The Playboy Next Door

by Christina Tetreault

  Now that question didn’t have a simple answer. Pop and Tony had a good working relationship, so she knew he liked Tony in that sense. That didn’t mean he’d want them dating. She suspected her father knew all about Tony’s reputation.

  Mom was another story. She loved everyone. If she brought Tony to a family gathering, Mom wouldn’t blink an eye.

  That left Striker. He’d kill Tony if he ever found out about them.

  Unless she wanted to give Lorianne all the details, it was just easier to simplify her answer. “Yes, my family likes him.”

  Lorianne patted her arm. “Good, I’m glad you’re with someone nice and not back with Zack.”

  All her friends had been angry when Zack left her. She had been for a long time too, and for several months, she’d mopped around feeling sorry for herself. Neither emotion had plagued her in a long time.

  “Are you bringing him to the holiday party next month?”

  The company’s holiday party hadn’t crossed her mind. Since starting there, she’d never missed it. Just about everyone attended, including her ex, Zack.

  The party was more than a month away. Would she and Tony even be together then? She suspected their relationship might be on borrowed time all ready.

  “Maybe.” She’d promised herself she wasn’t going to worry about how long Tony stuck around. Too bad every time they saw each other, doing that became harder and harder to do.

  I’m home. Cat sent the text message after she walked into her apartment.

  Good. Want some company?

  She held the phone and considered her answer. It’d been a rather long drive home thanks to an overturned tractor-trailer on the highway. For about the last thirty minutes, all she’d thought about was her comfy fleece pajamas and some hot tea.

  Some hot tea and Tony sounded even better though.

  Sure.

  Be right over. Need anything?

  She typed the word you, but then deleted it. Knowing Tony, he’d interpret that to mean she wanted sex. Tonight, that wasn’t the first thing on her mind. Instead, she simply wanted him over because she enjoyed spending time with him regardless of what other activities they were doing.

  I’m good. Cat sent the message and went to change into her favorite pajama bottoms.

  Fifteen minutes later, she opened the door and stifled a yawn.

  “Hi, beautiful,” Tony said before giving her a kiss guaranteed to wake up any woman. “Mmm, you taste like licorice.” He closed the door behind him.

  “I’m having some licorice tea. Do you want some?”

  “Not much of a tea drinker.”

  She should’ve known that. When she’d been with Zack, she’d known all his likes and dislikes. However, there were so many things she didn’t know about Tony, even though she’d known him forever.

  “Can I get you something else?” She watched him hang his jacket on the back of a chair.

  Pulling her into his arms, he smiled. “Just you, beautiful. I’ve missed you.”

  She started to smile, but at the last second, she yawned again. “Sorry, it was a long day.”

  “No worries. I won’t be offended if you fall asleep.”

  She pressed her lips together, trying not to smile, but it escaped anyway. “What would your friends think if they found out women were falling asleep around you? Your reputation would be ruined.”

  “You’re hilarious.” Tony followed her into the living room where she’d left her tea.

  “I know, and that’s why you spend time with me.” She kissed his cheek. The stubble that had grown in since that morning was rough against her lips.

  He leaned closer. “That’s not the only reason. I also love the way you look in kitty cat fleece PJs.”

  “Good, because I have two other pairs just like these.”

  “Can’t wait to see you in them.” He put his arm across her shoulders.

  Cat settled her head on his shoulder, once again overcome with emotion. The same thing happened the previous Sunday when they’d sat much like they were now and talked as if their relationship had a potential future. For that entire afternoon, she’d forgotten about his reputation and the fact that she only wanted a short, fun fling with North Salem’s resident playboy.

  Now, much like then, she suspected her view of this thing with him was rapidly changing, which was dangerous. Tonight, she refused to think too much about that. She could do all the dwelling and serious thinking she wanted when he left.

  “How’s your BFF?”

  “Next time I want a good laugh, I’ll tell Sean you called him that.”

