"Can we go over the plan again?"
"Skyler, I'm an actor. I can handle this."
"Then this is for me."
Skyler clenches the steering wheel tightly as we head to the restaurant Lily chose. I thought last night would be the end of our fake relationship. Except, Lily's so pissed she's demanding a full explanation. I feel a mischievous sort of thrill that I get to give her one.
I had to plead my case with the agency, and Becca, over an impromptu video call last night. It took a lot of my skills but I got them off my back, and gave me a promise to hold back the press, until I choose to disclose my 'new relationship'. I can't tell them that was Lily Collins' son in the picture and that we're not even dating, they're never going to let me out in public again.
"So," he glances over at me. "Tell me again."
Holding back a sigh, I count on my fingers. "Number one, we are going to stick as close to the truth as possible."
"Good."
"Number two, as far as your mom knows we have been dating for a while and know each other well. Which shouldn't be too hard, we do know a little about each other. But I still think if you let me tell your mom that you have a tattoo on your ass it would end all of the 'how well do you two know each other' questions."
"You'd like to think so." Skyler's face is pained. "And I told you I don't have any tattoos."
"Okay but would she know that?"
"Next."
"Fine. Always agree with what the other one says. To be honest, if I back myself into a corner, I'm going to excuse myself to the bathroom and let you deal with it."
"Thanks." Skyler responds dryly. The car pulls to a stop in front of the restaurant. "Hold on. What is the most important thing to remember when dealing with Mother?"
"Ooh, should I call her 'Mother', too?" I want to see Lily's face hearing that.
"No. Now tell me."
"Don't rise to her bait."
"Do not rise to her bait!" Skyler nods confidently. "She is just having trouble believing. Once we convince her we're really dating she won't interfere anymore."
"Alright. Then, let's go."
Skyler hands the car over to the valet and we head inside the Italian restaurant. I've been to some posh places but this one for the elites. The host leads us away from the main dining room and down a hall of private rooms.
The obscured french doors open to a bright and lavish dining room. A server stands against one wall next to a discreet hallway. The table is set for three places, Lily is already seated and waiting.
"Mother, how are you?"
"Hello, Lily." Our greetings are only met with a nod. We take the other two seats at the table, one on each side of Lily.
"Mitch," Lily barely looks in my direction. "Thank you for joining us for lunch."
Us?
"My pleasure," I murmur. I am already fighting my promise not to let her rile me. Lily signals the server to begin. She brings out the prepared food, setting the plates down before excusing herself. The delicious looking food does nothing for me at this moment.
Picking up her fork and knife, Lily gets right to the point. "I had the picture from last night taken down and I made sure Skyler's name wasn't mentioned."
"Thank you." I speak genuinely.
Looking sharply at me, Lily lets me know, "I didn't do it for you."
"Well, of course, what's a few pictures of me online? But I have been worrying that Skyler would be inconvenienced." I throw a smile at Skyler who gives me a small nod, already eating heartily.
"Exactly." Lily forces out. I start eating as well, knowing I can relax a little after keeping up for the first round.
"Tell me again how you two know each other. I want to know more about it."
"I told you, Mother. We met at the gym."
"And you truly didn't know who he was?"
"How could I know who he was if I just met him?" Skyler answers with a straight face. He gestures to my plate. "This is good. Do you like it?"
"Mm-hmm. Delicious." I force myself to take a bite, the food tastes rather pale.
"Then you tell me, Mitch, how did you get acquainted with my son?"
I take a moment to swallow before answering "Skyler asked me to help him take his pants off."
Coughing follows as Lily tries to keep down the bite she just took. Skyler, too, has to cover his mouth and look away to compose himself. He said to keep it honest.
Skyler gets himself together and moves his mother's water glass closer within her reach. "The drawstring of my shorts got caught on a piece of equipment while I was lifting. Mitchel was nearby so I asked him to help me."
"Right, I helped him take his pants off a snag. Didn't I say that?" I watch Skyler cover his mouth again, this time hiding an amused smile.
Lily sips her water while contemplating her next move. Second round goes to me.
"Do you still claim you didn't know who Skyler was at the time?"
"I knew he was hot." I answer with a shrug and send a wink over at the man in question. Skyler continues eating without hesitation. His appetite must not be affected by the hostile atmosphere.
