A Beautiful Lie (Playing with Fire #1)(43)

He heard Parker speaking next to him in a strange language, and he turned his focus on her profile as she laughed and spoke easily to the woman on her left. Garrett leaned forward subtly so he could see who she was.

According to her place card, she was the Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

Jesus Christ, she speaks Dutch? Garrett thought to himself.

Garrett shook his head and looked back toward the President as the second course was served. He was speaking quietly in Spanish, and Garrett really wished he’d taken more than a preliminary course in that language so he could understand what he was saying.

He reached his hand over and placed it on Parker’s satin-covered thigh, giving it a little squeeze, forcing himself not to move his hand all the way up and dip in between her legs.

Parker ended her conversation with the Deputy Prime Minister and turned her attention to Garrett. He smiled at her the way a husband would, but his eyes darted over to the President. She leaned forward under the ruse of reaching for her water glass and strained her ears.

The clinking of glasses and silverware and the steady hum of conversation made it difficult for Parker to make out anything more than a few words: girls, money, and boat.

Parker picked up her water glass and pulled it to her lips, smiling back at Garrett and giving him a slight nod of her head that she had understood a few things.

Garrett noticed the gesture and leaned over toward her, placing a kiss on her cheek and lingering for a moment.

“How many f*cking languages do you speak, hon?” he asked, before pulling away and raising his eyebrow at her.

Parker’s skin heated at the spot where Garrett’s lips had just been, and she fought with her hands to keep them in her lap and not pressed against her cheek.

She raised her right arm and rested it along the back of Garrett’s shoulders, her fingers stroking the hair at the nape of his neck like a loving wife.

She moved close, pressing her body against his arm and placing her own kiss on his cheek right next to his ear. She whispered softly, “English, Russian, German, Greek, Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian, and Swedish. Oh and I have a Rosetta Stone at home right now learning a bit of Hungarian.”

Parker let her lips press against the line between Garrett’s cheek and earlobe, hovering a moment longer than necessary.

When she pulled away and slid her hand back across his shoulder blades to begin her second course, Garrett had to close his eyes and take several deep breaths to keep the growing member in his pants from ripping through the material.

Two more courses went by and Garrett still hadn’t found a break in the conversation to talk to Fernandez. He decided to hell with it, and took matters into his own hands.

“Excuse me, Mr. President?” Garrett spoke. He could feel Parker’s eyes on him, most likely wondering what the hell he was doing interrupting the man.

Fernandez turned to face him with a smile on his face that Garrett wasn’t entirely sure was real or fake.

“I was just wondering, out of all the businesses you own, which one do you take the most pride in?” Garrett asked as a waiter removed his empty plate from the table.

As questions go, it wasn’t the most gripping, but Garrett figured he had to start somewhere.

Fernandez laughed. “My dear boy, there is a time and place for business. Let us enjoy this wonderful meal that has been prepared by my chefs and take pleasure in the company of our women. We have plenty of time for questions.”

Parker watched it happen like a train wreck. She could feel him getting anxious next to her, his leg bouncing nervously under the table and bumping into her leg every so often. She tried calming him by placing her hand on his knee, but that only seemed to make it worse.

Garrett and Parker had spoke briefly on the ride over about what to expect during dinner. Parker told him as many details about Fernandez’s personality as she could in the short drive. Obviously he hadn’t listened to the one about how he did not like to discuss business during dinner.

The last course was finally over and cleared and waiters began wandering around serving coffee to those who wanted it.

Garrett wondered if he should try again, but Parker sensed what he was thinking and shot him dirty look and shook her head no.

Before Garrett could decide if he wanted to defy her and just go with his gut, his thoughts were interrupted by Fernandez.

“So, Mr. Miller,” he spoke loudly enough for their end of the table to hear and quiet down. “Tell us, how long have you and the lovely Mrs. Miller been married?”

Garrett tore his gaze from Parker’s and looked across the table at Fernandez.

They had only discussed this briefly on the way over and had decided to just stick to the truth as much as possible. The idea of that was funny to Garrett. He could sit right here next to Parker and spill all of his secrets and nothing he said would be taken seriously by her.

“We’ve been married for about six months,” Garrett told him.

Parker cleared her throat next to him, a little surprised that he had gone by the date that her and Milo were supposed to be married. She did tell him to use as much of the truth as possible though so they wouldn’t get tripped up. He probably assumed it would be easier for her to remember. Even though the date was something she’d rather forget.

“Ahhhhh, newlyweds,” Fernandez said with a smile while those seated closest to Garrett and Parker nodded their heads and smiled in happiness for them. All of a sudden, all eyes on their half of the table were on them.