by Jae
Rae stared at her. That was just an excuse for why she had interrupted them, right? Rae had never heard of a kiss turning anyone into a quasi-vegetarian.
“Of course not. Let’s make your stomach happy. You load up on salads, and I’ll get you some halloumi.” Mrs. Kleinberg gave Steph’s belly a motherly pat and then hurried off.
Rae and Steph were left staring after her. They glanced at each other, then away. Now Rae almost wished Mrs. Kleinberg back at her side—even her left side if that meant she didn’t have to be alone with Steph.
Steph circled around to Rae’s right side and tugged her over to the food table. “What was that?” she whispered and pointed at the spot where Rae had kissed her.
Damn. Of course Steph had no intention of letting it go. Rae would have been happy not to ever talk about it, but Steph was the type to confront situations head-on. Rae began shoveling salads on her plate just so she wouldn’t have to face Steph. “I’m sorry,” she whispered back. “I didn’t mean to go that far. I know kissing wasn’t part of our roommate arrangement. I was trying to… I figured any real couple would have at least exchanged a little kiss after Keith gave us the go-ahead, and I intended to make it a peck on the corner of…” Then her brain caught up with the situation. “Wait a minute. Why am I the only one apologizing? You kissed me back!”
Steph squeezed her arm…hard. “Shh. Not so loud. Mr. Kleinberg is already looking at us.”
“You kissed me back,” Rae repeated in a whisper.
Steph’s cheeks took on the color of the tomato salad on Rae’s plate. “Um, yeah. I mean, what was I supposed to do? Pull back and let you stand there like a puppy that got caught piddling on the carpet?”
Rae dropped the spoon back into the chickpea salad and straightened to her full height. “Oh, so you only kissed me back to spare me the embarrassment? That little gasp you gave was just…”
“Surprise,” Steph said with a straight face.
“Just surprise, hmm?” Rae didn’t buy it for a second. The way Steph had threaded her fingers through her hair and pressed her body against Rae’s… Thinking about it made Rae breathless. “Otherwise, it was a completely horrible experience that you just suffered through.”
Steph tilted her head as if thinking about it for a second. Then an impish smile stole across her face. “Well, maybe not completely horrible. You’re a decent kisser.”
“Decent?” Rae echoed. “I’ve never had any complaints before.” Truth be told, she hadn’t given many women an opportunity to complain. Steph was only the second person she’d ever kissed. Maybe that should have made this fake kiss feel all wrong, but it hadn’t. Nor had it felt fake.
“I bet,” Steph muttered.
Rae couldn’t help grinning. “Oh, so you admit it was more than decent?”
“Well, under different circumstances, I might have upgraded it to good.”
“Good? Just good?” Rae reined herself in before she would issue a challenge to repeat that kiss to prove it had been much more than just good. What the hell are you doing? That kiss could never be repeated, and here she was, debating the merits of it.
“Hey.” Steph lightly touched her arm. “All kidding aside, you can stop looking so guilty. I wanted you to be my fake girlfriend, so it’s not like you kissed me against my will. If you want to feel guilty about something, make it the delicious-looking, thick, juicy T-bone steak I gave up to save you from Mrs. Kleinberg.”
As if on cue, their landlady bustled over and deposited a piece of halloumi on Steph’s plate and a steak the size of a small elephant on Rae’s.
Steph looked at Rae’s plate with an expression of steak envy and licked her lips.
Stop staring at her lips. Rae wrenched her gaze away.
Mrs. Kleinberg had followed Steph’s line of sight and chuckled. “Oh, it’s so wonderful to see a woman with a healthy appetite.”
Rae looked down. Oops. She had gone a little overboard in serving herself food while she had been busy trying not to look at Steph. Towering heaps of half a dozen salads had made it onto her plate.
“It must be a joy to cook for her,” Mrs. Kleinberg said.
Steph smiled and leaned her head against Rae’s shoulder in a gesture that felt amazingly natural. “Actually, Rae’s the cook in our house.”
