“Don’t you think that Mong looks like my friend?” Hex asks suddenly, tugging on my sleeve.
It takes me all the self-control I have available not to glare at him.She’d moved on, so why did he bring her attention back to my appearance?
Mrs. Lynx levels her eyes on me again, this time frowning even more. I ball my hand into a fist, keeping it just out of sight as I flash her a friendly smile.
“Oh! He does, doesn’t he, dear? I was wondering why he seemed so familiar.” She waves me over and when I walk over to her chair, she beckons me to bend down. Her round fingers grab my chin and twist my head left and right as if I am an exhibit in a museum. “He really looks like a younger version of your grumpy friend!”
I thank all the deities watching that my disguise holds up even from up close. Hex bursts out laughing, even snorts. I want to smack him on the head, because,one, I amnotgrumpy,two, none of this is funny, and three, he should’ve stuck to the plan. He was supposed to spend some time chit-chatting about his made-up day by the pool, and once she’d had a few drinks, ask her about hers. When buttered up to effectively, people will tell you all kinds of things they aren’t supposed to tell, without even realizing it. You just need to guide them a bit.
“He only looks scary. But under all those onion layers, he’s a really nice guy,” Hex says, rubbing the rim of his glass with his thumb as he chews on his full bottom lip.
I want to both strangle and kiss him.
“Have you two known each other for long?” Mr. Streiss says in a calm, gruff voice that’s the opposite of Claire’s.
It gets my attention immediately, which is how I catch the predatory spark in his gaze when it shifts from his wineglass to Hex. Alarm bells go off in my head to get the grinning hacker away from the two, but I can’t exactly grab him and toss him over my shoulder, can I?
Unless…
Before Hex has managed to give a reply, I step to the side and hit his chair with my hip. The impact is discreet but powerful enough to move the chair. The wobbly thing sends Hex’s hands to the armrests, which—because he’s clumsy like that—causes him to knock the glass of soda off the table. It spills all over his luxurious clothes, and he shoots up, eyes wide and mouth hanging in shock and surprise.
“Oh shit!” He scrambles to soak up the wetness with the cloth napkin that was set under his cutlery.
“Dear, are you okay?” Mrs. Streiss squeaks, worry written all over her face. She stands and hurries over, placing a hand over her mouth. “My, this is serious! Your shirt is soaked! Come, let’s go get you dried off.”
I grasp Hex’s arm and yank him out of her reach just as her fingers are about to touch him. His light body collides with my chest, warm and secure. “My apologies, Mrs. Lynx. I should’ve been paying more attention and noticed the glass was unstable. Please, let me take care of this while you enjoy your drink and get ready for the game. I promise to bring your guest back in time.”
For a moment, she looks very unhappy with my reasonable offer, but a nod from Mr. Streiss erases the slight scowl that’s formed on her face. Sitting back down, she takes a sip from her glass and waves us to go.
“I’ll let you take care of my darling Hex in my stead, then. Make sure he’s all dry and comfortable before you bring him back.” With a megawatt smile, she turns to the man in question. “Off you go, young man. And don’t take too long! You don’t want to miss the start of the game.”
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Lynx.” Hex snakes a hand behind my back and gropes my left ass cheek. I bite down a sudden groan and focus my eyes on a point on the wall across so that I don’t roll them.The little shit.“I’m not used to this kind of thing… First, I tripped, and now this… I hope I didn’t embarrass you and Mr. Lynx… too much.”
He tripped? When? Where? And why don’t I know about it?
The couple laughs loudly, attracting the curious gazes of the neighboring tables.
“You are such a treat, Hex. You’d never embarrass us. Now, shoo and get changed. I’d hate it if you caught a cold.”
I dip my head and herd Hex out of the dining hall and into the men’s restroom, locking the door behind us. He leans his ass against the gilded marble of the sinks and crosses his arms over his wet shirt.
“This was totally your fault. What did you kick my chair for?”
I mirror his pose and narrow my eyes. “You deviated from the plan and almost blew my cover.”
His eyes widen for a second, then turn into narrow slits. “Uh, no? I did the opposite! She’d have kept wondering where she’d seen you, which means she’d keep looking at you, which in turn would increase the chance of her noticing that you aren’t quite Mong. I saved your ass, if anything.”
Surprisingly, there is some logic to his words. I’d planned to keep a low profile and just observe, but now I realize how likely impossible that would have been after the most recent development between me and Hex. Just watching people look at him raises my hackles, not to mention having to stand by while he puts himself in the crosshairs of two sexual predators. I’m pretty sure that Claire Streiss and her husband, Paulino Streiss have their sights set on Hex for more than his silly conversational skills. I don’t have proof and I also don’t want to needlessly alert my troublemaker hacker when his mission tonight is complicated enough as is, but I also know to trust my hunch.
“You are right,” I concede, cautious of the time. Since I am posing as Mong, I must maintain the impeccable service he likely delivers, which means ensuring Hex is back for the start of tonight’s game event.
Hex blinks at me, surprise in his sparkling brown eyes. “I am?”
I let one side of my mouth curl up. “Yes, you are. Now, please take off the shirt and let me dry it. We need to get you back to the table before the Lynxes get suspicious.”
He does as told, pouting those kissable lips at me as he hands me his shirt. “Aww, and here I was hoping you’d press me against the mirror and show me how good it feels to be with a man…”
It takes a while, but after years of this, you eventually get used to it so you can ignore it. Mostly. “You know that would never happen.”
