Full Disclosure (Real Estate Relations Book 1) Page 6

  “Come on,” he groused behind me. “We’ve done nothing but clean for two days, and before that we drove across the country, barely stopping for bathroom breaks. I need to be around some people!”

  “You’ll be around people when you start your job Monday,” I countered, blinking hard as the fumes started to make my eyes water. Maybe it was time for a break.

  I threw the sponge into the bucket and climbed to my knees with a groan. Placing my hands on my hips, I surveyed the kitchen.

  It was outdated and drab, but it was habitable now. I would feel a heck of a lot better about preparing food in here once the fumes abated. With that in mind, I opened the window above the sink and turned on the fan.

  “A bunch of customers hardly count.”

  I turned to him. “Do you want to get caught? Get killed like your brothers? Because if we go out in public and fuck up our cover story, that’ll start people asking questions. Questions lead to problems.”

  It wasn’t the first time I’d had to scare an antsy witness who was tired of playing pretend. But it didn’t deter Lee like I thought it would.

  “We have to go out in public sometime. Being a total recluse will draw interest too, right?”

  Judging by all the stories floating around about my great-uncle, I had to concede he had a point. Not that I’d tell him that.

  “I have to go to that job on Monday, right? Wouldn’t you rather I have a trial run around some drunk guys who aren’t fully cognizant than some customer making small talk? You know they’re going to ask where I’m from, why I’m here, the works.”

  My stomach clenched. “And you know what to say, right? We should go over our cover stories again.”

  “So, let’s go practice on some drunk guys,” Lee insisted. “I can’t be cooped up all the time!”

  His frustration leaked out toward the end of his speech, and I sighed. He was right. We had to start this new life at some point, and putting it off wouldn’t accomplish anything. We’d been over the details several times on the trip here.

  It was time to put it to the test.

  “I’ll take you on one condition.”

  “Yes!”

  “No drinking,” I said, “and no hooking up.”

  His smile faded. “Way to be a killjoy.”

  “I’m serious. We’re boyfriends, and we can’t give people reason to suspect that. And I don’t trust you to not slip up if you’re throwing back drinks. Those are my conditions.”

  He nodded, his body vibrating with excitement. “Can we at least go somewhere I can dance?”

  What the hell? I had to toss the guy a bone. “Fine, but no fucking anyone on the dance floor.”

  He laughed. “You find every loophole, don’t you? Fuck it, I don’t care!” Throwing up an arm in victory, he grinned. “I’m going to go shower so we can get out of this shithole!”

  ***

  Camden

  “Yummy.”

  I grinned at Miguel, who was working on his fourth frothy girlie drink. “You like the fuzzy navels, huh? No wonder you went for Jeremy.”

  He was a total bear under his clothes, furry and meaty — not overweight, but not muscled, just thick. I’d seen him without a shirt at the lake once or twice. Not my type.

  Miguel snorted a laugh. “Actually, I was talking about that.”

  He pointed toward the door. This far into his fuzzy navel, subtlety was lost on him.

  My grin twisted into a grimace when I saw my client step through the door with his boyfriend. Karma, what did I ever do to you, you bitch?

  Dismayed, I glanced down at the outfit Miguel lent me. The T-shirt clung to my pecs, and my borrowed jeans cupped my package indecently. Would I ever get a chance to make a respectable impression?

  “That’s Reid!” I nudged Miguel who was ignoring me while drinking in the eye candy in the doorway. “Do I look okay? I look like a desperate twink on the prowl, don’t I?”

  “You look great,” Miguel said, without glancing my way. “So, that’s Reid, your client, with the buzzed hair and big muscles?”

  “Um, yeah.”

  “And who’s the hot guy with him?”

  “Oh, the other guy is Lee. They’re together.”

  “Damn.”

  “You have a boyfriend.”

  “Don’t remind me,” Miguel said. “I was just starting to forget that stupid fight.”

  Reid and Lee were both gorgeous in their own ways, but I was surprised Miguel would be so intrigued. Lee was nothing like Jeremy. He had a slimmer build, sharper features and looked like he couldn’t grow facial hair if he tried. I was guessing it was all smooth, hair-free skin under those clothes.

