She jerked her gaze back up. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” She set the computer aside, unfolded her legs, and jumped to her feet. She was wearing a soft pink tank top, cutoff shorts, and no bra.
Tuck cringed inwardly as he considered the razzing Jodi would give him tomorrow if she was watching. Indeed, Katia had on far less clothing, and she was dressed this way for anyone on the planet to watch. Her nipples were hard points poking out from her pert breasts. He’d suspected her boobs were fake from the moment he met her, though he would never know. He sure wasn’t getting close enough to touch them.
Continuing the script, he waved a hand through the air. “All you do all day is play around on social media. How is that a job?” He knew better. Katia worked long hours perfecting her posts before putting them up for the world to see, but that wasn’t in the script.
She gave him a sharp “ha” and then stepped closer, hands on her hips. “I bet I’m making more money as an influencer than you are as a bouncer.”
The unfortunate part was she was probably right, especially since the show first aired. Her fan base had undoubtedly multiplied exponentially with each episode. Her name recognition alone had companies all over lining up to pay her for a spot on her site.
“Is this a contest now? You want to see who’s making more money? Does it bother you for me to earn less?” he asked, egging her on. This was ridiculous. He wanted to take a shower and go to bed. Not argue with his fake wife.
She suddenly smiled and flung herself at him, plastering her small frame against his so suddenly that he had to take a step back to brace himself. She set her chin on his chest and tipped her head back. “Nope. I think it’s hot.” She leaned her upper body back a few inches and ran a finger down his neck and between his pecs. “Everything about you is hot.” She grabbed his biceps and squeezed them. “Maybe I should come to work with you one day so I can watch you bounce people.”
He smirked, unable to stop himself at the absurdity of her comment. “Bounce people?”
“Yep. Isn’t that what bouncers do?”
He forced a laugh as he set his hands on her hips and eased her off him. He never liked being this close to her, but something about the events of the day made him even more repulsed. He couldn’t stop thinking what if Jodi’s watching?
He had no idea why it bothered him. It shouldn’t. Jodi thought he was an imbecile. Hell, she was probably right. He certainly was tangled up in a ridiculous saga. Until today, he’d ignored the constant dull throb behind his eyes and plowed forward every day, reminding himself about the prize. The money. Money he desperately needed.
Katia righted herself, but continued to trail a finger down his chest toward his stomach. Her voice was sultry when she spoke. “I guess I could finish scheduling my posts tomorrow if you want to go to bed.”
He swallowed. Shit. Shit shit shit.
This was the same game they played every night, for the cameras. Tonight was different. Tonight all he could picture was Jodi. She was probably sitting on her bed with her laptop open, watching him imply he was about to fuck his wife.
And why the hell did that bother him so much?
Shit.
“Mmm.” It was all he could manage to reply as he gave Katia’s hips a brief squeeze and then a peck on the lips. “Go ahead and finish your posts. I need to shower anyway.”
She pouted, sticking out her lower lip dramatically before whining, “Okay, but you’ll wait up for me if you finish first?”
“Sure.” He shot her a smile and then padded from the room, heading for the only room in the apartment that didn’t have cameras. The bedroom. Well, that and the attached bathroom.
It wasn’t until he shut the door that he breathed easier, and then he groaned as he made his way toward the bathroom, entered, and locked the door behind him. This was not new. He locked the bathroom door every time he went in.
Other than for the sake of the camera, he had not kissed Katia. He had never done so with passion, nor had he used tongue. It wasn’t hard to keep his distance. He didn’t like her. She was certainly sexy and attractive, but her personality rubbed him wrong.
Katia, on the other hand, worked pretty hard for the last few months to get him to pay attention to her. He suspected it was mostly because she did that with everyone. She wanted people to like her, and she saw him as a challenge. He felt confident she’d been sleeping with at least a few of the actors on the show, but he never had any intention of becoming a notch on her bedpost, no matter how hard she tried or how often she thrust her fake tits at him.
She rarely even shut the bathroom door all the way, let alone locked it. When she showered, she hummed the entire time as if to get his attention. He usually vacated the bedroom altogether.
As he stripped out of his jeans and T-shirt, he sighed. The next few weeks were going to be brutal. Working long hours at the bar and then spending the mornings pretending to be a half-assed husband was already proving to be taxing. He essentially had two full-time jobs. He wasn’t even sure which one was more exhausting.
When steam started filling the room, he climbed into the shower and directly under the hot spray. Eyes closed, he washed his hair and then soaped his body. Was Jodi still watching Katia in the other room? Thoughts of her dimples and wild curls made his dick hard, a dick he’d been neglecting for weeks and would continue to do now.
No way was Tuck
