Page 144 of Pretend Girlfriend

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Theo and I were planning on getting dinner at a restaurant downtown. But what actually happened was we got a drink, then immediately went to the hotel where we’d first hooked up three weeks ago. This time there were no emergency hockey interruptions, and we spent most of the night having sweaty, exhausting sex in every position imaginable.

And then we ordered room service. With no limit.

I went out to dinner with Landon the next night. It was a genuine date; we got dinner, then went for a walk along the lake while talking about anything and everything. Now that we weren’t faking it, we were free to actually learn about each other. The real versions of each other, not the facade we had been portraying.

It was an amazing date, and we didn’t even sleep together at the end of the night. We both realized we wanted to take it slow since we were sort of starting over.

Austin had a weird fireman schedule that I didn’t understand, but the gist was that he had night shifts for the next few days. So we got lunch together, then went back to his apartment to hook up.

And this time, he didn’t sit in the corner and watch for the first half.

We settled into a strange groove, the four of us. Theo and I went to a Cubs game up in Wrigleyville, and he made me admit that baseball games were a great atmosphere (although I still insisted hockey and football were better sports overall). Landon and I got dinner several more times, and eventually slept together on the third date—and by then, we were both dying to have sex.

Just like on the beach in Jamaica, he didn’t disappoint.

I threw myself into my work with Judge Rivendale. Unlike when I was working for the defense attorney, this was so much more satisfying. It made me feel like I was making a difference in the world, rather than just exploiting the legal system for profit.

And then at night, I hung out with one of my three boyfriends.

Having three to pick from was interesting in a lot of ways. Everything always felt fresh and new and exciting. When Austin had a long shift, I spent time with Landon or Theo instead. When Theo went out of town for a conference in Oklahoma City, I leaned on Landon and Austin. It was like having three different cars to choose from every time I needed to drive somewhere.

Except the cars were gorgeous men who cared about me, and who I was slowly developing deeper feelings for.

For a while, it was wonderful. Like Jack had said, I was living the dream.

But around the two month mark, I started to get worried. I had expected “the one” to become obvious to me, but I was no closer to figuring out which of the three I wanted to devote my full attention to. If anything, I was falling in love with all three of them. I was afraid to say the L-word out loud, but I knew that feeling was growing.

And soon it would come to a head.

“The job is going so well,” I told Landon one evening while we walked up to his apartment. “It’s busy, but incredibly fulfilling. And of course it’s better than working for an ambulance chaser. As a bonus: I haven’t had to fake-laugh at inappropriate sexual jokes at all!”

“That’s kind of a low bar,” Landon said. “You dodged a bullet at DefTec, too. Not only is the hiring freeze still active, but there have been several rounds of layoffs. You almost jumped in front of a bullet!”

“Thank goodness for that,” I muttered. “Your job is safe though, right?”

“So far!” he said with a nervous laugh. “But no, I think I’ll be okay. I’m crucial staff. That means I’m the one helping decide who else to layoff, which sucks for a totally different reason.”

I rubbed his back as we approached his apartment door. “I’m sorry.”

The door next to Landon’s place opened and his neighbor walked out with a dog on a leash. When she saw us, she froze. “Um, hi Landon.”

“Hi, Brooke,” Landon said slyly. “How’s the opera lately?”

She mumbled something and hurried along with her dog.

“Say hi to my mother for me!” Landon called after her.

“I doubt she’s still spying for Danicka,” I said. “Especially since Danicka told me.”

“Probably, but now I’m paranoid. And my mother is relentless.”

“She is,” I agreed.

We went inside his apartment, and I stopped in my tracks. We weren’t alone. Theo and Austin were sitting on the couch playing videogames together.

“What the—” I said.

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