Faking It

by Christine d'Abo

  Max’s attention had been fixed on the schedule that Nolan had sent him earlier in the day, so he wasn’t really paying that much attention to his new arrival. He’d been expecting Candace or more likely Teddy, ready to inform him of some new disaster or another.

  So when he looked up and saw a stranger standing there, he immediately went on the defensive. “May I help you?”

  Whoever the guy was, he certainly knew how to rock the casual look. Gray suit pants that hugged his thighs perfectly, a plum-colored dress shirt with the top two buttons opened and the sleeves rolled partway up his arms. Max forced his gaze past the man’s smirk to his eyes. There was something familiar about the sparkle he saw there, not to mention the mop of black curls that sat atop his head.

  Oh. Damn.

  The drunk cleaned up nice.

  Max’s grin slipped back into place. “I see you survived what I’m sure was an epic hangover.”

  “Yes, I had quite the headache this morning, but at least I woke up in my own bed.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and stepped into the office. “I wanted to stop by and thank you for getting me back to my hotel in one piece. I’m not sure many people would have done that and not taken advantage of the situation.”

  Max found it difficult to imagine anyone taking advantage of the stranger. He seemed to be a man who was used to getting his own way. “You were a guest at my club and needed help. I take my responsibilities seriously.”

  The man pulled his hand from his pocket and crossed the floor. “Sorry. I’m Grady, Grady Barnes.” There was a note in his voice, as though the mere mention of his name held a degree of power. Like saying Beetlejuice or some such insanity.

  Max got to his feet and took Grady’s hand. “Max Tremblay. Good to meet you.”

  Their hands slid together; Grady’s warm skin pressed against Max’s calloused fingers.

  Looking into Grady’s eyes as they shook hands, Max’s chest tightened and a trickle of adrenaline seeped into his bloodstream. Max had met more than his fair share of attractive men over the years—it was one of the perks of owning one of the hottest gay clubs in the city—but there was something different about Grady, something that resonated in a way that Max hadn’t experienced before. Despite what Zack had told him about meeting his partner, Nolan, for the first time, how he’d been overwhelmed by shock and a feeling he’d never been able to name, Max hadn’t quite understood what his friend meant.

  Now? Yeah, he did now.

  When the handshake came to an end, he missed the warmth of Grady’s touch almost immediately, which disturbed him more than it probably should.

  Clearing his throat, Max pointed to his guest chair. “Can I offer you a drink?”

  Grady sat down, a smirk firmly in place. “Is this a test to see if I’ll take it or not? Because I’m about to fail it and say yes please. Whatever you’re pouring.”

  A man shouldn’t be that smooth and charming all at the same time. “I own a bar. Getting people drunk is kind of my thing. And, boy, did that sound better in my head than coming out of my mouth.”

  Grady laughed as he took the glass of Scotch from Max. “You found me puking in an alley last night. I’m the last one to criticize. Thanks.”

  “I take it last night was an anomaly for you?” Reclaiming his seat, Max let the burn of the Scotch distract him from Grady’s good looks. “I don’t remember seeing you here before.”

  “I’m in town from Vancouver. Was trying to do my best impression of the prodigal son running away from home.”

  Grady looked him right in the eyes as though he were waiting for something. Some sort of recognition, of his face, or name, or . . .

  Max sat bolt upright. “Oh shit. You’re Grady Barnes! As in youngest son of Theo Barnes, CEO of Barnes Retail Development.” Max downed the rest of his drink in two gulps. “No way.”

  Grady laughed. “It doesn’t normally take that long for someone to recognize me.”

  “Sorry, I’m not a reality TV person.” A lot of his staff were though. Canadian Celebrity House had been last summer’s biggest show. Most of the staff had been in lust with Grady and had been heartbroken when he’d been prematurely eliminated for trying to bribe the house monitor into letting him go out unattended for a night to party.

  “I’m going to thank you for that. I hated every minute I was involved in that hell house.”

