Page 27 of Yours to Ho Ho Hold
The couches are full, and Jamie hops up to give Wren his seat. He pulls a dining chair into the space and sits on it backwards. A flash of Drew fucking me in a very similar chair sends a fresh chill down my spine, and I swallow a gulp, trying to push the memory away.
I cannot let myself think about that right now. With my luck, if Drew’s family is anywhere near as intuitive as he is, they’ll all see right through me.
I bite my lip and stare down at my feet as I try to clear my dirty thoughts.
“So, what brand were you working with on your trip?” Jamie picks up his phone like he’s searching for something.
Drew clears his throat and coughs, choking on his cider and says, “Oh, um, it was just a small gym. They wanted me to do some promo for a local ad.”
I sit up a little taller. It’s the first time I’ve seen Drew look flustered, and I don’t have to know him to see he’s lying. He’s fidgeting in his seat, and he can’t look anyone in the eyes. He looks … nervous?
Suddenly, I remember his confession about why he doesn’t tell his family what his real job is, and my heart breaks for him.
Jamie’s mouth pulls into a smirk. “I thought that’s what you told me, but when I checked your location, you weren’t anywhere near a gym.” He swipes at something on his phone and pulls up a picture that I can’t quite make out.
Drew’s face drains of its color, and he blinks several times but doesn’t say anything.
“Then I saw this ad for this romance novel. It popped up on my feed, and even though I can’t see the guy’s face, I’d recognize that tattoo anywhere.” He passes the phone to Simon, who laughs and passes the phone to Sam. Sam smirks but doesn’t say anything.
“Now, I don’t know what the big deal is.” James grabs the phone, and his eyes go wide.
Charlotte sneaks a glance and nearly spits out her cider. Indie’s sitting in her lap, and when she sees the picture, she squeals. “I see Uncle Doodoo’s Go-Go!”
Drew snatches the phone. “What are you talking about? That is not my Go-Go.”
“What’s a Go-Go–” My words fall off when the view of Drew’s round, muscular ass fills the screen, complete with the thigh tattoo of a topless mermaid. In the photo, he’s shirtless and pulling up his jeans, looking freshly fucked with his dick barely covered and giving the camera a prime view of the side of his ass, crack and all.
There’s no mistaking it’s him, even though his face is only visible from the side. Between the dark, silky hair, the thick, neatly groomed mustache on his lip, his golden skin, and the tattoo that has to be one of a kind peeking out over the top of his jeans … It’s undeniably him.
The room falls quiet as all eyes land on Drew, and I want to throw myself on top of him to shield him from this awkward moment, but it’s too late. They’ve already seen it.
Drew purses his lips and finally speaks. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you … about my job …”
ChapterTwelve
Drew
“I guess the secrets out, then.”I scratch my head as I look into a room full of confused eyes, all waiting for an explanation.
I think there’s always been a part of me that knew they’d find out—hoped even—but the timing isn’t exactly ideal. I guess it never really is when it comes to having these kinds of conversations.
Well, may as well get it over with. Rip it off like a band aid. The quicker I come clean, the quicker they can all get back to teasing me, and I can stop keeping all the secrets. It’s fucking hard living a lie, unable to ask my dad for contract advice or brainstorm with Sam about starting my own agency.
Sure, they’ll never let me live this down, but at least I don’t have to pretend anymore. That’s a relief in itself.
I scrub my hand over my face and blow out a breath as Holly’s hand rubs across my back, letting me know she’s right here. For some reason, that tiny gesture gives me courage I didn’t know I needed.
“I’m not just a social media influencer.” I open my clasped hands and shrug. “I mean, that’s what started it all. What caught the eyes of my agent.”
Holly wraps her hand in mine, and her brown eyes flicker with pride as she looks at me giving me strength.
“I guess I’ll just start from the beginning.” I cross my foot over my knee and lean back on the sofa, feeling the weight of everyone’s attention like a boulder heavy on my shoulders. “I posted that thirst trap—the one in the pool wearing the speedo you all made me wear when I lost in fantasy football last year.”
Everyone nods in understanding as Jamie and Simon both try to hide snickers behind their hands. I continue, “Well, I don’t know if you know this, but it went viral. Apparently, the picture reminded people of this hot character from a popular romance book series. I gained thousands of followers overnight—all women and all of them telling me I resembled this character. Then, it didn’t matter what I posted. They wouldn’t stop.”
I shake my head and smile, remembering the craziness of it all.
“I didn’t say anything because I thought it would pass, that they’d eventually lose interest over time, but apparently, the author started a new series and wanted to bring me in on it. One day, I got an email from someone who wanted to represent me, and things took off from there. Not only was the original author interested, but there was an entire list of romance authors willing to pay top dollar for my photos.
