Another Mazzy Monday (6 page)

I have no idea what he’s talking about.

When he catches the puzzled expression on my face he just grins at me. I’d like to slap the smug grin right off his perfectly chiseled face.

“Google it,” he says as he grabs his leather jacket from the stool. “And you may want to be a tad bit nicer to me since we’ll be living together.”

Living together my ass
. I don’t want to be on the same planet as Austin Graham let alone in the same house as him.

Before I can make some kind of comeback he grabs his backpack and makes his way out of the kitchen.

I need to phone Drew and let him know what’s going on with Austin. But first I need to search Google for
beard
.

Four

Austin

She’s even cuter standing in the kitchen cooking than she was serving drinks at the fundraiser. I have to admit that I’m a little hurt that she didn’t recognize me, but I’m sure I looked different in my brother’s suit and tie. It’s not like she paid that much attention to me when she was bartending. I was just one of many conventioneers she had to serve.

I think she notices me now, though. I’ve gotten under her skin although I may have gone a little too heavy on the asshole. But she doesn’t seem to have any problems taking shit and giving it right back in kind. I’m sure she gets all kinds of remarks being a bartender and she can certainly handle herself.

And it’s sexy as hell.

My mind is already racing with images of kissing her, and doing a lot of other things with her, but there’s that little problem of her being
engaged
to my brother. 

If that’s a real engagement then I’m Santa Claus. Their so-called engagement is as much of a myth as that bearded fellow in the bright red suit and his flying reindeer-pulled sled.

It won’t take long for her to figure out what a beard is and put two and two together. I could tell by the look on her face she’s probably wondered why my big brother hasn’t put the moves on her yet.

I give her about five minutes before she storms up here demanding to know more. I could probably set my watch by it.

And I can’t wait to see the look on my brother’s face when she confronts him. I want a front row seat for that circus side show.

When I look up from my backpack I see her standing in the doorway with her arms folded over her chest. She has the most perfectly sexy little body I may have ever seen. And I’ve seen my share of sexy bodies.

I almost felt bad telling her she isn’t my brother’s type because she’s missing some anatomy. She seemed to think I was referring to her breasts. While not large they seem to be the perfect size to fit in the palms of my hands. What I neglected to mention is that she is absolutely my type in every way. 

I glance at my watch. Three minutes. She worked more quickly than I thought she would. “You must have found the library and the computer awfully fast, but I thought my father password protected it.”

“I have an iPhone,” she snaps as if I’m the biggest jerk on the planet. She may have me pegged correctly already.

“I take it you found the meaning of
beard
.”

Without even asking for permission she barges into my room and it’s hot as hell. I think I’m really going to enjoy making her mad as much as humanly possible. Her feistiness completely turns me on.

She removes her phone from her back pocket and reads from it:
a beard is a woman who pretends to be a love interest for a gay man to shield his public image
.

“That sums it up pretty well,” I say.

She points a small finger in my face. “You’re telling me that your brother is using me as some kind of human disguise to hide the fact that he’s gay?”

“I wouldn’t say
using
you. You’re getting paid, aren’t you?”

She looks uncomfortable. Like she wants to say more, but something is stopping her. Then it occurs to me.

“He had you sign a non-disclosure agreement, didn’t he?”

Her lips purse as she shakes her head in frustration.

“I’d ask for more money,” I suggest. “Now’s your opportunity to really put the squeeze on him. You’ve got leverage.”

She heaves a sigh. “I can’t do that. I’m just—I don’t know what I am. I guess I feel angry and a little betrayed.”

I sit down on the bed and pat the space next to me so she’ll take a seat by my side. She looks at me like I have Ebola and she doesn’t want to get anywhere near me.

“Sit,” I coax.

“Fine.” She reluctantly sits next to me. They’re no denying that there’s an attraction between us. The heat being exchanged between us is already scorching.

“I assume he doesn’t want you to actually marry him. He just wants you to be his fiancée until after the election. Am I right?”

She nods.

“The election isn’t for a two months. Does he expect you to go without sex for that long?”

I can see her face getting red. I have a hard time buying that someone who looks like her is embarrassed to talk about sex. I’m sure she has guys falling over themselves to get into her sexy little yoga pants.

“Two words,” I say. “
Hazard pay
.”

There aren’t very many ways I can stick it to my perfect-in-every-way older brother, but thinking about Mazzy putting the squeeze on him is making me nearly giddy with excitement. My brother and I have a long history of sibling rivalry, mostly stemming from the fact that my parents have always considered him superior to me in every way. I’ve always been the bad boy black sheep of the family, who could never do anything right or live up to any of their expectations.

I wonder how my conservative parents would feel about their perfect son if they knew he was gay.

“Drew is already paying me a lot of money,” she says in almost a whisper. It’s almost like she thinks he can hear us.

“I promise I won’t tell,” I whisper back. “Your secrets are safe with me.”

She frowns. I’m not sure she believes me.

I move in so close to her that I can smell the sweet scent of her shampoo. My entire body reacts to the energy being exchanged between us. “Your secrets are safe with me, Mazzy,” I repeat more seriously this time.

Her eyes dart upward. “How do you know my name?”

Before I have a chance to stop her she practically leaps from the bed. “What’s going on? How do you know my name?”

“You obviously don’t remember me, but we met before.”

She’s looking at me like she’s trying to inspect me. As if she looks at me long enough and hard enough she’ll remember where we met.

“I was staying at the resort. I attended the fundraiser for my brother. I borrowed one of his suits and a tie.”

She cocks her head to one side and stares at me. I feel like she’s staring right through me.

With a snap of her fingers recognition overtakes her face. “You ordered four beers. I thought there was something different about you.”

