Page 59 of The Fake Play

She nods, her gaze flicking over to Luke. “It’s a wild crowd tonight, that’s for sure. You know they’re here for a show, this isn’t a personal attack on your relationship.”

I swallow hard, knowing exactly what she means. “I just didn’t expect it to get this out of hand.” Whitney’s expression softens, and I appreciate her concern. Before she can say anything else, I blurt, “I’m fine, really.”

What if this turns into something more than I can handle?

The thought knots my stomach, and I force myself to breathe through the unease. Every cheer from the crowd feels like a reminder of what I’m risking. I’m playing a dangerous game, allowing myself to feel something for him while pretending it’snothing more than business. Maybe I should have told them only one bidder could win him. But that would have squashed the enthusiasm of the crowd, and I couldn’t do that.

More laughter, shouts, and cheering from the audience as Luke dances with his winning bidders. I laugh too, caught up in the absurdity of it all. The scene is ridiculous, and yet, there is something intoxicating about his confidence. He’s definitely magnetic, and I feel my resolve weakening again.

He tore down my protective walls, and now I’m raw and open to being hurt. My boyfriend is dancing in his underwear with two women who are getting more flirtatious by the second, and I don’t have any authority to make them stop. Technically, he’s not even my boyfriend, though the only person that knows that is Whitney. The women grind on him without a care in the world. He’s just another player for them to ogle, and I mean nothing to them.

I desperately try to remain professional, but my mind drifts to Luke’s bright smile, his playful demeanor, and the way he makes me feel like I’m the only one in the room when we’re together. I can’t ignore the fact that this has become more than just a job for me now. I let him in, and now I’ll pay the price.

Me and my baby.

I need to announce the winners. I got so lost in my thoughts that I nearly forgot. “Going once! Going twice!”

Just then, the weight of everything crashes down on me. I’d been keeping my feelings in check, trying to hold it all together, but standing in front of everyone, watching him bask in the limelight…

“I’m pregnant!”

The room falls silent, save for the music. The laughter fades, the cheers halt, and a stunned stillness sweeps through the room.

I freeze.

Oh my God, what have I done? My heart races as all eyes turn toward me.

Confusion floods Luke’s features. His brow furrows in concern as his eyes drill questions into me. The women he’d been dancing with leave the stage.

Finally, he mouths, “What?”

I run off the stage.

Chapter 25

Luke

Time literally stopped in that moment and faded into a blur. The cheers of the crowd became nothing more than a dull roar. It was like being underwater—I couldn’t breathe. My mind and body felt hollowed out.

Pregnant. Keke is pregnant.

The word echoes in my head, and I feel like I just jumped out of an airplane. Freefalling.

All I can hear is the pounding of my own heart and that singular word racing through my mind. My bidders pull me off the stage and kiss me. I barely register the sensation. Past them, I see Keke running off in the distance. She glances back at me before slipping away into the backstage chaos.

I politely turn the two women away, the thrill of the auction and the crowd’s energy meaning nothing now. “Sorry, I have to go,” I manage to say, my voice sounding distant even to me.

It feels like I’m in a dream, detached from reality as I push my way through the throng of people, adrenaline surging through my veins. I grab my clothes off the stage and pull them on as I try to catch up to Keke but the crowd won’t let me through, and some of them actually play keep away with myclothes. Several of the bidders grope me as I attempt to get backstage.

I’m going nowhere fast.

“Hey! Calm down! Let him through!” Whitney shouts into the microphone, her voice cutting through the chaos. She’s like a general on the battlefield, rallying the troops to restore order. “Back it up everyone! Clear a path! Now!”

The crowd parts before me, and all of those too-friendly hands seem to vanish. I nod my gratitude to Whitney before bolting into the backstage area.

I don’t know if shell-shocked is the right word but I’m certainly struggling to process what the hell just happened.

Keke is pregnant. I am the father.

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