"You shouldn't have done that," Kellan said. He was leading the way back outside. He felt his face flush with anger at the kiss. It was unexpected and completely unwarranted. "I'm paying you to pretend to be my lover, Ms. Diaz. Do not imagine for one moment I have — or will have — any desire to take you to bed."

"Calm down, Kellan," Alexa said. "It was just a kiss."

He turned around. "Who the hell are you to go around randomly—" he started to say when he felt her collide right into him.

"Ow!" she cried, rubbing her forehead. It was red, having hit his chin.

"Are you all right?" He instinctively reached out to grab her shoulders to steady her.

A mistake. He wasn't ready for how soft her skin felt to his touch. Or how his eyes were drawn down to gaze at her heaving chest and the hint of cleavage above her neckline.

Alexa's eyes grew wide. Her lips parted slightly as she took short, shallow breaths.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She blinked, then her expression changed to annoyance. "Watch where you're going, ok?" She shrugged out of his grasp, giving him a dirty look as she brushed past him.

"What did you even do that for?" he said. He caught up with her as they stepped outside to the al fresco dining area. "The kiss, I mean."

"I told you."

He sighed. "I still don't understand."

"You will."

Their server was setting down their food. Paige was laughing at something Everton was saying to her. As he and Alexa reached the table, Paige's eyes turned to them and her smile faltered.

"There you are," she said. "I was beginning to think you'd run off somewhere."

Was it his imagination or did her smile not quite reach her eyes?

"Sorry about that," Alexa said, sitting down. "Anyway, I have a rule of not running off before lunch."

"I like that rule," Everton said, nodding. "Quite sensible."

"I had my assistant send you the pitch materials for one of our products," Kellan said. "Have you had a chance to take a look at it?"

"Goodness, yes. Didn't understand a word. Is it like a dating app of some sort?"

"Something like that. But not exactly." Kellan stared at his steak, wondering where his appetite had gone. He glanced sideways at Alexa. She was biting into her sandwich. When she saw him looking, she smiled, her mouth full of food. Clearly she was not having the same problem.

"I suppose there are just too many dating things out there, yeah? Call me old fashioned but I simply couldn't imagine meeting a complete stranger for dinner."

"People are busy, Everton," said Paige. "It's hard to meet people sometimes." She smiled at him indulgently.

"Really?" Everton said. He looked thoughtful -- or tried to. It didn't seem like something he was used to. Thinking. It made him look more constipated than anything. "I seem to be meeting more people than I know what to do with. You know, parties and such. Only last week I met the two most fascinating artists at Charles Dermot's vineyard down in France."

"Sweetie, not everyone has the luxury of bouncing around Europe the way you do," Paige said.

"I suppose not," he conceded. "Must be positively tedious chained to a desk all day. Not a problem with you, eh, Kellan?"

"No," Kellan said. "It doesn't mean I can fly to France at the drop of a hat, however."

"What about you, Alexa?" Everton said. "You don't seem to be a behind-the-desk kind of girl."

"Oh no, not me," Alexa said.

"So what do you do, Alexa?" Paige said.

Kellan gave her a warning look in the subtlest way he could. It would not do for either Paige or Everton to think he was that guy, the one who went around sleeping with room attendants of his own goddamn hotel.

She didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, mostly I find things. And people."

What?

"A detective!" Everton said. "That's fascinating."

"Something like that," she said.

"Well done." Everton nodded delightedly. "Honestly, Kellan, you meet the most fascinating people. Paige here lead me to think you spend most of your days staring at your phone or your computer."

Kellan sighed. There was simply no graceful way out of this. "I suppose I do," he said. What was that she said about not wanting to be deceitful? She seemed to be quite at home lying through her teeth.

"Sometimes you just run into unexpected people, you know?" Alexa said. She gave Kellan a small smile.

"You ever run into any trouble hunting down ... things?" Everton said.

"Oh yes. Sometimes."

As Alexa and Everton chatted, Paige leaned over to Kellan. "You may want to wipe off that smudge on your lip," she whispered.

"Oh." He smiled. "Thank you." He dabbed his napkin on his mouth. As he spread it back on his lap, a flash of red caught his eye.

It was a stain from Alexa's lipstick on the immaculate white cloth.

It would have been so easy if Kellan Butler had been some balding, middle-aged guy. So much easier. Then Alexa wouldn't be distracted every time he spoke to her, or looked at her.

She wouldn't be thinking about that kiss.

