Page 60 of Scandalized

“I mean, we didn’t talk about our run-in at length because—”

“That would be an awkward conversation.”

“Right.” He begins quickly lathering up his skin and I help, only in the sense that I basically slide my hands around and around the muscular bunching of his shoulders. “But she thought it was weird and great.”

“?‘Weird and great’?”

“Those were her words,” he says, laughing. “She says hello. Wanted the full Gigi update. I told her to call you sometime.”

“I like that plan.”

I stare at the way he quickly rubs soapy hands down his chest, his abs, his cock. Legs and shoulders. When washing me, he was slow, nearly reverent. He catches me watching. “You’re looking at me like you’re going to eat me.”

Very serious, I nod. “I feel I should return the favor.”

Laughing again, he reaches behind me to shut off the water. Steam rises around us, and water drips like crystals from his eyelashes. Alec licks his wet lips. “I promise you can eat me later.” He kisses me then, warm and sliding, and when he moans quietly, it sucks me into a spiral of want. But too soon he pulls away and glances at the watch I am genuinely hoping is waterproof. “Shit. I have forty-five minutes to get to Santa Monica in a tux.”

I sit cross-legged on the bed, watching him as he gets ready. Alec pulls a suit bag out of the closet and drapes it over a chair, unzipping it.

“I’m excited,” I sing.

He leans down, pulling the suit free. “Why?”

“I get to see you in a tuxedo.”

He slants an amused look my way. “That’s exciting?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. You’re gonna look like the world’s hottest cake topper.”

Alec laughs at this. “I only brought one, so Elodie had better not spill wine on me.” He steps into the trousers, then shrugs on the shirt. “It started out as a joke,” he says, buttoning. “But she’s spilled her drink on me on three separate occasions.”

“Is this woman trying to get you to take off your clothes?”

“She’s notoriously clumsy.”

I laugh, picking a thread from the duvet. “That’s cute.”

“You’re not bothered by that, are you?”

I look up at him, wide-eyed. He’s turned to face me. “By what?”

“Elodie,” he clarifies. “And our…”

“Your flirty public dynamic?” I guess. He nods, returning his attention to his buttons. “No—I mean, I know it’s part of the promo. Also, I assume if you wanted her, she would be in this hotel room, not me.”

He grins. “Very true.”

“Whoever you end up with,” I say, watching him carefully tuck his shirt in, “is going to have to be very chill about those things.”

He hums in agreement, reaching for his cuff links on the bedside table.

“Need help?” I ask, feeling naked and lazy watching him get ready for a night of nonstop schmoozing after a long day of work.

He grunts out a no and then lifts his chin, indicating the flat bow tie on the hanger. “I can’t do those, though.”

“A tie?”

Alec responds to my sarcasm with a playfully flat look. “A bow tie.”