  My face grew warm. I didn’t want to think of Lee that way, mainly because it made me think of what Reid was probably seeing every night. Lee was attractive, but he also seemed cold in some indefinable way. I’d much rather daydream about Reid, which was totally inappropriate. Not only was he my client, but he had a boyfriend right next to him.

  Miguel nudged me in the ribs. “Invite them over to our table.”

  “No.”

  “Hey!” Mig called, waving his hand in the air. “Reid! Lee! Come over here.”

  “Miguel!” I hissed, turning to look in the other direction when Reid’s gaze panned our way.

  A moment later, a familiar gruff voice sent chills racing over the surface of my skin. The sexy force was strong with this one.

  “We meet again.”

  I looked up with a faint smile that fell fast when Lee opened his mouth.

  “He just keeps popping up like a bad smell.”

  “Be nice.” Reid pulled out a chair and pressed Lee into it. “Is this your boyfriend?”

  “God, no!” I exclaimed, while Mig laughed, unoffended. “No, this is Miguel, my best friend.”

  “What did you mean about Cam popping up everywhere?” Miguel asked, his attention fixed intently on Lee.

  Reid’s boyfriend blossomed under the attention. For the first time, I saw a genuine smile on his lips and a warmth in those dark eyes. Holy hell, his iceman routine was attractive in a sort of sadistic way, but this human look was much more appealing.

  Then he spoke again, and any attraction I felt toward him vaporized on the spot.

  “Well, the first time we met Camden, he was naked in our house.”

  “Oh, gosh!” Mig clapped a hand to his forehead. “I knew that! He told me all about it. He was so embarrassed, especially because he thinks Reid is so hot—”

  “Miguel!”

  I shoved him so hard he nearly fell from his chair. Turning apologetic eyes on Reid and Lee, I fumbled for an explanation.

  “I never said that. I swear. He gets crazy when he’s drunk.”

  “Um no, remember?” Mig said, digging a deeper hole. “You told me you got goosebumps whenever you talked to him on the phone.”

  Reid’s eyebrow ticked up, but he didn’t seem overly worried his boyfriend would care.

  I gritted my teeth. “First off, that was just … he has a nice voice. It didn’t mean anything. I hadn’t even met him yet.” I glanced at Reid, feeling I should address the comment to him. “Sorry, but you have a great voice.”

  My accusing gaze darted back to Miguel. “But that was before I knew he had a boyfriend.”

  In all of this, I hadn’t yet made eye contact with Lee. When I dared peek at him from the corner of my eye, he looked more amused than jealous. That would be consistent. It seemed this guy found me to be a big, fat joke.

  “Want to dance?” Reid asked, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen.

  I sat eyeing my half-empty glass until Mig elbowed me. We were going to have bruises tomorrow if we kept it up.

  “He’s asking you.”

  Raising my eyes, I found Reid watching me. I glanced nervously at Lee.

  “Oh, uh. Your boyfriend won’t mind?”

  “He wanted to dance with other people,” Reid answered as he stood. He grabbed my hand and tugged. “Come on, whi
le Miguel has his attention.”

  Sure enough, Mig and Lee were talking animatedly. In that moment, Lee looked almost nice, though his smile was still a bit sharp.

  ***

  Reid

  I tugged Camden up against my body and sighed in relief. I’d been dying to touch him since the moment I saw him here.

  Knowing that Camden Lewis was hot for me even before we met? Total turn-on. I couldn’t say the same, but Cam had made a hell of a first impression. If it wasn’t for our strange circumstances that night, I’d have taken a bit more time to appreciate the man in nothing but a towel.

  He hesitantly slid his hands over my shoulders and took a step back, keeping too much space between our bodies.

  “So, do you and Miguel come out a lot?” I asked.

  “Not here,” Camden answered quickly, shaking his head emphatically.

  “Embarrassed?”

  Cam shrugged. “It’s kind of a dive. Mig and I usually drive up to Kansas City when we can. Well, it’s been a while, because Miguel has a boyfriend right now.”

