A Deception of Massive Proportion: A Romantic Comedy (The Billionaire Club Book 3)

by Victorine E. Lieske

“I’ll be fine. We’ll be done before lunch when it will start to get hot in earnest.”

  She frowned. “I should have brought a parasol.”

  His laughter carried over the air, making the people on the schooner turn to look at them. Most of them were older women wearing sunhats, which kind of surprised Riley. He was a pop star. She expected the crowd to be in their twenties. However, the club was super ritzy, and most of the people she’d seen walking around were older, so she should have taken that into account. Shadow waved as he approached them. “Hello, everyone.”

  A chorus of hellos came back at them. The crowd seemed excited, although not overly so. Shadow climbed onto the boat, turned back, and extended his hand to Riley. “Careful,” he said in a low voice. “The water is a bit choppy today.”

  She grabbed onto his gloved hand, grateful for the assistance. The captain of the boat motioned to a bench for her, and she sat. The bodyguard joined her.

  Shadow stood on a crate at the front of the boat and grabbed hold of the mast. “Welcome to the schooner boat excursion. I’ll be your host today. Is everyone comfortable?”

  As Shadow Walker talked, she couldn’t help but notice how he seemed to feed off the group's energy. He became more animated as the crowd shouted out things to him, answering his questions and asking a few of their own. He was so different from her first impression of him. Maybe he’d been tired that day. She had no idea how long he had to travel to get there.

  The boat sailed out around the island, and Shadow gave some interesting facts about Grand Cayman. She wondered if he’d looked them up himself or if the resort had sent him the things to say. After a few minutes, she noticed a bit of sweat on his jawline, and she stood, handing him the water bottle again.

  “Thanks,” he said as he uncapped it and drank. This time he almost drained it. She felt terrible for him. It had to be at least eighty degrees out.

  When he handed it back to her, she could have sworn he winked at her. Maybe she just imagined it. That had to be it, right? Why would a famous guy wink at her, of all people? Especially when she was doing her best impression of an old schoolmarm. Even so, her heartbeat picked up. “Do you want some sunscreen? You’re looking a bit pink.”

  He seemed to appreciate her attentiveness. “I have some on. I should be fine.”

  “Okay.”

  The boat ride was enjoyable, and Riley quickly found herself lost in the stories about the island that Shadow told. Every once in a while, she’d hop up and hand him some lip balm or a cloth to wipe his face. She’d packed just about everything she could think of, and it paid off. By the time they got back to shore, he was smiling at her.

  “Thanks for coming along on this excursion. You were a godsend,” he said as the crowd dwindled. The security guard stood off to the side as people passed. He seemed ready to intercept if anyone came too close.

  “I’m glad I was helpful.” She waited as the last of the people got off the boat. It would be nice to spend more time with him. She still had no clue as to who he was or why he seemed familiar to her. If she could get him talking, maybe she could extend the time she had with him. “So, what made you decide to go into the entertainment business?”

  He took a moment to think before responding. “I guess I’ve always wanted to be a singer. I love music and could never think of anything else I’d like to do. Even growing up, I never thought I’d be happy with a regular nine to five.”

  “Do you write your own songs?”

  “Yes, almost all of them. I get presented with a lot of songs now that I’ve made a name for myself. ‘Every Part of Me’ was written by someone else. I liked the message of the song. But mostly, I write my own. I love the creative process. There’s just something about crafting words into a story that is thrilling to me.”

  She could relate. Not that she was able to write anything artistic like Shadow. But she did want to write articles that mattered someday. She didn’t want to be a tabloid reporter forever. “I totally get that,” she found herself saying before she could stop herself.

  He leaned on the mast. “Do you write?”

  Oh, great. Why did she say that? Now she had to make up something. “A little.” Wow. Maybe she could just tell him she was a tabloid reporter. Why were these words coming out of her? Lucky for her, the crowd had all dispersed, and they were next to get off the boat. She didn’t wait for him but headed to the ladder to climb down. After she was on the dock, she watched Shadow jump easily down. He had a grace to him that she couldn’t explain. He looked quite physically fit.

