Page 40 of The Anaconda Downstairs

Of course I knew all the words, so I joined her. She smiled over at me, and it was both a balm to my soul and punch to my guts. Goddamn I wanted her, and I knew I couldn’t have her.

As we neared the venue, a thought hit me like an LA Bandits linebacker. I was about to watch a bunch of guys fall for Penelope Quinn.

My Penelope.

And I absolutely was not ready for that.

We arrived at the venue, a trendy bar downtown in the HiLo-RiNo-NoNo area, and I valet parked. We walked inside where the place was decorated in pine boughs, bright red baubles, and snowflakes. Luckily, I didn’t spot any mistletoe.

Pen’s new confident energy radiated off her. Without thinking, I placed my hand on the small of her back, guiding her into the room.

“Ev, I wanted to ask you something before I go into this... thing.” This was the first bit of nervousness she’d displayed.

“Anything, Pen.” I was sure as shit hoping she would ask me to leave with her right now. Take her someplace else, just the two of us.

“Alright, umm,” she said, her voice a mix of excitement and anxiety. She swallowed, looked right into my eyes, and then glanced away, toward the mingling people in the room. “What’s my game plan?”

My hand reluctantly fell away from her back. “Game plan. Right. Just one thing. You don’t need to try to impress these guys. Let them impress you.”

She nodded, biting her lower lip. It was all I could do not to reach out and smooth the worry from her brow. I wanted that confident, sweet, sexy woman standing in front of me.

“Trust me,” I continued. “They’re all going to be falling over themselves trying to get your attention tonight.”

A soft blush crept up her cheeks, and I had to remind myself to breathe. Since when did Penelope blushing affect me like this?

“And just like before,” I added, my voice softer, “if you feel uncomfortable at any time, for any reason, I’ll be right over there at the bar.” I pointed to a stool at the far end with a clear view of the tables.

“Just give me a signal.” I tugged on her ear, tapped the side of her nose twice, and swiped my finger across her forehead. “I’ll swoop in and get you out of here faster than I can run a touchdown.”

Her shoulders relaxed and she gave a small giggle, just like I hoped she would. “Deal.”

“Okay then, off you go.” I turned her toward the table with her name on it, and as Pen made her way into the lion’s den, I retreated to my designated spot at the bar.

“You’re not joining them, Mr. Kingman?” Shit. Hopefully this bartender was the only one who recognized me tonight. This wasn’t about me. “Nope. Just here to support a friend.”

I ordered a sparkling water, more for something to do with my hands than any thirst I might have.

A tall leggy blonde walked into the middle of the tables and tapped a knife on her champagne glass to get everyone’s attention and glanced my way with a little start. I spun around in the chair before she could say something about me being here.

“Okay everyone, let’s find you a match made in the stars this holiday. Ladies, to your tables. Gentlemen, you’ll start at the table number designated on your name badge, and when you hear the Christmas bells jingaling, it’s time to move to the next table. Happy hunting, or err, good luck, everyone.”

The event kicked off, and I turned back around, staring down the first man to approach Pen’s table. He didn’t even notice me because he only had eyes for her and her cleavage. God dammit. Her eyes are up there, buddy.

She started off a bit awkward, her hands fluttering nervously as she spoke to the first guy. But as the minutes ticked by, I watched her confidence grow. By the third date, she was laughing, her eyes sparkling in a way that made my chest tighten.

I’d seen Penelope laugh before, of course. But this was different. This was Pen truly being herself, charming the pants off these guys without even trying. Boy, were they charmed.

And if I’d been paying attention even a little bit before now, I’d realize they all looked a bit familiar.

The fourth guy approached her table, and I definitely recognized him. He was a local news anchor. The fifth guy, who couldn’t stop staring at her lips, played for the Blizzard. The sixth... well, the sixth looked like he was about two seconds away from proposing marriage, just like he had on the second rate TV show he starred in.

Dammit. Why hadn’t Dion told me this was an event for local celebs and not just anybody off the street? All those questions and the headshot request made a whole hell of a lot more sense now.

I gripped my glass of water tighter, the condensation doing nothing to cool the heat rising inside me. This was good, right? This was the whole point of the exercise. Pen wanted to findherself a date for the red carpet, and I’d unknowingly provided the perfect scenario for her to do that.

She was crushing it too. At this rate, she’d have dates lined up for the next ten years, much less for the Grampys. I should be thrilled.

So why did I feel like I was the one being cancelled?

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