It was supposed to be just a kiss. A little peck. But before she knew what she was doing, she was taking in his lower lip. Then his tongue. That warm, velvety tongue. For a long, dizzying moment, there was nothing but smell of his skin, the taste of his mouth, the warmth of his body. The feel of his hands on her backside, pulling her closer.

It took all her self-control to remove herself from his embrace, and walk away without betraying the rush of emotions that were coursing through her body.

Emotions she still couldn't shake off. All throughout lunch, she was still so keenly aware of him sitting beside her. Even now as they sat together in the back of his limousine as his chauffeur drove them back to the hotel, his presence made her uncomfortable. Nervous.

Damn that kiss.

She'd be okay once they went their separate ways. Once he was out of her sight. Once the faint smell of his cologne no longer teased her senses, made her conjure up memories of what he looked like under his clothes. Right?

In the ten minutes they had been in the car, Kellan barely spoke. He was typing on his phone. As far as Alexa could tell, he was replying to emails.

"Work?" she said, trying to sound casual.

"Yes," he replied, not looking up.

She nodded, mostly to herself. "I think that went okay."

"What did?"

"You know. Lunch."

"I think so, yes. I appreciate your discretion."

"Sorry?"

"Thank you for not telling them you ..." He paused. "That you worked for the hotel. It would have looked inappropriate."

"I figured as much."

Silence.

Alexa drummed her fingers silently on her lap. Kellan wasn't a boring guy, but he sure was a boring date. She wondered if this was why he had to pay someone to pretend to cheat on his girlfriend on.

She looked him over again. This had to be a simple case of physical attraction. He wasn't her type. Not that those good looks weren't her type. If a body had ever been made for sin, it was his. But nothing could dispel the fact that the man was a snob and had the habit of completely disregarding her feelings.

This was just a job he hired her to do, nothing more.

She'd done her part. He and Paige and Everton and whoever else was involved in this weird game they seemed to be playing -- they could sort it among themselves. She had more important things to think about.

Alexa dug through her purse. She had to pull out the thin red shawl she stuffed inside it to find her cellphone. She called the hospital.

"Do you mind dropping me off at the medical center?" she asked Kellan after she hung up.

"Is something wrong?" he said, finally looking up at her.

"Nothing's wrong. I just need to see my grandmother. It's nothing serious, they're just keeping her there overnight."

He nodded, but he looked distracted. He still had his mind on his emails, apparently, and was too engrossed he didn't hear any part of the conversation she had on the phone with the nurse.

"All right."

***

Her grandmother's eyes lit up when as Alexa entered the room. "You look nice, mi ñina!" the elderly woman said. "How was your date?"

"I didn't have a date, abuela," Alexa said. "I just had lunch with a couple of friends, that's all."

"But that's your date lipstick."

"It goes with this dress." She grinned. "Where's your roommate?" she said, looking around.

"Little Annie checked out before lunch. It was just a little food poisoning. Did you know she's in her gymnastics team? Such a spirited little girl that one."

Her grandmother had the habit of making friends wherever she went. And getting everyone to tell her their life story. "No, I didn't," Alexa said. "I'm glad she's okay. Did you have a good lunch?" Almost as if on cue, her stomach rumbled. All she had to eat was that tiny sandwich. For the 22 dollars Kellan paid for it, she could have ordered an entire pizza.

She could eat a whole pizza right now, come to think of it.

"Disgusting," Constancia said. "But I don't have much of an appetite, anyway. Oh stop it." She gently pulled off her granddaughter's hand from her forehead.

"Abuela, I'm worried about your fever," Alexa said. The doctor said her temperature was back to normal, but she couldn't help herself.

"Oh, Alejandra, it's a beautiful day. Why aren't you out with your friends? I'm all right. The hospital isn't the place to be cooped up in on a Sunday afternoon."

"I'm not 'cooped up' anywhere, okay? I wanted to see if you needed anything."

"What I need is for my pretty granddaughter to take a day off. You work so hard. I hardly see you at home anymore."

Alexa took one of her grandmother's hands in hers. "All the more reason for me to be here then, right? I can see my friends any other time."

Constancia laughed. "I see one of your friends didn't want to wait," she said, looking over Alexa's shoulder. "Why hello, young man. So very nice of you to drop by."

Puzzled, Alexa turned and saw Kellan standing in the doorway. He had her red shawl in one hand and a large paper bag in the other.

Her shawl. She must have left it in the limousine.

"Sorry. You forgot this in the car," Kellan said, and smiled. "You must be Alexa's grandmother."