AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Astrid slides behind the wheel, waving as she backs out of her parking spot. I wait for her to pull away, then walk a few more feet down the sidewalk to my own car, carefully hanging the suit in the back before dropping into the driver’s seat, resigned to a night of smiling and being social with people. With a sigh, I start the car, back out of the space, and head toward the barbershop for a haircut I don’t want, because I love my sister, and I promised.
3
Jocelin
Istepoutofthe hired car and button my suit coat, then head for the front doors of Jupiter Winery. As planned, I stopped at my apartment to shower and change into a fresh suit. This is a party, which requires a whole different clothing vibe. And now, I’m here, fashionably late, ready to show my support for Gary. I’ve just reached the top of the steps when someone grabs my arm. I turn to find Victor Knobb standing at my elbow, wearing a rumpled gray suit, with his hair pulled up into a messy top knot. He smiles in a way I assume he thinks is charming, and I curse myself for not spotting him sooner. “Good evening, Jocelin. What a coincidence we showed up at the exact same time.”
If I know anything about Victor, it’s that, like his aunt, nothing he does is a coincidence. I smile cooly. “Yes. What luck.” More likely, he’s been lying in wait, ready to pounce the moment I arrived.
He looks behind me, then smirks. “No boyfriend tonight?”
Putain. “If he can get away from work, he’ll be here.”
The self-satisfied smirk on Victor’s face clearly telegraphs his prediction. He reaches for the door. “While we wait, why don’t you let me buy you a drink?”
Calling on the manners my mother drummed into me, I keep my smile in place while extracting my arm from his grasp. “This is a Gary Atkinson event. Hibernian Press pulls out all the stops for him, so it’s an open bar.” I’d have thought Victoria would have clued him in on that. Speaking of… I look around but don’t see her. “Are you here alone?” Only when his eyes darken do I realize my words might be misconstrued as interest, and I hurry to mitigate the damage. “I wasn’t aware you were on the guest list.”
His smugness only intensifies, and I want to smack the look from his face. “Aunt Victoria insisted I come since I’ll be working with Blake soon.” There is so much wrong with his sentence that I could scream. Instead, I swallow my annoyance and let it pass until I speak with Alistair. He was in meetings all afternoon and unavailable to anyone. At least Victoria hasn’t spoken to him yet, either. Victor opens the door and waves me in. “Anyway, let’s go get that drink.”
As I’m about to politely tell him hell will freeze over before I willingly have a drink with him, the unmistakable roar of a Harley Davidson cuts through the air. We both turn to watch the bike come into view. The rider pulls up to the valet podium, exchanges a few words with the valet, then pulls away, parking in a designated motorcycle spot. He cuts the engine and swings his leg over the seat, pulling off his helmet as he stands, and my mouth goes dry.
Gunnar Osouf is a ridiculously gorgeous man, with ridiculously large, well, everything. As he walks toward us, my entire body perks up. His thick, dark hair, which had been artfully messy this afternoon, is now shorter on the sides, with longer layers on top. He drags his fingers through the low pompadour, puffing it up a bit where it had been squashed by his helmet. His facial hair is now neatly trimmed, revealing plump lips and perfect white teeth. Andmy god, the incredibly expensive navy wool bespoke suit he’s wearing accentuates his broad shoulders, chest, and narrow waist perfectly. Next to me, Victor, in his off-the-rack finery, growls.
Before he can say anything, I hurry down the steps to Gunnar. “There you are,mon chéri. I was afraid you wouldn’t make it.”
Confused, Gunnar reaches into his pocket and pulls out a lovely light blue silk tie. “Jocelin, were we—“
I gently pluck the silk from his hand, cutting him off mid-sentence. “Let me help you with that. We both know you’ll only butcher the knot.” Gunnar doesn’t say a word, but plays along, his eyes sparkling with mischief. I drape the tie around his neck and flip up his collar, keeping my voice low. “I know it’s presumptuous, but I really could use your help. The person at the door is someone I work with and…” My voice trails off as I try to find a succinct way of explaining the situation.
