Page 13 of No Reservations

I didn’t want to wait. I tucked my phone away and stood up. “He has to tell me something about the event this weekend. Smores Monday night, okay?”

“It’ll have to be. That’s our last night here. We’ll get the supplies. Meet us by the fire!”

The rain had let up, and I dodged puddles on the way back to the Goldfinch cabin where Cole waited for me. Thoughts of sharing the wonder of chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers with him almost overshadowed the nerves at the upcoming event. All I knew was that the proceeds would go to an LGBTQ+ arts organization that promoted creative career opportunities for underprivileged youth. That sounded like a worthwhile cause to me. Even though it was part of the contract to go to these things with Cole, it helped that he supported stuff I could believe in. It made me like him more than I already did.

He looked up with his chocolate brown eyes the moment I stepped through the door. “Oh, I thought you were busy with your friends.”

I smiled and shrugged. “Never too busy for my boo.” The look on his face made me burst out laughing. “Okay, not ‘boo.’ Should I call you something, though?”

“Cole?” He ignored my mock frustration and went on. “The plane leaves at ten. The gala starts officially at eight, and I see no reason to arrive early for the whole press gauntlet. We can stay overnight at my apartment and come back here on Sunday. I’m still on vacation, after all.” His smile didn’t look relaxed and happy enough for my tastes.

We spent the next hour going over particulars: the charity itself, the dinner, the dress code, which was black tie. I’d never worn a tuxedo in my life and said as much.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll head to the city tomorrow to get one for you.”

I glanced down at myself. “I don’t usually fit off-the-rack jackets.” Even though I’d stopped working out so much, I still had broad shoulders.

A genuine, gorgeous smile filled Cole’s face. “I don’t usually buy off the rack. We’ll get it tailored.”

“Doesn’t that take time? We only have a day.”

“Matthew,” he said with a shake of his head. “There are some advantages to being me.” He returned to texting with someone, although his smile lingered for a few more moments.

A tailored tuxedo and a flight to Los Angeles. I headed out to one of the chairs on the front porch and pulled out my own phone. A quick search found the charity event we’d attend in two days. Photos of stunning men and women in a wide variety of black jackets and bowties, brightly hued suits, and gowns splashed across marble floors and glittering chandeliers. Whitetablecloths gleamed in the golden light, and couples swayed on the dance floor in all combinations of genders together.

When I clicked on the donation and attendees page, my breath caught in my throat. Two thousand dollars a plate. Cole was paying four-thousand dollars plus the three thousand to me, plus my tuxedo, plus the plane ride, plus… I shook my head and turned off my phone. I had to remind myself that this is what he did, and if he wasn’t doing it with me, he’d be paying for someone else to show up on his arm.

I could play the part and look right for the role. I could make it easier on him. That was the nature of our contract, after all. Despite trying to shove my intentions firmly into the professional realm, something deep inside didn’t want to listen. Cole needed a friend and a buffer against the ugly accusations and doubts. I wanted to be that for him, too.

***

This was nothing like a trade show. I guess everyone has seen this type of thing in movies, but it never quite seemed real. Photographers hovered around the walk to the hotel’s front doors. Cole handed his keys to a valet and came around the car to meet me with a practiced smile. It only bore a passing resemblance to the real one he showed me sometimes when we were alone or out and about together.

I slipped my arm into his and straightened my shoulders. No one would doubt that we were anything but a genuine, happy couple. He showed our tickets at the door, and we moved into a sea of people talking, laughing, and gathered around tables gleaming with crystal and rainbow-colored flower centerpieces.

“Cole, so good to see you.” An older gent with a silver-haired lady on his arm shook Cole’s hand. “We weren’t sure you’d make it since you’ve been on holiday.”

Cole flashed that public smile again. “I wouldn’t miss such an important event. Roger, Val, let me introduce my guest, Matthew West.”

This wasn’t a place to be my regular self. I knew that as much as Cole apparently did. My tuxedo fit like a glove. The product in my hair tamed my tousled waves. I drew from memories and pulled out a model smile as I shook their hands. “Very nice to meet you both.”

Our roundabout journey to the assigned table repeated the same process at least a dozen times. Most of the smiles seemed less than genuine. Many guests peered at me as if trying to figure out who I was or if I was real. We paused by the table where we’d dine later that night, but sitting on the sidelines wasn’t enough to earn the big money Cole was paying me.

“Let’s check out the auction items first. Maybe there’s something fun I could bid on.” I said with a tilt of my head toward the long tables at the side of the room. I leaned close until my lips almost touched his ear. “I’m here to dispel rumors, right? You have to show me off.”

He trembled under my palm on his jacket sleeve. I couldn’t blame him. This was a lot of attention and stress to deal with. Cole smiled again, though, and let me lead him over.

“Let’s see now.” I took his hand as we strolled past the items on the white tablecloth. A huge basket of high-end skin and hair care products. A six-night Pacific coast cruise for two. A pair of Prospex diver’s watches. A VIP ticket pack and backstage passes to an Eclipse 6 concert.

“I don’t suppose you’d want to bid on those.” I turned just in time to see a flash of Cole’s real smile again. I had a sudden urge to gather and hoard as many as I could.

“That’s a perk of the job,” he said.

We circled around a couple of young men eying a fitness smart watch and gym package. The last auction item on the tablewas a basket full of sex toys, lube, and BDSM gear. I raised my eyebrows and leaned over as if I needed a closer look at the purple dildo poking out of the top. “What do you think, Cole? Should we buy a ticket for the drawing?”

I could afford to bid on something once Cole’s payment hit my bank account, but I really didn’t expect to do so. I wanted to see his smile again, the automatic one that appeared sometimes when he didn’t have a million other things on his mind.

His wide-eyed stare morphed into something much less appealing the moment I said his name and a man at the end of the table spun around to stare in our direction.

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