Page 35 of What Doesn't Kill You…

"Hi," he said in a dead tone when he reached their table. "I'm Abasi and I'll be your server tonight. Can I get you some drinks to start?" He lowered his voice. "One dig, just one little quip, and I'm gonna go postal on your arses, okay? I'm seriously pissed that the black dude is here playing server while you lot drink wine in your fancy duds."

"Nobody forced you to get a job at the hotel," Katrina said. "You came up with that all on your own." She smiled sweetly.

"Carry on," Abasi said. "Piss off the guy who can spit in your food."

Violet reached for her water, dropped her napkin, bent to pick it up and head-butted Max, who'd decided to help.

"Ow," he said.

Violet snatched the napkin from his hands. "Stay out of my way," she snapped at him.

"I see you two have been working hard on the romance aspect of your cover," Abasi said as he topped up their water glasses. "People are talking, guys. Word is Violet went ballistic during their dance lesson this afternoon and almost castrated Max here. Then they had an argument on the way back to their bungalow. The dance dude is taking bets that the wedding will be called off by tomorrow night."

Violet narrowed her eyes. "I really didn't like him."

"She didn't castrate me," Max amended, still rubbing his head. "We clashed a little while dancing. It could happen to anyone."

"Spoken like a man who's lost his balls," Abasi said under his breath before standing back. "So, what can I get you?"

"A better waiter?" Violet said.

Abasi stared her down. "Fish with a side of spit it is then."

Rodrigo ordered a bottle of wine and some sparkling water for the table and Abasi wandered off. Halfway across the room, someone snapped their fingers and called, "My man!" at him. For a second, Violet thought he might break their fingers. She held her breath in anticipation, but Abasi managed to control himself. It was a bit of a letdown.

Once they were sure Abasi wasn't going to take out a diner with a fork, Katrina leaned across the table and lowered her voice. "If the staff are noticing that you two aren't the best of couples then Damien will certainly be suspicious. I think you might have to put in more effort, or…"

"Or what?" Violet glanced around to ensure they weren’t overheard, but they were early for dinner and the tables near them were mostly empty.

"Or," Max replied for Katrina. "We call off the wedding. Honestly, I've been thinking about it. I jeopardized the op anyway and things aren't going smoothly. I figure if we stage a dramatic break up, then I can leave the island, and you can stay behind to finish the job. Nobody will think twice about you carrying on with the vacation. I'm sure it happens all the time."

Violet felt everything within her still. "You're breaking up with me?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized what she'd said. "I mean," she felt her face heat. "You don't think we can pull this off?"

"Couples touch, Vi. They might fight, but they're demonstrative too. Sure, it might not be over-the-top stuff, but there are little touches and looks and kisses that show they're familiar with each other. We don't have that, and people are noticing."

"It's because we don't know each other." Something she'd pointed out on more than one occasion. It was a huge flaw in his plan.

"We do now, a little anyway, and things aren't getting any better," he said. "You jump when I touch you."

"You touch me at stupid times. Like when I'm concentrating on keeping you safe. It's distracting."

"Okay then, but you don't touch me, unless it's to injure me or cuff me to the bed," Max said.

"Wait, what?" Rodrigo sat forward. "You cuffed him to the bed?"

Max ignored him. "We barely make physical contact and people are talking. Romantic couples, ones who are about to get married, touch each other. It's a fact of life." He looked sad and Violet knew he wasn't saying things to make her feel bad. He was telling her the truth.

"I can try harder. I'll touch you more," she declared. "Look." She threaded her fingers through his. Weirdly, it felt like more of a tactical move than handholding. Maybe he was right. Maybe she couldn't pull this off.

"Vi, you're stiff and uncomfortable. You look like you're holding hands with somebody you arrested." Max's smile was sympathetic and understanding. "It's okay. It's probably for the best, seeing as Damien knows I'm here. If we can't pull off being a couple, we can still get the job done."

"You don't mean we. You mean me."

He shook his head. "It's both of us."'

"Liar." She wet her lips, feeling her heart race almost as fast as her mind. "There's no guarantee that you leaving the island would stop Damien being suspicious of me. If I was in his shoes, I'd still keep an eye on anyone connected with you."

"I don't think we have any other option. For what it's worth, I really do enjoy arguing with you. But this is for the best. I think we should stage a big fight later on tonight, in front of as many staff as possible, and end this fake engagement the right way. What do you say?"