“Aww, what a sweetheart.” Mrs. Kleinberg patted Rae’s arm. “Enjoy your food, you two. I’ll sit with you for a while later, but first, I need to make sure the other tenants have everything they need.” She walked off in the direction of the grill.
Steph regarded Rae with an amused grin. “I think our landlady has a little crush on you.”
“Does not.”
“Does too.”
Rae fixed her with a threatening glare. “Do you want half of my steak or not?”
The smirk on Steph’s face was replaced with a faux innocent expression. “Crush, what crush?”
Rae nodded. “I thought you’d see it my way.” No one here had a crush on anyone else. Nope. No crushes at all.
CHAPTER 17
Grrrr. That goddamn eye was driving Rae up a wall. Maybe it was the smoke from the grill earlier. Whatever it was, her left eye—or rather the socket and the lid—felt irritated today, and nothing she did had helped so far. She had even taken the prosthesis out and cleaned it thoroughly after the barbecue, then squirted some saline into her socket to rinse it.
But that uncomfortable feeling remained. For the first time in many months, she felt the prosthesis as if it were a foreign object that didn’t belong there. With everything that had been going on between her and Steph, she had ignored that feeling all week. Now the discomfort had reached a level where she no longer could, though.
She clenched her hand into a fist so she wouldn’t rub at the eye again and then looked at the line of patrons waiting to get into the club. Maybe once everyone was seated, she could sneak into the restroom and put in a couple of drops of the artificial eye lubricant that she always carried in her pocket. That might help.
Well, at least her eye provided a welcome distraction. It had been at least five minutes since she had last thought of their kiss.
Great. Now the mental slideshow of Steph’s lips, her heat, the way she had felt in her arms was starting again. Work was not the place to think about that. Actually, nowhere was the place to think about that. She was in no shape to get involved with anyone, especially not with a commitment-phobic woman like Steph.
“You okay?” Carlos asked as they waved through the next group of patrons.
“Just peachy,” Rae responded without looking at him. Her attention was on the next guest already. “Sir, I need to ask you to take off your hat please. We’ve got a strict no-hats policy to make sure everyone can see the show.”
Grumbling, the guy snatched his hat off and stomped past her.
Rae rubbed at her eye with the heel of her hand. Damn, now it was tearing. Even though the surgeons had to remove the eyeball, the tear ducts were still intact.
“Your eyes bothering you?” Carlos asked.
“Just allergies.”
He gave her a disbelieving look. “In December? Aren’t allergies a spring thing?”
“Not if you’re allergic to Christmas,” Rae answered.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I hear you. Nochebuena at our house isn’t for the fainthearted.”
“Looks like a full house tonight,” someone said from behind them.
Both whirled around.
Mr. Hicks stood in front of them, an iPad in his hands.
“Yes, boss.” Carlos nodded. “Good crowd tonight.”
“Can you handle the rest of the line on your own for a second, Carlos?” Mr. Hicks asked. “I’d like to have a word with Rae.”
Rae’s heart started to beat in double time. Mr. Hicks had never asked to speak to her alone in the nine weeks since she’d started w
orking for him. Had she done something wrong? Hopefully, it was just about how he wanted her to seat people or something like that. She needed this job, not only because her disability pay was barely enough to cover her living expenses but also because it gave her something she needed even more urgently than the money: a responsibility and the feeling that she was still good for something.
Mr. Hicks paused in the lobby and turned to face her. “I realized you’re the doorperson who covers most shifts.”
“If this is about overtime, I—”
He interrupted her with an impatient wave of his hand. “It’s not. But since you’re here almost every night, you’ve probably seen more comics than any of your colleagues.”
Rae tilted her head in silent agreement. Where was he going with this?
“Let’s say I needed someone to headline the New Year’s Eve show,” Mr. Hicks said. “The headliner just checked himself into rehab, and all the other big names are already booked. So I need someone who can do a solid hour on short notice without asking for an arm and a leg. Who would you pick?”
