by Lauren Wood
The bartender delivered our drinks just in time, and we all eagerly began taking them down in big gulps. It gave us all an excuse not to talk for a few moments, at least.
“I see a pool table back there,” Maya announced. “Should we play? Are you three any good?”
Before we could answer, she was making her way over to set the table, leaving us all behind to watch in stunned silence. I finally snapped to attention and followed her, with Mark and Joey straggling behind.
We were all thinking the same thing as she expertly racked the table and took the first turn. She hit two balls in on the first shot and another after that before turning the stick over to me. We were all put off enough as it was running into each other like this, but I knew Mark and Joey were now thinking the same thing I was. The women we usually hung out with had no interest in playing pool. If they did, it was only to giggle and try to look cute as they leaned over the table in suggestive poses with us wrapping our arms around them from behind, trying to teach them how to play.
Maya was obviously a different breed. Round after round, she thoroughly kicked our asses. It wasn’t until our third loss that we started realizing we had to really play our best game, and even then, she was more than holding her own.
“Where did you learn to play pool?” I asked when we found ourselves alone with our drinks between turns.
“While traveling around, I ended up at a lot of dive bars out in the middle of nowhere. I had to figure out some way to get the locals to feel relaxed and friendly around me. Pool and darts were always the classic ice breakers.”
“Impressive,” I grinned. “You’re really good.”
I watched as she sat up proudly, waiting for another chance to beat us. She was glowing, maybe even more so than when we were at my family’s dinner table. I didn’t think I had ever seen a more beautiful smile. I had always kept my flings and one night stands separate from my social life. The only time my guys and I had women in our company on a night like this was when we were trying to get their numbers or take them home.
When the pool stick returned to her hands again, she killed the last of the game. Joey and Mark were amused, but they had had enough.
“I’m ready to sit down for a while,” Mark plopped into a nearby booth. “More drinks!”
We all joined him as the bartender brought over another round. Maya settled in like one of the guys, and I was surprised at how easily the conversation flowed. But they couldn’t resist addressing the elephant in the room for too long.
“So, no offense,” Joey started slowly, “but are you like…I mean, you’re getting paid to…”
“I’m not a prostitute!” She burst into laughter. “I’m an artist. A friend told me about the service, and we had a few too many drinks that night. Next thing I knew…”
“You were drunk when you signed up?” I shot back.
“Maybe a little.” She inched two of her fingers together in front of her face, scrunching up her nose in the most adorable way.
“And here I thought it was love at first sight,” I quipped, only half-joking.
I had wondered if some women using the service secretly hoped to dupe the guy into a real relationship. It was both a relief and a small blow to my ego to know that was obviously not the case with Maya.
Before long, she excused herself to go to the bathroom, and I prepared myself for the inevitable rapid fire of questions.
“I can’t believe you really did it,” Mark admonished, shaking his head. “How does this work?”
Joey followed suit. “I can’t believe no one told me! And yeah, how does this work? Do you two…you know?”
“Have sex? No. At least, we’re not supposed to. It’s just for appearances. She met my family tonight.”
Their eyes grew even wider, though I hadn’t thought it was possible.
“There’s no way you can spend that much time with a woman who looks like that and not sleep with her,” Mark stated with certainty.
I didn’t want to admit that he was right because we had already slipped up once. “Sure you can,” I argued, instead. “Women are people, you know. You’re good looking guys, and we hang out all the time. We don’t accidentally stumble into bed together.”
“It’s different. Anyway, I’m not saying it’s not possible for some people. I’m saying there’s no way you can pull it off. I’ve known you too long, man.”
I was relieved Maya came back at that moment so that I didn’t have to try and defend a lie anymore. The questions about the arrangement and what things were like between us faded after a while, and it was nice to go back to talking about regular things. It was also a huge relief to know we had this little pocket of friends who we didn’t have to hide or lie around.
Of course, I wondered how necessary that would be. On a normal night like this, we’d have dinner with the family and then go our separate ways, right? It made me question why I even brought her out for drinks like this in the first place. When Mark and Joey excused themselves to go flirt with a few girls across the room, Maya and I were left alone again. It was the perfect time for us to take our leave.
I watched her lean back into the seat, looking so relaxed and carefree. For whatever reason, I didn’t want the night to end.
“Another round?”
She looked caught off guard by the suggestion, but her lips curled into a smile. “Definitely.”
12
Maya
“He did what?” I exclaimed breathlessly, laughing so hard that beer threatened to come out through my nose.
“The cops had to let us go after that. I think they were a little afraid of us.”
My stomach was hurting from cracking up so much. Jesse and I were several rounds deep into stories of drunken debauchery with his brothers, but as another burst of laughter faded, my mind drifted to things the girls had mentioned after dinner. I wondered if those stories were anywhere near as funny.
“Speaking of cops, Tara mentioned something about being behind bars? What’s that all about? Vanna didn’t want her to tell me.”
Jesse didn’t look so amused anymore. It made me glad I didn’t bring up the investigation, which they briefly let slip.
