Page 3 of Wicked Flirt
Marcus buttoned his coat, glad to be done with tonight. He’d put on his game face, smiling and flirting like usual, but his heart wasn’t in it. All he had to do was look at the dance floor, where all of his friends were stupid-happy with their women, even tough hard-ass Ethan had found someone who adored him and only him, and his mood plummeted. He felt like a lone lion hungry for a satisfying meal. The women he flirted with tonight were too young or too dopey or too into partying.
He glanced at Lexi. She was also a hard no, a prickly man-hater from what he’d seen, more likely to bite his head off than flirt back, which was why he’d never bothered flirting with her before. Up close her brown almond-shaped eyes gleamed with intelligence. Her sleek dark brown hair was up in a twist, her light tan skin smooth, her smile, when it appeared, was slightly devious. That was who she reminded him of—the love of his life, Bitty. Sleek and soft with sharp claws. He still missed that cat.
Lexi’s skintight dark blue dress—low cut, ending mid-thigh—had caught his eye earlier. Any man would appreciate a beautiful woman showing a lot of skin. Didn’t mean he wanted a relationship with her. He was looking for a woman who adored him. He figured if Ethan could manage it, then Marcus could too. A prickly man-hater didnotfit the bill. She was the last single woman among her friends for a reason. And it didn’t count that he was practically the last of the bachelors among his friends. He had relationshipintentions. He’d just been too busy to do anything about it between work and his mom’s illness.
He stiffened, pulling his phone from his pocket. He’d set it to vibrate. It was a text from his mom asking him to please bring the groceries tonight. It was Friday, and usually he did the grocery shopping for her on Sunday. He exhaled sharply, her current condition weighing heavily on his shoulders. Ever since she’d lost her job just before Christmas, she hadn’t left the house. Not even to go to dinner with him at their favorite diner. Agoraphobia, it was called. He’d felt better when he’d discovered it had a name, which meant other people had been through similar stuff and had come out the other side. So far he hadn’t had any luck getting her to talk to a professional about it.
He texted back.I’m at a Valentine’s Day dance. I’ll stop by with the groceries after.
Three dots blinked on the phone screen as she typed. He waited, brows furrowed with concern.
“Everything okay?” Lexi asked gently.
His head jerked up, surprised she actually sounded like she cared. He must look as worried as he felt. “My mom’s not well.” He glanced down at his phone.
Mom:Thank you. I hope you meet a nice girl there. It makes me so sad to see you alone.
Sure, he was alone on Valentine’s Day surrounded by his whipped lovesick friends, but that didn’t mean…He swallowed hard. There was a quiet dignity in being alone. He’d read that somewhere. His mom had been on him for years to settle down. He was thirty-three, not old, and he’d already been settled down once, but lately she’d been saying she needed to know he had someone because she wouldn’t always be around. She wasn’t suicidal, she just felt old at fifty-one, which he didn’t think was very old at all. She had plenty of good years ahead of her if only he could get her past her fear of leaving the house.
He slowly lifted his gaze to Lexi, also looking very alone, and had a crazy thought. What if he brought Lexi with him to his mom’s house? He’d do anything to make his mom happy. It killed him to see her reduced to a shadow of her former self.
“Sorry to hear about your mom,” Lexi said. “What kind of illness does she have?”
His throat tightened unexpectedly at her concern. He’d been the man of the house since he was seven years old. It had always been him and his mom against the world. But he was blowing it. Her condition was getting worse, and he was worried enough that he found himself blurting the truth. “It’s not a physical illness, more mental. She was laid off right before Christmas and hasn’t left her house since. Almost two months.”
“My aunt had that. Agoraphobia.”
His jaw dropped. “Really? Did she get better?”
Lexi nodded. “Eventually. My mom and I spent a lot of time with her, being supportive and encouraging. She worked with a psychiatrist too. She’s a lot better now and goes out regularly.”
Hope speared through him. Lexi might be able to do a lot more than just brighten his mom’s day by posing as his girlfriend, she might be able to help her with the agoraphobia. Maybe Lexi could tell her about her aunt and how well she was doing now. Maybe his mom would finally be willing to talk to a professional.
“Lexi, I’ve got a proposition for you.”
Her eyes widened. “Uh, thanks, but—”
“I’ll hire you to do an event for my bar. You could do Fat Tuesday for Mardi Gras and, in return, you show up with me a few times at my mom’s place.”
She stared at him. “I’d love to do an event, but you, uh, really want me to meet your mom? We barely know each other.”
“I think your experience with your aunt could help her. But I know you’ll need to get on her good side, which is why…we’d pretend you were my serious girlfriend. Just for a while. Maybe eight weeks.” He pressed his lips tightly together. “Ireallyhope she’s doing better by then.”
Lexi remained quiet, so he barreled on. “It’s been tough dealing with it long distance. I’m in the city; she’s here in Eastman. Anyway, she needs me to do the grocery shopping. We could do a quick grocery run, drop them off, I’ll introduce you as my girlfriend, and then I’ll tell her we have Valentine’s Day plans and need to go.”
She studied him. He waited impatiently. Now that he had a glimmer of hope, he wanted to act on it right now. He knew this first visit would be too soon to mention Lexi’s aunt. His mom had to be eased into it, which meant they needed to get the ball rolling now with an introduction.
“Okay,” she finally said, her lips set in a grim line. “I could really use the work. I lost my job a few days ago, and it’s tough to get a freelance business started.” She held up a finger. “But there has to be rules. Let’s make it six weeks and no funny business.”
The tension drained from him, making him feel lighter and downright cheerful. He walked ahead of Lexi and held the outside door open for her. “No problem. I’m not very funny.”
She brushed past him, and he caught her citrusy scent. “Sex is off the table.”
He grinned and followed her out the door. “Like you’re my type.”
She glared at him and he laughed, dropping a hand on her head and mussing her hair, completely screwing up her updo. He had a “little sister,” Mad, and knew just how to make her crazy. Women hated when you messed up their hair.
He smirked, watching Lexi attempt to salvage her hairstyle. “You’ll be like Mad, my honorary little sister, trailing me around and looking up at me adoringly.”
