Fauxmance (Showmance #2)(48)

I hopped down off the bathroom counter and spoke in a nervous ramble. “Um, forget I said that. I didn’t mean it. It was a moment of temporary insanity.”

I walked out of the room and headed downstairs, not waiting for him to respond. Fumbling in my bag, I searched for my phone to call a taxi, then I remembered I’d left it at home. Stupid no mobile phones rule.

I was almost to the front door when I walked headfirst into a hard chest. I slowly looked up to find Warren Gold staring down at me. He looked like a cat that just sweet-talked its way into a canary’s cage.

“Elodie, just the person I’ve been looking for,” he said, all sultry. He was the last person I wanted to see right now. In fact, he’d bothered me all through the meal with his inane attempts to flirt.

“Excuse me, please,” I replied and moved to walk past him.

He caught my elbow, his grip a little hard. “I just want to get to know you better.”

“I’m in a hurry.”

“Oh, come on, stay awhile,” he cajoled.

Footsteps sounded down the stairs before Julian ground out, “Take your hand off her.”

Warren’s expression darkened as he dropped his hand and stepped back. Julian traversed the final few steps, slid his arm through mine and led me to the front door.

“Bloody vulture,” he whispered under his breath.

“Thank you,” I said, glad he’d come to my rescue even after I’d offended him.

Julian didn’t say anything as he led me to the door where the butler from earlier was waiting. “Leaving so soon?” he queried.

“Unfortunately, we have an early start in the morning. Please let Mr. and Mrs. Branson know we had a wonderful time tonight.”

“Of course,” the butler replied.

Outside, there were a number of cars waiting. Julian guided me to one, opened the door and gestured for me to get in. I slid into the back seat, expecting him to join me, but he only closed the door and went to speak with the driver. My stomach dropped when he walked to the second car and got inside. He must’ve told the driver my address because a second later we were on the move.

I’d royally screwed up tonight.

Sure, our friendship was unconventional, but it was still a friendship. You didn’t ask your friend to have sex with you for money. You just didn’t. Even if was their job. Even if they’d just given you the most powerful orgasm of your life without even really touching you.

That was clearly what scrambled my brain. I’d come so hard I wasn’t thinking straight. And it had escalated so quickly. Julian caught me in a web of lust and I was helpless to resist.

The way he looked at me with such desire and heat, it was a new and addictive feeling.

A sense of grief gripped me. What if he never talked to me again? What if I’d inadvertently broken some golden rule?

By the time the car stopped outside my house, I’d worried myself into a tizzy. Feeling desperate, I sent him a text.

Ellen: I’m so sorry. Forgive me?

No response. My mind ran back over the night’s events. I could hardly believe where I found myself, smack dab in the middle of a celebrity swingers party. It was surreal, to say the least. I’d felt edgy, nervous, like someone would point at me and declare, this one doesn’t belong here! All day I’d gone back and forth over whether or not to cancel, but in the end, I forced myself to be brave. Do something outside of my comfort zone—way, way outside of my comfort zone.

Now I wondered if maybe I should’ve just stayed home, that way nothing would’ve happened between Julian and I and we’d still be friends.

I barely slept a wink that night, endlessly staring at the screen of my phone, hoping for a message. There was none, and I didn’t have the guts to send another.

Two days went by and I still heard nothing from him. On Tuesday, I went to meet Suze at the café, hoping Julian might show up. For the last three weeks, I’d told her I was travelling for work. After having my true identity discovered, I’d been too scared to go see her. It felt like my lies were fraying at the edges, on the verge of coming apart completely.

But I missed her a lot, which was why I forced myself to be brave, don my costume and go see my friend.

Sometimes I wondered what it would be like to be a normal person.

Suze arrived a few minutes after me. I sat at our usual table, nursing a macchiato, when she walked in, a big smile on her face, arms outstretched for a hug. I stood and she threw her arms around me, squeezing tight.

“Oh em gee, I’ve missed you! A week just isn’t the same without my Elodie fix.”

I laughed. “I’ve missed you, too. Travelling for work has been such a bore.”

“Let’s not talk about work. I want to hear how you’ve been doing. Are you still seeing the stripper?”

I opened my mouth, hesitated, then decided to be honest for once. “Actually, no. I’ve been seeing Julian.”

Her eyes grew big with excitement. “Seriously? Lucky you! He’s beautiful as sin.”

I sighed and rested my chin on my hand. “I know, but I think I may have screwed things up with him.”

Her brow furrowed. “Oh no, what happened?”

“I think I offended him. You know I have a big mouth sometimes. I say what’s in my head. Anyway, I haven’t heard from him in two days, so I think he’s done with me.”