we met at a gala, and you swept me off my feet."

"What were you doing in New York?"

"Whatever I want," shrugged Harrison. "I don't exactly need a reason to jet halfway across the world."