Page 43 of The County Fair Queen

It was Rivers' turn to clear his throat, pulling me out of the lusty little haze I'd gotten lost in. "Well, aside from the ego-boost," he said, his eyes scanning me from top to toes, "and the lovely view… I've been sent to deliver a message."

"Sounds ominous," I said, grabbing a handful of hardened marshmallows from a candy dish on the end table and popping them into my mouth. "You in the mafia now? Am I going to wake up with a horse's head in my bed next?"

"Is that some sort of euphemism for…" Aunt Lurlene peered around the room as if she expected someone to be lurking in the shadows, listening in on our conversation. Shelling her hand to the side of her mouth, she whispered,"the sex?"I choked on air as Rivers snickered like an immature man-child. "Because if it is, I'm sure I can get Preston to pick you up some of those packages ofcondomsthey sell down at the Pick-n-Save."

"So," I said, much louder than necessary. "Was there something you needed, Rivers?"

"A date would be lovely," he said.

"Pardon?"

"The thing is," he said. "I got a call from Bernadette about an hour ago."

"Who the hell is this Bernadette person everyone keeps mentioning?" I asked.

Ignoring me, he continued, "She thought it might be a good idea if we spent the day together. You know; play it up for the cameras. She suggested I take you somewhere on the square —and this is a direct quote, Firecracker, so don't go giving me one of those mean looks of yours—buy my girlfriend something pretty."

Girlfriend?

GIRLFRIEND?

"What the hell did you just call me?"

He sighed. "I just told you it was a direct quote. Do you not understand the meaning of that expression?" He paused, batting his eyes. "I guess I can understand. Seems like you're having trouble paying attention to anything other than"—he stared down at his crotch, then back at me—"my sparkling personality."

"I hate you. More than I've ever hated anyone; that's how much I hate you."

"You sure about that?" he teased, spreading his legs a bit wider. Before I could get a single accusatory word out, he hopped up from the couch—his dick bouncing from the movement—and headed my way, kneeling at my side. "If you've got other plans, it's okay. I told her I wasn't sure what your day was looking like, but she said you'd be game. So…" Once again, his eyes dipped, but it wasn't his crotch he was staring at this time. No, Rivers' eyes were locked on his own hand, now resting on my thigh, dangerously close to my no-no zone. I hadn't even felt him touch me; his hand just naturally melded into me, like another limb. He pulled away, mumbling out an unintelligible apology before standing up. "I'd really enjoy it, though. Getting to spend a little time with you, I mean. Even if it isn't on camera. I just thought maybe you might want to spend a little time with me, too."

Without thinking, I grabbed his hand and squeezed. It was an action Mr. Papadopoulos didn't seem to care for, if his rollingeyes were any indication. I could practically feel the contempt radiating out of him. "Yeah. We can do that."

"Yeah?"

I nodded, unable to hold back my smile any longer. Who the hell was I kidding? I was enjoying his company just as much as he was enjoying mine. I knew this wouldn't lead anywhere, but it didn't change the fact that I was warming to the guy.

"Yeah. The square, you said?"

"If that's okay with you," he said, blushing like a nervous virgin.

"You want me to meet you there?"

He shook his head. "I've got to get home and get Beau ready. He's got a project due for science class today. Stayed up half the night getting it ready. My mom came over and stayed the night with us to help, so she's with him now. Shouldn't take me longer than an hour. An hour and a half, max. I was thinking after I drop him off, I could just swing by and pick you up. Maybe go grab a bite and see where the day takes us."

After I agreed and he'd gone, I decided coffee was a must. I would be running on fumes for the rest of the day, so a pick-me-up was in order. Preston was in the kitchen when I entered, pouring himself a cup. I couldn't help but snicker when he brought the mug to his mouth, blowing steam across the brim. Sitting front and center on the mug was a picture of my face. One eye winking, a finger pointing out at the camera.

"What?" he growled, slowly making his way to the kitchen table. He took a seat, setting the cup down and reaching for the newspaper. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You're drinking from a cup with my face on it. It's funny."

"What's funny about it?"

I took a seat across from him, grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl in the center of the table. "It's just weird seeing you usingit. I only sent it to you as a gag. Figured you'd smash it as soon as you opened the package."

He arched an eyebrow at me, slowly cocking his head to the side. "This is my mug, Phillip. Why would I smash it? What good would that do?"

"Because of my face. It's right there in the center."

"I know what's on my mug. I use it every day. Kind of hard to miss, kid. I don't really understand what's so confusing about it."

---