“Tara has a rough past,” he said grimly. “I’m glad she found Jason. She has a good life with him.”
I didn’t want to pry, but it was kind of hard to let something like that go. I continued staring, not knowing how I would change the subject if I wanted to.
“Her ex was abusive,” he confessed finally. “Finally, she snapped and let him have it. They thought he was dead. Vanna tried to help her sort it out, but they both ended up getting arrested. Dominic bailed them out, but the guy wasn’t dead. Now he’s the one behind bars, as it should be.”
“Whoa,” I said before taking another big swig of my drink. “That’s intense. So, that’s when she became Jason’s nanny?”
“Yeah. Poor girl. She didn’t know what she was getting into there, either. Jason had his own past that caught up to them. His first wife was murdered, and the guy tried to frame him for it. He made our lives a living hell after that. But, thanks to Liz, that’s all behind us now, too.”
“I…I don’t know what to say,” I blinked.
“I guess we do have a pretty sordid past. All of us.” He shook his head. “I guess I should have told you all that sooner. It’s not exactly an easy thing to spell out on the matchmaking agency’s form.”
I knew if I were soberer, I might have been freaking out. Would my life be bogged down with the same kind of dangerous situations if I entered into this family, even if only by appearances? Instead, my head spun with unanswered questions that I was ready to forget.
Not knowing how else to respond, I decided to use it as an opportunity for more practice. Jesse was looking particularly charming with his tie loosened around his neck and his hair all scruffed up. His voice had taken on a sexy rasp from trying to talk over the crowded bar noises. I started thinking if I were really his fiance, what would I s
ay?
Maybe it was the alcohol, or how late it was, or both, but suddenly, I found my hand reaching for his. I squeezed it tightly and looked deep into his eyes.
“Everyone has a past. Mine’s not exactly picture-perfect, either. That doesn’t change what your future holds. It seems like your family is moving into happier times now.”
He held his eyes with mine for a long time, and it started to feel like we were sinking into something deeper. The same fear washed over us both, prompting us to scoot over quickly in our seats, putting an extra few inches between us.
“Things sure have changed.” He smirked.
“Change can be a good thing.”
He turned his head, drawing me in with his intense stare again. I could see something deep circling around in his mind, glinting across his eyes, but whatever it was, he kept it to himself. Soon after, the bartender was shouting that it was the last call.
“Already?” I shrieked. “I didn’t realize it was so late. Jeez, it’s been a long day.”
Jesse smiled at me, and to avoid his gaze, I looked down at the engagement ring on my finger that we bought earlier that afternoon, still in disbelief that I was actually wearing it.
“I guess it’s weird to keep this on,” I thought out loud. “When we’re not with your family, I mean. But I’m scared I’ll lose it.”
“Yeah. Anyway, you never know who we’ll run into.”
“Obviously.” I scanned the room for his friends, Mark and Joey, but they appeared to be long gone. I was positive they left with the girls they had been chasing after, and it occurred to me that Jesse would probably be doing the same thing if I wasn’t around.
“I didn’t mean to take your whole night up, or intrude on your time with your bros.”
“My bros?” he chuckled, his eyes sparkling at me.
“Whatever you want to call them. I just mean you don’t have to ride home with me. I’m sure you have other ways you’d like to end the night.”
A surprising amount of hurt shone through my tone, even though I hadn’t meant for it to. Great, I thought. Now it sounded like I was trying to guilt him into something.
This time, it was his hand that reached for mine. “Hey, I’m exactly where I want to be.”
The sincerity in his voice was enough to stop my heart, and once again, our eyes were locked. The more we kept looking at each other like that, the deeper we were getting into dangerous territory.
“Let’s take a walk,” I blurted. “Get some fresh air.”
“Sure.”
We quickly slid out of the booth and gathered our coats. Once Jesse had settled our tab, we strolled out into the dark and quieter than usual sidewalks. The only other people out were night shift workers and other people like us, stumbling home from the clubs and bars.
“Thanks again for doing all of this,” Jesse said as we walked with no plan of where we were going.
“Quit thanking me. I know it wasn’t a part of the contract, but I assumed stuff like this would happen. I mean, we’re weaving a story, right? There’s a lot of intricate parts.”
“A lie, you mean? That’s what you called it earlier.”
“That, too.” I gulped, wondering how he felt about deceiving his family, especially about something as intimate as a marriage. “Does it bother you?”
“Not as much as I thought it might,” he replied with his gaze fixed on the full moon in the night sky overhead. “It is a very believable lie.”
“How so?”
He twisted his face and looked around awkwardly. “Ah, I don’t know.”
“Come on, say it! How is it such a believable lie?” I teased him, turning to walk backward a few feet ahead so that I could see his blushing face.
He suddenly turned serious, speaking in a low, deep voice. “I mean, look at you.” He motioned towards me, marveling at my appearance.
A sharp breath caught in my lungs. The moment was just like the intense looks we exchanged in the bar, the ones we came out here to run away from.
“We make a good team,” I proposed, trying to lighten the mood. I stepped forward and held my hand out to shake his. “Friends?”