  “A little? What does that mean?” Even with his mask on, he looked genuinely interested in her answer.

  Okay, she really had to make something up now, or she was going to out herself big time. “I mean, I used to do some writing…like novels and stuff. But I’ve been busy lately.” Novels and stuff? Oh, brother. She was so dead.

  “What kind of novels?” He seemed to slow down as they walked. She took it to mean he wanted to keep talking to her, which was insane. Why would he want to talk to her? It had to be her imagination.

  But now she had to figure out what kind of imaginary novels she’d been writing. If she were to write a book, what would it be about? As she wracked her brain, all thoughts of books left her. She couldn’t remember the last novel she’d even read. Why couldn’t she come up with anything believable?

  The seconds ticked by and she needed to answer him. A man came out of the resort. He was dressed all in white. It reminded her of a show she watched once with a ghost who wore all white.

  Sweat beaded up on her forehead. “Stories about ghosts and stuff. Silly junk. Nothing important.”

  “Ghosts? Like, horror?”

  Crud. She didn’t know anything about horror novels. How could she lie about something like that? “No,” She heard herself saying. Why was it so hard to lie right now? She wasn’t usually this awkward.

  “Paranormal romance?”

  Heat assaulted her face. Why were they still talking about the fake novels she hadn’t written? She needed to change the subject. Maybe it was best to just say yes. “Something like that.”

  “But you don’t anymore.” He looked at her. “Because of your sick father?”

  Ugh. Talking about her father was worse. She didn’t want to talk about her father to a famous singer. He didn’t care. Why was he even asking? She nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Do you mind if I ask what illness he has?”

  Might as well just tell him. She was obviously incapable of lying right now, seeing how she just made herself into a paranormal romance author. “He has a heart valve condition.”

  His eyebrows raised. Not that she could see them, but she could tell because his mask raised. “Is it serious?”

  Her palms grew sweaty, and she rummaged around in her bag for something to wipe them on. She found nothing, so to disguise the reason she was searching, she pulled out a tin of altoids. “Do you want a mint?”

  His lips quirked. “Is that your way of saying my breath stinks?”

  “Oh, no. Not at all. I was just…”

  “I’m kidding,” he said, reaching for the door. “I’ll take one.”

  She fumbled with the tin, trying to open it. Why did she feel like she was on the most awkward date ever? She finally got it open and shoved it at him. He took out a mint and popped it into his mouth. She did as well, hoping the burst of flavor would distract her from all her weirdness.

  When they got to Shadow’s room, she could hear Sir-Barks-a-Lot inside doing his best to make his presence known. Shadow made a face. “Could I ask you for a favor? Jalen had to go to a virtual meeting and asked that I take care of his dog. But I need a shower right now. Do you mind taking Sir Barks on a walk?”

  “Okay,” she said without thinking. She loved Jalen’s little dog.

  “Are you sure? I hate to ask. That’s not really part of your job description, so you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

  “I don’t mind. Honest. He’s
adorable.”

  Shadow unlocked his door and opened it. Sir Barks jumped on him like he was the happiest dog in the world. Jalen must ask Shadow to take care of his dog a lot. The dog sure was familiar with him. Although, as soon as Riley stepped into the room Sir Barks ran to her and jumped on her as well. She chuckled to herself at her assumption. Maybe the dog was just like that.

  Shadow grabbed a leash and hooked it to Sir Bark’s collar. “Thank you for walking him. If you want, you can go out the deck door. He probably would love a walk on the beach. I’ll be fifteen minutes or so. Feel free to just come back in when you’re done.”

  Riley couldn’t ask for a better opportunity. If she could be smart about this, maybe she could spend even more time with him after she walked the dog. This was turning out to be serendipity. She was going to find out who he was and get that promotion. She was sure of it.

