The Decoy Read online

  “Hi,” she says with a shy smile as she looks up at me.

  “Hey,” I reply, helping her get her footing.

  “Thanks,” she whispers. I wink at her and nod.

  “Let’s go get a drink before we’re forced to deal with the Spanish Inquisition or before Miss Anti-Gravity over here hurts herself,” Grant says with a sigh.

  Reagan glares at him and nods. I follow them.

  We find seats at a bar near the reception room.

  “Mojito, please,” Reagan says.

  “Make that two,” Grant says.

  “Three,” I add with a laugh.

  Grant and I both look at Reagan. She holds up her hands. “Don’t worry, it’s my first drink of the day,” she says.

  Grant laughs. “Well, tonight will be…interesting,” he says.

  “Why? ’Cause your whole family thinks I’m knocked up?” Reagan replies with a frown.

  “That for one, and I’m pretty sure that Maggie is knocked up,” Grant adds.

  “What?!” Reagan and I both yell out.

  “Shhhh…,” Grant says. “Jesus, don’t broadcast it.”

  “How do you know this?” Reagan asks.

  “Well, she wasn’t drinking at the reception last night, and I overheard some murmured conversation with her friend about not telling her parents something,” Grant explains.

  “Wow!” I say.

  “Yeah, wow,” Reagan copies.

  “That explains a lot,” I add.

  I notice Reagan staring at me and then at Grant. We are sitting side by side across the table from her.

  “What’s up, baby?” Grant asks in an almost sarcastic tone. I want to like Grant, but one second, he seems like a prick and the next he seems like a cool guy I’d hang out with. I don’t approve of his treatment of his girlfriend.

  “You guys really do look…similar,” she says.

  I turn toward Grant as he turns toward me. We look at each other and shrug. Yes, we’re about the same height, I’m a little taller. We both have dark hair and blue eyes, although his are more icy blue. We’re both sporting a slight tan. We both have a square jawline with a little stubble on it. My lips are fuller than Grant’s, and his nose is straighter. Probably because mine got broken playing hockey in high school. My hair’s a little longer than his, but yes, I guess we do look a little similar.

  Reagan shakes her head at us. “Anyhooo…,” she says as she sips her drink.

  She’s about to say something else when a hand claps me on the back. I turn around and find Harrison standing there.

  “Hey,” he says with a grin. “Who’s ready for some fun?”

  We all burst into laughter.

  “Well, I think we should head over there and scope it out early. I have a feeling it will be an assigned seat sort of night,” he adds.

  Chapter 6

  Reagan

  I take the glass of champagne from a tray that a waiter is carrying past me. So far, I’ve managed to avoid Grandma Satan as I lovingly nicknamed her a few years ago. I’ve also managed to stay away from Grant who is deep in conversation with Harrison, and Zach who is talking to Lee. I pretend to be inspecting the bottles of alcohol behind the bar. Then I notice that Grandma Satan is walking past me toward her daughter and stuck to her shoe is a piece of toilet paper.

  The devil on my right shoulder starts laughing and says “don’t even think about it” while the angel on my left shoulder is saying “now, Reagan, you can’t have her slipping on that. She is, after all, a little old lady.” I groan internally. My parents raised me better than to let some old person potentially fall. I sigh and discreetly try to edge toward her without her noticing. When I’m close enough behind her, I step on the toilet paper. She moves her foot forward and then slips as the toilet paper is stuck to her shoe apparently with glue. She falls back into me, and like a line of dominos, I fall back into someone who stumbles and falls into someone, and eventually, I hear a clatter of dishes as they fall to the ground. I close my eyes afraid to open them.

  “Mother!” I hear Grant’s dad say as he lifts his mom off me. I turn to see that I fell into the bride. Maggie is being picked up by Lee and glaring at me. Lee is gushing over her like she just broke her neck. Behind Maggie, a waiter has fallen into another waiter and now broken dishes are all over the floor.

  “You saved me, Reagan!” Grandma Satan exclaims as she takes my hand in hers and guides me to her table before I can even see if Maggie is truly alright.