“Different in a good way, I hope.”

“Just different,” she assures me.

“You can’t tell me you’re not the least bit attracted to me.”

When I look into her sharp blue eyes I can see them twinkle. I have no doubt she’s very attracted to me. I just don’t think she’s willing to admit it yet.

“I’m not the least be attracted to you,” she insists a little too forcefully.

“Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?”

She shifts uneasily. I’m not sure why I get such a rush from making her uncomfortable, but it’s sexy as hell.

Okay, I admit it. Everything about Mazzy is sexy as hell.

She crosses her arms over her chest and glares at me. “Why do you think so highly of yourself?”

If she only knew the truth. I’m the guy who everyone in my family loves to hate. There’s not a person on the planet who thinks very highly of me and that includes me. 

“Why don’t you think more highly of yourself?” I fire back.

Now her hands are planted firmly on her sexy little hips. “What do you mean by that?”

I rise from the bed and close the distance between us. We both stare at each other for a long moment and all I can think about is kissing those soft looking lips of hers. She has a mouth that looks like it was made for kissing and I definitely want to see if there’s any truth to that theory.

“What do you mean by that?” she repeats and I snap back to reality.

“A girl who thinks highly of herself doesn’t pretend to be engaged to someone who doesn’t really want her. A girl who thinks highly of herself waits until a guy is completely and totally in love with her. She waits for someone who will worship her. Someone who wants to be with her every waking moment and it physically hurts him when they have to be apart.” I look around to make my point. “Where is my brother, anyway? It doesn’t appear that he spent the night with his fiancée. Just a guess, but he doesn’t seem too hurt about the two of you having to be apart.”

She looks like I just slapped her and I immediately regret pushing her too far. When one lone teardrop falls down her cheek I’m shocked that my heart actually aches a bit. Before I can stop myself I swipe at the tear with my thumb.

I think she’ll back up or move away or try to get away from me, but she doesn’t. She lets me wipe the tears that are now streaming down her face.

I know I can be an asshole, but I rarely regret it. I can’t remember the last time I told someone I was sorry. I want to now.

But I don’t.

Mazzy looks so sad, like she could just fall to pieces at any moment. And I have this overwhelming desire to be the person who holds her together.

Of course I can barely hold myself together sometimes so I’m not really the person you can count on to be a positive force in your life. I’m usually the guy who you can count on for a good time until I’m ready to ramble on to another destination far away.

And I don’t plan on staying in New Jersey any longer than I have to. Once the election is over and the family doesn’t need me for any more publicity photos, I’ll be Asia bound.

“What the hell is going on?” my brother booms as he marches into my room.

Mazzy looks frozen in place, her eyes as wide as pie plates. Her jaw is opening and closing like she’s trying to talk, but no words are coming out.

I place a hand on his shoulder and pat it in an effort to calm Drew down. “Chill, big bro. Mazzy and I were just getting to know each other a little better. You didn’t tell me you were engaged.”

Drew takes in a deep breath and exhales before he speaks. “Why are you here?”

“I’m staying here.”

He glares at me. “No you’re not.”

“I sure as hell am not going to stay at Mom and Dad’s place.”

“Mazzy is staying here,” he proclaims as if it’s the word of God.

I know some people think of my brother as a god, but I certainly don’t. I crave the chance to knock him down a peg or two, but that will have to wait for the perfect opportunity. Now is definitely not the time.

So I say nicely, “There’s plenty of room for both of us.”

He gives me a cold stare.

“Are you staying here too?” I feign innocence even though I want to make it as clear as possible that I know his engagement is a sham. “There’s plenty of room for all three of us.”

“I really don’t think this is going to work.” I can see the veins in his neck bulging, so I know I’m really pissing him off.

“I really don’t think you have a choice. Dad already said I could stay here. Did he tell you Mazzy could stay here too? Or did you even ask?” I glare at him. “Do Mom and Dad even know you’re engaged?”

When he gulps I know I’ve really gotten to him. “Not yet.”

“Something that important, don’t you think you should probably tell them? I’m sure they’ll be thrilled that their confirmed bachelor is finally getting hitched. And what perfect timing. Just when you’re down in the polls and news reports say it’s because you’re single.”

I make a point of looking at Mazzy. Her eyes are still so wide she looks like a deer caught in headlights. “And could you ask for a more perfect fiancée? She gets a check in nearly every column on the list. A beautiful blonde who’ll look great in photos. Check. Perfect size two. Check. The perfect height in heels so she’ll look great in every gown. Check. What more could a man ask for?”

My brother’s face is now a stone mask. His eyes are narrowed and his mouth has been reduced to an angry line. “I need to talk to you outside.
Now
.”

I nod and follow my brother downstairs and out onto the back porch. The sun has risen and it’s now glistening on the lake. The place is as perfect as a postcard. That’s exactly what my family has always strived for. To make everything, including our family, look as perfect as a postcard. Drew has obviously fallen into the same routine as my parents. As long as everything looks fine on the outside, if he has the picture perfect life, stunning fiancée included, no one will ask questions or look too deeply behind the curtain, or in his case into the dark closet he’s been hiding in for years.

He’s counting on his looks, charm and charisma to win the race. And he’ll probably pull it off too. But I wonder where that will leave Mazzy when the election is over.

And then I wonder why I even care.

“What are you giving her?” I ask before we even sit down. “A quarter of a million?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

I laugh. “Yeah, okay. Then where were you last night?”

He frowns. “I had to work late.”

“You were working late? Dressed like that? And it required you to stay out until nearly ten the next morning? Come on. You can’t possibly expect me to believe that horseshit.”

He looks at me like he can’t believe that I don’t believe it.