Playing the Part
1335 Words
A knock came before the sun finished rising. It was sharp, annoyed and familiar.
River groaned from the couch, pulling the blanket over his head. “Tell her to go away.”
Jace stood in the hallway in a black hoodie and sweatpants, hair still damp from a quick rinse. He opened the door just as Sasha barged in with her phone pressed to her ear and a tablet tucked under her arm.
“Good morning, lovebirds,” she said without looking up. “Rise and shine. We have a company to save.”
Jace squinted at her. “Sasha, it’s six-thirty.”
“And your shareholders don’t care. You’re resuming work today. Vacation is officially over.”
River sat up slowly. “What vacation?”
“The one you’ve both been pretending you’re on,” she muttered. “Now get up, both of you. We have to show the world that Jace Maddox is back in control and very much in love.”
Jace’s face twisted. “You’re kidding.”
“Do I look like I’m kidding?”
River rubbed his eyes. “Can I pretend to be just the bodyguard again?”
“No,” Sasha said flatly. “Today, you’re the bodyguard and the fake boyfriend.”
Jace sighed and leaned against the wall. “Why today?”
“Because if you don’t show up at the office soon, the media’s going to start running headlines like ‘Where Is Maddox?’ and ‘CEO Hides After Lover’s Brawl.’”
River chuckled under his breath.
Jace glared at him. “This is not funny.”
“It’s a little funny,” River mumbled, stretching.
Sasha eyed them both. “You two are way too comfortable for two men whose lives are in a PR disaster.”
River yawned. “I don’t remember signing up for this part of the job.”
“You didn’t,” Jace muttered. “Neither did I.”
“Newsflash,” Sasha said, walking to the kitchen, “no one signs up for a fake relationship with a billionaire unless they secretly like it.”
Jace rolled his eyes. “Don’t start.”
“You’re impossible,” she called out. “Now get dressed and don’t wear that ‘I hate my life’ face, Jace. Or at least balance it out with River’s ‘I’m effortlessly hot’ one.”
River groaned again and dropped back onto the couch. “Why is everything my job?”
“Because your arms distract people from how miserable he looks in public,” Sasha replied without missing a beat.
Jace raised a brow. “Can we not objectify my fake boyfriend at breakfast?”
“You’ll change your mind when you see him in that black shirt,” she said, smirking.
******************
Thirty minutes later, Jace came down the stairs dressed in a sharp black suit, tie perfect, watch gleaming under his cuff. His expression? Stone cold.
River stood near the entryway, dressed in dark jeans and a fitted black tee that clung just right. His biceps were outlined beneath the sleeves, forearms veined and solid as he adjusted the watch on his wrist.
Jace paused mid-step. He didn’t mean to look. But his eyes lingered for half a second longer than necessary.
River noticed and so did Sasha.
She caught Jace’s gaze and raised a brow. Then gave a slight wink.
Jace’s glare could’ve cut glass.
She snorted and turned back to the kitchen. “Eggs and bacon. Sit down, pretty boys.”
River leaned toward Jace as they walked to the dining table. “Did she just call us pretty?”
“I think she called me pretty,” Jace replied.
River smirked. “Works for me.”
“I hate all of this.”
“Yet you look like a GQ cover.”
“I feel like a fraud.”
River bumped his shoulder as they sat. “You're a well-dressed fraud. That counts.”
Jace ignored the warmth crawling up the back of his neck and stabbed a piece of bacon.
As they ate, Sasha clicked through her tablet. “Here’s what we’re doing today. Jace, you walk into that building like nothing happened. You’re composed, cool, in charge. And River?”
River raised an eyebrow, chewing.
“You look at him like he’s the center of your universe.”
River almost choked. “Excuse me?”
“Not in a makeout way. In a ‘he’s the only one in the room’ way. You’re in love, but subtle.”
Jace narrowed his eyes. “I don’t do subtle love.”
“You do today.”
“This is ridiculous.”
Sasha crossed her arms. “So is the fact that your stock dropped five points when people thought you were heartbroken. This isn’t about feelings. It’s optics.”
Jace dropped his fork. “Fine. What else?”
“You walk into the building together. River opens your door. You pause, just slightly,and let the cameras catch it. Nothing too obvious. Maybe a glance. A half-smile.”
River pointed his fork. “Wait. I open his door?”
“Yes. Like a gentleman.”
“I thought I was the muscle, not the chauffeur.”
“You’re both. Get used to multitasking.”
Jace rolled his eyes. “I hate this.”
“I know,” she said sweetly.
River leaned back. “I’ll do it if you do the half-smile.”
Jace gave him a flat look. “Don’t push your luck.”
Sasha grinned. “Actually, a smile would help. Just a flicker. Give them something to speculate on.”
“No,” Jace said.
“Come on,” River teased. “You practiced on me in the mirror the other night, remember?”
Jace’s head snapped toward him, eyes wide. “I did not.”
River winked. “Sure you didn’t.”
“Shut up.”
Sasha was already tapping away at her tablet again. “Flirt later. We have thirty minutes.”
After breakfast, they grabbed their things and headed down to the private garage. Their black SUV waited, sleek and shining, already warmed up.
Sasha slid into the front seat, still talking. “We’ll arrive at 9:02 a.m. Cameras will be waiting. Jace, you go in first, but River should stay close behind. If a reporter tries to speak to you, say nothing.”
River got in the back beside Jace, buckling up. He stared out the window as Sasha droned on, her voice a steady background hum.
But River’s mind wasn’t there. It hadn’t been since last night.
Dominic Hale. The name echoed like a distant storm. Loud, then quiet. But always there.
His father. The man who trained him to be strong, only to disappear without a word. The man who might’ve helped bury an entire unit. The man who could be connected to the death of Jace’s father.
“River,” Sasha said sharply. “Are you listening?”
He blinked. “What?”
“I said, no sudden movements when we get there. The goal is to look relaxed and comfortable together.”
He nodded slowly.
Jace glanced at him, picking up on the shift in his mood.
“You okay?”
River hesitated. “Yeah. Just tired.”
It was only partly true.
Jace didn’t press. But his hand brushed lightly against River’s on the seat between them.
It stayed there.
Not holding. Not grabbing.
Just… there.
River looked down at it. Then looked away.
Outside, the city moved past them like a blur of light and glass. But inside the car, everything had slowed down.
River didn’t know what was waiting for them at the office. He didn’t know if his father was watching, or if someone else would try to send another message.
But he knew one thing.
He wasn’t just guarding Jace Maddox anymore.
He was getting pulled in and part of him, maybe the part that still knew how to care, was letting it happen.
- Writer