  “Clear this seat. Reagan shall sit next to me,” she says coldly to a server. I give him my best apologetic smile.

  The server removes whoever’s drink was previously there and pulls out the chair for first Grant’s grandmother and then for me. I sit and internally groan. This meal just got ten times worse.

  All of a sudden, Harrison and Grant walk over to me.

  “Oh, Harrison, darling. How are you? How are your parents?” she asks. I roll my eyes. Grant looks at me and mouths, “Are you OK?” I nod. Does Grandma Satan care if I was injured in the fall? Nope. The only important thing is that she was saved.

  I hear Harrison saying something to her before she tells Grant that Harrison must join us at the table.

  “Oh, I couldn’t,” he says. “I’d be leaving Zachary all by himself,” he explains as he motions toward Zach who is walking over with a glass of water.

  “Are you alright, Mrs. Pierce?” he asks as he hands her some water.

  “Oh, yes. Why thank you, my dear. Why don’t you join us too, Zachary was it?” she says as she motions for another place to be added to the already overcrowded table.

  “Mother, why don’t Helen and I go sit with the Paynes?” Lee’s father says.

  “Oh, yes, yes, darling. I’ll just sit here with the young people,” she says. She says “young people” like we are aliens from another planet.

  Grant sits down next to his grandmother and Harrison sits next to him. Which leaves one seat in between Lee’s sister and myself. Zach sits down, his knee brushing against my thigh, and I feel goose bumps form on my skin.

  “Are you cold, dear?” Grandma Satan asks, glancing at my arm.

  I shiver and nod, only it’s not from the ocean breeze, which feels amazing by the way since it’s hotter than hell here, which is ironic because sitting next to her feels like my version of hell.

  “Here,” Zach says as he removes his jacket and places it around my shoulders. I breathe in his scent as it surrounds me. It is so heady that it almost makes the extreme heat feel good.

  “Now, you must tell me how the firm is, my darling,” Grandma Satan begins.

  I tell her fine, and she’s about to ask me something else when Harrison chimes in and says that his grandparents just bought a new yacht. This grabs Grandma Satan’s attention.

  I down ice water because I’m melting under Zach’s jacket. He, on the other hand, looks pleasantly cool now that he’s not wearing it. I keep seeing the other guys glaring at him as though they are jealous that they didn’t think of it faster.

  Dinner seems to drag on and on. By dessert time, I’m peeling off Zach’s jacket because if I don’t, I may literally die of heat stroke.

  “Hey, you alright?” Zach asks. He’s been telling me a story, but I’ve zoned out from the heat and stench of Grandma Satan’s perfume.

  “Yeah, I’m just a little overheated, I think,” I answer.

  He touches my forehead, and I don’t want him to stop.

  “You’re very warm,” he says.

  “You OK, pumpkin?” Grant asks as he looks over at me past his Grandmother who is deep in conversation with Harrison.

  “I think I’m going to take a nap. I’m feeling a little overheated and don’t want to miss out on the fun later,” I say to him.

  “Oh, dear, you should go cool down. The heat isn’t good for you, you know?” Grandma Satan says as she pats my hand.

  “Maybe I should come with you,” Grant says through gritted teeth. Great, now he’s pissed because h
e has to leave his man-candy, Harrison.

  “No, no. I’m fine really,” I say. “You stay and spend some time with your family.”

  “I was just going to go and send some work emails before we go out later. I can make sure she gets back safely,” Zach pipes in, and I nearly choke on the water that I just took a sip of.

  “That’d be great!” Grant exclaims as if someone just offered him free alcohol. I roll my eyes. Zach must think Grant is a total a-hole boyfriend. Hell, I think he’s a total a-hole boyfriend. Thank god we aren’t attracted to each other!

  I stand and grab the chair for balance.

  Zach’s strong hand grips my upper arm. “You sure you’re alright?” he whispers in my ear. I look up into his eyes and nod. He looks concerned.

  I gain my balance and excuse myself as I walk out of the room. Once clear of prying eyes, I feel Zach’s hand on my lower back.

  “Why’d you keep my jacket on for so long?” he asks me. “You are clearly overheated.”

