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#9. Guys hate sluts.
“I can’t do this.”
“Oh, no you don’t. You’re doing this.”
“I think I’m hyperventilating. Is there a squad on call?”
“And you say I’m the drama queen.”
“Is it normal to break out into a cold sweat like this? I don’t think it is. Maybe I should go to the ER.”
“Kate, if you don’t stop panicking in the next five seconds, I’m going to tell the press that you’re pregnant with my child instead of just being my girlfriend.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“You wanna try me?”
“I hate you, by the way.”
“That’s not what you said last night,” Penn replied, a grin stretching across his face. “Now, relax. Think of it as a shot: just a quick stab and it’s all done.”
I glowered at him. “Except the contents of the syringe are potentially fatal.”
He rolled his eyes, firmly grabbing me around the waist to keep me from running the opposite direction. “You are starting to annoy me.”
“The feeling is mutual, babe,” I shot back. My ears picked up the sound of reporters shouting at the athletes ahead and my heart began racing all over again. I clung to Penn’s arm, a tiny whimper escaping my lips.
He paused our walk to look at me. “Sweetheart, it’s going to be fine,” he told me, turning so that we faced each other. I met his gaze, taking a tiny bit of comfort from his warm eyes.
“I’m too used to being the person shouting behind the ropes, not being the person in front of the blood-thirsty sons-of-bitches,” I commented as we picked up the walk again. Penn chuckled, gently rubbing my back as he did.
“If anyone can kept the hounds in their place, it’s you.”
I snorted. “Thankfully I got my rabies shot.”
We reached the start of the Walk of Hell and my heart beat so fast that it was simply vibrating in my chest. Penn took hold of my hand, smiling at me with reassurance. I took a deep breath before I let Penn lead me out into the sea of flashing cameras and the cacophony of voices.
“Penn, who is that?”
“Penn, look over here!”
“Is she your rebound girl?”
“How long have you two been together?”
“Who does she model for?”
“Penn, how do you feel about competing against Aaron Highland after the whole Veronica scandal?”
Penn paused, and as he slowed his motion, everything around us seemed to slow down with him. I looked up at him, trying to find some kind of comfort in his calm expression. He was smiling easily, casually, but his eyes were not. No, his eyes were alight with an intense glow of joy. He stood beside me, easily the happiest I had ever seen him.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the press,” he said loudly, catching all ears, “I’m aware that my personal life is the only thing that concerns you now, before any Game-related rivalry can be discussed. That being said, I am pleased—no, ecstatic to introduce Kate Gideon, my girlfriend.”
Needless to say, I blushed scarlet as all the eyes in front of us shifted noticeably from Penn to me simultaneous. The roar of the reporters erupted so quickly that it could have startled a deaf man. Penn looked down at me lovingly, kissing me lightly on the lips before ushering me forward. The gates to the lions’ den had been opened and my name, my face, my general existence was the tiny steak they were lunging after.
The noise inside the nightclub wasn’t any better. I felt like my ears were being pounded to a pulp by large angry men as Penn and I searched for Jack and Reid. We eventually found them sitting on a cluster of small sofas a few feet from the bar.
Jack spotted us first, whistling appreciatively as he looked me over. “Damn, Katie, that dress has ‘Take Me Off’ stitched all over it!”
Rolling his eyes, Reid struck Jack upside the head promptly.
I giggled as I sat down on the arm of the sofa beside Penn, who sighed happily as he stretched his legs out in front of him. “Well, that went according to plan,” he said, pretty much shouting due to the loud music and the constant hum of people around us.
Reid rolled his eyes again. “I could hear the chaos in here,” he remarked. “You really do enjoy putting on a show for people, don’t you?”
Penn shrugged. “I was tired of repeating myself to the press, so I just brought it all to an end.”
“A dramatic end,” Reid countered. “Now Kate isn’t going to be able to leave her apartment without being mobbed by reporters.”
Penn glanced at me, a small smile on his lips. “Nah, Kate’s got a good amount of fire in her. She can take care of herself.”
