Page 11 of Faking with the Bad Boy Billionaire

Arriving at the table, the first two people Josephine spotted were Hank and James. Both were clearly sizing up Steven and were zoned in on how the couple's arms were locked together. Steven noticed, but he ignored them as he greeted Lana.

"Hello, you two!" Lana leaned in for some air kisses and touched Josephine's side to compliment and admire her dress. Steven gave a hum of appreciation and moved his arm around her waist. He started moving his thumb up and down her ribs on her left side. Josephine stared up at him and then smiled back at the group.

"You look lovely, Lana. Good to see you again." Steven knew how to schmooze with the best of them.

"You are looking sharp yourself, Mr. Calhoun. I still wonder why it took her so long to tell us about you!" Lana put her hand on Steven's arm, and Josephine looked at it and then back at her face with a warning look.

"We like to keep things private. We are both in the public eye in different ways, and this was just easier for us to keep doing things without having people take over our lives on social media." What he said made sense to her and eased the questions from everyone else. It helped ease Josephine's reactions to everything going on around her.

"Well, we just saw the ring for the first time yesterday, but I want another look at that bad boy." Josephine let out a fake laugh that only Steven registered as fake. He tried to cover up his laughter with his hand, but Steven caught it.

"Josephine," Hank's voice reached her ears, and she stiffened slightly, "How are you, sweetheart?"

"Sweetheart? I thought you said you didn't like other men calling you nicknames?" Steven said it loud enough to make Hank zip his lips.

"Only you, love." She gave him an affectionate tap on the chest right over his heart. She was trying to see if his heart was beating as hard as hers was.

"Is this why you turned down my dinner offer last week?" James questioned.

"This is why she has probably turned you down more than once," Steven looked Josephine in the eye, "correct?"

"Completely accurate," Josephine remembered all the times Steven stepped in to keep bad dates from happening. He tightened his grip around her, letting her know he was right there with her.

"So, how long have you known our girl here?" Hank threw out a possessive question.

Steven and Josephine locked eyes, "All our lives." Josephine let him give her a light kiss on the lips, "Our parents were friends growing up, we lived down the road from one another, we went to prom together, and everything in between." Josephine's heart was fluttering as he kept talking.

"Best friends to lovers, then? So cute!" Lana was practically squealing at how cute the story was.

"So, why the distance?"

"Business opportunity took me away for a while, but we have always been us, so the logical next step was to continue growing together." Josephine felt herself blushing at Steven's words. She did not realize until then that she would have grown with him had she paid more attention in high school. Maybe he would have felt the same as she did.

"Excuse me, Mi Amor. I need to use the restroom. I will be back before the auction starts." Josephine kissed his hand as she went to let go and walked away.

Josephine felt her feet picking up quickly as she tried to reach some space. She needed to breathe and sort through the things that were said. She went to the bathroom and fanned herself down. When she was walking out, Lana walked in.

"I thought you were kidding when you said you were engaged! He is amazing!" Lana moved to the mirror and started adding on a new coat of lipstick.

"I know he is." Josephine was trying not to get sucked into the fake engagement.

"You haven't had any champagne yet! Let's go get a drink before this auction starts." Lana dragged her out of the bathroom to the nearest server with a tray of full flutes. The strawberry in the bottom of the golden drink made Josephine focus on something else momentarily. They went to the men's talking shop about events at the club and when they could make their way out. Steven must have noticed the worry she was carrying. He gave her a brow-raised look, and she just shook her head. He held his hand out for her, and she grabbed on like she was holding onto a life raft.

"Are you okay?" Steven was leaning in close to whisper in her ear.

"Yeah, I am okay. Just a lot of people that I have to smile at and put this work mask on for," she whispered back.

"You are with me. You don't have to wear a mask while I am around." He wrapped his arm around her and gripped her tight.

"I never wore a mask with you," She leaned her head on his arm, "and I never intend to. However, with all of them," she made a small gesture, "it is part of the job."

"I do the same thing sometimes." His admission made her look up into his eyes with a bit of surprise.

She went to say something else to Steven when an announcement began, "Ladies and gentlemen, the silent auction is about to begin. Please go down the main hall to see the wonderful pieces, offers, and prizes raffled off for a wonderful cause." The announcement was over, and the masses slowly entered the hall to see what they wanted to bid on.

Josephine decides to bid on a spa weekend, a few items like a purse and wallet set, and a few small trips. Steven paid attention to what she was bidding on, asking questions about why each one, who she would go with, and why she liked certain places. He always asked many questions but genuinely tried to understand her motives, wants, and needs.

Steven commented about getting a drink and disappeared for a little while, leaving her to wander and converse with doctors, survivors, current patients, and families. She signed a few autographs and took a few photos when she felt him watching her more than she physically saw him watching her.

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