  “So why do it at all?” Max had always assumed that anyone who went on one of those shows did it for the exposure. Washed-up celebrities looking for a way to stay relevant, or up-and-comers wanting to make a splash.

  “Let’s just say that I was trying to get back at my father for . . . well, something he’d done.” Grady took a drink and let out a sigh. “I didn’t think it would be quite as awful as it turned out to be. Nothing more frustrating than having every minute of your life under a microscope for public consumption.”

  “Ah. So the bribe—”

  “Was my way to get off as quickly as possible. It had the added bonus of pissing my father off because it made our family look bad, so a complete win-win. Cheers.”

  Interesting. So Max wasn’t the only one with an awkward relationship with his father. “Yeah, my dad and I butt heads quite a bit. Sometimes you just have to walk away for everyone’s sake.”

  “Or, in my case, run halfway across the country.” Grady rolled his glass between his hands. “You don’t strike me as the kind of guy who needles his parents for no reason.”

  “Not exactly.” This wasn’t the type of conversation he’d normally have with his friends, let alone a complete stranger. “We had a falling out when I was a kid. We mostly got past it, but every now and again . . .” He shrugged.

  “You’re in better shape than we are. We never saw eye to eye.” Grady’s gaze slipped to his glass. “Life has a way of throwing you curves, and sometimes you can’t quite manage them.”

  Max had developed a definite bartender sixth sense, knew when someone had a problem they wanted to share but had no clue how to go about doing it. Grady obviously had something going on, and needed someone to talk to. Max couldn’t imagine not having at least a friend to go to, talk to, when things got rough.

  Leaning forward, Max set his glass on his desk and cleared his throat to get Grady’s attention. “I won’t pry, but are you okay? Do you need help or . . . something?”

  Whatever had been bothering him, Grady must have pushed it away. The too-charming smile was back in place, and he drained his glass. “I’m good. But thanks for asking. Now normally, I’d ask for another, but I think given my previous evening’s adventures, I better leave while I’m ahead.” He got to his feet and ran his fingertip across the edge of Max’s desk. “Thank you for not taking advantage of me last night. Not everyone in your position would be that honorable. Or pass up the chance to take some compromising pictures of me for the press.”

  “I’m not in the habit of abusing my power.” Jesus, what kind of life did this guy lead if he had to thank a person for not raping him?

  “Never thought you were. But you have to understand that with some of the people in my life, it’s a rare thing. Pictures and videos ending up on the internet is a pretty common occurrence. I’ve had a few people try to blackmail me over the years.” There wasn’t so much a note of anger in his voice, but rather something almost sad. Grady shook his head. “Also, if anyone comes asking about me, or last night—”

  “Don’t worry. You weren’t here and nothing happened. And even if you were here, I never saw you and I’m sure you would appreciate your privacy.”

  Grady’s smirk morphed into a full-on grin. “It’s been good to meet you, Max Tremblay.”

  “You too, Mr. Barnes.”

  The scent of Grady’s aftershave lingered far longer than Max would have anticipated, making his erection as inconvenient as it was uncomfortable.

  The night’s air had taken on a coolness that often came about in late September. Sweat clung to Max’s skin from the humidity that had built ins
ide the club and stuck around long after the lights had come up on the patrons. The garbage was his last task of the night before locking up. Most of the staff left the moment they could on Saturdays, knowing they had three days to relax before the club reopened Tuesday afternoon.

  Unlike the night before, there was no vomiting Grady waiting in the alley when he stepped out. Instead, there was a man in his mid-thirties, dressed immaculately in a suit, leaning against the wall not two feet from where Grady had been ill. His black-rimmed glasses stood out against his fair complexion, making the lines of his face seem sharper.

  Clearly, Max needed to install some sort of security camera out here, seeing as it was fast becoming the place to meet him. “May I help you?”

  “Are you the man who assisted the gentleman here in the alley last night?” When Max didn’t respond immediately, the man continued. “You don’t have to confirm it. I know you are because I have a picture of you taking him upstairs to his hotel room.”

