Page 64 of Bro Amazing

"So. Tell us about yourselves." Sasha turns her attention completely to Lionel. "Clarissa hasn't told us a thing other than that you exist."

Lionel glances my way and I must be wrong, but I swear there's a glimmer of hurt in his eyes before he looks back to Sasha. "What do you want to know?"

"Let's start with the basics." Sasha leans forward to rest her chin in her hand as she gazes at Lionel. "What do you like to do for fun?"

"We play games on our computers," answers Lionel.

"She meant what do you do for fun that's not job-related," I clarify, taking a fortifying sip of wine.

"What game do you play?" asks Maddie, sitting up a little more.

"Are you interested in gaming?" Angela asks her, surprised.

Shrugging, Maddie says, "I like to play the racing games with my neighbor sometimes."

"The neighbor you have dinner with all the time?" asks Angela, infusing the words with clear meaning.

"Yes," mumbles Maddie into her drink. I understand why Angela hinting that Maddie isn't entirely available annoys her, but at the same time, I'm grateful for it. If they think she's semi-taken, maybe they won't take her flirting seriously, and I won't have to analyze the bubble of possessiveness that rose in my gut when Maddie touched Quintin just now.

"We play LoL," Quintin says in answer to Maddie's question, "but lately we've been getting into tabletop gaming when we have time off."

I flush with happiness at this statement. The tabletop gaming is a very recent development—as in, since this week—and he's including me in what he considers a fun time. And it wasn't even sex. Well, we did fuck during that one game, but we've played since then and it's been totally non-sexual. I sit up a little straighter, both excited and honored that this popular, talented gamer is even hinting at our friendship.

"Clarissa and I have been planning a little movie night since our last one got cut short." Sasha pauses and looks at Lionel as if she's just now realizing, and laughing, adds, "Well, you know all about that."

"That we do," says Lionel, outright smirking as he raises an eyebrow at me.

I focus on the glass in my hand and try very hard not to think about the reason I had to leave movie night. This conversation is dangerous enough without me getting all hot and bothered thinking about them playing with the egg they gave me.

"We should plan something soon." Sasha glances to me quick before turning her attention back to Lionel. "Some night when you're not working."

"Uh, maybe." Lionel flicks his eyes toward me in question.

"So, what do you all write?" asks Quintin, looking around the table.

Thank you, Quintin, I think.Saved by a subject change.

Maddie tells him about her billionaires and Angela spills the details about her small towns. Then Sasha launches into her spiel about romantasy, and how they might enjoy her books because they include quests, magic and, of course, dragons.

I have a hard time focusing on what Sasha says, though, because Lionel shifts subtly under the table until his knee is brushing mine. Once we're touching, he walks his fingers from his knee to mine.

My eyes flick to his and then around the table, waiting to see if anyone notices and calls us out.

When no one does, Lionel slowly walks his fingers up my thigh. My own hand slips beneath the table and clasps his, moving it back to his own leg. But instead of letting go, Lionel links our fingers, and now we're sitting around the table talking to my friends and holding hands. Like a real, honest couple. Which we most certainly are not.

"Yeah, maybe we'll give that a go," says Lionel, when he can finally get a word in. "Although we'd really love for our first romance book to be one of Clarissa's. So maybe after that. We'll see."

"Oh, you'll be in for a treat when you read Clarissa's," says Angela, rejoining the conversation.

"Whew!" Maddie fans herself dramatically. "Be prepared for some spice with that one."

Lionel quirks an eyebrow at me. "That's good to know."

My face feels like it's been sunburned, I'm blushing so hard. I absolutely don't want my boyfriends to read my books and realize that I've basically been transcribing all of our sexual interactions for my characters. They almost certainly wouldn't want anyone to know all of the details of their moves, especially when they've hired me for a job that no one else knows about.

I need to nip this in the bud right now.

"It's getting late, we should probably head out." I practically rip my hand out of Lionel's as I stand.

---