Turn Over

I sat next to Alexa. Linc wasn’t going to believe any of this shit. But he was the only one I trusted. He was always the only one I could trust.

“Linc, we aren’t going public with this.”

His mouth dropped. “What?”

“Maybe we should talk in the study,” I suggested.

Alexa sat forward. “I’d kind of like to be involved since this is about me. About us.”

Her blue eyes convinced me.

“Ok. Fine.” I put an arm around her. I didn’t know where all this protective instinct came from, but it was there when I was near her. “Alexa is off limits. Her brand. Her image. All of it. She and I are keeping this private.”

Linc finally took a seat across from us in my recliner. “You are fucking with me, aren’t you?”

I shook my head. “No.”

Alexa spoke up. “Linc, this is not the way I wanted us to meet either.” She blushed. “But Luke and I have an agreement and we need your help. I can’t be involved with him publicly. Country music fans aren’t very forgiving when it comes to his kind of reputation.”

I saw Linc pull his shoulders back. “Luke is a good guy.”

“I know he is.” She smiled. “That’s why I’m willing to take this chance. But nonetheless it’s a chance. The fewer people who know the better.”

“You two are serious about this?”

He looked between us.

“Yeah, we are. It can’t be part of the campaign to build my new brand. I have to do it on my own without Alexa. Understand?”

“I do. But she could help you, brother.”

“It could ruin me.” Alexa’s eyes flared.

I didn’t want her to have to defend her position. We had already agreed how this was going to go. Linc had to get on board.

“It’s not going to.” I squeezed her shoulder. “Not a word of this to Charlie.”

He shook his head. “I won’t mention it.”

“Today was the last time I’ll ever use Alexa like that.”

“Got it.” He nodded.

“Good. Then will you get the hell out of my house so we can get back to what we were doing?” I held up the box of condoms.

Alexa yelped and scrambled to hide them from my brother.

I laughed.

“I’m out. I’ll talk to you tomorrow I guess.”

He strolled out of the living room. “Nice to meet you, Alexa.”

“Umm, yeah.” She was still trying to wrestle the box from my hands.

We heard the door close behind him.

“So that was your big brother?”