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“I’m fine.” I stood up straight and pasted on my brightest, fakest smile. “Are you going to introduce us?” I asked Evan cheerfully.
He shot me a look that said he knew exactly what was behind my friendliness. But instead of being angry, he seemed like he was trying not to bust a gut laughing.
“Of course, darling.” He held out his arm.
Something about him calling medarlingsent a little thrill up my spine, and I fought the insane urge to giggle.
Shaking that weirdness off, I stepped closer.
He put his arm around my waist and cinched me against his side. “Nick, I’d like you to meet Maryse. Maryse, this is Nick.”
“So nice to meet you.” Maryse barely flicked her gaze to me. “Can I steal you away for a moment, Ev? There’s something important I need to talk to you about. Something that requires…discretion.”
My heart fell.
It was stupid to be jealous. Even if Evan weren’t gay, he was a young, wealthy, and gorgeous man who oozed confidence and was a whole-ass adult who adulted. He was free to be with whoever he wanted when our arrangement came to an end.
For the most part, Evan’s colleagues and associates were polite to me. I still got the occasional cold shoulder or overly nosy questions, but most people seemed content to treat me like the arm candy Evan had hired me to be.
Ugh. I needed to get over myself and focus on the job. Evan was counting on me, and this wastheparty. The one where I finally met his family and we sold our act to them. The hussy in blue could go kick rocks.
“Anything you want to say, you can say around Nick,” Evan said, his voice smooth, but I could hear the slight edge to it.
Maryse laughed in that pretentious way people did when they were mad but didn’t want to show it. She turned her full attention on me. “So this is the famous Nick.” She gave a critical sweep. “I can see why you chose this one, Ev. He’s very…pretty. And a lot younger than I thought he’d be.”
“I get that a lot. Having a babyface is both a blessing and a curse.” I smiled serenely. “I have to say, that dress is banging. Total main character energy.”
“Thank you.” She ran her hand over the generous swell of her breast and fixed her attention on Evan. “What do you think, Ev? Do you like it?”
“It’s super brave of you to try to bring back the fashions of your youth,” I said before Evan could answer. “It’s serving nineties prom with a hint of eighties glam. Love that for you.”
Maryse’s face went red under the layers of makeup.
“If you’ll excuse us, we have to go say hello to my parents.” Evan hauled me away from Maryse. Vlado followed behind us, his snickers just loud enough for us to hear them.
“What?” I asked fake-innocently when Evan pulled me to a stop about twenty feet away from where Maryse was still fuming. “I thought we were going to say hello to your parents.”
“Was that really necessary?”
“Um, yeah. Isn’t that Bryant’s ex trophy wife? She was looking at you like you’re the last Birkin bag at the Hermes outlet. And you know what I say to that? I say not today, Satan.”
Vlado made a weird sound behind me. I glanced back and found him with both hands over his mouth and his face bright red from holding in his laughter.
Evan’s throaty chuckle slid into my ear and warmed my insides.
“I’m just saying,” I continued.Please don’t let my face be as red as it feels. “She’d better stick to wrinkly old balls and stay away from yours while I’m around.”
Evan’s eyes glittered with humor. “She was being polite.”
“She was being a twatwaffle.”
“He’s not wrong, Ev.”
“Maryse is harmless.”
“Maybe to you, but bitch better check herself while I’m around because these hands are rated E for Everyone.”
Evan’s laugh was loud and booming. Several people nearby turned to stare at us.