Only one name came to mind, but Rae reined herself in before she could blurt it out. Had Steph’s name popped into her head because she’d been thinking about the kiss on and off since it had happened? She mentally compared the snippets of other comedians’ routines with what she had heard of Steph’s, which was a lot because she often listened to her practice at home. Steph’s material and her timing were great. She had made Rae laugh more often than she cared to admit. “Stephanie Renshaw,” she said with confidence.
Mr. Hicks narrowed his eyes at her.
Oh shit. Had he heard that they were roommates? Maybe he even thought they were sleeping together. That wouldn’t end well because Mr. Hicks had spelled out his rules very clearly on her first day: no involvement with the other staff or the talent.
“You’re not just saying that out of female solidarity, are you?” Mr. Hicks asked.
Not that women-can’t-possibly-be-funny bullshit again. Rae squared her shoulders and looked him in the eyes. “I’m not recommending her because she’s a woman. I’m recommending her because she’s good.”
“If she’s that good, why isn’t she already booked for New Year’s Eve?”
“I think she mentioned plans with her sister.”
Mr. Hicks regarded her for several seconds before typing something into his iPad. He gave her a nod and walked away without another word.
Did that mean that Steph would get the coveted spot, or would he ignore her advice because she was a woman too? She’d better not tell Steph about it yet so she wouldn’t get her hopes up.
“Um, Rae?” Carlos called from the front door. “A little help out here? I think I caught a fake ID.”
Finally, some action! Rae rubbed her eye once more, then strode to the door. “Coming.”
Steph’s Saturday evening was going like the rest of her day: not at all according to plan.
A total of four people had shown up for the backyard show one of her friends had organized, and three of them had been girlfriends of the comedians, so the event had been canceled.
Gabe had suggested dropping by The Fun Zone to watch some comedy since they were already out. She couldn’t exactly tell him that she would rather stay away from her roommate for the rest of the day, because if she did, he’d immediately want to know why, so she had given in.
Now here they were, in front of the club, with a great view of Rae as she worked, while they slowly got closer to the front door.
As usual, Rae looked stunning in her work suit and tie, and her confident stance as she guarded the club’s front door was admittedly hot.
Apparently, Rae and her colleague had just caught a girl trying to get into the club with a fake ID.
“Sorry,” Rae said. “I can’t let you in without a valid ID. Club policy.”
“But I have an ID.” The girl waved the fake thing under Rae’s nose.
Rae neatly swiped it from her fingers and slid it into the inside pocket of her suit. “No, you don’t.”
“You can’t do that,” the girl protested. “It’s mine. If you don’t give it back, I’ll call the police.”
Rae folded her arms across her chest and gave her an impassive look. “Go ahead. My former colleagues will be very happy to charge you with possession of a forged document.”
“Oh, come on.” The girl took a step forward, right into Rae’s personal space.
Steph tensed.
The girl put her hand on Rae’s arm and batted her lashes. “Or is this your way of trying to get my address? Because if it is, I have to tell you it’s fake too. But I could give you my number…in exchange for the ID. Interested?” Her voice was a seductive purr.
Oh Jesus. Steph nearly shoved aside the group of people separating her from the front of the line. Not because she was jealous or anything, of course. She just found it demeaning to see another woman act that way. It gave women everywhere a bad name.
Gabe let out a whistle. “Did you see that? Man, your roomie seems to be a total chick magnet. I don’t get it. Women never throw themselves at me like that.”
Steph snorted. “You can hardly complain. You get plenty of attention from women.”
“Yeah, but not like that. What is it about her that women find attractive?” He looked away from Rae to give Steph his full attention. “Do you find her attractive?”
Steph wasn’t going to deny it. Why would she? Finding people attractive was an everyday occurrence for her and didn’t mean a thing, right? “Oh yeah. She’s…” She licked her finger and made a sizzling sound. “And damn, she can kiss.”
