He narrowed his eyes. "You know, not everyone has
heard of me. Why do I have to change my name?"
"Well, I had heard of the famous O.E. Orton when we
first met. And as soon as people find out who you are, they
expect things from you. I say you need a new name." She
cocked her head to the side. "What do those initials stand
for anyway?"
O.E.'s stomach knotted up. He hated those names and
had buried them years ago. He was O.E., nothing more.
It took a few seconds before he could grunt out the
answer. "Oscar Ezzo."
"Ezzo?"
"It's a long story."
"Fine, then introduce yourself as Oscar Ezzo. Drop
'Orton' completely. Everyone can still call you O.E. Just lose
the bravado and the billionaire boast."
O.E. grinned defiantly. He welcomed a challenge like
this, and looked forward to showing Kay Samson what he
was made of. Their first encounter hadn't gone too well, but
they had gotten past that and were friends now.
"You're betting me that I can't do it? Ha! Watch me.
What are we betting?"
"Well, I don't imagine that I have enough money to
interest you, so it will have to be something else. Why don't
we each pick our terms? What do you want from me if you
win?"
What wouldn't I want from her? Kay was alarmingly
gorgeous: a cute face, sparkling green eyes, blonde pixie
hair, and a bombshell figure. O.E. forced himself to stop
thinking about all the inappropriate things he wanted from
his best friend's wife and focus on something attainable. He
rubbed his chin, then gave Kay a big smile. "If I win, you
have to come surfing with me at my beach house in Malibu.
You can bring the big guy along, too." He nodded at Dan.
"I'm going to teach you how to surf."
"You have a beach house in Malibu?" She paused for a
second, staring across the room, then turned back to look
at O.E. "Okay then. Here's the bet. Dan and I are leaving
soon for our honeymoon. We'll be gone five weeks. While
we're gone, you have to find a woman to surf with you in
Malibu without telling her who you are or how much
money you have. And this can't be someone you pick up on
the street and whisk out there. She has to know you and like
you enough to fly there with you. If you can do that, we'll
stop on our way back from the honeymoon and have
ourselves a surf party."
"Have you seen my Malibu beach house? This is not a