Fat Cat Liar

Once again, the suit molds to his body, and he swaggers toward me. This time, he’s removed his lightweight sweater, leaving him in a form-fitting undershirt that shows off every plane of his chest and torso.

I brace for Lawson’s reaction, praying he doesn’t turn back to the possessive act. Instead, he surprises me by chuckling and bringing his mouth to my ear. “He’s smooth, I’ll give him that.” His teeth nip my earlobe gently before announcing, “I’m headed out. Nice to meet you, Greyson.”

“You too, Lawson.”

“See you tonight, babe.” He kisses the curve of my neck, squeezes my hips, and steps back.

“Piece of advice, I know Greer is the professional here, but I’d recommend the Tom Ford Classic Collection for a tux. I picked one up this spring, and it’s the best I’ve ever owned,” he tells Greyson.

My jaw drops, and I whirl in time to see Lawson’s eyes dancing before he walks away.

“Bye, Lawson!” Haley yells from the tie carousel.

He flicks two fingers in the air and keeps going.

I stare after him with my eyes bulging. How does he know about the Tom Ford Classic Collection? That’s my go-to choice if my clients can afford it.

What does he need a six-thousand-dollar tuxedo for?

I jerk my head, push all questions to the back of my mind, and then focus my attention on Greyson.

“Okay, superstar, let’s get back to work.”

•8•8•

“This is the taste of victory.” Jonas slings back his bottle of beer, finishing it in two gulps.

“I’ll second that.” Enrique does the same.

I sip my cocktail, smiling proudly at my friends. Another win for the Nerd Herd tonight against a team we rival often.

“How was your first trivia experience, Lawson?” Bessie asks.

“It was interesting. You guys take your shit seriously.” He drapes an arm around my shoulder.

“Hell yes, we do. It’s hard to be the best when you half-ass it,” Enrique chimes in

.

“I thought only mythical dragons breathed fire, but Jenny came close.”

“Jenny may seem tame, but don’t ever challenge her. She turns into a beast,” I tell him, smiling at my best friend.

“That guy was an asshole,” she mutters.

The trivia proctor comes to our table and congratulates us on another win while handing us the bag containing our phones.

“Sooooo,” Jonas draws out the word until all eyes are on him, but he’s focused on me. “I heard you had an interesting day at work yesterday.”

“How’d you hear that?” I slice my eyes to Bessie and Jenny who are looking anywhere but at me.

“Little birdie.”

Then it hits me. “Did Haley call you?” I pin Jenny first.

“No, I called her. I had to know what Greyson Lynch was like, and she was my only hope for details. You don’t talk.”

“Last time I told you about a hot guy, you showed up at my apartment at eight in the morning and acted like a creeper.”