  “What? He is your best friend.”

  “Guys don’t refer to each other like that. Can you really picture your brother saying that to Mack?”

  “Maybe guys should. You could exchange those best friend necklaces that they sell. Kelsey and I had them.” She laughed at the mental image of Tony and Sean doing that.

  “He’s fine. I told him I’d help him on the house next weekend. He wants the master suite done before he proposes to Mia.”

  “My brother is moving in next Sunday anyway.” With Striker living there, she didn’t expect to spend much time with Tony.

  “Next weekend? I thought he wasn’t moving in until November?”

  “That was the plan, but Mack can only help him move his stuff into the storage container he rented next Sunday, so when they’re done, he’s coming here.”

  Tony let out a deep breath. “I’ll ask Sean if we can work on Sunday instead of Saturday. Then we’ll figure something out until Striker moves into his new place.”

  Chapter 4

  Metal clanging against metal echoed in the air along with the cheers from the crowd. All around her men, women, and children walked by wearing various costumes, some even carrying swords.

  “I didn’t make it here last year. I forgot how magical the fair is.”

  “Magical?” Tony asked.

  “Yes. It’s almost like we’ve stepped back in time when knights still rode horses and people lived in castles.”

  He appeared unconvinced, but he didn’t argue with her. “Maybe, but I bet the food is better here than it was back then.”

  Cat laced their fingers together as they walked. “Perhaps, but don’t you think it’d be fun to travel back in time and live a few days in the Middle Ages? Or maybe ancient Rome. Or during the Renaissance.”

  “And be dead at the age of thirty? No thanks.”

  She elbowed him in the side. “People lived longer than that, Tony.” She stopped and looked at a jewelry display set up under a canvas tent. “You really wouldn’t want to travel back in time and live in a castle for a few days or maybe visit a Roman bath?”

  “I like my indoor plumbing and big screen television too much.”

  She put back the pendant she held. “I could do without television, but the indoor plumbing would be a tough one. I doubt those garderobes smelled good, especially in the summer.” She started walking again. “But I’d give up bathrooms for a few days. Castles and knights have always fascinated me.”

  She stopped near a booth selling various expensive period costumes. “I think you’d make a great knight riding a big white horse wearing chain mail or a whole suit of armor.”

  He nodded toward the chain mail on display. “Looks uncomfortable.”

  “Probably. Then again, so is a bra. After a while, you get used to it.”

  “Somehow, I think a bra is a lot more comfortable than chain mail, beautiful.”

  “And how many bras have you worn?”

  Tony put an arm across her shoulders and started walking again. “Well, there was this one time in college . . .”

  “Knock it off.”

  “I’m not joking. In college, I dressed up as a hula girl for a party. The coconut bra was hell, but I think the chain mail would be worse.”

  “I’d love to see you wearing a bra. Don’t suppose you have any pictures?”

  “What do you think?”

  “T
hought I’d ask anyway.”

  He navigated them around a crowd gathered to watch a few jugulars. “Where do you want to go now?”

  “The next joust starts in fifteen minutes. I’d like to see that while we’re here.” She never missed that event when she came to the fair.

  “Lead the way.”

  She’d gone horseback riding several times, and it had taken all her concentration to just stay on the horse and get it to move in the direction she wanted. It always amazed her how the re-enactors managed to do both while charging with lances pointed at each other. Occasionally, a man did find himself on the ground, but he never appeared fazed by it. If she took a fall from a horse like that, she’d probably need to be carried off the ground on a stretcher.

  The last two men in the event positioned themselves as the crowd around them cheered. For a moment, it was like being at a real medieval tournament. Regardless of what Tony thought, this place was magical.

  She leaned forward on the bench while the ground beneath her shook as the two huge horses thundered toward each other. The blue knight’s lance splinted when it hit the red knight’s shield, and for a second, she thought both men would stay in their saddles. Then, at the last moment, the red knight tilted in his saddle. When he hit the ground, a deafening cheer filled the air.

