Bluff Ch. 03

"He seemed okay."

"You talked to him?"

"He was trying to schmooze me in the kitchen."

"Really?" Alex made a note to grill Simon about that later.

"Yeah, don't bother. I was one of a dozen in a 10-minute span."

"That sounds like Simon."

"He seems quite different from you."

"Definitely. We sort of complement each other, I guess. I used to do his homework and he'd beat up the kids that picked on me."

"I can see that," she smiled against his neck.

"Still kind of like that, in a way." He smiled in the comfortable silence that followed, reveling in the feel of her next to him and recalled the events of the night, wondering what she might have observed. "Hey, did you happen to see who pulled me out of the dining room there? During the fight?"

"George. My date. I sent him in to get you."

"Date?"

"Yeah. Not like, date-date." She smoothed her hand over his chest reassuringly. "He drove me here. Hanging out."

"He's a big guy."

"He's just a friend." She shifted to kiss his cheek. "He knows all about you."

"I'm not sure if I find that comforting or not."

"Don't worry, he'll only attack if you break my heart." She sat up, leaving a chill on his skin where the heat of her body had been.

"Didn't think that was an option."

She snickered. "Dense."

"Why?"

The mattress shifted as she stood up. "I should get going. Rude to leave George sitting out there all alone. And you might want to leave your shirt untucked for the rest of the night. You've got a spot on your pants now."

Alex moaned but couldn't really complain. It was worth ruining Simon's costume. He'd be forgiven. Fabric swished and rustled as she redressed.

"So, hey," he asked, trying to sound nonchalant, "what's your costume, anyway?"

She laughed. "Not a chance."

"Heartless bitch."

"Yeah," she said as the music got louder with the opening of the door. "And you'll still take your pants off next time I see you."