Page 11 of Bodied

“I don’t want to go with a bodyguard.” She took a deep breath, which Wesley thought sounded like another hesitation. “I don’t want to look like any success I have is just because of my mom. And if I show up with security detail, won’t people just think I’m overly self-important? It’s going to look so bad! I can’t see how it wouldn’t.”

Wesley frowned. He wished he could say something to convince her she was wrong, but he didn’t really think she was. “I could fall back a bit,” he said. “Pretend we’re not together.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, they’d never let you in.” She sighed. “I hate to admit my mom is right about anything, but her idea might be the only way this works.”

Wesley thought back but couldn’t recall what Lauren was referencing. “What idea?”

The disappointment in Lauren’s silence was loud and clear. She had likely been hoping she didn’t have to say it, whatever it was. Even if hecouldremember, Wesley probably wouldn’t have said it now that he knew how difficult this was for her. He was finding it more and more pleasant to listen to her fumble, though he wasn’t entirely ready to analyze why.

“Fine,” she finally said. “Make me say it. Go with me as my date. Pretend to be my… boyfriend or something.”

“Or something.” Wesley laughed. He could almost hear the cringe in her voice, and it did not disappoint. “I guess I could do that.”

“Good,” she said. “I’ll see you in a bit. Wear something nice.”

Wesley had no idea what she meant by “something nice” but since his event uniform was essentially a suit, he figured that would work just fine. He showered and dressed and looked at himself in the mirror with a frown. How did one pretend to be on a date? He hadn’t been on many real ones in the last several years. His military career and life ambitions hadn’t left a lot of room for a love life. For example, did people even hold hands anymore, or was that just something kids did? Was he supposed to be possessive, or was that considered problematic these days? Was he supposed to pay?

He finished dressing and drove to Lauren’s apartment. He texted her when he arrived, hoping she would let him in so he wouldn’t have to deal with the concierge again. To his surprise, she met him in the lobby, crutch and all. “What’s that?” she said, gesturing to his suit.

“It’s my uniform. It’ll work just fine.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Oh, I don’t think so. You look exactly like a bodyguard or something. You just need a pair of sunglasses to wear in the dark. Are you kidding?”

“I don’t kid,” he said with a frown.

“Right.” She poked him in the upper arm. “I should have known that.” She stopped to think a moment, and Wesley could see the gears turning in her head, which did not comfort him in the least. “Okay, we’re going shopping. You can’t show up in that.”

Wesley glanced down at his own suit. It looked perfectly fine to him. “Look,” he began, “I hate to break this to you, but I don’t get paid the kind of salary that can just buy a new suit every time you have a new event you want to attend.”

“My treat,” she said, strapping her purse over her shoulder like it was a weapon she meant to use. Then she headed for the doors.

Wesley stood, too stunned to speak. He wasn’t quite sure what the appropriate reaction to such an offer would be. When he realized she was already out the door, he followed at a brisk jog. “Now, hang on,” he said when he’d caught up to her. “Just hang on. I don’t need charity or anything. I just don’t like to waste my own money.”

“And I don’t like to waste my own opportunities,” she countered. “This isn’t just going to a movie for fun, you know. I’ll be there to make connections, too. I don’t want my weird, FBI-looking date to spoil any potential friends in the industry.”

“Do I look like I’m in the FBI?” he asked.

She nodded as he opened his car door for her. “In the worst possible way.”

“Sweet,” he joked, and she laughed before giving him a playful glare.

As he pulled away from the parking lot, she entered her favorite New York department store into her GPS. “This is going to be fun.”

Wesley grimaced. It was obvious from her mischievous smile that she meant to torment him, if only just a little. Whether this shopping trip was really as necessary as she claimed was beside the point. She was clearly looking for some form of entertainment.

He was only proven right when Lauren made him try on practically every suit at the shop, regardless of whether or not it would be a good choice. Under normal circumstances, he would have outright refused and found everything completely unfunny. But for some reason, Lauren’s repeated laughter was a sound he wanted to keep hearing, even if it was at his expense.

In the end, he had to accept the choice of Lauren and the saleswoman who was helping them. After all, Lauren was paying for it, and Wesley never did have a strong sense of style. He figured it was better to let the experts make the decisions.

In the end, they chose a navy suit that was, in his opinion, not that much different from the black one he was already wearing. Admittedly, the shirt was a different color, almost pink, which would never have been something he would have chosen under normal circumstances. But when he saw himself in the shop’s full-length mirror, he was pleasantly surprised.

“It brings out his eyes,” the saleswoman said to Lauren. “Don’t you think?”

Lauren bit her lower lip in a way that made Wesley glance away from her. She clearly didn’t want to give him any kind of compliment, but she was being pressured into it. “Yeah, I guess,” she said. “It looks nice on him.”

Was she actually blushing? Wesley suddenly wanted to encourage her to blush more because — he told himself — a little revenge for making him wear a completely new suit might be nice. “Aren’t we meant to be dating?” he said, relishing the shocked expression she suddenly wore.

She shook off her surprise and glared at him. “Fine. You look super hot in that suit, babe.”

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