“All of it lies,” Abby said, blushing as she took Lee’s hand in both of hers.
“Um, excuse me,” Drew said, unable to stop grinning at the way the people closest to him seemed to get along instantly. “He’s taken.”
Abby sent him a look that contained volumes, but none of them readable. If Drew didn’t know better, he would have thought Abby had planned the whole thing with Lee instead of Jessica.
“You’re perfect,” Jessica said, bursting into an unexpected smile. “This is exactly what Drew needs.”
“I hope so,” Lee said graciously. “We’re just going to play it by ear at first and see what happens.”
“No,” Jessica said, pivoting to stand on Drew’s other side and nudging him toward Lee. “This is exactly what we need. We’ll end one set of rumors by starting another. Social media and Hollywood will lose their shit, and we’ll be back on top with directors knocking down our doors and offers coming at us like bullets.”
Drew tensed at her analogies, but it was too late to do anything about the situation he’d landed himself in.
“Drew!”
Drew stood a little taller and glanced past Lee to the other end of the backstage area, where Nikky had just emerged from a dressing room. He waved back, then turned to Lee to say, “Let’s go say hi to Nikky.”
“Yes, let’s,” Jessica said, pushing Drew closer to Lee. “And don’t forget to smile for the cameras.”
Drew shared a look with Lee as if to say “Here we go.”
six
. . .
“Have fun with your super-famous boyfriend!”
Diana’s parting words to Lee as he’d logged off and left for the concert venue still rang in his mind. He’d told Diana all about Drew, which he wondered if he should have done even as they were talking. He trusted Diana with his life and knew she wouldn’t breathe a word to anyone, and admittedly, it was nice to have someone to bounce what was sure to be an experience and a half off of as he muddled his way through.
He didn’t regret that decision for a second, and he kind of wished he could share half the things he’d been thrown into as soon as Drew arrived and the intensity of being part of a celebrity entourage began.
“This is Nikky,” Drew introduced him to his gorgeous, svelte co-star fromCookedand the headlining musician of the night. “Nikky, this is my, um, Lee Cresswell,” Drew finished, leaning closer to Nikky.
Nikky Smith was far and away the most intimidatingly beautiful man Lee had ever met. He looked like Michelangelo’sDavid personified, and the half-unbuttoned shirt he wore revealed as much as it hid.
“It’s great to meet you.” Nikky held out his hand and had to shout a little to be heard over the final notes of the opening act, who had just finished a song. “Drew hasn’t told me anything about you.”
For three seconds, Lee panicked and wondered if he was in way over his head. Nikky was clearly teasing, though. Not only did he shake Lee’s hand, he pulled him into a friendly hug that had Lee’s eyebrows shooting straight up.
That was surprising enough, although Lee supposed actors and musicians and Hollywood people were way more affectionate and touchy-feely with each other than ordinary people were, but then Jessica stepped in with, “No, none of that. We don’t want people getting the wrong idea. Only Drew gets to hug Lee.”
Lee stumbled awkwardly out of the embrace as Nikky glanced in confusion from Jessica to Drew.
“I’ll explain later,” Drew said, shoulders relaxing and smile wide as he leaned in to hug Nikky himself.
He stayed in that embrace for a few seconds longer than even good friends hugged. Lee guessed at once that Drew was trying to explain at least a little bit of their ruse. From what he’d gathered, Nikky was close friends with Drew, and just like him with Diana, Drew would probably feel more at ease with the people closest to him knowing the truth.
Interestingly, Jessica crossed her arms and frowned at the two friends until they broke apart. She didn’t say anything about the two of them keeping their hands off each other, though.
Lee racked his brain to try to remember all of the gossip he’d looked up about Drew in the past week. During the press tour forCooked, rumors about Drew and Nikky had circulated. But there had also been rumors about Drew and his other co-star who he’d done some eyebrow-raising sex scenes with, Joe. Both connections had been dismissed, and looking at Drew and Nikky now as they shifted to stand side-by-side, arms around each other’s waists, Lee could tell there was nothing romantic between them.
Not that he would have blamed Drew if there had been, because yowzah!
That didn’t stop Jessica from visibly disapproving, or Lee from feeling more relief than was strictly necessary.
Then again, he had no business feeling possessive about a man he’d spent less than two hours with, despite the week’s-worth of text messages.
“This guy here can’t decide whether he wants to be a rockstar or a movie star,” Drew said, reaching around and patting Nikky’s chest teasingly.