“Friends.” He bobbed his head in agreement and pressed his palm to mine.
We should have known better than to let our hands touch again. The friendly handshake only lasted a few seconds before I found my body hurtling towards his. I didn’t know if I had lunged for his lips, or if he had pulled me in. Maybe it was a little of both. We both went tumbling right past the boundary we had tried to set for ourselves, like a skier losing their traction on the slopes, and our lips were suddenly locked together again.
I moaned against his mouth, trailing my finger up to the nape of his neck, caressing his hair. I hadn’t felt like I was holding anything back from him, not really, but all at once, it felt as if I had been waiting for this to happen from the moment he left my house after we slept together the first time. I melted into him under the sinking relief that it seemed only his touch and taste could provide. I was certain there were a million sirens going off in my head, telling us to stop, but they appeared to be muted. I couldn’t hear anything other than the soft sounds escaping between us.
13
Jesse
I don’t know if the streets were especially empty that night, or if we were oblivious to anyone passing by, but as Maya and I found our way to the nearest brick wall, we were ravaging each other as if we were the only two people in the city.
With her back pushed against the building—neither of us even sure which building it was—my tongue searched her mouth, begging for reasons to keep going. Or a reason to stop. Our grasp on why we needed to quit was as lost as the name of the place we were desecrating.
I tugged at the collar of her jacket, pushing it from her shoulders to reveal any inch of skin I could without getting the cops called on us. My hand couldn’t stop traveling up and down her long body, grasping and clutching at the curves beneath her dress and her bare thighs, one of which was struggling desperately to wrap around me and pull me in closer.
It wasn’t until I felt the scratch of the ring on her finger that I started coming to my senses. Ring. Not just any ring, but an engagement ring. I gave it to her. My fiance. The arrangement. The contract. The need to fulfill my grandfather’s dying wish. The need for absolutely zero complications.
I jerked back, even though everything inside of me yearned to push even further. Public sidewalk be damned. I wanted her right then and there.
We stared at each other with our chests heaving as we gasped for air. It’s not that we hadn’t been breathing. It’s that our hearts were pounding and tightening, and our bodies were electrically charged with need.
“I’m sorry.” I laughed a little, trying to lighten the mood. “I don’t know why that keeps happening. I promise it’s never planned.”
“I know. I think you said something like that before. So, what you’re saying is that your sexual appetite is uncontrollable?” She raised a brow.
“Don’t make it sound like that! No, that’s not it. Of course I can control it. At least, I could before. It’s just something about you. I don’t know. We get together like this, and I can’t keep my hands off you all of a sudden.”
It was true. Was I insatiable at times? Absolutely. That’s what brought us together in the first place. I couldn’t stay faithfully committed to just one person, not for long. No matter how much I thought I cared about someone, all of that would go out the window the minute some young, tan, blonde walked past me in the club.
But when Maya and I were hanging out, it all felt so natural. Sex wasn’t exactly at the forefront of my mind. She was like a friend—a very good friend, who was also very attractive. Vanna had been the same way before Dominic set out for her. Only my sexual draw to her had never been the focus of our friendship. It was just kind of a side note that I never paid attention to until my older brother started messing around with her. Friendship and sex weren’t something I often mixed, ma
ybe never. But Maya wasn’t just a friend. She was about to be my legal wife.
“Look, you’re hot,” I blurted, needing to say anything to break the silence. “To put it simply. I mean, you’re gorgeous, funny, and smart. You’re amazing, really. I’d love for us to be able to enjoy some extra perks of a pretend marriage, but…”
“But what?”
“But, it’s like a mathematical certainty that if a woman and I get involved, even if it’s just physically, she will hate me before long. I always do something to mess it up and piss her off.”
“Oh, you poor thing,” she laughed sarcastically. “It’s funny how that just kind of happens. I’m sure you have no clue what you’re doing wrong.”
I hung my head with a smirk, sliding my hands into my pockets. My pants were still tight from all the excitement moments ago. “Of course I know what I do wrong. I just can’t seem to care enough not to do it.”
“So, you’re incapable of love.” She shrugged, turning suddenly to start walking down the sidewalk again. “I get it. Sometimes, I wonder if I’m the same way.”
“Where are you going?” I asked, running to catch up to her.
“To the car. It’s late. I’m ready to go home.”
“You didn’t seem so ready to go home a few minutes ago,” I teased.
“Well, you kind of killed the mood.”
“See? That tone. You’re pissed. I told you it wouldn’t take long before that happened.”
“I don’t care enough to be pissed,” she scoffed as she swung open the car door and climbed into the backseat. She started in again as soon as I got in after her. “Look, if we sometimes hook up after we’re hanging out, fine. If we don’t, fine. I don’t care either way. Just don’t get me all worked up and then change your mind.”
She crossed her arms and stared out the window. It reminded me of how she had been when we left Dominic’s, and before I distracted her with drinks. I was used to that look in a woman, that distant disappointment. It just usually didn’t turn in my stomach and make me feel so uneasy. I was certain it had to be because of how much was at stake.
