by Piper Rayne
“Yeah, we know. She’s a bore come Monday morning.” Katie pretends to yawn with her hand over her mouth.
“Are you suggesting that Lauren knows too much about me?” Craig asks his wife with his eyebrows raised.
“No.” She swats him, but even though I just met her a minute ago, I would say yes. Lauren probably knows Craig’s dick size.
“How about those Blackhawks?” Craig ignores his wife and concentrates on me.
Obviously, he doesn’t know Lauren too well.
“Luca’s got season tickets. We went recently,” Lauren says. “Kane is so impressive.”
I smile down at Lauren and wrap my arm around her waist because she’s fucking fantastic. Who wouldn’t want a knock-out who can talk sports?
“Damn and it was a close one.” Craig sips his beer. “Do you ever sell?”
I shrug. “Sometimes. My buddies and I work weird shifts so if none of us can go, we sell.”
He digs into the inside of his suit jacket, handing me a card. “Call me.” He looks at his wife. “Wouldn’t you love to go?”
She shrugs and tries to talk to Lauren about her shopping trip to find a dress for tonight.
Using my awesome male multitasking skills, I nod while Craig goes on and on about his paper business while eavesdropping on Lauren and Katie’s conversation. Does Lauren like to talk about girl things like clothes and makeup? I would’ve said no back in high school.
“Mine is from Nordstrom Rack. My friends and I do a Cheapster Challenge and I found it for forty dollars at the end of last year. I’ve eaten more carrots than Bugs Bunny to fit into it, but I really like it.”
“Me, too,” I lean in and whisper, but I must be too loud.
“You’re a keeper.” Katie points her long manicured nail at me.
Lauren’s conflicted gaze takes me in. I’m pretty sure there’s a whole world peace problem behind those eyes that I’d never solve. I can read body language and the flush quickly rising up her chest and face means she liked the compliment. Though knowing her, she hates that she liked it.
“I wouldn’t win that challenge because I paid too much for this thing.” Katie raises her hand to block her mouth and moves into Lauren, whispering the price I assume.
However much it cost, Lauren’s eyes widen and she shakes her head. “The benefit of being married to a CEO,” Lauren smiles. “That’s my housing budget.”
Since I pay the same rent Lauren does, I figure out the cost of the dress and I can’t believe women spend that much on something they might only wear once.
“Are you guys hiding out?” The guy I saw behind the door at Lauren’s office walks up. Alone.
“Peter,” Katie says, giving him a quick wave.
So, this is that shit stain Peter who doesn’t know that you shouldn’t hit on your employee.
He and Craig ask how the other has been and shake hands.
“Hey, Peter,” Lauren says in the quietest voice I’ve ever heard come out of her mouth.
“You both look spectacular.” His words are for both women, but his gaze remains on Lauren.
Both women mumble their thanks.
“Hi. I’m Luca. Lauren’s fiancé.” I put my hand out in between us and then tighten my hand on Lauren’s hip, making sure there’s no distance between us.
If we’re going to play the part, we’re not going to act like we’re ashamed because Peter has a crush. Something he shouldn’t have made known to Lauren given the fact that he’s her boss.
Lauren’s body kind of stumbles into me which is good because it enables me to show my strength by steading her with one hand.
“Nice to meet you. I’d say I knew something about you, but Lauren never mentioned you until that delivery last week.”
“Are you ashamed of me?” I look down at Lauren with a smile on my face. Like it’s a joke.
She might very well be embarrassed if we were a thing.
“No.” She shakes her head but keeps it down.
“The candy is a running joke. We went to high school together and every day after school, Lauren would put a few quarters in the Brach mix thing. Remember those?”
“I do! I was a Neapolitan girl.” Katie high fives Lauren.
“Lauren loved the Royals and she’d always buy them, put them in her pocket and eat them the entire time we all hung out. I think she used to sweat them out because I can’t smell vanilla and caramel without thinking of her.”
I look down like a loving fiancé would, but I’m caught off guard by the emotion in Lauren’s eyes. They question if I’m telling the truth or not, but she can’t ask in front of everyone right now.
I lean down and kiss her cheek, but my lips linger. “Yes,” I whisper in her ear.
Her body dips, but I keep her up using my arm as leverage.
Maybe I should’ve kept that to myself.
“So you’ve been dating since high school?” Katie asks.
“No. Lauren never gave me the time of day in high school. She was in love with my best friend.”
“No, I wasn’t.” She bumps me with her hip.
As an outsider, it seemed that he was her first love. “We kind of ran into each other more recently and she finally agreed to go on a date with me.”
“Aw. So you’ve liked her since high school?”
I shrug. Lauren glances up at me, more question marks popping out of her eyes.
I didn’t intend on her ever finding out. I figured it’d be good to convince people if I stuck close to the truth. Now I’m starting to regret heading down this path. But there’s no U-turn to be had so I speak the truth again.
“Yeah. Ever since the first time I saw her.”
I feel Lauren tense under my arm.
“And when was that?” Katie leans in thinking this is The Notebook and I’m about to tell her some epic love story. If she only knew the truth. That I made sure Lauren Hunt hated my guts because it was the only way to be sure I wouldn’t betray my best friend.