  Too bad for Lee, but it was good for our cover. I’d seen the flare of interest in his eyes and the smile that so rarely graced his face. He liked Miguel.

  “But yeah, this place is usually full of creeps,” Cam said, and nodded his head in the direction of the bar toward a trucker with stringy brown hair and an unkempt beard. The man watched us avidly, his eyes fixed on Camden’s ass. “That’s more the usual clientele.”

  “So, I fit right in.”

  Camden laughed and slapped my arm. His whole face came alive. Those rosy lips curved into a smile, complete with dimples, and his blue eyes seemed lighter than they had before. There was something bright and fresh about him that was incredibly compelling.

  “You’re at least one step up,” Cam joked.

  My hands tightened on Camden’s waist, pulling him closer again. Dropping my mouth close to his ear, I gave him the unfiltered truth.

  “And you’re about 10 levels above this place. You’re fucking gorgeous, you know that?”

  Camden pulled away, his face flushing. I’d made him uncomfortable.

  “We should probably get back to Miguel and Lee.”

  I followed him across the dance floor, enjoying the rear view of those ridiculously tight jeans. Cam’s ass was showcased perfectly in the snug denim, though I did wonder if those jeans were cutting off blood flow to the man’s lower half.

  My cock hardened at the sight, and I reached down to adjust myself. I could benefit from a little less blood flow myself.

  Damn.

  When we reached the edge of the dance floor, I snagged Camden’s wrist before he could scurry over to the table. I didn’t want him ill at ease with me. Soon, we’d be working together. From here on, I’d probably see him in something more professional than a towel or a pair of painted-on jeans. That was a damn shame, but I was officially a man with a boyfriend so I’d have to live with that reality. In the meantime, I’d probably given Camden the idea I was a creep.

  Time to fix that.

  “Hey, I’m sorry if I overstepped.”

  Camden turned, looking uncomfortable. “I like a compliment as much as the next guy, but I don’t get between committed couples.”

  “I don’t know, a Camden sandwich could be fun,” I joked.

  When Camden didn’t look amused, I dropped the grin.

  “Sorry. I didn’t intend to make you uncomfortable. It wasn’t a serious come-on.”

  Camden looked skeptical, but he accepted my apology. “Don’t worry about it. We didn’t meet in the most professional manner, so I can hardly complain. I was hoping the next time we saw each other, I’d be dressed more formally.”

  I chuckled. “There’s plenty of time to show off how you look in a suit, Cam. To use your words, I can hardly complain,” I said with a wink.

  Camden laughed. “I guess. Geez. I certainly know how to make an impression. You don’t know me, but … this really isn’t how I usually dress,” he said waving a hand to his too-tight, super sexy outfit.

  “So, I shouldn’t expect skin-tight jeans at our business meeting Monday?”

  “Yeah, no.”

  He slapped my arm before turning back toward the table, and this time I let him go. I might not know him well, but I wanted to know him. There was just something about him that drew me in. I’d come damn close to offering to let him stay at Ivy Lane when he’d looked so sad and desperate the night we met, even though every part of me had known that was a terrible idea. Lee’s snarky attitude had saved me from myself.

  And tonight, I’d come damn close to throwing out the rules I’d imposed on Lee. If Camden had been game, I would be on my knees in an alley right now.

  ***

  Camden

  I switched to water soon after I returned to the table after the awkward dance with Reid. It was a weird feeling, being so attracted to someone and yet entirely uncomfortable with their interest. Why couldn’t he have been single, I wondered for the 20th time as I watched him laugh at Miguel.

  Mig had not slowed down. He’d done the opposite, switching to shots after his fifth mixed drink. Miguel was a fun drunk, though. He was always outgoing, but he amped up his charisma to 100 when he was liquored up.

  “So, she was naked? Really?” Lee asked. “You perv!”

  Miguel waved his hands dramatically. “No, no, no, no, no. I’m not a perv. I ran the hell out of that house so fast you would have thought I’d seen a hellhound!”