  My heart skips a beat. I can’t tell him the truth. I groan internally. “Oh, uh, yeah, I just like to smell you,” I think to myself. I’m an idiot. I’m here for one job, just one fucking job and that’s to pretend to be a good girlfriend.

  “I…” I trail off because I’m too hot and tired to think of a good answer.

  Zach doesn’t press me for one. Instead, he follows me to my room, letting me lead the way.

  “Oh, you’re next door to Harrison and me,” he states when we reach my door.

  “Oh?” I ask, looking up at him. I sway slightly as I tip my head up, and he grabs my arm again.

  He takes my wrist in the other hand and swipes my wristband against the door. I hear it click and he pushes the door open and guides me inside.

  “We need to cool you down, Reagan,” he declares in a stern voice as he walks me to the bathroom. “Take off your dress and get in the shower,” he adds as he turns on the water.

  I give him a glare.

  He holds up his hands. “I will turn around and not look, but I’m not leaving here until I know you are alright,” he says.

  “Fine,” I mutter. I’m so hot that I don’t even care that he’s in here. He turns around, and I strip my dress and underwear off and toss them on the floor as I enter… “Holy fuck!” I yell as freezing cold water runs down my body.

  I hear him chuckle. “Laugh it up, buttercup,” I say under my breath.

  “What’s that?” he asks.

  “Nothing,” I say louder. I turn the water to slightly less icy and let it cool me down. I wash my hair and my face. Then it dawns on me that there is no towel in here.

  Zach

  I try to not look. I really do. I turn around and face into the bedroom. I smile as I see the mess created by Reagan as she was dressing for the dinner. Two dresses are crumpled on the bed. A bra sits on a nearby chair, and makeup is scattered about on the counters around the sink.

  It’s as I glance up that I realize the shower is reflected back at me in the mirror and I can make out her silhouette through the opaque glass. She’s stunning. Her breasts are the perfect size, but I already knew that from seeing her at the beach, her ass is enough for me to grab ahold, and her limbs are clearly toned from working out. She’s not a waif of a woman. She’s curvy and healthy looking. I turn away as I feel my cock begin to notice her curves too.

  I guessed that Grant would have come back with her as even he noticed her physical distress, but something inside me wanted to be the one to protect her, to take care of her. Maybe, it’s because she’s safe. She’s with someone. And even if she wasn’t, this is just a trip. No strings, no expectations of future dates. I’m done with all of that. One-night stands are my creature of choice. I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. As much as I hate to admit it, Holly broke me. I’m fairly certain her cheating episode in our bed will not be something I will ever get over.

  As I study Reagan in the mirror, I notice she’s glancing around. I smirk. She has no towel.

  “Need a towel?” I ask her coyly.

  “Uh, yes, please,” she replies.

  I toss one into the shower.

  “Thanks,” she mumbles.

  “You’re welcome,” I respond, and I notice she quickly covers herself. I want to make some sort of remark about already seeing those perfect breasts but that would be a dickish thing to do, and I know it.

  She steps out of the shower with the towel wrapped around her. Her hair is dripping water, but she doesn’t seem to notice or perhaps she doesn’t care. I see goose bumps on her arms.

  “You’re going to get sick,” I declare as I grab another towel and dry her hair. She doesn’t step away from me or protest. “You should lie down for a while. Do you feel better?”

  She nods. “Thank you,” she whispers as she looks up at me from beneath her thick, wet lashes. I feel the breath leave my lungs. She’s gorgeous, no makeup, hair wild and messy in wet tangles, but she’s the most fucking beautiful woman that I’ve ever seen. I curse myself. She belongs to someone else, and I won’t do that, not after it was done to me.

  I turn and walk over to the small refrigerator in her room and grab her a bottled water. “Here, drink this,” I demand.

  She gives me a scowl, and I have to back away because I want to kiss that scowl right off her pretty little face.

  I motion for her to drink, and she complies. Once she’s drunk half the bottle, she sets it down.

  “Grant should be up soon,” I say to her as she tosses back the covers and climbs under them. I sit down on the edge of the bed and brush a loose curl of hair away from her face.