  Not since his days of being a bouncer himself, had Max ever been this tempted to use the boxing training he’d learned at Ringside as a teen. “I’m sorry, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  The man pushed away from the wall and looked down at the garbage bag Max still held. “Why don’t you finish up and we can talk.”

  “Why don’t I finish up so I can go home for the night. It’s late, I’m tired, and you’re trespassing.” He tossed the garbage into the bin, then let the lid slam closed.

  The man took something out from his pocket. “I won’t take much of your time.”

  “What’s that?” Max didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but that looked like a checkbook.

  “A little thank-you from Mr. Barnes the elder. He wanted me to express his appreciation for your help with his son last night. I think this will be a sufficient amount.” He wrote a number down, folded the check in half, and held it out for Max.

  “What the hell’s that for?”

  The man smiled like he didn’t believe Max was dense enough to ask. “As I said, a thank-you. And encouragement to not say anything to the press about what happened. Or to see Grady again.”

  “You’re trying to bribe me?”

  The man shrugged, clearly having been in this position more than once. “I, too, would like to get back to my hotel for the evening.” He stretched his arm out farther. “Mr. Barnes is not normally this generous. I added a bonus for your gentlemanly behavior toward Grady.”

  Max wasn’t certain what pissed him off more: the idea that someone thought they could bribe him, or that Grady’s father thought so little of his son that he felt the need to go around cleaning up what he perceived as a mess. “No, thank you.”

  “I’d suggest you take it. I promise that Grady won’t offer you anything beyond heartache and frustration.”

  “I’m not after money, a relationship, or anything else. I’m just a bar owner who saw it as his responsibility to get an incapacitated patron home before anything bad happened. Now, I suggest you leave, because I’m going to call the cops if I still see you here when I go home for the night.” Turning his back on the man, Max went inside and locked the door.

  His body shook as he stomped to his office. Who the hell did that guy think he was trying to pay him off? Jesus, no wonder Grady had stopped by earlier. It had little to do with thanking him and more about warning him about his keeper. If Max had a father anything close to Grady’s, he’d be just as likely to cause as many problems as possible.

  The anger that’d fueled his rage slowly snuffed out as his thoughts drifted to his dad. They hadn’t always gotten along, especially during the four years his parents had been separated and Max and his mom had moved to Toronto. To this day, he never fully understood what had happened between them. His mom had never said a word to him. He and his dad always seemed to be on opposite ends of every topic that came up between them. Max was still protective of his mom, even though they were back together. It was almost second nature to go on the defensive with his dad.

  Homecomings had been awkward for years, and phone calls worse. Max knew his father loved him; he just wasn’t certain that his dad liked him very much some days.

  He hadn’t spoken to either of his parents since he’d flown out to Calgary a few months ago to help his mom when her appendix ruptured. His dad’s arthritis was beyond the point of him being able to care for her, and Max wouldn’t have wanted him to put himself in any danger. His dad had been distant and had barely spoken to him for the two weeks he’d been there. No matter what Max had tried, it hadn’t mattered, leaving him frustrated.

  His mom had told him not to worry, but what else could he do? They lived halfway across the country from him and rarely told him if there was a problem. “You have enough on your plate, sweetie. We’re fine.”

  Lies. And yet, they were adults with lives of their own. If they wouldn’t accept his help, he wouldn’t force it on them.

  It was too late, and he was far too tired to worry about anything except getting his ass home to bed. He’d give his mom a call tomorrow to make sure everything was okay. While he couldn’t fly out again, he might be able to convince them to come for a visit. Nothing wrong with wanting to pamper his parents for a while.

  Yeah, that was what he’d do.

  As soon as he made sure Grady’s babysitter was gone.

  Wedding in T minus twelve days . . .

