Among the Echoes(73)

One week later…





"So, are you gay?" Bella asks as we sit in the VIP room, waiting for the fight to begin.

"No," I respond shortly while staring straight ahead at the TV showing the pre-fight interviews.

"Then why do you need a fake girlfriend?" She slides across the leather couch until she’s sitting practically in my lap. Her perfume is suffocating, and it’s all I can do not to openly gag.

I stand up and head to the bar positioned in the corner of the room. I’ve never been a big drinker, and I usually stick to beer when I do. However, tonight, I’m in serious need of something stronger. Hell, I’d drink rubbing alcohol at this point, but only after I poured it over my body to disinfect all the places she has touched me tonight.

I have no idea what the hell Mitch told her about this little setup, but she definitely got the wrong idea. I picked her up about three hours ago, and in that time, she has dragged her boobs across my arms no fewer that seventeen times. And that isn’t even the half of it. I decided to be a gentleman and at least take her to dinner. I am, after all, using her to keep dangerous criminals away from my girlfriend. Dinner seemed like the least I could do. I also figured it couldn’t hurt to get to know her a little better in case questions arose.

I’m a quiet guy, but I don’t care how big of an introvert you are. You shouldn’t be able to sit through a ninety-minute dinner and only utter six words. The first five being "So tell me about yourself?" The sixth was "Whoa" when she ran her foot under the ankle of my jeans and up my leg. I don’t know when it became socially acceptable to rub your naked foot against someone’s bare leg after knowing him for less than twenty minutes, but I’ve never been so glad to be off the dating scene in my life.

I might be overreacting just a bit. Bella isn’t all terrible, but she has one major flaw that I can’t get past—she just isn’t Erica.

I pull out my phone and shoot her a text. I miss her. When Erica and I are together, she comes alive, but she isn’t the only one. I had my own walls built up, but one glance at those blue eyes sent them all crumbling to the ground.



Me: I love you.

Erica: I love you too. How’s it going?

Me: Vision Quest

Erica: Are you finally coming around to my way of thinking or are you having that much fun? I know you love that movie.

Me: I’m not weird like you. I watch GOOD movies to cheer myself up. So no, Vision Quest still rocks, but tonight is absolutely horrible.

Erica: Yeah. It’s a Vision Quest night for me.

Me: I’m rethinking that three months thing. I hate being away from you.

Erica: Good. I hate it too.



"Hey, handsome," Bella says as she slides up behind me and—what do you know—rakes her boobs across my back.

"Hey." I pick up the shot I ordered and toss it back.

"I think they are ready for us." She rubs a hand up my chest. I quickly grab her wrist and gently peel it away.

"Save it for the cameras." I try to keep the annoyance out of my voice but fail.

"Just so you know, we need to make this believable. So if you wanted more than just that one kiss we discussed, I’d be okay with that. My agent’s phone has been blowing up since we became an item." She dabs her lipstick.

"I’m glad this is working out for you. But one kiss, that is all. I swear, if you try for more, we will have a very public and embarrassing breakup when I walk out. I’m not trying to be a dick, because I really appreciate what you are doing here. But don’t get any ideas of going off script, okay?"

"God, you are cranky."

"I can live with that." I move towards the door, but just before I tuck my phone into my pocket, I send out one last text.



Me: Heading inside to my seat. I love you. Don’t forget that.

Erica: I love you too. Don’t forget that.





"Hurry up, Erica! It’s going to start soon!" Leo yells from the rec room.

The fight is about to start, and Slate just texted me that he was about to be seated—with his date. His agent Mitch found an up-and-coming actress to be Slate’s girlfriend for the evening. Her name is Bella Sloan. She is gorgeous, and I hate her. She has really gotten into the role of being Slate’s leading lady. She even spoke out earlier this week to a tabloid, telling them that she and Slate had been secretly dating for months.