Lily's hands clench on the silverware but she persists. "Did you know he was my son? Or from Collins Hospitality?"
"Mother," Skyler interrupts, blinking at his mom. "Are you saying I'm not hot enough for an actor to hit on me?"
Lily's jaw clenches, too. "That's not what I meant."
"Oh, then you're thinking he seduced me because he's your enemy?"
"I don't have enemies, Skyler!" Lily erupts. She takes a deep, shaky breath. When she lets it out her serene facade falls back into place. I'll have to give Skyler props later for taking round three. "Of course Mitch isn't my enemy. He's an honored guest at many of the events I run."
No one in this room believes that.
"Thank you." I imbue my voice with as much sincerity as I can despite Lily's eyes piercing me like twin darts. "I always do feel quite honored." And often enraged.
"It's just that- I fail to see what Skyler gets out of being with you?"
"Mmm," I gaze over at Skyler while considering the question. Taking a drink, he meets my look squarely over the rim of his glass. My mouth curves coyly. "I think I can find some ways to reward him."
Skyler choking on his water almost drowns out his mother's outraged huff.
"What do you two talk about then?" Lily determinedly tries to maintain control of the conversation. "How did you two even grow close?"
"Weight lifting, mostly." Skyler answers when I do.
"Our bodies."
Skyler raises his eyebrow at my answer from across the table. I can't be sure if he considers my answer good, or too much, so I'll leave it up to him.
"Mostly, we talked about weight lifting. We both kept using the same equipment and one thing led to another."
It hadn't been a coincidence that I kept going after every piece of equipment he used, or that I was nearby when his pants happened to snag. It was the beginning of many failed attempts to flirt with Skyler.
His tall and ripped body caught my eye right away. His intelligent eyes and calm, serious personality were intriguing. His complete lack of awareness of my flirtations annoyed me. At first, I started to think I was being politely rejected. I still wonder.
"When do you two date? Where do you go?" Lily presses on.
I watch Skyler's brow furrow. Mr. Never-Changes-His-Schedule didn't think about that, did he?
"My schedule is very flexible, Lily." I slide my hand across the table and place it over one of Skyler's. "We find a way to make the time. Don't we?"
Lily looks between Skyler, me and our joined hands, her mouth drooping in displeasure. "And where do you go, when you make the time?"
"The library." Skyler blurts out. I'm not sure, between Lily and myself, who is more surprised. I know I hide mine well but even Lily looks a little disappointed with her son.
"The library?"
"Yes, it's quiet and we can talk," Skyler answers earnestly.
"We also go out to eat and grab coffee," I add with a wide smile on my face. "Just like everyone else. But of course, I love our dates at the library."
Skyler nods along with my words.
"Let me see if I have this straight." Lily motions for the plates to be cleared, Skyler's being the only one close to done. "You two met at the gym, talked about the gym, and then you just started dating without knowing anything about each other?"
"Yes." We both answer together.
"I see." Lily folds her hands on the table in front of her. She turns to Skyler, taking her time to look at him a few seconds before saying, "Well, I'm going to have to forbid it."
Skyler tilts his head to the side. "You...forbid it?"
Lily nods brusquely. "I can't trust Mitch Wild and it doesn't seem like you two have much to go on anyway. It's better to stop here."
Skyler opens his mouth but nothing comes out.
"Lily," I snap, making her look at me. I bare my teeth in a tight grin. "Skyler's an adult. You can't just tell him not to date me."
"Don't butt in, I have to do what's best for Skyler." Lily dismisses me, leaving me the one that's gaping.
"Skyler," she reaches out and takes his hand in both of hers. "I think it's great that you're coming out, but you should consider the fact that Mitch lured you because you're my son. I have a lot of nice girls, no, people that I can help you meet. Now that I know you also like men, it means that there are even more options to choose from."
"...even more options to..." Skyler mumbles. His wide eyes seek me out, panic beginning to well as his mother has finally pricked through his composure.
My chair scrapes backwards against the floor. I walk around the table to stand beside Skyler. Reaching across him, I place my hand on his arm, above where his mother is still holding onto him. Lily's hands drop away. Looking him squarely in the eyes, I tell him, "Let's go, Skyler."
I throw a glance over at Lily. "I'm not going to let him go quite that easy. Oh, but thanks for lunch."
Skyler stands up at my side and follows me.