  Chapter 4

  Jalen watched as Riley left through the patio door, his heart pounding. What was he doing? Why was he taking every opportunity to spend time with Riley? He was going to regret this. He knew it. This would only lead to heartbreak when she found out who he really was. And yet, as he turned the shower on, he couldn’t help but get excited about seeing her again.

  He pulled out another Shadow outfit. He didn’t usually have to change back into one so quickly, but this was a different kind of circumstance. He didn’t usually spend time with a woman. A strange kind of energy surged in him. He felt like a teenager with a crush. Man, he really should get his head checked. He was about to do something stupid, he could tell.

  But the problem was, he didn’t care. He liked Riley. He wanted to know more about her. So, he shoved his concerns away and took off his mask. He gasped when he looked into the mirror. He’d gotten a sunburn. It wasn’t bad, really, but enough that it showed the outline of his mask on his face. Great. Now he was stuck wearing his mask everywhere. If he took it off, everyone would know he was Shadow.

  How could he have let this happen? He should have put on more sunscreen when Riley offered. He didn’t want to have to try to put it on while wearing his mask. Still, he should have heeded her warning. Frustrated with himself, he undressed and stepped into the shower. Now he was stuck for the next few days.

  If he wanted to spend any time with Riley, he would have to do it as Shadow. As Jalen thought about it, though, it wasn’t so bad. Riley didn’t even know who Shadow Walker was until yesterday. She wasn’t like the other people who only cared about taking off his mask. She was different. So what if he spent time with her as Shadow Walker?

  He quickly lathered up, shampooed and conditioned, rinsed, and towel-dried off. His hair dried quickly with the help of the dryer. He had always had fine, thin hair. Even thinner where the burn scars met his hairline. Luckily, his scalp had escaped injury, unlike his shoulder and back.

  When he was dressed in his disguise once again, he exited the bathroom. Riley and Sir Barks weren’t in the room, so he went to the sliding glass door and pulled back the blinds to peek outside. He had to step aside to be able to see past the security guard on the deck.

  Scanning the beach, he spotted her near the water’s edge. She was running, trying to allow enough slack on the leash for Sir Barks, laughing. His dog zigzagged across the sand, as gleeful as he’d ever seen him. Riley looked humorous in her dress flats, trying to run on the sand. What would happen if he went out and joined her? Would people flock around him? Would anyone think it’s odd that he was dressed as Shadow?

  He sighed and turned from the window. Of course, it would be odd. He wouldn’t really go out there. He was used to hiding indoors. It was not appropriate to go out in his disguise, and he rarely went out with his scars showing. Swimming was out of the question, even though he’d enjoyed it as a child and often missed the activity.

  He watched Riley for a few more moments before he turned from the glass door. Time to rehydrate. He grabbed a water from the fridge and drained the bottle. The cold liquid felt good on his throat. He tossed the empty bottle in the recycle bin as the patio door slid open, and Riley entered carrying Sir Barks-a-Lot.

  Her face brightened when she saw him. “You were right. Sir Barks loved the beach.”

  “Thanks for taking care of him.”

  “It was no problem.” She scratched under his chin, then looked up to appraise Jalen. “Do you ever get tired of wearing a mask?”

  He leaned against the wall. “I don’t wear it all the time.”

  She blushed. “Of course not. Ignore me. I’m being silly.” She sat down on the couch, and his dog settled on her lap. She unhooked the leash and set it on the end table next to her.

  “No, it was a valid question.” He crossed the room and sat next to her. He put his arm on the back of the couch close to her skin, which was so unlike him. He never got flirty with women. Something must be wrong with him, because he felt emboldened all of a sudden. “You’re asking if I ever get tired of hiding who I really am.”

  She met his gaze. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

  “Not really.”

  One of her eyebrows raised. “No?”

  Unsure of why he was being so honest with her, he struggled to form the right words to say to her. He didn’t mind hiding behind a mask because people didn’t like who he was when he was without it. He got stared at, or worse, cringed at. But he couldn’t say that to Riley. He patted his dog’s head as he thought about what he could say. “I don’t mind the anonymity. It’s better than some alternatives.”