Gabe stared at her, and Steph stared right back.
Dammit. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but apparently, the kiss was still on her mind, no matter how much she had tried to forget about it.
Gabe’s eyes widened. “You kissed her?”
“Um, technically, she kissed me.”
He waved his hand. “Since when do we stand on technicalities with each other? Come on, tell me everything!”
“Don’t get overly excited, you perv.” She gave him a playful slap to the shoulder. “The entire thing was as fake as that girl’s ID. Our landlord and landlady invited us to a barbecue, and we just kissed so they wouldn’t suspect that we lied and are only roommates.”
“And that required hot kisses? A little hand-holding wouldn’t have done it?”
Steph shook her head. “You’d have to have been there to understand it.” Not that she fully understood it herself. Well, she did understand the kiss, but not why she couldn’t put it out of her mind. She’d kissed dozens of people. Nothing special about that. Except that this one had been.
“So you and Rae are…?”
“Roommates,” Steph said firmly. “Christ, Gabe, what do you think? It was one kiss. You know me. That doesn’t mean a thing.”
“Yeah, I can confirm that.” A hint of bitterness vibrated in his tone.
Steph studied him. “You’re not still upset because I…?”
“Nah.” He grinned. “You’re great and everything, but you’re hardly the love of my life. You make a much better friend than girlfriend.”
“That’s for sure, and I told you that from the start.” The one time she might have been interested in more than a fling, she had ended up creating a big mess, hurting everyone.
The girl finally stomped away without her fake ID, and soon, Gabe and Steph were at the front of the line.
Rae was rubbing her eye and apparently hadn’t seen them yet.
“Hey,” Steph said. For probably the first time in her life, she felt a little shy. What the heck? This was ridiculous. She forced herself to look at Rae instead of gazing at her shoes—and did a double take.
Rae’s prosthetic eye had slid to the side, and now her iris was right next to her nose instead of i
n the middle of her eye. She looked back at Steph with her usual poker face. Obviously, she had no idea that something was wrong with her eye.
“Go on in and grab me a seat, will you?” Steph said to Gabe. “I’ll be right there.”
To her surprise, Gabe entered the club without hesitation—and without even having glanced at Rae. He probably thought she wanted to stay back to talk to Rae about the kiss and wanted to give them some privacy.
Rae’s colleague didn’t seem to have noticed yet either because he was on Rae’s right. But it wouldn’t be long before he caught sight of it. Had Rae even told her colleagues that she was blind in one eye and was wearing a prosthesis? Knowing Rae, she probably hadn’t. And that meant Steph had to come to her rescue now.
“Rae…” She leaned up on her tiptoes to whisper a warning into her ear.
The pupil of Rae’s right eye widened. “What are you…?”
The citrusy scent of Rae’s unisex perfume distracted Steph for a second, then she sternly reminded herself of the situation. “Your eye slipped,” she whispered.
Rae went pale in a millisecond. She raised her hand and covered her eye while she looked around frantically with the other.
Steph had never seen her usually stoic roommate so panicked. The urge to help her gripped her. Think! Fast! “Carlos, do you mind if I kidnap Rae for a second?” she said as calmly as possible. “I need a little help with my…um…bra. The hook got tangled in my shirt.”
“Oh. Go ahead. I’ve got this.” Carlos gestured at the remaining people outside. “And I hear Rae’s good with bras.”
Rae shot him a one-eyed glare while pretending to rub the other so she could cover it with her hand.
Steph slid her arm through Rae’s left one and guided her safely around the crowd mingling in the lobby and to the restroom.
They were in luck. One of the three stalls was empty.
Steph dragged her toward it, but Rae dug in her heels and stopped at a sink to wash her hands. “I need a mirror to do this.” Her voice cracked with tension. Her gaze darted to the door, then to the busy stalls. “Shit, shit, shit.” Her brow knitted, probably as she realized that anyone could walk in or leave a stall and see her.