Read Online Deceiving Derek by Cindy Procter-King - Free Book Online

breathed through
his mouth. He hadn’t been as crafty as he’d probably thought when
he’d changed his mind about their practice kiss outside her
apartment door, either.
    No, she knew the truth. He would have
suffocated had he kissed her. He might have collapsed on the
spot!
    She had to muster serious damage control if
she wanted to maintain Justin’s faith in her ability to handle the
weekend. She needed resolve. Steely-eyed determination. Fake it until you
make it .
    Therein lay the secret to her success.
    Halfway through their meals of grilled
Pacific salmon, she set down her fork and raised her wine-glass in
a toast. “Here’s to this weekend, Justin. To Willoughby Bikes and
CycleMania. I promise I’ll do whatever I can to ensure the path to
signing the deal runs smoothly.”
    Justin smiled. Lifting his glass, he
responded, “To our little charade…”
    “To us…”
    “To you—my newfound Tina. I can’t thank you
enough, Magee. I’d be up to my ass in concrete if you hadn’t agreed
to help me.”
    Magee maintained her composed facade. It
wasn’t like she’d had much choice. As he’d pointed out at lunch,
her father’s company would also benefit from the deal.
    And, oh boy, did Sinclair Advertising need
the revenue.
    Justin sipped his pinot gris. “Speaking of
the charade, I’m worried about confusing names in front of Nathan.
I should start calling you Tina tonight.”
    Magee’s wineglass knocked her teeth. “You
want to call me Tina?” Had she missed something?
    Nodding, he divided his remaining salmon into
serviceable mouthfuls. “You’ll have to use her name when we’re with
the Willoughbys,” he said as he swabbed a forkful in dill sauce.
“It can’t hurt to get used to doing so now.” He ate the fish.
    Apparently, she’d been napping in class. “Did
you mention this at lunch?” She set down her wine.
    “What do you mean, did I mention it? The
reason we’re together tonight is because you agreed to stand in for
Tina.”
    His tone conveyed his meaning well—he
possessed zero personal interest in her. If not for this weekend
with the Willoughbys, Justin Kane wouldn’t grant her a second
glance.
    Her chest pinched, and she cleared her
throat. So she wasn’t Justin’s type. No biggie. She didn’t want a
relationship right now, anyway. She’d had it with men and their
games.
    “I understand I’m playing your girlfriend,”
she replied calmly. “Is it really necessary to use a fake name? I’m
sorry, I didn’t get that from what you said at lunch.”
    “I said I needed a replacement for Tina.”
    “Yes, but I didn’t realize you meant I had to
pretend to be Tina. I thought you needed a generic stand-in
lover, not a specific name brand.”
    His gaze narrowed. “You’re backing out?”
    “No. I wouldn’t do that.” And risk losing his
account? Not a chance. Besides, she’d already agreed to help him,
and she wasn’t in the habit of breaking her word.
    His forehead smoothed. “Look, I’m no expert
at lying, but Nathan knows Tina’s name. He expects to meet Tina
Johnston—no one else. Well, and me, of course.”
    Magee smiled. She’d rarely witnessed Justin
Kane’s sense of humor in action. That he could make light of the
situation relieved her misgivings a tad.
    “Aw, honey, do you know what this means?” In
her best imitation of a love-struck love bunny, she batted her
eyelashes. “We just had our first fight.”
    Justin chuckled. “That’s where you’re
wrong…Tina. We don’t disagree often, but when we do—”
    “Ka-boom?”
    “In a million pieces.”
    “Like today?”
    “Pretty much. Except usually we’re sweating
the small stuff. Usually something I can pick up on, and too often
something I’ve done wrong, according to Tina. But the breakup this
morning came out of nowhere. She blindsided me.” He leaned back in
his chair, eyebrows hoisting in the same flabbergasted expression
Magee had seen on Brent Doyle when she’d caught the