Elise smiled. “Sounds good. I’ll go with you.”
I turned to Thalia. “Can we get you anything?”
Her expression was so unabashedly irate, I nearly laughed. Maybe it was the whispering between me and Elise, or my refusing to leave with Thalia. Whatever it was, Thalia was furious.
“Nothing for me,” she said saccharinely. “But Elise should stay behind. I’ll entertain her.” She smiled—the crinkly-eyed one that opened doors for her in business. The one no one suspected of guile, but that I was beginning to think hid her true feelings.
Meanwhile, Elise dared me to leave her with her glare.
It would be extremely awkward to say no to Thalia after I’d already done so. What harm would come from these two standing together?
Elise was all about independence. This would be good for her. “I’ll be right back.”
Her gaze narrowed. “Hurry back, sweetie.” Then I felt—and heard—a loud smack on my ass.
Elise held back a laugh at my incredulous look and flittered her fingers in a wave.
If the ass smack had come from anyone else, I would be annoyed. But what I felt was challenged.
ChapterThirteen
Elise
Jackand I needed to develop ground rules for this fake-dating scheme. His wandering hand had caused all kinds of fluttering, and I didn’t needthatconfusion. I was looking for companionship, but not from my roommate! However, I’d gotten great pleasure out of my retaliation and his disgruntled expression after I smacked his butt in front of Thalia.
She was playing it cool, but I had a gut feeling about Thalia, mostly because her eyes roved all over Jack’s body when he wasn’t looking. Claiming his ass in front of her was to teach him a lesson, and her one too. Thalia needed to know Jack’s firm behind belonged tome.
Well, not technically. But she didn’t know that.
“So,” Thalia said casually, eyeing the crowd. “How long have you and Jack been dating? He called you his roommate when he introduced you.” She turned and stared at me. “Imagine my surprise when he referred to you as his girlfriend the other night.”
“It’s new,” I said.
Her expression morphed into one of innocence. “Is that why you don’t share a bedroom?”
Nailed.Point one to Thalia.
“Exactly,” I said cheerily, trying to cover what should have been an obvious flaw in the plan. “I moved in as his roommate, but the attraction couldn’t be denied.”
She cocked her head to the side, as suspicious of me as I was of her. “I see,” she said, and I worried she really did.
I glanced quickly around.Where the hell is Jack?People were staring in my and Thalia’s direction, which was unnerving. Was my bra showing through the fabric of this expensive gown? It would be just like me to make a fashion faux pas at a ritzy event. The cream color seemed to show every ripple and curve, and I wasn’t sure I was pulling it off.
This was why I didn’t mess with fancy clothes. They weren’t sturdy, even if Jack had paid a fortune.
“Jack needs a strong partner around the businessmen he’ll be pitching.” Her look was conniving. “Hopefully you’re up for fluffing potential investors?”
I choked on an inhalation. “Fluffing?”
The only time I’d heard that term applied was to someone who prepared an erotic actor on a porn set. But that couldn’t be what she was referring to.
Thalia shrugged lightly, and her gaze wandered over my shoulder. “The term applies.”
Had Thalia just compared me to…someone who gave blow jobs for a living? “The term doesn’t apply,” I said, but she ignored my comment, a smile filling her face.
I looked back to see Jack making his way over, but I wasn’t relieved. I was upset.
Thalia’s smile dropped slightly as she scanned my body, making me feel like trash in the designer gown Jack had handpicked. “You were inappropriate earlier, groping Jack. It doesn’t look good for him to have a tacky girlfriend. He needs someone with class.”
