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twenty-six

Harlow

It has been just over three weeks since that night in the bar.

Three weeks since it seemed like Knox was ready to make a move.

Three weeks since he pressed his fucking dick against my hip and then left me standing there.

Of course, I’ve told myself we shouldn’t do anything anyway. So, I should be fine with nothing happening. But also, don’t rile me up in the middle of a bar if you’re not going to take care of me, you know? I think I almost broke my vibrator that night.

Knox and I have continued flirting with each other, but we haven’t taken things that far again. We’ve been very close in public, with plenty of new photos showing up in the tabloids, but when it’s just us, he usually tries not to be right next to me.

If we’re on the couch, he sits on the other end. If we’re in the kitchen, he’ll lean on the cabinet opposite me.

It’s kind of frustrating. He goes from acting like he was ready to bend me over and fuck me in the middle of the damn bar to holding himself back from me. So, have I been misreading the situation? Was he just caught up at the bar? Maybe he doesn’t actually want me, and he’s trying to back off so I don’t get the wrong idea. Bit of a confidence blow if that’s what it is, but I’ve bounced back from worse.

Tonight is all about confidence, though. Tonight is the Stars’ Charity fundraising dinner. We’ll have to be close to each other all night to play the part we’ve agreed to. The players interact with the donors for much of the night since it helps bring in donations. Knowing Knox, he’s dreading even the thought of having to schmooze with people he doesn’t know, but at least I’ll be there to help and encourage him.

I find myself in front of Lucia’s building now since she, Rory, Ella, and I are getting ready together for tonight. I grab my dress bag from the back of the taxi I took to Chelsea and walk inside, heading straight to the elevator and taking it up to the fourteenth floor.

“She finally made it,” Lucia says, opening the door and gesturing me inside.

“So fucking dramatic, Luc,” I reply. “I’m not late. Ella’s not even here yet.”

“No,” Rory says from her place on the sofa in the living room. “But I’ve been here for half an hour already.” Lucia takes my dress bag from me and hangs it on a hook by the door.

I sit beside Rory on the couch, and Lucia takes the plush chair beside us. “You ready to play the doting girlfriend tonight, Lo?” Lucia asks.

“Yeah,” I reply. “I can manage that. I feel like we’ve gotten pretty good at this fake relationship thing.” Rory tries and fails to stifle a laugh. “What’s that for, Ror?”

“Lo, how fake is it actually?”

“Very fake,” I say, my voice wavering.

“Very convincing,” Lucia says with a smile. I throw my hands over my face and sink into the back of the couch as I groan.

“Ooh, she realizes that, Luc,” Rory adds. “But it might be kind of hard to ignore that scene before the game a few weeks ago.”

“That day has me so fucking confused,” I admit, sitting myself up again. “I can’t tell if he’s messing with my head or if any of it is genuine.”

“What do you mean?” Lucia asks, eyeing me curiously.

I sigh. “Well, you both obviously saw us before that game. We’ve been doing a hell of a lot of flirting, both around people and when we’re alone.” I try to steady myself with a deep breath. “But then at the bar…”

“Did he end up following you when he said he was going to get more water?” Rory asks.

“Oh, he definitely did. And if you guys heard our conversation before that, you know how charged it was.”

Lucia smirks. “You mean when you guys were not-so-subtly talking about his ‘performance’?”

“Yeah… that.” I start fidgeting with my hands, trying to calm myself. “I went to the restroom to try to collect myself, and when I came out, Knox was waiting for me. He asked me what I really thought of his ‘performance,’ and the innuendo was even more clear than before. He backed me against the wall, and when he told me that there shouldn’t be anything left for me to learn, I said that I’m sure there were… things he could teach me.”

“Holy shit, Lo!” Rory screams excitedly, repeatedly hitting my arm. “What happened then?”

“Then we almost kissed, and I could feel his dick against my leg… and then he said we should get back to you guys. Nothing actually happened.”

“That’s still a pretty big deal, Lo,” Lucia says.

“Is it, though? I’m not sure he actually wants me. He was probably just caught up. Then he backed off so I don’t get the wrong idea.”

“Oh, you’re so in denial, honey.” Lucia gives me a soft smile. “He’s not getting hard from being caught up.”

“And like we both told you before,” Rory chimes in, “Fake dating never works in the books. Feelings develop, and they always give in and sleep together.”

Trying to get the heat off me, I say, “You know another popular trope, Ror? Single dad and the nanny.” I wiggle my brows at her.

“Lane?!” she shouts. “No, that’s definitely not happening!”

“Ooh, that’s an extreme reaction, Ror,” Lucia adds with a smile.

“I prefer men closer to my age.”

“Lane is literally only thirty,” I say.

“That’s five years older than me. Besides that, though, Lane’s not my type.”

“Since when do you have a type, Rory?” Lucia asks with curiosity in her eyes.

“Oh, uh…” she stammers. “I guess it’s not really a type…” she trails off. And it clicks for me.

