Page 35 of Pretend You're Mine
This may just be an arrangement with Xander, but she didn’t know that. That was my fake husband she was flirting with.
My grip tightened on my cocktail and I downed it. No matter how pissed I was with her, I was equally pissed with Xander not immediately removing that hussy’s hand from his body. The nerve of the two of them had me seeing absolute red. I was shaking so hard I thought I might break the glass in my grip.
He was the one who was so desperate for the stupid fake marriage that he refused to give me an annulment until we fooled his family. He was the one who kept coming up with reasons to spend time with me. And now he was the one letting another woman touch him in an intimate gesture in front of his whole fucking family? I was fuming, and I wasn’t sure that I wasn’t going to lose my shit right then and there.
I decided to take refuge in the bathroom, walking there with my head held high, not looking at anyone. In the stall there, I called up Teren, but there was no response. There was nothing to do but go to the sink and put some cold water on my face. I eyed my miserable-looking reflection.
Xander had promised to make this as easy on me as possible. No way I was I going to stand by and play the part of the rejected jealous wife while he did whatever the hell he wanted. Even if our marriage was a sham.
As I strode back toward the private theatre box, weaving past people who looked as happy as I’d been this morning, I made a promise to myself. If I found Xander flirting back with Alliana or any other kind of bullshit going on, I’d leave. No word to anyone. Xander could think of some excuse for me leaving since this whole fake marriage thing was his stupid idea. I deserved better than to be stuck here and see that.
Around the corner from their private box, I paused. Then, making sure that no one was around, I peered around the corner to look for a moment.
Xander and Alliana were standing nearby, so I could see them clearly, side-by-side, talking quite animatedly. It was so casual, the way Alliana’s hand flitted to his. Xander jerked back, as though he’d been scalded. Next thing I knew, he was storming off right past me, his head roving around. He headed to the bathroom, and I followed after him, catching him by the arm.
“Naomi,” he said, clearly surprised. “I was coming to look for you. I thought you might be in the bathroom.”
“I was,” I said. “I thought I’d give you some time with your old ‘friend’,” I said, making air quotes around the word.
Xander’s brows lowered. “There is absolutely nothing going on with myself and Alliana. Nothing.” His upper lip curled with distaste. “My father’s business partners with her father. He ordered me to be polite.”
“And that’s it?” I said.
It was written all over Xander’s face that it wasn’t, but he grabbed my hand. “I’m sorry.”
“So that’s it,” I said. “You’re not going to tell me what happened when the three of you left the box?”
Xander’s lips quirked to the side, his gaze softening when it stopped on me. “No I’m not, because nothing happened. Nothing of any importance anyway. My father is a bully and an ass. Let’s just leave it at that and try to have some fun.” He reached out and took my hand, leading me back into the box.
Back inside, most of his family was seating themselves in preparation for the show. Still, Xander managed to snag us a spot on the opposite side of box from Alliana. Before I knew it, his hand was in mine, and the lights dimmed. He kept holding my hand, even though no one could see it now.
As we watched, and the arrays of colorful Shen Yun dancers filled the stage, we sunk together further. I couldn’t tell why I was smiling in the dark – if it was because of the vibrant show taking place on the stage before me, or if it had more to do with the man whose hand was in mine.
18
Xander
After Shen Yun, Naomi had been pleased enough to smile and let me whisk her out of the box. She was apparently not appeased enough to agree to another date, citing ‘errands’, which was fair enough if that were true. I dropped her off at her place and walked her to her door, apologizing again for my father and his poor manners.
I woke the next morning to the phone ringing. My first instinct was to let it do just that. I didn’t particularly want to speak to anyone. I wanted to stay in bed, to sleep, to shut the world out for a little bit and try and figure out what the fuck was wrong with me. I didn’t want to admit that I wanted Naomi to stay. And I couldn’t stop disappointing and confusing her. At this point, if she spit in my face and never spoke to me again, I would deserve it. One hundred percent. I groaned out loud as the insistent caller rang back a third time. By then, I knew who it was.