  “Like being too popular? Are you afraid you won’t have any peace or quiet if people knew who you were?”

  It wasn’t that at all. It was the mask itself that made him who he was. Without it, he’d still be a nobody. He shrugged, unable to say what he really wanted to. “Something like that.”

  She slowly nodded, as if she could tell he was not saying what he was thinking. “It must be freeing, to be able to walk around without your mask on and not have anyone recognize you.”

  It was, sometimes. Other times, it was just another bitter reminder that he was not worth anything because of the scars left over from the most terrible day of his life. “Yes,” he said, quietly.

  Riley stared at him, and he felt a wave of apprehension rise in him. It was like she could see through him. It was unnerving. He knew she was perceptive from the first time he’d met her. But now, sitting next to her, he felt exposed. He picked up his phone from the stand beside him, suddenly wanting the distraction. “I know I have one more appearance today. Let me see what it is.”

  “Oh, right. Do you need me to get you anything? More water? I can run to the store.”

  “No, I think I’m good on water. But I am hungry. Do you want to grab us both something? Then we can eat before I have to get ready for this afternoon.”

  “Sure. Did you like the shrimp scampi I picked up yesterday? Are you in the mood for more seafood, or something different?”

  He smiled at her enthusiasm. She was trying so hard to be helpful, and he found it adorable. “I loved the shrimp. I think I could eat seafood for every meal. But if you’re in the mood for something else—”

  “No, seafood is great. Let me run and pick something up.” Sir Barks jumped off her lap as she stood. “I’ll be right back.”

  She walked to the door and then paused and turned. “Do you want me to text you the menu when I get there?”

  “Sure.”

  “What’s your number?” She dug her phone out of her bag.

  Jalen’s heart rose into his throat. He didn’t have a phone for Shadow. He just used his own phone. No one ever called or texted Shadow. Just Jalen. If he told her his number, she would know he was Jalen. But he couldn’t say he didn’t have a phone. She’d seen him with it. Panic set in, and he searched for something to say. “I have Jalen’s phone right now. I…dropped mine in the…” Oh, no. This wasn’t going where he wanted it to go. He didn’t want to say toilet. So disgusting. Anything but that. He blurted out the first thing that came to his
mind. “Elevator…”

  Riley squinted at him. “Elevator?”

  Sweat beaded up on his forehead under his skull cap. Elevator? That was what came out instead of toilet? He swallowed and tried to think of a good lie. “You know that crack between the elevator and the floor? I accidently dropped my phone and it went down that space. So, it’s gone. I have to get a new one.”

  “Oh.” She gave him a polite laugh. “I’ve always wondered what would happen if I dropped something down there.”

  “It gets crushed.” Okay. He needed to stop talking. Now. “Anyway, just text Jalen, and I’ll answer back.”

  “Sure.” Riley smiled and left the room, and Jalen sighed deeply.

  He was in so much trouble.

  Chapter 5

  Riley practically ran to the restaurant district that sat adjacent to the resort. How could this have happened? Shadow invited her to eat with him? Was she going to spend all day with him? She was so ecstatic, she couldn’t help herself. She did a fist pump into the air. Uncovering the truth was going to be much easier than she’d originally thought.

  She looked at several places before picking a small clam shack. The food smelled amazing, and she texted Shadow to see exactly what he wanted. As she waited in line, she called her father.

  He picked up on the third ring. “Hey, sweetie.” He sounded groggy.

  “Were you sleeping, Dad? I’m sorry. It’s the afternoon. I figured you’d be up.”

  “I am up.” His usual answer.

  “Come on, I know when you’ve been sleeping.”

  “Who are you, Santa?”

  She laughed, glad that his sense of humor was still intact. “Sorry I woke you. How are you doing today?”

  “I’m fine. I’m always fine. I don’t know why you’re so worried.”

  “It’s because I love your crabby old self.” She stepped forward in the line, the smell of the clams practically making a river of saliva in her mouth.

  “I love you too.” He paused. “I heard from your mother last night.”