13 - Theo

13

Theo

What the hell had I gotten myself into?

I was freaking the fuck out when I walked into the room and saw Joanna sitting with Landon, his arm resting possessively across the back of her chair. I hated cheaters. I never wanted to be the kind of guy who destroyed a relationship. Everyone here loved me because I was the opposite of that kind of guy!

It was a huge relief to find out it was all a scheme. A big, dumb scheme. I hadn't caused Joanna to cheat on anyone.

And it meant she was still available.

She was looking extra hot tonight in that pencil skirt and blouse. The way she dragged her fingernails across my crotch had instantly made me hard. The only way to make myself soft before I returned to the rehearsal dinner room was to think about Bradyn's grandma in lingerie.

"Here you go, Mrs. Cozart," I said as I delivered the wine. "The finest Chardonnay in all of Chicago."

She aimed a finger at me menacingly. "If you call me Mrs. Cozart one more time, I'll jerk a knot in your tail."

My phone buzzed with a text message as I sat down.

Joanna : Austin knows. He saw us together at the bar.

Me : Who the hell is Austin?

Joanna : Marisa's best friend. Auburn hair, blue eyes, Texas accent. You'll see him come back after me.

Me : What exactly does he know?

Joanna : He knows you and I are involved. He thinks I'm cheating on Landon. I threatened him though, so we should be good.

Me : You threatened him? Seriously?

Oh God. This was a nightmare. Their entire story was going to fall apart tonight. They wouldn't even make it to the wedding.

Joanna returned to the room with a little extra sway in her step. I tried not to stare; she looked amazing in that pencil skirt, enough that I was already starting to get hard again. Good thing I was sitting down.

Austin strolled in about a minute later. We had never met, but I'd heard Bradyn talk about him before. He'd been Marisa's best friend since they were in high school, and Bradyn had always suspected that he still had feelings for her. I could see why he was worried: Austin was one handsome dude.

"You just flew back into town?" Clark asked me.

"I was in Columbus. At a beer festival."

"Same old Teddy!" Danicka said with a smile. "What are you doing for work these days?"

"It was construction last time we talked, right?" Clark asked.

"I did construction for a little while, but now I'm trying my hand at plumbing," I replied. "I got certified last fall. It's good work."

Joanna opened her mouth to say something, but stopped short. Obviously she couldn't reveal that she knew I was lying.

"That's really great," Clark said. "Trade skills are seriously lacking in your generation. But you make good money, and don't need an overpriced degree."

"For sure," I said.

Casually, Joanna began typing on her phone.

Joanna : Plumbing?

Me : Nobody knows I'm a dentist.

Joanna : Why not? That's worth bragging about!

Me : Long story. Just be cool.

The Cozart family had known me since I was Bradyn's college roommate. Back then I was the goofball screwup, always hungover and barely scraping by at class. I didn't even get to walk at graduation; I had to stay an extra semester to finish two classes I had failed.

They still thought of me as that goofball, and honestly? I liked it that way. It was surprisingly nice to be around a group of people whose expectations were so low. Much better than trying to meet my own family's unrealistic goals for my career.

Also, Danicka loved me like a third son. She'd tried—unsuccessfully—to set me up with at least a dozen of her single teacher colleagues. If she knew I was a dentist, she would never leave me alone about it. In that regard, I sympathized with Landon.

"We should talk to the property manager at the country club tomorrow," Clark said. "He's a buddy of mine. I could get him to throw some plumbing business your way."

"Sure, maybe," I said.

"They gave me too many cherry tomatoes," Danicka muttered. "Liz, would you mind switching plates with me?"

"Of course, Mrs. Cozart."

While they switched plates, Danicka suddenly flinched with realization. "Where are my manners! Teddy, you haven't met Landon's new girlfriend."

I had been pointedly ignoring Joanna's presence across from me this whole time, but now I turned my gaze toward her. "I should have introduced myself when I sat down. I'm Theo Manafort, but everyone here calls me Teddy."

"I'm Joanna, but everyone here calls me Joanna," she replied with a smirk.

"Isn't she a hoot?" Danicka asked me. "We need to find you a nice girl like her."

If only you knew.

The rest of dinner went smoothly. Joanna and I didn't have to interact at all, and I spent most of my time chatting with Bradyn and Marisa. But I kept stealing glances at the woman across the table, and occasionally I caught her eyeing me, too.

Was she thinking about our date last week? It was all I could think about. Specifically how it had been cut short before we could have some real fun. Being so close to her, and unable to do anything about it, was torture.

Sexy torture.

