Page 91 of Fakers with Benefits

I’d learned a long time ago that bullies didn’t like it when you didn’t fight back. Malcolm was a bully, and I refused to stoop to his level.

“I’ll get you that drink.” Malcom waved a server over, picked up one of the champagne flutes on her tray, and handed it to Emily. “There you are.”

“Thank you.” Emily delicately sipped the bubbly.

It didn’t escape me that she’d thanked Malcolm when all he’d done was wave his hand. The server was the one who’d done all the work.

“Sir?” The server shifted the tray closer to me.

“You might want to check his ID first,” Malcom said. “My brother-in-law likes them young.”

The server glanced at me uncertainly.

“He’s just kidding. I’m not underage.” I smiled at her, even as I pictured kicking lemon face in the nuts.

She peered at the drinks on her tray, then at me.

“I’m okay for now, thank you.”

The server left quickly.

“If you’ll excuse me. I need to speak with Grant and Evan.” Malcom kissed Emily’s temple distractedly and hurried away.

“I’m sorry about that. His humor takes some getting used to,” she said.

“I’ll never complain about people thinking I’m younger than I am.” I peeked over at Evan, who was now standing with his dad and Malcolm and looking like he’d mentally checked out a while ago. “His RBF is on point tonight.”

“It always is.” Emily sipped her champagne. “Evan is… He’s my brother and I love him, but he never stood a chance.”

“What do you mean?” I tore my eyes from Evan and turned to her.

“He’s the first born, and the boy. The prodigal male heir.”

“And you were the spare?”

She sniffed. “You could say that. I was the next logical step.”

“I’m not following.”

“Everyone expected our parents to have a second child, so they did. Everything about our family is done for optics and appearances. Everything. They made us, but they didn’t raise us. Did Evan tell you how he called Oksana ‘Mom’ until he was nine? I did until I was eleven.”

I glanced over my shoulder at Vlado. “Your mom?”

He nodded.

“I still call her when I need someone to talk to. And Evan visits her on every holiday, including Mother’s Day. She’s the only reason Evan grew up somewhat normal.”

I shifted so Vlado wasn’t at my back and I could look between him and Emily. “She is?”

“She gave him the space to be a kid. Our parents expected us to be mini adults right out of the womb and treated us like accessories. Always happy to boast about us and parade us around, but completely hands-off when it came to raising us.” She paused. “Oksana was the one constant source of support in our lives. I’m so glad he had her to confide in when he was struggling with his sexuality.”

“Evan struggled with being gay?”

She nodded, her eyes sad. “He knew it went against the plans they’d made for him. He was supposed to grow up, take over for Dad, marry a suitable woman, preferably one who had connections to a family friend or was in line for a healthy inheritance, and have his own heir and spare.”

“He didn’t struggle with the actual being gay part?”

“If he did, he never told me.”

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