“Is he bothering you?” Gunnar’s tone is quietly menacing, almost a growl, and I quickly glance up. His expression is murderous as he glares at Victor.
I quickly tie an Eldredge knot, fold down his shirt collar, and smooth my hands along his chest. “Yes and no.” That brings his attention back to me. “He’s mostly innocuous but persistent. He keeps asking me out, and I keep declining, but his aunt is a partner in my firm—the woman you saw earlier today—so I have to tread carefully.” So far, Gunnar seems on board, but this next part is where I could lose him. “He has been so persistent, I may have told him I have a boyfriend. Incredibly, said boyfriend never makes it to any office functions, so Victor keeps trying.”
Gunnar’s face goes blank, and he takes a step back. “Oh. He couldn’t make it tonight?”
With a snort, I step forward and put my hands on his chest again, feeling Victor’s eyes boring a hole in my back. “Gunnar, I don’t actuallyhavea boyfriend. I made him up.“ With a deep inhale, I look him in the eyes and rip off the bandage. “I was hoping you’d play that role.”
4
Gunnar
TheshockonJocelin’shandsome face, followed by the most adorably flustered sputtering, is enough to confirm that he didn’t mean that like it sounded. “Oh, my god.Tonight. I meant only for tonight. Not permanently.”
I grip his shoulders and smile down at him. “Take a breath. I figured that’s what you meant.” One glance at the sour expression on the guy waiting by the door is enough for me to agree. Stopping his harassment and fucking up his plans will be fun. Plus, if I leave Jocelin hanging, Astrid will kick my ass.
Jocelin continues to fiddle with my tie, and I let him. The attention is flattering, even if it’s for phony reasons. Plus, on the infrequent occasions when I do wear a suit, I don’t usually bother with a tie, so the help is appreciated. While he’s this close, I take a moment to appreciate how undeniably beautiful he is. Because that’s the only word to describe Jocelin Allard. The highly styled dark brown hair with a few strategically placed highlights complements his flawless skin. His straight nose and high cheekbones accentuate his pink Cupid’s bow lips. They look soft and kissable. Not that we’ll be kissing. This seems like a fairly quick fake boyfriend stint. Plus, he’s friends with Astrid. I don’t need her nosing into my business, and there’d be no keeping her out of it if I was actually dating one of her friends.
Plus, he’s not really my type. His silk burgundy three-piece suit, white shirt, and black bow tie practically scream high-end hipster. Though I will admit, on Jocelin, it works. Itreallyworks.
He smooths down my tie and steps back. “So, should I take your silence as a no thank you?”
When he looks up at me with the softest brown puppy eyes, I sigh. I’ve never been able to resist a sad puppy. Especially an attractive, sad puppy. With a really sexy mouth. What could it hurt to play along? I’ll do this, Jocelin will get rid of the creep, and we’ll hang out for a bit until I know the guy got the message. When things settle down, I’ll go find Astrid and Gary. I take one of his hands, kissing the knuckles before lacing our fingers together and pulling him toward the door. “Babe, are you going to introduce me to your coworker?”
Jocelin’s whole body relaxes against mine, and his smile could light up all of Seattle Center. “Thank you.” I wink at him before he turns, and we walk up the steps to the guy still waiting at the doors. “Victor, this is my boyfriend, Gunnar.” There is definitely a hit of glee in Jocelin’s voice, and I chuckle. Victor’s eyes widen in surprise and then narrow as he gives me a once-over. “Gunnar, this is Victor Knobb, from my law firm.”
Somehow I manage to keep a straight face, because really? Knobb? That’s a bit on the nose. I let go of Jocelin’s hand and reach for Victor’s, giving it a firm squeeze. He offers me one of those clammy, wimpy handshakes that screams, ‘I have no self-esteem.’ I don’t wipe my hand after, which deserves some recognition. “Nice to meet you, Victor. Jocelin talks about you all the time.”
Victor’s eyes narrow, and he turns them on Jocelin, his smile tight. “Does he?”
