“Don’t play stupid, Megan. Not you.”
“I might be naïve sometimes, but I’m not stupid. You don’t give yourself enough credit. Or Beverly for that matter.”
Griffin wished that were true. But all he said was, “Go on. Parker’s waiting for you. I’m going to get a fresh drink.”
She made a face, but continued on, and he hung back, ostensibly waiting to put in an order. In reality, he was watching Beverly as she congratulated Matthew on the stage, then thrust Matthew’s hand up in the style of a referee at the conclusion of a boxing match.
As soon as she dropped his arm, Matthew pulled her into a hug, making her laugh and throw her arms around him in congratulations. Griffin watched, and that innocent, celebratory hug sent all kinds of possessive thoughts tumbling through his mind. Then Beverly led Matthew off the stage, essentially handing him over to the feminine hoard waiting for an autograph or a selfie with Mr. October.
He turned away. It was all so ridiculous and campy, and yet he couldn’t deny that it was for a good cause, and he was damn proud of all his friends who’d walked that stage, many of whom had been anointed with a Man of the Month title and would soon be appearing in the upcoming Man of the Month calendar.
So, yeah. Campy or not, he’d do it if he could. But who the hell would want his picture?
Don’t go there, man. Just don’t go there.
Those kinds of thoughts were for his characters, not for himself. He turned away from the stage as he forced himself to remember as much. To practice what he preached and shut down the pity party.
He was about to signal to the bartender, Eric, when a light tap on his left shoulder startled him. He turned around to find Beverly behind him, standing close enough that he could smell the hint of vanilla in her perfume.
Her smile lit up the room, but unlike when she’d been the emcee a few moments before, this smile was meant only for him. “Pretty cool for Matthew, huh? Although I never doubted he’d win. He’s definitely got a calendar guy look.”
“That he does,” Griffin agreed. “He’d be a pretty poor advertisement for his business if he didn’t have the abs and pecs to go with it.”
She laughed. “You’ve got a point. Of course, you’re not too bad yourself. You forget, I got a nice look at your back and biceps today.”
“Beverly…”
She held up a hand. “Don’t Beverly me.” An unfamiliar sharpness colored her voice. “I get it okay? But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re ripped.”
She pressed her hand against his left bicep, then drew her hand up and over the muscled ridges of his shoulder. She started to slide her palm over his shoulder and onto his back, but the action forced her to step closer, so that now they were only inches apart, and he could feel her breath tickling his face.
He took a sharp step backwards, the motion upsetting the barstool beside him. He felt like an idiot, but if she noticed, she didn’t show it.
Instead, all she said was, “I know you work out at Matthew’s gym. I meet my trainer there twice a week, and I’ve seen you on more than one occasion.”
“You have? I’ve never seen you.”
“I see you coming and going across the gym. And you’re always wearing the hoodie with your head down. But I know it’s you.”
He couldn’t believe he’d missed her.
Her dark eyes flashed. “Look, I get why you wouldn’t want to stroll shirtless across that stage, but don’t stare at me like I’m insane when I say that you’ve got a nice build, okay? Facts are facts, right? And honestly, isn’t that why you’re working out?”
That was part of it. The rest was because the exercise was supposed to increase the beneficial effects of the Devinger protocol, an experimental drug trial he’d been part of that was supposed to help his range of motion and repair some of his nerve endings. But that’s not what he told her. Instead, he met her eyes and said, “Nah. I only work out so beautiful women will notice me.”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking more like a shy teenager than a confident movie star. “Are you calling me beautiful?”
He glanced down at the floor, then forced himself to meet her eyes. “Facts are facts.”
Her cheeks turned pink, and she flashed that spectacular smile. He reached for her without thinking, his left hand going to her lower back as he led her to the smaller section in the rear of The Fix.
During the Man of the Month contests, this was where the contestants waited for their turn. But the rest of the time, the space was used as a smaller bar. A place where customers could find a bit more quiet, especially if it was a night when a band was playing in the main area. It had a full bar, though smaller than the long, polished oak bar in the main room, and a few scattered tables where folks could gather.
There was also a mounted flat screen television, and tonight all of the chairs had been turned to face it. He saw Brooke and Spencer right away, and Beverly broke away from his touch to hurry forward to say hello. He did the same, hurrying toward them to offer congratulations and waving to the other friends and regulars who’d crowded into the room to support Brooke, Spencer, and The Fix. And, of course, to watch the show.
Several months ago, Brooke had landed a television deal for a program called The Business Plan, a six-episode real estate based reality show that highlighted the renovation of a business. The network had required that Spencer be part of the project since he already had a successful track record in reality TV. He agreed, and a series about the renovations at The Fix was born. As well as a romance between Brooke and Spencer.
To add interest to the show, they decided to include snippets from all the Man of the Month contests, which was why even though renovations were complete, the show was still filming, and would wrap up with the Mr. December contest in just over a month.