“You think he’s a sucker?”

“Don’t you?”

“A bit, but you might want to plug up that leak,” I whispered, looking around to be sure we weren’t overheard. It didn’t look as though anybody was paying us attention. They were too busy having a fabulous time to listen to our conversation.

He raised an eyebrow. “What leak?”

“Contempt. It’s leaking out of your voice.”

He chuckled. “Okay, I’ll play nice. He is an idiot though.”

We both accepted champagne from a passing waiter with a silver tray balanced on one hand. “Why do you think that? Just out of curiosity. How would you sum him up?”

His steely eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Why do I feel like you’re setting me up? Or testing me?”

“Oh, it’s totally a test.” I wanted to know more about him, what he thought about things, how he saw the world.

He rolled his eyes but answered anyway. “I’d bet anything that he started dating her because it made Mommy and Daddy happy. She’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but he would have asked her to marry him if she looked like the back end of a bus.”

That hurt. “She’s beautiful, huh?”

“Are you jealous?”

“No,” I said immediately. “Why would I be?”

He grinned. “What else did I say after that line?”

I blinked. “You said something after that?”

His eyes softened and he touched my nose with his pointer finger. “Yes, I did. Anyway, she’s not who he really wants, even though she might be who he needs—somebody to push him around and tell him what to do and how to do it since he can’t make a decision for himself.”

“Oh! Who does he really want?” I just couldn’t help it. My hurt pride needed to hear it.

“You.” His voice had dropped an octave. I told myself the throbbing between my legs was just the champagne kicking in.

He put an arm around my waist. I let him since it was what he was supposed to do as my fake boyfriend for the night. “But he can’t have you anymore because I’ve got you now.”

“Now you’re going too far,” I murmured, blushing furiously.

“No, I’m not. We have an audience,” he whispered.

My breath caught. “We do?”

“Absolutely.” He grinned wolfishly. “Now would be a good time to act as if you’re crazy about me.” As if it was totally natural for him to have his arms around my waist and pulled me in closer. I told myself to go with it—we were playing a role together, after all—but it was so hard to not act like a fluttery, nervous twit when I could feel his hard body pressed into me. Was Josh watching? I hoped like hell that he was. Lillian watching would be a bonus.

I stared into his beautiful eyes and licked my lips.

“If you keep doing that I’m going to have to take you into the toilets and fuck you until you scream. Then there would be no more doubt that I am your boyfriend.”

“Oh, you’re so romantic,” I murmured. Some part of me wanted so much to think we were not pretending. This was all real. We were an item, flirting and having fun.

He kissed my forehead, his mouth lingering there for the briefest of moments. “You taste of makeup.” His breath was cool and smelt of champagne.

I pretended to scowl. “Duh. Did you think I got this flawless look on my own?”

“I liked you just fine without the lick of paint.”

I fluttered my eyelashes. “Oh, Mr. Black, you say the nicest things.”

“And you, Miss Young, are looking for trouble.”

I bit my lip. I loved the idea of being in trouble with him. “You were in the middle of summing Josh up when we were interrupted,” I croaked.

His eyes lost their gleam. “There’s not much more to say about him. He didn’t have the balls to break it off with his meal ticket when he had you. Now that she’s turned up pregnant, he’s stuck with her for the foreseeable future, even if the marriage is hell on earth, which it probably will be.”

“Wow. That’s really sad.” I placed a hand on his chest because what the hell. I was his fake girlfriend. And oh, I liked touching warm steel. I felt the beating of his heart under my fingertips. I could get used to the whole fake relationship racket if it meant getting to touch him like that.

He frowned. “You’re not feeling sorry for him, are you?”

“Right now? No. He still cheated and used me. He didn’t have to lie like that, but I can’t get too angry because I can’t help feeling as if I dodged a bullet with this one.”

And I wouldn’t be here with you, with your arm around me and your face so close to mine and, boy, are you a good actor because I would swear we were really dating if I happened to see us from across the room. Hell, do you know how good you smell, and how much I want to take your shirt off right now?

He smiled softly. “I guess you did. I’m glad I was there when it happened, even if you were a completely sloppy drunk.”

I gasped and was just about to sling a retort when a male voice broke in. “I thought that was you!”