Lahat ng Kabanata ng PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 18

Oh, no! The words bounced around Maxima’s brain like a pinging dot in one of those annoying computer games. No, no, no, no, no! If she’d had one rule for herself, if she’d thought any of this through enough to have created some set of rules for herself, which would have been a pretty damn good idea, rule number one would have been: NO KISSING. Well, no physical contact of any kind, obviously. But it was too late for that, so maybe, if she pulled herself together long enough to list a few rules for personal conduct, she had a tiny possibility of getting through this charade without making a fool of herself. The same way it already happened four years ago, on that night. Maxima got through the rest of the night somehow, but she was always conscious of Liam’s presence beside her, of the feel of his arm when it brushed hers. Even through the summer-weight jacket Liam wore, she felt his body heat the same way she felt the insistent attr

“Oh… My… God… I think my tongue just had an orgasm.” Billie moaned as she bit into the Salted Bourbon Caramel and Dark Chocolate tartlet, freshly prepared by Maxima for a ‘tasting marathon’. Her fourth in less than a minute. Maxima couldn’t remember when she’d felt so gratified. Four days after she’d moved into Liam’s place, she was already experimenting, cooking with recipes she knew as she got comfortable with the stove and playing with the ingredients to try new, original combinations.“Girl, you are a freaking food genius!” Billie swallowed, trying to control herself, and gave in, reaching for another tartlet.“I know you needed a guinea pig, and I was happy to help, but this is my last one. Stab me with that chef’s knife if I even try to reach for another one after this.” She popped the treat into her mouth and closed her eyes as she devoured it.“I am going to have to spend the next week at the gym to make up for it,” she said, openin

When she’d settled herself on the other side of the big farmhouse table, Liam poured the wine, then raised his glass.“I would like to propose a toast.”“Let’s hear it,” Maxima said in a curious voice.“I toast to our mutual success.” She smiled at him, and they both drank.“You were a big hit at dinner the other night, by the way,” he told her.“Really?” Liam reached for a tiny ‘vol-au-vent’, a small hollow case of puff pastry stuffed with crab and some kind of sauce, and popped it in his mouth.“Oh, wow! Max, this is fantastic,” he said thickly. “I kinda hated crab… up until now.”“Thank you! I’m glad you like it,” she said, taking a sip from her glass. “So… my presence was a success… Great!”“They all loved you. Howard is convinced you’d be the perfect hostess at any company function. He’s beside himself with excitement.” Howard Shields wasn’t the only one beside himself with excitement, and Liam got the feeling his fake future wife had picked up

'I would love to see you, Billie. What is stopping you from meeting me?’ She stared at the words glaring at her from her computer screen.“Yes, Billie. What the hell is stopping you from meeting this wonderful, sweet man? Haven’t you had enough of losers? What the hell is wrong with you, girl?” she asked herself bitterly, then left the cursor blinking and went in search of something to eat. There were all the obvious reasons, like men in general being bad news. The men, her clients, ended up divorcing, men like the current scumbag who’d hidden his assets offshore along with his current girlfriend. Or the male lawyers she spent too much time with… Or Liam, her own brother, whom she loved dearly, who’d rather invent a fantasy fiancée than try to have a relationship with a real woman. Returning with a doggie bag of Maxima’s treats, Billie sat back down at her computer desk. Oreo, the black-and-white cat she’d found rooting around in the garbage three y