  Grady stared at his brother over Skype and tried to let the words sink in. It was far too late on a Monday night to be dealing with this level of bullshit. “So you’re telling me Father has arranged an engagement for me at your wedding. That’s the big announcement he wants to make? To the press. My engagement to a man I’ve never met.”

  Lincoln was his elder by five years. He’d been the protective older sibling for nearly as long as Grady could remember, stepping between him and their father—or, for that matter, anyone else who tried to take advantage of him. It wasn’t until Lincoln left home to attend university in England that Grady had been on his own and had needed to fight his own battles. Not that Lincoln didn’t still have a tendency to insert himself when he saw the opportunity.

  Like now.

  Lincoln shook his head, his gaze slipping over the top of the computer monitor to something beyond. “I heard him talking to Les Bouchard yesterday, the CEO of Blitz Can Promotions. Do you remember him?”

  “Tall, lanky dude? Salt-and-pepper hair and killer brown eyes?”

  “Only you would say that, but yes. His son just came out a few months ago, and from the sound of things, Father’s been helping Les learn how to deal with the revelation.”

  Despite many faults, his father had always been supportive of his sexuality. Which, when he thought about it, made little sense to him considering that everything else Grady did seemed to piss his father off. “Poor bastard.”

  “No, poor you. They decided that Les’s son will be the perfect person for you. And not in the ‘we should push them together and see what happens’ kind of way. More in the ‘hey, they should get married and adopt all the children and we can get major press from it’ way. He’s a bit younger, but more of a rule follower. I have no doubt Father would be able to manipulate him into doing just about anything he wanted.”

  “That’s all I need. Someone in Father’s pocket determined to keep me in line. I don’t know why you’re worried. I’ll tell Father to piss off the way I normally do, and everything will be okay.”

  Lincoln looked over the screen again. “Yeah, that’s what I was scared of. You can’t give in to your normal instincts. To get angry and piss everyone off around you. Not when we’re trying to have this day. Make it special.”

  The next thing Grady knew, Serena came around and sat beside Lincoln on their couch. She smiled and waved at him. “Hey, you.”

  Grady waved back. “Serena, it’s not too late to elope. I totally think you should. Stay as far away from our shit-show of a family as you can.” Serena was a beautiful, intelligent w
oman who was more than capable of handling their father, or anyone else in their family. Including himself. Lincoln had met her at Lancaster University when he’d been attending for his bachelor degree in business. She was the reason he’d delayed coming back to Canada after he’d finished his degree. If Grady had escaped his father’s foul mood and met a hot Brit, he would have done the same.

  She grinned as she tucked her black hair behind her ears. “And miss seeing you in a tux delivering a speech? No way.” Sliding her hand over Lincoln’s, she leaned closer to the screen. “You can’t tell your dad to piss off this time.”

  “Oh?” If Serena was getting involved, then there was more to this than Grady first thought.

  “I’ve recently taken over a project management role at your dad’s company. As I was leaving for the day on Friday, I overheard your dad talking to Les. Apparently Les is worried that his son is not marriage material, something about him being timid and awkward. Your father decided that he’s exactly the right personality to keep you in line.”

  “And?” Because when it came to his father, there was always something else.

  “And if the engagement goes through, Les will support your dad’s bid to build a new multipurpose entertainment stadium.” Serena bit down on her bottom lip before sighing. “It would be the ultimate development opportunity for the company. Really, if it didn’t hinge on you getting engaged, I’d be all for this.”

  Of course it had to do with money and absolutely nothing to do with Grady’s happiness. “So even if I try to push back, he’s going to do everything in his power to make sure I get engaged to this guy.”

  “Pretty much.” Serena threaded her fingers with Lincoln’s. “Look, I know you’re probably going to kick up a stink. Normally, I think that’s all it would take to make it go away. This time, it won’t be that easy. His new stadium development is huge and an amazing opportunity. Barnes Retail Development would be positioned to be the de facto leader in BC for this sort of thing. His reputation isn’t on the line so much as it would send the company to the next level.”