After dessert, Austin came up to our table and put a hand on Marisa's back. "I just wanted to say goodbye to y'all before I headed out," he said in that smooth Texas accent.

Yeah. Bradyn was right to be worried about this guy.

Marisa got up and hugged him, and then Bradyn stood and shook his hand. Austin gave a little wave to the rest of the table.

"Austin!" Joanna suddenly called out. "Don't you have something you want to tell Landon?"

Austin looked dumbstruck. I knew that I had the same expression on my face. What was Joanna doing? Did she want him to tell everyone the big secret?

"What do you mean?" Austin choked out.

"Oh you know," Joanna said with a big smile. "That thing you told me on the way back from the bathroom. Remember?"

While everyone was staring expectantly at Austin, I shot Joanna a warning look. She ignored me and waited for Austin's answer.

"Well," Austin slowly explained to the table, "I told Joanna that the Cozarts are good people. And that she ought to hold onto one of them for as long as she can."

There was a chorus of awws around the table.

Joanna's smile was full of satisfaction. I guess she really did find a way to threaten him into silence.

Marisa's father made an announcement about the wedding timeline and who needed to arrive early. Then everyone was saying their goodbyes and heading out. It was a chilly evening in downtown Chicago, with a crisp breeze that woke my body up after sitting for so long. I hugged Danicka and the rest of the Cozarts, then started to walk south to the Metra station. Joanna's voice stopped me short.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Joanna said to Landon. Then the two of them came together in a hug, which turned into a kiss. The kind of kiss where she was pushing her entire body up against his.

I turned away. Jealousy was a living thing inside my chest, twisting and spreading. I knew it was all fake, that she was only pretending to be his girlfriend, but logic didn't matter.

"I think I forgot my phone," I muttered to nobody in particular, then went back inside the restaurant. I needed a drink.

"Strawberry martini," I ordered at the bar.

The bartender, a cute blonde woman who was all business, raised an eyebrow at me.

"Save your judgment. Strawberry martinis are delicious."

She shrugged. "I didn't say a word."

Once she handed me the drink, I took a long sip. It was sweet and fruity and had the deeper taste of alcohol. Seriously, why didn't guys order these more often? Modern ideas of masculinity were stupid.

"Kind of a girly drink, don't you think?" a voice said.

Joanna slumped onto the bar next to me with a sigh.

"A friend turned me on to these," I said.

"She sounds smart."

"And hot," I added.

She raised a finger to the bartender. "I'll take one of these." Then, to me: "I need to wash the taste of Chardonnay out of my mouth. Pretending to be someone's girlfriend is exhausting ."

"I bet." I sipped my drink casually. "You seemed pretty convincing though. Especially when saying goodnight."

Joanna gave me a sideways glance. "Why, Teddy. Is that jealousy I detect?"

"Just making an observation. Totally not jealous. Not even a little bit. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get shitfaced before taking the Metra home."

She laughed and started on her own strawberry martini. "Believe me. I'd much rather be on a date with you than pretending to be his girlfriend." She made an annoyed sound. "Landon is an asshole. He invited me here tonight at the last minute. In fact, it wasn't really an invitation at all. It was an order. He threatened to tank my job application if I didn't come!"

"Sounds like you shouldn't have made that kind of deal in the first place," I said. "That's weird, though. I've known Landon for years, indirectly through Bradyn, and he's always seemed like a great guy."

"Ugh," she groaned. "That's all I've heard all night. Everyone has been gushing over how amazing Landon is. He donates blood once a week. He volunteers at the Wrigleyville animal shelter. He pulls little kids out of burning orphanages."

"You can only donate blood every two months," I replied. "I know that, because I'm a doctor."

"I was exaggerating for dramatic effect!" she exclaimed. "And hey, what's the deal with that? Why won't you tell everyone you're a dentist? A successful one, at that?"

"I really don't want to talk about it. I just want to get drunk before going home. Eyeballing you across the table all night hasn't been easy."

"Same," she said, then leaned closer to me. "I've been thinking about last week a lot."

I smiled down at her. "Me too. We have unfinished business."

"We sure do."

I raised my martini. "This will help me survive until we can pick up where we left off."

Joanna watched me for a moment, then took a very large gulp from her drink. She put the glass back down, took me by the hand, and said, "Why wait?"

I barely had enough time to leave my drink at the bar as she led me through the restaurant and back into the private room. It was empty except for a lone waiter who was cleaning up plates from the tables. "What are we doing?" I asked.

She flashed a naughty smile over her shoulder. "Paying you back for the other night."