Page 47 of Cheater and the Saint
From the stage, Jacob—aka Billy—called out, catching our attention. He sat there on the floor, beneath the spotlight and with his crutch to the side of him, speaking his soliloquy. His passion showed through in his expression, reflecting in his words, and he had the whole audience hanging on his every word. Captivated. Including Leo, who hadn’t been able to pay attention for longer than two minutes that entire time without fidgeting.
The monologue was moving and powerful. There was no question as to why Jacob had landed the role. After the last word was spoken, there was a pause from the audience, who were in various stages of stunned silence, and then, applause. Wave after wave of applause.
And then there was Leo… who cupped his hands around his mouth and hollered out to him. Jacob beamed on the stage, and when the rest of the cast came out for curtain call, the applause grew larger. Leo’s voice could be heard over everyone, and the look of awe on Jacob’s face as he stared out into the audience, toward me and Leo, made my chest tingle.
Afterward, people started filing out of the auditorium and greeting the cast out in the lobby. Jacob approached us, wearing a huge smile.
“Thank you for coming!” he said to Leo, and then moved his gaze to me. “You’re Saint?”
I nodded and shook his hand. “Yeah. It’s nice to meet you. You did great tonight. I’ve seen that play a few times, but your interpretation of Billy was one of the best.”
Jacob chewed his bottom lip. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t think to get you a flower or whatever shit it is people bring to the cast,” Leo said. “But how about we go out to dinner instead to celebrate?”
“I’d like that,” Jacob replied, looking between the pair of us. “Thanks again for being here.”
Seeing the rest of the cast around us being swarmed by family members and friends… and then seeing just the three of us off to the side, well, I was grateful Leo had invited me to come with him. A few people clapped Jacob on the back in passing and told himgood job, but that was about the extent of it before they went on their way.
Once Jacob cleaned up and changed back into his regular clothes, we drove together in my car to Bricktown, a bar and grill restaurant. Leo whined, wanting to drive, but his truck was too small for all three of us. I told him that if I drove, he and Jacob could have a few drinks and I’d be the DD. So that put an end to his pouting.
The place was always a bit busy on Friday nights, and it took a bit to find a parking spot. Bricktown had great food, though, so I didn’t complain.
When we walked inside, the hostess greeted us, wearing a black T-shirt and jeans. Her blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders in soft waves, and her green eyes were lined with dark liner and long, black eyelashes. As she asked us how many was in our party, she had some serious eyes for Leo.
Not that I could blame her. I was starting to get that way, as well, constantly admiring his broad shoulders, sexy V-shape torso, and his nice ass. Don’t even get me started on his face. Honestly, as cliché as it was to say, it should be a crime to betthathot, gifted with both a body and face that’d make men and women alike sneak off to rub one out.
The hostess took us to a tall table near the bar, before saying to Leo, “Your waitress will be right with you.”
“Thanks, doll,” he responded with his signature wink.
I rolled my eyes.
The waitress came and took our drink orders, and by the way she was tucking her hair behind her ear and peering up at Leo through her lashes, I suspected the hostess had tipped her off on the hotness that awaited her.
As she walked off, I caught Leo staring at her ass, and even though I hadnohold on him, because we were just friends, anger coiled in my gut.
“So, Jacob,” I said, looking at him across the table and biting back my bitterness. He sat in front of me, and Leo sat to my right. My back was to the wall, which was how I preferred it. “What got you into theater?”
“My Aunt Janice,” he answered, smiling. Jacob had a gentle nature and was very soft-spoken; a contrast to the extroverted personality a performer usually had in order to be on stage in front of a lot of people. “She first introduced me to Broadway when I was really little, and we watched musicals a lot. I knew I wanted to perform when I got older.”
He went on to explain that she’d passed from breast cancer a few years ago. She’d been the only person in his family to support his career choice. His dad was disappointed in him, and his mom didn’t seem like she cared one way or the other when it concerned him—which could be just as hurtful, in my opinion. His sister didn’t try to reach out to him.
The drinks came then, and our food orders were taken. I ordered chicken strips and fries, while Leo ordered a bacon cheeseburger bigger than his head, and Jacob got the Chef’s salad with extra croutons.
Conversation was refreshingly easy. Being introverted around new people, I’d been anxious about meeting Jacob. Turned out, he was one of the easiest people in the world to talk to. He listened and spoke in equal measure, and there wasn’t a dull moment.
Jacob asked about my family and my plans after college, and Leo seemed to intently pay attention to my answers. So much so, that he didn’t even glance at the attractive woman that walked right past him, slowly I might add, as though hoping he’d notice her.
“I used to be a swimmer back in high school,” I answered, after Jacob asked about whether I was into sports. “I loved it, but didn’t want to pursue it professionally. I wasn’t that good.”
“What are you studying?”
“Psychology. I either want to be a psychologist or go into some other field of it, just as long as I’m able to help people,” I explained after drinking some water. They were both on their third drink, but it was just beer, so I doubted they’d get wasted or anything that night. It was more of a celebration and not a wild night out. “I’m fascinated by the mind.”
“Know what I’m fascinated by?” Leo asked, leaning forward on the table and arching a brow. “Human anatomy.”
“Let me guess. Mrs. Stevens’ anatomy?” Jacob grinned before downing the rest of his beer. His brown eyes then shifted to me. “She’s our literature professor, and Leo can’t keep his eyes off her during lecture. I thought she was going to whoop his ass first day of class.”