“Oh my God!” I say excitedly. “You’re already interested in someone, aren’t you?”

“What?! No, definitely not. Nope, not interested in anyone.”

“She totally is!” Lucia exclaims. “Who do we think it could be, Lo?”

“Well,” I say. “I think we can safely eliminate Lane. She doesn’t seem to want to play out her own romance book trope.”

“I think I hate you both,” Rory says, laying back on the couch and covering her face with a pillow.

Lucia and I both laugh while my mind starts to wander. Maybe Knox wasn’t just caught up; maybe it really was something. But more importantly, who does Rory have her eye on?

“We look fucking hot,” I say, looking at myself in the mirror and then glancing at Lucia, Rory, and Ella.

“You might kill Knox with the top of that dress,” Lucia chuckles.

I’m not sure she’s wrong. The neckline comes halfway down my torso, but the structure of the top means my cleavage has never looked better. Not to mention the thigh-high slit on the side.

Rana was spot-on about the color as well. This shade of pale blue complements my complexion perfectly. My eyes look bluer than they ever have. With all that and the strappy silver heels I’m wearing, I’m not sure I’ve ever felt sexier.

“I really love that color on you, Rory,” Lucia says. Her olive green dress has a V-neckline, small flowy sleeves, and a knee-high slit. The gown flounces around enough to hide all of Rory’s insecurities, namely the shape of her body. Lucia, Ella, and I talk her up, but that only does so much.

“Yes,” I say, agreeing with Lucia. “That dress was made for you, Ror.”

“Thanks,” she replies shyly. Rory is always so bubbly and boisterous that seeing her like this is a little jarring. So Lucia, Ella, and I will continue to do our part to make sure she believes us when we tell her how good she looks.

“Now, what do you ladies think of this?” Lucia asks, hands sliding down the cherry-red gown. It’s strapless, with a corseted top and flowing skirt. “I think red is my color.”

“Red is definitely your color,” Rory says, handing her a tube of red lipstick. “You need this, too.”

Lucia applies the shade of crimson to her lips, puckering them to ensure an even application. When she goes to return it, she calls back to me, “Lo, what color do you want for tonight?”

“Oh,” I say, thinking it over. “I think a peachy pink would go well with the dress. It’ll also tie in well with the rest of the makeup since I went for a softer look.”

Lucia grabs the shade I requested and crosses the room to hand it to me. “I haven’t said anything, Lo, because I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, but your makeup has been much softer lately.”

“Uh, yeah. I guess it has been.”

Rory walks over to join us with the dark nude lipstick she’ll wear tonight. “I’m loving the new look, Lo. We missed your freckles.”

“Speaking of freckles,” Ella adds as she finishes pulling on her strapless light yellow satin dress. “Isn’t that what Knox has been calling you for the past couple of months?”

I blush at the mention of the nickname. I didn’t think I’d like it, but he has me starting to love my freckles again.

“Yes, he started calling me Freckles the night after we went public. When I read all those comments online, I had cried all my makeup off. He said that was the first time he even realized I had freckles since I always covered them up.”

“So are you doing this for Knox then?” Rory asks. “Because it’s not like you at all to do something like that for a man, minus that fuckface ex of yours.”

“No, I’m not doing it for Knox,” I reply honestly. “I’m doing it for me. But I wouldn’t be as comfortable with them as I am now if he didn’t make it a point to tell me how wrong Derek was about them—how wrong he was about everything.”

They all smile at me. “I know we’ve spent some time teasing you, Lo,” Lucia says, “but I really do like him for you.”

“This is the happiest I’ve seen you in two years,” Rory adds.

“I am happy, guys. I’m really happy.”

And I am. Derek manipulated me, messed with my head, and tore me down until I was well and truly fractured. I’d never felt more broken. But I feel happy again. I feel like me again. And it’s so good to be back.

There’s a knock on Lucia’s door, so we all head back to the living room. Knox wants to pick me up so we can arrive at the dinner together, so I’m not surprised when I see him walk through the door as Lucia lets him in. What is surprising, though, is how fucking good he looks right now.

I’ve never seen Knox in a suit, but this man is standing before me now in a deep navy blue suit, perfectly tailored to his body. He has a light blue button-down shirt underneath his jacket, with the top few buttons undone, no tie. His pants hit just above his ankle, and he’s wearing a pair of camel-colored loafers without socks.

Dear God, no one has ever looked so perfect before.

He may have teased me about staring… if he wasn’t doing some staring of his own. His eyes roam all over my body, slowly raking up from my ankle to the top of the slit in my dress until he lands on the bust. I can see his throat bob as he tries to compose himself.

“Harlow,” Knox manages before clearing his throat. “You look incredible.”

I cross the room to meet him. “Thank you,” I say, giving him a soft smile. “You look great. I really like the suit.”

He returns my smile with a gleam in his eyes. “Ready to get out of here, Freckles?”

“Lead the way, Slick.”