LOL: Laugh Out Loud (After Oscar, #2)(54)

“Do I need to leave the two of you alone?”

“Uh-huh,” Scotty murmured while I said, “No, it’s fine.”

Lolo chuckled into his glass. “Tell you what. I’ll make us another round and check on Larry while you two finish the porn show. Just know that if I were a lesser man, I’d have my camera out right now.”

I remembered wanting to confiscate Larry’s phone. “Hey, Lolo?”

“Yes?”

“Can you please grab Larry’s phone for us? I really don’t want my location being leaked to the press.”

“I would love to. Larry, darling,” Lolo called as he sauntered out of the room on flamingo legs. “How are you feeling, boo boo?”

I shuddered, still unable to determine the attraction there. Tight asses could be found on decent men, and I didn’t believe for a second that Lolo was only into someone for the sex. I’d have to ask Oscar what their deal was when I saw him next.

Scotty sat silent for a moment, watching as he drew a fingertip around the top of my hand. “Did you mean what you said about liking me and not caring if other people know?”

“Yes,” I said immediately. I didn’t want him to have one single second of insecurity about me. “Is that okay with you?”

He nodded, not looking up at me. “I just didn’t want you to have more trouble if word gets out…”

“I’m inclined to trust Lolo’s discretion,” I admitted. “I don’t think Oscar would have had him here in his home before if he thought he was the kind of guy to sell his story to the media. Also, those ridiculous velvet slippers he’s wearing are Versace which means he may not be money motivated like most people who blab to the tabloids.”

Scotty still wasn’t meeting my eyes. I tilted his chin up. “Hey,” I said softly. “Is that all you’re worried about, or is there something else?”

He paused, as if trying to figure out how to say something. “Don’t feel like you have to… I don’t know… claim me or whatever. I mean… I get it. It’s just a hookup. You don’t have to pretend we’re dating, you know?”

His words shouldn’t have surprised me since I’d caught glimpses of his insecurity before, but they did anyway. I couldn’t determine whether Scotty was still trying to give me an out or whether he was trying to tell me he saw this as just a convenient hookup. It was the second time he’d made a point of saying something that implied this was just a little bit of fun and nothing more.

I realized the thought made me feel a little… disappointed? Was that the right word? It wasn’t like I’d given a lot of thought to dating Scotty. The idea seemed foolish on its face: he was a regular person, not at all involved in the frenzied Hollywood life. He had no idea what he would be getting into dating a movie star: the relentless pressure and attention. The scrutiny. My last serious boyfriend hadn’t been able to handle it. I didn’t know that anyone outside the celebrity culture would be able to.

Which was a shame, because a part of me thought it might be nice to date Scotty. See where this connection between us took us. But I’d had that kind of fantasy before, and it hadn’t been strong enough to withstand the pressure.

“I didn’t pretend we were dating, I simply didn’t want to not be able to touch you in front of him,” I pointed out. “I like touching you. In case that wasn’t obvious.” To illustrate the point, and hopefully lighten the mood a little, I grabbed at him and tickled him in the ribs until he was laughing and squirming underneath me on the love seat. His blue eyes danced, and his laughs turned to higher-pitched giggles until he was out of breath.

Scotty Pinker was simply gorgeous, and I kissed him yet again.

Because I really couldn’t stop.

My phone buzzed in my pocket with an incoming call and I ignored it, not wanting to interrupt my make-out session with Scotty. There was a brief respite before it started buzzing again. Scotty was the one to pull away from the kiss. “Sounds like someone’s trying to reach you.”

“It can wait,” I growled, dipping my head to reclaim his lips. “I’m busy.” But then it started vibrating for a third time and I couldn’t ignore it any longer. Groaning, I sat up and fished my phone from my pocket. An old photo of Polly filled the screen. If she was being this insistent, it was important. But I didn’t want to answer it and have Scotty think he wasn’t important to me either.

Thankfully, he resolved the dilemma for me. “Go ahead and answer,” Scotty told me. “I’ll go find us some wine.” He stood and left while I swiped open the phone and pressed it to my ear.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“You absolute piece of shit,” she said.

My eyes widened. It was not the response I expected. “Ooooh-kay, I’ll take that as a no, then?”

“Of course things aren’t okay, Roman,” she said testily. “They’re terrible! Why in the world did I listen to you? About dating no less? What the fuck do you know about keeping a man?”

I winced. “Low blow, Polly.”

She let out a sigh. “Sorry. I just… ugh.”

I settled back on the couch. I had a feeling this conversation might take a minute. “Does this have anything to do with Howard by any chance?”