  “I wonder how much training those guys do?”

  With the jousting finished until later that afternoon, they fought their way through the crowd leaving the stands.

  “Are you considering a new sport, Tony?”

  “Just curious. I’ve never even ridden a horse.”

  A shrill female voice assaulted Cat’s ears as she stepped around a couple having a heated argument. “Maybe you could start something new. Jousting on motorcycles.” They’d ridden Tony’s motorcycle down to Westport that afternoon. It’d been her first time on a bike. She had to admit she enjoyed it.

  “I’ll suggest it to your brother and let him try it first. Where to now?”

  The scent of cinnamon, chocolate, and roasting meat wafted around them and her stomach grumbled. “The sword fighting demos don’t start for almost an hour, so how about we eat?”

  Tony kissed her hard on the cheek. “Thank you. The smell of those turkey legs is torturing me. I’m starving.”

  She’d spotted several people with the golden brown turkey legs go by, and they did look amazing. “Go get one and I’ll find a seat over there.” She nodded toward the tables set up under a large tent.

  “Do you want one?”

  She’d spotted something different she wanted. “Nope. Get me a piece of pumpkin pie and a hot chocolate.” Neither item might be considered traditional medieval food, but she didn’t care.

  “I’ll be back.”

  Since he couldn’t tell, she watched him walk away. When she could no longer see him because of the large crowd, she scouted out a table for them. It was a beautiful fall day and the second-to-last weekend for the fair. The place was packed. Perhaps busier than any other time she’d come.

  “If you need a table, we’re leaving,” a man dressed in a kilt said as Cat passed by his table.

  “Thank you.”

  Cat kept an eye out for Tony and considered even calling him to let him know where she’d found a seat. With the large crowd, it’d be difficult for him to find her.

  The Star Wars theme song erupted from her phone before she could pull up her contact list. Zack? Looking away from the screen, she shoved the phone back into her bag. Zack hadn’t called her in months. They occasionally talked at work, but since he’d started dating someone new, he called her less and less. She couldn’t think of any reason he’d call today, and she didn’t really care to talk to him right now.

  “Here you go, my lady. One slice of pie and a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream.” Tony set down a tray with pie, two drinks, and an enormous turkey leg.

  “Are you going to get that?” he asked when her phone continued ringing inside her bag.

  “Zack can leave a message. I’ll call him back later.”

  “As in your ex?”

  Except for the night they’d met at O’Leary’s Pub, they never talked about her ex-boyfriend or any of the women Tony had dated in the past.

  She nodded. She wouldn’t want any of his ex-girlfriends calling him, so it didn’t surprise her that he sounded annoyed now.

  “He hasn’t ––”

  “Cat? Tony?”

  Crap in a handbag as her grandmother would say. Hundreds of people crowded the fair today, yet Jessie stumbled upon them. Talk about rotten luck.

  Cat looked around in search of Mack. If Jessie was there, it wouldn’t surprise her to find Mack there too. Jessie seeing her and Tony together was one thing. Her brother’s closest friend, Mack Ellsbury, was something else.

  “Hi, Jessie. I . . . uh . . . didn’t know you enjoyed these fairs.”

  Jessie shrugged, her eyes darting back and forth between Cat and Tony. “This is my first one. A friend at school told Grace about it, and she wanted to come.”

  Yep, if both Grace and Jessie were there, Mack was around somewhere too.

  “She spotted the pony rides. Mack’s over there with her, so I came over here to get some drinks and a snack,” Jessie said as if reading Cat’s mind.

  A pony ride didn’t last long. Getting Jessie away from them before Mack came looking for her was imperative.

  “I forgot to tell Tony I wanted a bottle of water. I’ll walk over and wait in line with you.” Cat stood before anyone protested. “Be right back, Tony.”

