“Meet you there.”
I was ready for the Dev show.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Dev
“So let’s go over this again,” I said to Kelsie, who cracked her gum.
“Dev, it’s not that hard. You want me to pretend to be a girl you’ve spent the night with.” She eyed me, her eyes twinkling. “You’re gay but outrageously hot. It’s not gonna be a problem for me. You’re the one who’s gonna have to fake it.”
“Listen, sweetheart. I’m gay, not dead. I still find a beautiful woman attractive and sexy.” I patted her cheek. “You’re gorgeous, and I don’t have to get it up, just make it seem as though I can’t keep my hands off you.”
She giggled. “I went to LaGuardia High School. It might have been years ago, but the acting skills are still there. And this beats the heck out of running errands for you. Not that I don’t love doing it, but it’s nice to mix it up, you know?”
Fallon had brought Kelsie in to help him with overflow work, and I trusted her to keep my secrets. She showed up looking like we’d had a rough night together—blond hair tousled, makeup smudged, tiny bike shorts, and a tube top that barely held her boobs in check.
I took her hand, and we got out of the car and headed to the hotel restaurant. “Showtime,” I murmured and slipped my hand around her small waist. It didn’t take long for people to notice me and take pictures and video. “Make it real, babe.”
She nuzzled me and kissed the side of my mouth. “Mmm. You smell good.”
In the restaurant, I spied half the team, including Brody and his mother. I walked over to them, greeted Ms. Faith with a kiss, and slapped Brody on the shoulder.
“Blink. How’s it shaking?”
“Doing just fine.”
The hostess led us to a table near Luke and Marlon. Jonas was there with his little daughter and his wife. I grinned at them and pulled out the chair for Kelsie.
“Thanks, baby. You’re an angel.” She patted my cheek. “Makes up for last night when you were such a devil.”
“Takes two, baby.”
Instead of sitting across, I sat next to her, and we gazed into each other’s eyes, making sure people in the restaurant saw us. Brody sat with a smirk on his face. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zeke walk in. “Here he comes.” I gave Zeke my sunniest smile as he approached. “Morning,” I called out to him before turning my attention to Kelsie. “Hungry?”
“Yeah. This morning and last night made me work up an appetite, baby.” Kelsie tipped her head against mine. “What do you wanna eat?” She nibbled on my ear but made sure her voice carried. “I’ve already had a nice fat sausage this morning, so I’m a little stuffed.” Her hand trailed down my chest to my lap and disappeared under the tablecloth. I hummed loud enough for Zeke to hear and spread my legs. Kelsie deserved an Oscar for this performance.
Zeke’s eyes narrowed, and I bit the inside of my cheek. I slipped my arm around her shoulders, letting her settle into my chest as I played with the ends of her hair. My eyelids fluttered half-shut. Zeke scowled as he walked past but didn’t say anything.
Brody’s lips were pressed together, and I knew he was laughing at us. I was glad to see people had their phones out and that this was being recorded for posterity.
I could only imagine the headlines, but for once I’d be happy to be in the spotlight. The server brought us coffee and took our orders. Kelsie sipped hers. “I think that was pretty damn good, if I do say so myself.”
“You’re perfect. Remind me to give you a big fat raise.”
“After you dump me, maybe you can introduce me to your cute friend.”
She tipped her head, and I glanced at Luke and Marlon. “Which one?”
“Mr. Very Big, Very Dark, and Incredibly Sexy.”
I chuckled. “Marlon is pretty quiet. Not a real party guy. I know he’d like to meet someone and have kids.”
“That’s okay.” She eyed him. “I’m twenty-seven, too old to be in the party life anymore. I wouldn’t mind a stable guy who’d treat me right. I wanna have a home and a family.”
Our food came, and I drenched my pancakes in syrup. “You know it’s gonna be a while until I can say anything about my personal life. But if you wanna break up with me, I’ll be okay with that.”
“Tired of me so soon?” She ate her eggs. “It’s okay. I can wait. Just keep me on the radar.”
