Page 74 of Pretend Girlfriend

After dinner, we went down to the pool to watch the third period of the hockey game. A bunch of other people were sitting at the poolside bar watching it. At this point, the Blackhawks were losing, 3-1. About fifty feet away, Austin was sitting on the edge of the pool with his feet in the water. He looked exhausted.

I almost felt bad for him.

Almost.

“Bradyn wants to get in the pool, so I’m going to go change,” Landon told me. “So please don’t barge into the room for the next ten minutes.”

“Don’t walk into the room while you’re masturbating to the memory of Florence’s strong fingers,” I said. “Got it.”

He glared at me, then went off.

The bar had Red Stripe on tap, so I ordered a glass and sipped on it while watching the game. Austin emerged from the pool and limped over to me.

“I’ll have whatever she’s drinking,” he said in that smooth Texas accent.

The bartender nodded, then reached below the bar to retrieve a can of beer that was not Red Stripe. He poured it into a glass, gave me a subtle nod, then handed it to Austin. Somehow, I stopped myself from grinning like a fool.

“Mmm, that’s good,” Austin said after a long pull. “I just wanted to let you know we are most certainly not even, Joanna.”

“What ever do you mean?” I asked innocently.

He raised his glass and said, “Enjoy the game. Hope the Blackhawks lose.”

I stuck out my tongue at him as he left.

Theo appeared next to me a moment later. “I’ll take a glass of what the lady is drinking, and a shot of rum. Dealer’s choice.”

Unlike Austin, the bartender pulled Landon’s drink from the tap.

“It’s torture being around you all while you’re shirtless,” I whispered. “Several times today I wanted to pinch your sexy little butt.”

Theo grinned at me. “It can’t be that bad. You and Landon have seemed awfully chummy.”

I frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m just saying, you two look real convincing. Maybe instead of DefTec, you should get a job as an actress.”

“Why, Theodore Angelina Manafort. Are you jealous?”

“My middle name is Isaac.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” I pointed out.

He turned around so that his back was to the bar, resting his elbows on the surface while gazing at the pool. “All right. I’m a little jealous.”

“I knew it!”

“But only because I don’t like having to pretend like I don’t want to jump your bones every time I see you walking around in that red bikini. You’re killing me, girl.”

“It’s possible that I had you in mind when I wore that today.”

“Careful. If you keep teasing, I won’t be able to keep my hands off you in front of everyone. It’ll ruin the entire trip.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a key. “In that case, maybe I’ll make a surprise visit to room 3302.”

“It’s not a surprise if you tell me about it ahead of time.”

“No,” I admitted. “The surprise is what I plan on doing with you once I’m there.”

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