Page 36 of Read My Lips

Simon took The Tie out of his suitcase and looped it around his neck, even though his shirt flapped loose at his sides, unbuttoned all the way down. “Look, full disclosure…”

Oh, that was laughably delayed.

Simon studied me, lips pursed like he didn’t want to disclose anything at all. “The thing is, I’m concerned this might trigger a grand, self-congratulating polyamorous coming-out broadcast to the world, where they announce I am their third because they think I might die alone if they don’t. And I really want to avoid that.”

“Oh.” What was I supposed to say? “Right.”

Simon fastened the knot in his tie, angling for a reflection in the glass of a picture hung on the wall. “Being open to casual sex doesn’t make me their pet. They struggle with the difference between treating people like people with their own agenda, and trying to impose their own. I don’t want to be swept up in their happily ever after, and you being here gives us all a tidy, painless out.”

“An out,” I echoed. “Okay.” Forcing myself to stop fiddling with the hem of my t-shirt, I tugged it off. No sense getting knotted up about getting changed in front of him.

“Look,” Simon continued, watching me wadding my top into a ball, “untangling from them once was hard enough. They’ve always been disgustingly in love, Richard and Temp – always tried to make everything with everyone far more than sex. It’s exhausting, and I’d rather avoid having to do it again. For god sake, there’s nothing wrong with just sex.”

I choked on my own tongue. “Can you say that again?”

“Which bit?” Tugging his belt buckle free, he undid his fly.

Eyes above the waist, Cooper. Breathe. Like a human being. Keep it together.

“The nothing wrong with just”—he dropped trou. “—sex. Bit?”

Holy fuck. A lot of dedicated leg days went into getting thighs like that. My mouth flooded with saliva.

Simon’s eyes narrowed and his lips curved with the shape of his laugh. “Absolutely not.”

What was wrong with me?

His boxers had peacock feathers on them. They were probably legitimately silk, and probably felt amazing against bare skin even if they did sod all for containment – and I did not need to think about that right now.

We had to do this film together, and the second he touched me, I would annihilate myself inside my pale grey boxer-briefs. Anti-matter meeting matter. Pure physics, wasn’t it?

Good god I needed to get a grip and stop side-eyeing his crotch. Being a creep trumped having a coat hanger in your bag times ten thousand. “So… all your happy sunshine act is rubbish and you secretly hate everyone?”

He stopped faffing with the hanger. “God no. I don’t hate anyone. I adore people. People adore me.”

“But… you hate love?”

He laughed flatly and held out a shirt. It looked a lot like the one Richard had stripped off before they got all flagrante on the sofa.

“For you. Put it on.”

“Right.” Because we were here to fake that sex tape. Not discuss his propensity for holding everyone at arm’s length.

I took the shirt off him.

“Why did you stop me signing? You’d seriously rather pretend to understand them while we’re here?”

“You’re making a big deal out of a non-issue. I manage perfectly fine with my friends.”

“Yeah, but you don’t have to manage when I’m here do you?”

Simon wrinkled his nose. “Can we not do this? I’ve barely slept. I’m sure you think it’s pure vanity for me to want to conduct my social life directly, but the last time I had a go-between for that, it didn’t go well. I do appreciate you, Ben, deeply. Your very existence enables my entire career, but⁠—”

“Fuck off, it does not.” What was he going on about? Did he think I wanted thickly layered gratitude for being here? “I’m a… conduit. Language in, language out – all of it’s yours. So all of it’s your choice. Even vanity. Even taking the hardest bloody route possible.”

“Okay.” Simon’s eyes narrowed with amused suspicion. “Good.”

Tilting his head, he watched me button the bloody shirt. His eyes matched the wood on the walls – warm and rich and layered with depth, darkening critically under his frown.