  He was in the midst of the story about his first week on the job, when the agent he’d been shadowing had taken him into a house — only to walk into a showing they hadn’t been expecting. The owner of the home hadn’t gotten the message about the appointment, apparently, and she was completely naked.

  “She wasn’t just naked, she was doing yoga!” Miguel exclaimed, though I’d never figured out if that part of the story was true. I’d halfway believed the entire thing was meant to scare new agents into double- and triple-checking their appointment times with sellers.

  “No,” Lee said with a laugh. “You’re lying now.”

  “No, seriously. She was in something like the downward dog, and it was impossible not to see … more than I’ve ever wanted to see.” Miguel gave an exaggerated shudder. “I’m gay, you know.”

  He gazed lecherously at Lee and waggled his eyebrows. Oh, Jesus. I glanced at Reid, uncertain of how he’d take Mig’s flirting, but he was smiling and shaking his head. Maybe he didn’t believe the story either. He didn’t seem to mind the flirting, at least. But, why would he? A guy would have to be crazy to walk out on the uber-buff, square-jawed Reid Bishop for Miguel. I mean, my friend was cute, but he was just that: cute.

  As Miguel’s best friend, I’d heard this story before, but I’d never heard him tell anyone else. For one thing, it didn’t reflect all that well on the profession. Who wanted to list their house if they thought their privacy might be compromised like that? It wasn’t exactly confidence-inspiring stuff.

  Then again, he’d already told the story about the shady agent who once slept with the wife of a client, so his censor was officially broken.

  “So, she didn’t see you?” Reid asked. “This poor woman never found out?”

  “Are you kidding? We got the hell out of there without making a sound. Last thing we wanted was to terrify some poor woman. We left the house without a word, got in the car and drove back to the office. We haven’t spoken about it to this day. But every time we see each other, there’s this sort of unspoken exchange. Like, ‘Remember that time with the naked yoga lady?’ ‘Dude, awkward.’ And then we move on about our day.”

  “It’s so wrong,” I said, shaking my head. I’d been a bit horrified when I’d first heard the story. It helped that I knew Miguel didn’t find it funny when it happened. It was one of those things that you could look back on and laugh about later. “Can you imagine how she’d feel about it?”

  “That’s why we didn’t tell her,” Miguel sa
id, shooting me a mischievous look. “But I imagine you’d understand better than most how it feels, considering the show you gave Reid and Lee.”

  Fresh laughter broke out as I blushed. Thank God I’d had a towel. I didn’t know how I’d cope if Reid had walked in on me bare-ass naked.

  “But think about it,” Miguel said, “wouldn’t you have rather never known they were there?”

  “If a tree falls in the forest and no one’s there to hear it, does it make a sound?” Reid suggested.

  “Something like that.”

  Soon after, I called it a night and fished out Miguel’s keys. Lee and Reid walked out with us, crossing the parking lot to an orange Dodge Challenger. I’d seen it at Ivy Lane, but I’d been a little too overwhelmed to appreciate it.

  “Sweet car!” Mig exclaimed, stumbling a bit as he stepped forward to get a closer look.

  Reid shrugged. “It’s not as sweet as a refurbed one. I’d love a classic, but I don’t have the skills. This baby has a retro look, which I like, but he doesn’t require a mechanic or someone with tons of money to burn to maintain. Plus, I can drive cross-country without worrying he’ll fall apart.”

  “He?” I asked.

  Reid grinned. “Yeah, I named him Julius. Because he’s—”

  “Orange,” Lee interrupted. “Terribly clever.”

  “Shut it,” Reid said without any real ire.

  “Oh, Julius is sexy. Maybe I should go home with him,” Miguel said.

  He was half-lying over the hood, rubbing one hand up and down and closing his eyes.

  I laughed. “I better get him home before he gets to third base with your car.”

  Reid helped me get Miguel into the passenger seat, then squeezed my shoulder. “See you Monday.”

  I got Miguel back to the apartment and managed to help him stumble his way inside. Jeremy was there to manhandle him into bed. I escaped into the bathroom and changed into sweats and a T-shirt. When I returned to my bed on the sofa, Jeremy stood in the middle of the living room.