Scandalized(54)

“I like that plan.”

I stare at the way he quickly rubs soapy hands down his chest, his abs, his cock. Legs and shoulders. When washing me, he was slow, nearly reverent. He catches me watching. “You’re looking at me like you’re going to eat me.”

Very serious, I nod. “I feel I should return the favor.”

Laughing again, he reaches behind me to shut off the water. Steam rises around us, and water drips like crystals from his eyelashes. Alec licks his wet lips. “I promise you can eat me later.” He kisses me then, warm and sliding, and when he moans quietly, it sucks me into a spiral of want. But too soon he pulls away and glances at the watch I am genuinely hoping is waterproof. “Shit. I have forty-five minutes to get to Santa Monica in a tux.”



* * *



I sit cross-legged on the bed, watching him as he gets ready. Alec pulls a suit bag out of the closet and drapes it over a chair, unzipping it.

“I’m excited,” I sing.

He leans down, pulling the suit free. “Why?”

“I get to see you in a tuxedo.”

He slants an amused look my way. “That’s exciting?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. You’re gonna look like the world’s hottest cake topper.”

Alec laughs at this. “I only brought one, so Elodie had better not spill wine on me.” He steps into the trousers, then shrugs on the shirt. “It started out as a joke,” he says, buttoning. “But she’s spilled her drink on me on three separate occasions.”

“Is this woman trying to get you to take off your clothes?”

“She’s notoriously clumsy.”

I laugh, picking a thread from the duvet. “That’s cute.”

“You’re not bothered by that, are you?”

I look up at him, wide-eyed. He’s turned to face me. “By what?”

“Elodie,” he clarifies. “And our…”

“Your flirty public dynamic?” I guess. He nods, returning his attention to his buttons. “No—I mean, I know it’s part of the promo. Also, I assume if you wanted her, she would be in this hotel room, not me.”

He grins. “Very true.”

“Whoever you end up with,” I say, watching him carefully tuck his shirt in, “is going to have to be very chill about those things.”

He hums in agreement, reaching for his cuff links on the bedside table.

“Need help?” I ask, feeling naked and lazy watching him get ready for a night of nonstop schmoozing after a long day of work.

He grunts out a no and then lifts his chin, indicating the flat bow tie on the hanger. “I can’t do those, though.”

“A tie?”

Alec responds to my sarcasm with a playfully flat look. “A bow tie.”

Standing, I pull a discarded dress shirt from where it’s draped over a chair, tugging it on and buttoning it haphazardly. “Let me make myself useful.”

When I look up, Alec is staring at me. “Are you trying to make it harder for me to leave?”

The obvious yes is perched right on the front of my tongue, but in fact I have no idea what he’s talking about. “What?”

“Wearing my clothes when I need to leave?”

Ah. Even Alec is predictable in such delightful man ways. “It would be easier for you to leave if I was naked?”

He smirks down at me. “No.”

“Okay, then.” I pull up YouTube and type “tying a bow tie” into the search bar.

“What are you doing?”

“Tying that.” I lift my chin to his neck. “I just need to look up how to do it on YouTube.”

“Yael can do it when I get there.”

“But then you’ll deprive me of the chance to stare at your throat for a few minutes.” I’m not looking at his face, but I know he’s smiling. Threading the tie through his collar, I look down at where I’ve propped my phone on the bed and carefully follow the steps.

My first attempt is… not great. I try again.

Alec puts his palms on my waist, bunching his shirt up over my hips until he finds bare skin. “I wish I could bring you with me.”

I frown at my hands, thinking this would be significantly easier if I had four of them. “I love that sentiment, but I promise you, I am fine with missing it.”

“I know.” Patiently, Alec stands in front of me, smelling like soap and toothpaste and emanating warmth like the sun. “What are you going to do tonight?”

“I was thinking of being deeply lazy, but my parents got back from their trip this morning,” I say. “I’ll probably go over there for a bit.”

He stills, and I look up when I feel his attention on my face. “What?”

“Your parents are back in town?”

I stretch, kissing his chin. “Alec, you don’t need to meet my parents.”

He doesn’t seem so sure. “Shouldn’t I say hello?” He bends to grab his phone and opens his calendar. “We could do dinner with them on… hmm… lunch on Monday?”

I step back, inspecting my handiwork and needing a second to push down this weird ball of anguish. I let myself be distracted from the mess inside me with the simpler mess in front of me. Without question, Yael is going to retie the bow tie when she sees it, but I’m not sure I can do better than this.