Page 64 of Some Like It Hot

It certainly drives me crazy, so I understand how they’re equally drawn to her.

Simon gives her a charming smile and raises his glass up in salute.

Aidan shifts in his chair, his smile slow and filled with desire.

Then they both flick their gazes to me.

I nod in greeting. I glance down at Elise. She’s taking a deep breath. She feels my gaze and looks up at me.

She seems nervous, but if I’m reading her right, it seems more like excitement, not doubt. “You don’t have to do this,” she says. “I’ll still pretend to be your fiancée publicly.”

I grip her cheeks with both of my hands and stare into her beautiful eyes. Then I kiss her, taking her mouth in a demanding, hungry kiss. I pour myself into tasting her, crowding her space, sweeping my tongue into her mouth.

She moans softly when I pull away.

“I never do anything I don’t want to do,” I tell her. “Except for Racketeers press conferences.”

She laughs softly. “Good to know.”

“Now let’s go join these guys so you can tell them exactly what you want.”

I take her hand. I don't know why. I’m not really a holding hands kind of guy.

Who the fuck am I kidding?

I may be willing to share Elise and our engagement may be fake, but I still want to establish I’m an equal player.

“Hello, love,” Simon says to her as we approach. He stands up and kisses her cheek. He holds his hand out to me. “Good to see you again, Blake.”

He says it as if I haven’t seen him in his underwear.

I shake his hand. “Hey, what’s up?”

Social situations are a breeze for this guy and part of me envies that, the way I have in the past with friends like Crew McNeill and Alexsei Ryan. They always know what to say.

Aidan is the same way. He may not be as charming as Simon, but he always seems comfortable and friendly. He gives Elise a smile as he pulls himself to his feet.

“Hi.” He gives her a hug and shakes my hand as well.

Simon gestures for us to sit down and he casually leans back in his chair, resting his calf over the opposite knee. “How was dinner?”

“Delicious,” Elise says. “How about you two?”

“My filet was perfectly prepared,” he says, lifting his fingers in an “o.” “The chef is amazing.”

“There was no one else in the restaurant,” Aidan tells her. “Simon arranged for private dining.”

“Oooh, that sounds very fancy. You’re on your A game, Simon, I love it.” Elise sits down next to Aidan.

Simon launches into a detailed description of their dinner dishes.

I drag out the chair beside Simon and listen to them make small talk for another five minutes before I can’t stand it.

I fucking hate small talk.

“Is anyone having sex or are we just going to talk about the braised whatever-the-fuck all night?” I demand.

Elise cuts off mid-sentence and gapes at me.

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