  “Thanks again,” she says, her eyelids growing heavy. “I think I will take a short nap.”

  “Sleep tight, Reagan,” I say as I give her hand a squeeze and leave her room.

  I lean against her door for a moment. The hallway is quiet, and I stare up at the ceiling, willing the universe to give me strength. Of course, the first woman I’ve been attracted to in ages is with another guy. Fucking figures!

  Reagan

  “Wake up, sweetheart! It’s time to go clubbing!” Grant’s voice rings out from the bathroom.

  I groan and turn over, snuggling deeper under the covers.

  “Come on, you look all better and the night is young!” he says cheerfully.

  I turn back over and glare at him through the nonexistent bathroom wall.

  “See? You are as good as new. Why in the hell did you put that jacket on, anyhow? It was boiling out there!” he says as he perfectly coifs his hair.

  I throw an arm over my face and quickly remember that I’m naked since the towel I had wrapped around myself came loose in my slumber. I pull up the covers.

  “I don’t know. Grandma Satan threw me off my logic, I guess,” I say.

  “Well, come on, everyone is meeting up soon. We should go grab some pre-party drinks,” he says.

  “Harrison just texted me.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “Oh really?”

  He smirks.

  “Yes, really?” he says with a wink.

  “And how’s that gonna work out for you?” I ask him with a pointed stare.

  “So maybe, I can be honest with him…I mean if you’ll still cover for me and all,” he says to me with pleading eyes.

  I sit up now, putting on my serious look. “Grant, I want you to have fun, but can you trust him?”

  He walks out of the bathroom and sits down next to me.

  He’s contemplating this, which for him is a big step. “I think I can,” he starts. “I just, I have this feeling about him, you know?”

  I know my cheeks turn to pink because Grant’s eyes dance with amusement. “You have the hots for Zach!” he yells. “I knew it.”

  “No, I mean, he’s cute. But I don’t even really know him,” I say. Internally, I’m thinking about how I’d like to get to know him. I want to slap myself. What am I doing? I need to focus on Grant here.

  “Let’s tell them,” he says as he
grasps my hands.

  “What?!” I half-yell.

  “Let’s tell Harrison and Zach the truth. I mean, it’s killing me anyhow. I need to tell someone!” he says.

  I roll my eyes…yep, definitely going to have those one hundred eye rolls completed in the first forty-eight hours.

  “I know,” I agree.

  “Plus, it’d be so much better if Harrison knew,” Grant says with a sigh and falls back on the bed. I follow suit, and we lie, side by side, staring up at the ceiling.

  I grab his hand and pull it over to me. “What should we do, Grant? This is your dog and pony show,” I say to him as I turn my head to stare into the beautiful blue eyes of my closest friend.

  “We tell them. But only them,” he says.

  “Are you sure?” I ask him.

  He nods. “You don’t understand,” he says.

  “Then explain it to me,” I whisper back.

  He sighs again. “I feel a connection to Harrison. It’s not like that happens every day, you know?” he says, looking very serious. In fact, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him quite this serious, maybe when his grandfather died. “It’s harder being…gay and not being out with my family. It’s just harder…” He trails off and looks back at the ceiling.

  I bring his hand to my mouth and plant a kiss on it. “I’ll do whatever you want, G-man. You know I will,” I reply, using my old nickname for him. Yeah, it’s a travesty for all womankind that Grant had the superhuman knack of finding a woman’s G-spot in ten seconds flat. He had quite the reputation in college. There were only a few of us who knew about his true identity, the real G-man. Grant once confided in me that he learned how to make women come so quickly because he just wanted the sex to be over with. Those were tough years for him, not being out at all. At least now, he had our close circle of friends.

  “You know I’ll have your back, no matter what,” I state.

  He nods and leans over to kiss my cheek. “Yes, my little wallflower, I know,” he says, using a nickname he gave me when I was a shy college student.

  I lean my head on his shoulder for a moment and breathe him in, then I kiss his cheek and jump up so that I can go get ready.

  “Put on something really sexy,” he yells from the bed.