"Skyler!" Lily calls from the table.
He stops at the door, not turning around. I watch him gather his resolve. "Goodbye, Mother," he calls over his shoulder.
Stepping out into the hall, before the door closes, I hear Lily squawk, "This isn't over!"
And then we're out and down the hall. It's a short, quiet wait for Skyler's car to be brought around. He quietly seethes at my side and I watch the steady tick of his jaw. He merely waits for me to climb in myself before getting in and driving off.
His hands clench tight on the steering wheel and we only go a short distance before he pulls over on a random street. He stares contemplatively at the steering wheel and I wait quietly for him to be ready to talk.
Eventually, he bursts out with, "Did she mean she was going to try and set me up even more?"
"It did sound like that. But, on the bright side, it seems like she believes we're dating now. So, technically, you can consider lunch a success." My voice ends with false positivity.
He lets out a groan before laying his forehead on the wheel. "No! Why did it go like this?"
"Hey," I reach over and rub his shoulder comfortingly. "You did great. I actually think you deserve some praise over how you handled your mom. I don't know anyone that would have anticipated her reaction."
Skyler takes his time, breathing deep to calm down. When he looks up, he looks a little worn down but he sits back in his seat, shoulders relaxing a little. With a small smile appearing he asks, "Praise? Don't you mean 'reward'?"
"A reward, huh?" It does sound intriguing. Plus, how many more chances will I have to 'lure' him? I unbuckle and lean across the center console. Angling my face, I hold a breath away from him. "Would you like one?"
In response, he lowers his face, shortening the distance between us. I only have to tilt my face up a little to place a kiss on his lips. I press gently, one kiss and then another. Teasing him. Testing him.
I'd be lying if I said yesterday's kiss hasn't been playing on my mind for a good part of last night and most of this morning.
Skyler lets me move how I want, leaning down to meet me. I flick my tongue out to taste his lips. Gaining boldness, I run my tongue along the seam of his lips, asking for access. He opens his mouth and we both reach to deepen the kiss. He meets my tongue thrust for thrust, letting me set the pace.
The taste of him is more familiar now and it sparks a new appetite. My body feels more urgent, too, as heat builds. His subtle scent plays with my senses, but even as my body tells me to go for more, reason creeps in. I give him one last kiss, pulling at his full bottom lip before releasing him.
I pull back enough to look up into his face, his eyes too dark to read. And then, as natural as last time, he grips my face one-handedly and pulls me back in. He takes my lips for himself. His other arm wraps around me and tips my body, hard and fast, across the car towards him.
My gasp turns into a moan and I stretch my body into his embrace as much as I can in the awkward space. I let my hands run across his shoulders and around his back, into his hair, anywhere I can reach as he raids my mouth. He applies pressure with his hand on my jaw, angling the kiss, swiping in with his tongue before running it over my sensitive lips. Then coming back for more.
My whole body is overheating, I don't want anything in between us anymore. I want to feel the thrilling sensation of his mouth all over my body. Eagerly, I return the deep, harsh thrust of his kiss. My body starts to dip and roll uncontrollably in the rhythm he sets.
The beep of the car's horn separates us.
I drop back into my seat, not sure which one of us hit the steering wheel. Judging by the dazed look on Skyler's face, neither is he. Watching each other, I see his eyes begin to clear a little.
Blowing out a breath, he admits, "That was very rewarding."
My face flushes a little harder at his wording. I look out the window while trying to calm my breathing. For a little while, we both sit and compose ourselves.
"Mitchel?" Turning back, I see Skyler's face is troubled. "I think things are worse now."
"How's that?"
"You heard my mother in there, she's only more determined. Also, I dragged you into this without being aware of how much trouble I'd bring you."
"You really don't have to worry about that." I try to reassure him. I get mentioned in tabloids all the time. Unfortunately, all too much. "It will be okay."
Skyler's hand lurches across the car, his strong fingers clinging tightly to my arm. His face leans close, his eyes expectant and trusting. "What am I going to do now?"
My hand reaches out towards him when my phone buzzes in my pocket. And buzzes again. And again.
A small sigh escapes me, I pull it to read the flood of messages. My heart sinks at the stream of Becca's tirade.
There are photos of you getting out of some car at La Ora Cusina!
Not a great time to go on a date, babe.
Get home and stay out of sight, the agency wants to meet ASAP