“On a soccer field. She had just scored a goal and all of the guys looked over to see what the commotion was. Lauren was jumping around into her teammates’ arms.”
“Wasn’t she sweaty and…”
“Katie!” Lauren sighs.
“That’s what I loved about her. She didn’t care to be prissy and look put together like most of the other high school girls. She was herself, screw anyone who didn’t like it. We’ve been competing with one another ever since.” I smile down at her and Lauren’s lips turn soft, tipping just a little bit at the corners.
I don’t blame her, I’d be just as confused if she just laid her hand out in front of me.
I’m not even sure what made me do it.
Peter clears his throat. “What do you do for a living?” he asks, interrupting my appreciation of an embarrassed Lauren. Her flushed cheeks make my insides thump with a reason to go all dragon slayer on her.
“Paramedic,” I answer, but my attention stays on Lauren.
“Excuse us.” She takes my hand in hers, dragging us away.
“Oh someone is getting some coatroom head,” Craig says as we depart.
Man, I should have gone into acting.
Chapter Nineteen
Lauren
I drag Luca into a back room, tucked away from any spying eyes, needing answers to my questions.
“Is Craig right?” Luca holds out his arms, like I’m about to drop to my knees and suck him off.
“Forget it.” I spin on my heel to head back to the door.
What was I thinking? That he was making some deep confession out there in front of my colleagues? It was all a fucking act. Of course it was. I should’ve known he’d lay it on thick tonight.
“Hey.” His hand cups my elbow and without the added barrier of fabric my pulse surges.
Slowly, turning around, I try to avoid eye contact.
“Isn’t this what you wanted?” He dips his head while lifting mine with his thumb and forefinger. “They all think we’re fucki
ng in here. Your boss will never ask you out again.”
“Yeah. Sure. It’s just…those things you said?” I form as a question because I’m a chicken shit and I want him to take the ball I’m passing him and run with it.
“It’s not exactly confidential information about you and the Royal candy.” He shrugs.
My chest squeezes painfully, but I nod and smile, though he doesn’t. Which means I’m doing a shitty job of convincing him that was the answer I was hoping for.
“Yeah. I mean you always got a Red Bull and Mike and Ike’s.” I do my best to keep my voice light.
“The question is, which flavor?” He winks and the fact that I know the answer proves Luca’s point. We know each other and we can use that to our advantage for this stupid fake relationship.
“Red. All red,” I say with little enthusiasm.
He smiles and nods. “See?”
“Yeah. Sorry for freaking out there.”
“No way, you made it seem like you couldn’t wait to rip off my clothes.” He chuckles, finally letting go of my elbow and stepping away from me.
Why is my body left with a cold chill running down my spine?
“True.”
“Want to mess up your hair and makeup a little bit to give the full effect?”
I push him and he pretends to lose his balance.
“Come on, soon-to-be Mrs. Bianco, let’s go back out there and finish this so no one questions our undying devotion to one another.”
He holds his arm out and I slide mine through the opening. As we exit the small room, the pit of my stomach sours because the small hope I had that I wasn’t alone in this attraction has been stomped on.
I’ve tried to deny it, but ever since we were locked out, it’s been Luca on my mind when I’m lying in bed alone.
What was I thinking? We may not hate each other anymore, but we’d never work out. Especially when only one of us feels like a dog in heat.
The waiters clear our dishes and I sit back, letting Luca win everyone over at our table. Surprisingly it’s not with stories of his running beer pong championships and little black book starring system.
“Tell us your craziest case.” Cindy leans forward, her chin in both her palms.
Luca leans back, his hand finding my thigh.
That’s the third time he’s done that move.
It’s the third time I’ve noticed Peter’s eyes focus on the movement.
It’s the third time a wave of heat pooled between my legs.
“You know I can’t. HIPPA.” Luca shrugs.
Cindy laughs, tilting her head in a flirtatious way like she’d go home with him.
“But I can tell you about crap that goes on in the station.”
Cindy perks up again.
Peter stands from the table. “I’m getting a refill. Anyone?”
He smiles, but everyone declines, way more interested in the real-life drama Luca is about to fill them in with.
With Peter’s departure, Luca’s hand leaves my thigh and that little puddle of heat chills colder than a milkshake.
“Just kidding. Can’t tell you that either.” He chuckles and everyone else does, too.
“Now if you want stories about my brothers, I’m more than willing to throw those out.”
“Your brother is a firefighter?” Katie asks. I’ve mentioned Maddie and Mauro to her in the past.
“Yeah, and my other brother is a police officer.”
“And they’re with your best friends, right Lauren?” Katie points to me.
I pick up my glass and sip my wine, mostly to disguise any hint my expression might give away.
“How perfect, right?” Luca glances over at me. “We’re having a charade tournament in a few weeks.”
“What?” I ask.
“Christmas. Couples against couples.” In my mind, this little charade would be up by then, but I say nothing.
“That has to be fun. Lauren can get a little serious with competition. We had this company picnic last year and you’d think she had military training by the way she played paintball.” Craig is the one to chime in with his little all-about-Lauren factoid.