“You know, it’s really stupid how the pair of you are talking about me when I’m right here,” I commented as I stood. “I’m going to get a drink. Anyone want anything?”
“Yeah, I’ll have a beer,” Penn replied. He sat up, stretching so that he could press his lips to mine in a lingering kiss. “Thanks, babe,” he whispered, his lips brushing the words onto my lips.
“Yeah, yeah,” I replied with a grin. “You can pay me back later.”
He grinned back as I walked towards the bar. Now that the actual announcement was over with, I felt like I could relax. Sure, I was undoubtedly going to have to kick a couple hundred reporters off my front doorstep for the next month, but it was something I was willing to do if it made Penn happy. He went out of his way to make me happy, why couldn’t I do the same?
Sidling up to the bar, I ordered two beers, looking around me as I waited. I was in the middle of athlete heaven, surrounded by soccer players, swimmers, gymnasts, wrestlers, and runners. They were all undeniably attractive with their impeccable musculature and prowess. I was living every woman’s fantasy; surrounded by hot, single athletes in a nightclub. My own mother would squeal in envy.
“So, you’re Penn’s new girl, hm?” an Aussie accent mused beside me. I looked to my left and recognized the beautiful face of Veronica. For a blip-second, I felt a wave of insecurity but then I realized that she was the one who took Penn for granted.
“I am,” I replied simply. The bartender delivered my beers, casting a longing glance towards Veronica. She met his gaze with a playful smile, her slinky black dress a mere rag compared to my own jade sheath dress.
Returning her attention to me, Veronica’s smile slipped from playful to menacing. “How does it feel, being the rebound girl to the most wanted bachelor in Australia? It must feel pretty bad, especially since you’re an American and all.”
I stared at her incredulously. “Excuse me?”
Veronica chuckled. “Guys like Penn don’t have relationships with women who live half a world away that last longer than a few weeks. Did you honestly think that he was going to try and make things work with you?”
Irritation started bubbling in the pit of my stomach as Veronica stood there, watching me with malicious eyes while casting glances at Penn as he sat with the boys. I knew, even without her saying it out loud, that she wasn’t going to give up her initial claim on Penn without a fight. While the thought should have made me insecure about my own stake, I knew that she was underestimating Penn’s interest in me.
“For someone who dated Penn for as long as you did, you certainly don’t seem to know much about him,” I replied coolly, meeting her gaze with a small smile. “Don’t think that I’m going to move aside for you to swoop in and break his heart all over again. You threw him away, remember? I doubt he’s going to forgive you any time soon. It’s a commonly known fact: guys hate sluts.”
With that, I turned on my heal and walked back to the boys, handing Penn his beer and settling on his lap. I tossed my hair before glancing back at Veronica, who watched me with furious eyes before she stormed off in the opposite direction. Penn followed my gaze, looking at me curiously.
“What was that all about?” he asked.
I shrugged. “She and I just cleared some things up, that’s all.”
Jack raised an eyebrow. “What sort of things?”
I smirked. “I just reminded her of Fact No. 1.”
Reid and Penn stared at me before bursting into laughter. Jack, obviously the only one of the trio who hadn’t read my article, stared at them with confusion. “What’s so bloody funny?” he asked indignantly. Penn shook his head before pulling my face gently down to his to kiss me.
“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me,” he said with a slight laugh. I smiled.
“And don’t you forget it.” I nibbled lightly on his lower lip, keeping him from taking another drink. I could taste his first swig of the beer as his tongue fenced with mine before his hands became totally tangled up in my hair.
After a minute, he pulled back breathlessly. Jack and Reid were totally forgotten as we sat there, engulfed in the magnetic pull that was our desire.
“You want to get out of here?” he asked huskily, his lips seeking out my throat.
I chuckled wickedly. “Maybe after a bit,” I replied. “I want to make sure Veronica enjoys the show.”
Penn laughed. “You are horrible,” he murmured against my collarbone. “Perfectly and sexily horrible.”
“I do what I can,” I replied before engaging his lips once more.
