My cheeks burned bright pink, and I made a conscious effort to avoid his gaze. It was bad enough that he and I usually covered for Nick in these types of situations together. I couldn’t begin to comprehend how I’d somehow ended up on the other side of the door.
Nick, as was his habit, fell into his usual routine.
Like he did in most cases where he needed an escape, he made a bee-line for the imposing man, glaring viciously over Max’s bulky shoulder as the rest of the crowd scattered and fled. It was a well-tested strategy. Max tended to have that effect on people.
“What’s new, boss?” Max asked quietly. It was the standard question he asked whenever his charge got in over his head, but under the present circumstances, it suddenly sounded entirely different. “I heard some chatter over the staff radio and came to find you.”
“Came to find me after the siege had already started,” Nick retorted, taking a moment to quickly tuck in his shirt. My face blanched. I hadn’t realized he’d begun taking it off.
Max’s dark eyes twinkled, gazing down with the affection one might show to a wayward younger brother. “Perhaps if you had given me a bit of warning—”
“Aren’t you supposed to have my back with these sorts of things?” Nick interrupted impatiently. I blushed and hid my eyes as he straightened his crooked tie. “Stand as a lookout or something? What the hell am I paying you for?”
Max graciously suppressed a smile as he batted away his boss’ manic hands and straightened the tie himself. “I’m supposed to stand as a lookout for you and Abigail? Since when?” His voice was innocent enough, but the implication was overwhelming. “I wasn’t aware of that.”
Nick’s eyes shot up to his, before he dropped them quickly—running a casual hand back through his messy hair. “Yeah, well...now you are.”
This time, it was my turn to look surprised. This wasn’t some ‘heat of the moment’ kind of thing? This was to be a regular occurrence? One that came with a lookout?
One that was going to happen again?
“Are you two an item now?” he asked. “And when did this exactly happen?”
I looked up at him. “I’m his fake girlfriend, since he fired his last one.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “I had no choice! The woman was impossible. But I’ve got you now and that’s a million times better.”
Max smiled. “I’m glad to play along. I can do anything you want. If you need me Nick, I’m here for you.”
“No offense, Max. But I’m not into men.”
He laughed. “Funny one, boss. But I get it now. Abby is playing the part of Ella.”
I nodded.
“Okay, you guys better get into character.”
Nick wrapped his arm around me. “I’m crazy about this woman. She simply takes my breath away.”
My pulse instantly skyrocketed, but fortunately, two years of professionalism kicked in just in time to save me. Choosing not to linger in the awkward moment any longer than I had to, I stepped forward with what I took to be a rather brave smile, and held out my hand.
“Shall we head back to the party?”
Max smothered another grin, while Nick looked at me in a way that told me he was still very much imagining me with my clothes off. A second later, he took my hand.
“We shall.”
Leaving the Italian bodyguard behind us, we headed back down the hall and out to the main ballroom—ignoring the whispers and stares of the entire stadium as we went.
It was a strange building. One that was built to accommodate everything from concerts, to plays, to athletic performances. Mostly, it was simply equipped to handle a great number of people. And right now, it seemed as though every one of them was looking our way.
“I don’t get it,” I murmured, gripping tighter onto Nick’s hand as we made our way into the ballroom. “How do you handle this, day after day?”
“Handle what?”
I snorted incredulously, as I glanced around the several hundred people in the room. All of whom seemed to be simultaneously glancing back at me.
“This. How do you handle all this? It’s overwhelming...”