Luca chuckles, his dark, sparkling eyes landing on mine once again. To others, it probably looks like we’re having our own special conversation without words. The table probably believes Luca’s saying, ‘you’re the love of my life’ when in reality he’s saying, ‘you couldn’t even taper down your competitiveness for the company picnic.’
“Our son came screaming out saying she wouldn’t stop,” Craig says.
“That’s an exaggeration,” I sigh, sipping my wine again.
Luca smirks over at me and we share the same thought. “She’s competitive, but so am I, so you should all hope I’m on shift for next year’s company picnic.”
Peter returns with another beer just as the table breaks out into a fit of laughter. He sits down with a sour look on his face.
“That’s why we were so surprised she didn’t sign up,” Cindy says.
“Sign up for what?” Luca’s hand lands on my leg again. Convenient just as Peter returns. It’s scary how good of an actor Luca is.
“The talent show,” Cindy says with a tone that screams, ‘duh.’
Just as the words come out of Katie’s mouth, the lights dim and the owners, Ollie and Reba, hold hands as they shuffle across the floor to the microphone.
Luca leans back, turning to me. “Talent show?” he whispers.
I nod, more intrigued with my drink than anything else. The bubbly feeling taking over my blood is nice.
“And you didn’t sign up?” he asks.
I shrug. “It’s a couple thing.”
He waves his finger between the two of us. “Which we are.”
Ollie clears his throat but Reba whispers something to him and they laugh which spurs more chuckles and giggles from the audience. They are the cutest couple. Rumor has it that Reba comes from old-school money and Ollie was the son of her family’s landscaper. They fell in love and the rest is history.
Luca nudges me with his thigh, disturbing me from my thoughts.
“What?” I mouth.
“Why didn’t you sign up?” He leans closer, moving his hand off my thigh and around my shoulders for the sole intent on whispering in my ear.
“I told you. It’s a couple thing.”
Katie glances over at us but thankfully shifts her attention back to Ollie and Reba.
His hand reaches over and fiddles with my ring, then he shoots me a look to say once more we are a couple.
“You had a lot on your plate and…”
“What? You’re crazy. I feel like I don’t even know you right now.”
While everyone’s eyes are poised and attentive on Ollie and Reba, Luca’s are on me.
I shift in my seat, circling my neck. What does he want from me? This whole thing between us has been a whirlwind and I wouldn’t have thought he’d be interested in a stupid talent show for my work.
“Let’s begin with Jenny from accounting and her husband, Rich,” Ollie says before he and Reba return to their table.
The lights dim further and spotlights shine where Ollie and Reba just stood.
“Come on.” Luca stands and holds out his hand.
“No,” I whisper-shout.
He holds his hand out again.
“I’ll cover for you.” Katie elbows me and winks like we’re about to go screw in the coatroom again. Little does she know.
Then I spot Peter’s eyes on us so I take Luca’s offered hand and he leads me out of the room.
Once we’re out, he turns around, digging into his pocket. “So, what are we going to do?”
I crinkle my eyes. “Nothing. I told you it was voluntary and I didn’t sign up. Why am I repeating myself?”
My attention moves to the bar that’s now closed because everyone is getting their drinks inside. Great.
“Since when don’t you want to win? Come on. Let’s see. Can you sing? Dance? Juggle?
”
“Yes, I juggle flamethrowers on the weekends,” I deadpan, not in the mood for any of this. I should’ve come by myself.
“Oh, I have a soccer ball in my trunk.”
I raise my eyebrows. Is he not listening to me at all?
“What on earth are we going to do with a soccer ball?”
He winks and makes this clicking sound with his mouth. “What we do best…compete.”
Before I can stop him, he’s out the front of the complex, heading to his car in the parking garage.
Great. I’m thinking Cher wouldn’t have been that bad now.
“Oh, sorry.” Peter steps out of the room, a new beer in his hand.
“It’s okay. How are you doing?” I keep my voice light, trying not to make this any more awkward than it feels.
“Fine. Luca seems to be winning everyone over.” He sips his beer, or chugs it would be a more apt description.
“He has that personality, you know?” I shift my weight from one high heel to another, resulting in crossing my legs and holding my clutch in both hands in front of me.
“Obviously that’s what made you fall in love with him.”
I shrug, not wanting to lie any more than I have to. “He’s like one of those people you either love or hate.”
He chuckles. “Sounds about right.”
A cool breeze hits my face and my attention shifts off Peter to Luca standing in the doorway. The soccer ball is tucked under his arm and his eyes shift between me and Peter like an overprotective boyfriend.
“Pete,” he says, breaking the distance between us, switching the soccer ball into his other arm as he secures himself next to me.
“Peter,” Peter clarifies.
“You don’t like Pete?” Luca asks.
“No. I prefer Peter.”
“Peter it is.”
“I was just telling Lauren how much everyone seems to love you.”
Luca huffs a little but does smile. “I have that effect on people.”
The two men stand there, eyes set on the other and I wonder if this was the old West would we be in some gunslinging standoff. As much as I hate to admit, I know who would win. The wild man Luca Bianco and then he’d leave me for some new girl with big breasts who was breezing through town.