"Listen, I just think that the problem here is mainly because I am not married. I get to keep those kids if I am married, but they said my bachelor status doesn't make me eligible to keep them, family, or not. And I know you want them to be in good hands too, right?"
Instead of responding, Reyona looked at her watch to show her impatience to leave.
"I mean it does not have to be real. It will just be on paper until they let me have custody of the children. After that, we can…"
"Oh great. And now he wants me to commit a crime too. Good." she stood abruptly and snatched her bag off the table.
"Rey…"
"Keep your insane ideas far away from me," she said in a deadly low tone as she tried her best to reel in the instinct of tossing the bag right at his head.
Right after dunking his face in his brulee.
She was almost out of the steakhouse when she remembered that she had not offered to pay.
Though she did not like the idea of owing him for anything, she was too angry to go back.
For all she knew, she might dunk the remaining cocktail in front of him on his head, then top it off with the half-eaten brulee.
What a crazy idea! She fumed on her way home.
Where the hell does he get his crazy ideas from?
To think she had even begun to enjoy herself in his company.
She should have known that the evening was going too well for comfort.
She had been right about him right from the time.
He was nothing but a rogue! A criminal! A… marry him?!
What kind of man would have such a ridiculous thought?
On top of that, he wanted her to be an accomplice in deceiving the government!
Imagine something like that got leaked to the media, and then her company would be dragged right into it again!
She knew how much effort and time was consumed to get her company back on track and thriving.
And now he wanted her to ruin all that because of a… marry him?
Reyona couldn't even bring herself to imagine the idea.
Marry… that asshole.
Of course, he wouldn't know what it meant to build a company from scratch only to have it almost destroyed.
Since all he seemed to do, was to waltz in and out of different companies buying shares and part-owning them.
He probably got all that money from crime!
Not that she had any interest in his financial resources.
In fact, she had no interest in knowing much about him.
Even the little she knew was enough to make her know that she wanted nothing to do with him.
The information about his staggering worth had only been accidentally discovered.
Yet a man who could casually talk about a crime was one she wanted absolutely nothing to do with!
As she drove home in a fit with her hands tightly cinched around the steering wheel, Reyona thought about every other thing that her mind could snag on.
Anything at all that could fuel her anger towards his ridiculous proposition.
Anything but the one thing she couldn't bring herself to think of.
How she had felt when he made that unexpected statement.
And the possibility of it.
*************
The short yet punishing session that Maxwell had in his exercise room did nothing to calm him down.
He blamed himself for his lack of tact.
He was so mad at himself for ruining such a beautiful evening.
She had been so agreeable all evening.
He had even made her laugh and smile in turn.
Their conversation had been quite satisfactory too.
Just like the other day at the club.
She was few of the women who could match him in intelligent conversation, and her wittiness was just the perfect addition too.
She held her own when it came to any discussion.
She didn't like backing down from challenges, and she challenged him at every turn.
Maxwell admitted to himself that she made him nervous even when he had never thought that was a thing that could be possible.
Her company was always so enjoyable that he never wanted it to end, even when she was scowling at him and made it clear that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.
Yet that evening had been different.
He had felt some change between them, and he had not felt as fulfilled in a long time as he felt because of her compliance.
But then he had ruined it with his question.
But even as he hit the punching bag for the last time and sat heavily on the bench in the hardcore exercise room, he knew there was nothing spontaneous about his statement.
Yes, he had first had the thought when he saw how upset she was about the girl.
His mind had gotten over itself as he quickly calculated what could be done and how it could be done.
It didn't take long for him to see that it could be doable.
As silly as the thought of getting her to agree to it was, he knew he wanted no one else for the role.
Fake marriage or not, no other woman would do.
He had tried to talk himself out of it all evening, but with every smile, gesture and word of hers, the idea had subconsciously planted itself more and more in his mind.
And he just knew he had to ask.
"Fuck!" he muttered as the image of her angry yet controlled face appeared in his mind.
He guzzled his water as he thought of the many women who would jump at the offer of having their name linked to his in any way.
Fake or not, he wouldn't have to lift a finger to get enough women vying for the position.
Yet all he could think of was a certain chestnut firebrand.
He wanted no one else but her.