  She glanced over her shoulder as she and Jessie walked away. She’d seen numerous expressions on Tony’s face during their time together, but she’d never seen the grim frown he wore now as he watched them.

  “You and Tony are here together?” Jessie couldn’t have sounded any more shocked than if Cat told her Santa Claus existed and he lived in the North Pole with elves. “Stupid question. Of course you are. When did you start dating? You didn’t go to the wedding together.”

  Cat’s face grew hot at the mention of the wedding. “We’re not exactly dating. We’ve been spending time together. Having fun, but you know Tony. He’s not the serious relationship type.”

  Together, they joined a line for drinks and snacks, and Cat worked on how to ask Jessie to keep what she saw to herself.

  “Then what’s he doing here with you today?”

  “I told you, we have fun together. We’re both single. I’m not ready for another serious relationship, and Tony has a phobia against them. Our arrangement is perfect for both of us.”

  Jessie looked away for a moment and then met her gaze. “If it’s perfect, why did you both look horrified when you spotted me?”

  “No one knows, Jessie. That’s why we didn’t go to the wedding together.” Cat cleared her throat. She hated to ask Jessie not to say anything, but she didn’t need her brother finding out either.

  “It’s better if no one else knows, especially my brother. Mom and Pop still hope I’ll get back with Zack. And Striker, well, I don’t think he’d approve.”

  Jessie cracked a smile. “That’s putting it mildly.”

  “In another month or two, this thing will be over. Please don’t tell anyone you saw us together today. Not even Mack.”

  “Saw who?” Jessie’s smile vanished. “Maybe you shouldn’t assume Tony considers this like all his other relationships.”

  She liked Jessie’s thoughts, but didn’t agree.

  “Come on, Jessie. This is Tony Bates we’re talking about.”

  “I know all about his reputation. I also know he’s a good guy who wouldn’t normally betray his friends. Sneaking around with a friend’s sister doesn’t seem like something he’d do unless she meant a lot to him.”

  He liked her, but that didn’t translate into caring deeply about her.

  “Besides, why would he risk a friendship when he could just as easily date someone he met at a bar or wherever else he normally meets women? That’s w
hat he’s always done.”

  Jessie made a good argument, but Cat wouldn’t bet the house on it.

  “Anyway, I won’t tell anyone I saw you and Tony together.”

  “Thanks.”

  Jessie nodded and then turned her attention to the woman manning the register and placed her order.

  When the next register over became available, Cat touched Jessie on the shoulder before she moved to place her order. “I’ll talk to you later, Jessie. Have fun today.”

  As Cat fought her way back through the crowd, Jessie’s argument played over in her head. Jessie made a valid point, one she hadn’t entertained herself. Tony and Striker weren’t best buds, but Tony considered her brother a friend. He had his faults, but he was a good guy, at least he always appeared that way. Everyone in town liked him, including Pop.

  Perhaps this thing between them meant more to him than she’d suspected. The idea warranted more consideration, but not now. Something like that required serious thought, and she couldn’t do it with Tony around.

  When she returned to their table, the tray containing the oversized turkey leg and pie remained untouched, a good indication of his current mood.

  “I got a bottle for you too.” She put both waters down on the table. “How’s the turkey?”

  “Thanks.” He reached for his beer instead of the water and finished it. “I haven’t tried it yet. I was waiting for you to come back.”

  She squeezed his hand as she sat down. “Jessie promised not to tell anyone she saw us together.”

  Tony’s hand relaxed.

  “After we finish our food, maybe we should leave just to be on the safe side,” she suggested. The fair would return again next year, and who knew if they’d manage to avoid Jessie and Mack.

  He’d already considered that himself, but hadn’t wanted to suggest it. Cat had been so excited about the fair today that he hated to make her leave early. At the same time, he saw no reason to stick around and push their luck. The longer they stayed, the more likely they’d run into Mack. Already one person knew about them. The more who found out, the more likely Striker would find out too. It only took one person to slip up, and it would be all over town.