But I knew him. I’d been watching him (like a creep) for a long time. I saw the fake set of his smile. The slight purple lines under his eyes. The stiff hold of his shoulders. He was stressed and tired and confused.
“Ladies,” he said, glancing over the table. “And gentleman.” He smiled at me.
They all giggled.
I didn’t because I was too busy wondering if anyone would notice if I made myself invisible. It was almost worth the risk.
Tina, the awful person that she was, stood and posed, sticking her chest out as far as it could go. She looked like the back end of a horse. “Knight Commander,” she all but purred. “How very kind of you to take time out of your busy schedule to come and mingle with the ladies.”
“Hate you too, bitch,” I mumbled under my breath.
“Are you some kind of social group?” he asked.
Tina preened. Like a peacock. “Not just any social group,” she said. “This is the Ryan Foxheart Fan Club Castle Lockes Chapter. We are the largest Foxheart Fan Club in all of the City of Lockes. We’re the Foxy Ladies.”
“Well,” Mary said, patting my hand. “The Foxy People. We don’t discriminate.”
“Fan Club?” Ryan asked, sounding adorably shocked. Then I remembered he was an asshole and I was pissed off at him, so he wasn’t adorably anything. “Oh wow. He wasn’t kidding when he said that.”
“Who?” Tina demanded.
“Sam. He’s a… friend of mine.” There was a tightening around his eyes and I wanted to shout that we sure as shit didn’t seem like friends yesterday, you motherfucker. I kept that bit to myself. Barely.
And almost all the ladies sighed. “Sam of Wilds?” Mary said. “He knows about us?”
Deidre burst into tears. “He’s… just… standing… so… close.”
“Can you sign something?” Nicole demanded. “This paper? This napkin? My chest? My inner thighs or my wildest dreams? Whatever you want.”
“Heh,” Ryan said. “Whoa.”
“Nicole,” Tina barked. “Rein your slut back in!”
“I can’t believe Sam knows about us,” Griselda said in awe.
“How?” Courtney cried. “How does he know? I want answers! I want him here. I changed my mind. I’m no longer about Rystin. HaveHeart forever!”
“HaveHeart is where pairings go to die,” Tina growled. “Long live Rystin!”
“I… just… want… to… touch… him,” Deidre sobbed.
“Whaaaaat is even happening right now?” Ryan said.
“Rystin is Justin and Ryan,” Mary explained.
“And HaveHeart is Sam Haversford and Ryan Foxheart,” Griselda said.
“Rystin and HaveHeart?” he said faintly. “I don’t even….”
“I’m a Sam Girl,” Mary told him. “Because of how he looks in tight pants. Edible. Edible is how he looks in tight pants.”
“Oh my gods,” I whispered feverishly. “This is happening right in front of me.”
“And I’m a Foxy Lady,” Tina said. “Because of reasons.” She stared at his chest. Everyone understood her reasons. Even me.
He looked back at me. “So, you a Foxy Lady too? Or a Sam Girl?”
“What,” I said, dropping my voice as low as it could go. “No. Not even. Shut your mouth.”