Playing You (Omega's Luck #3) - Claire Cullen Page 0,15

when they were about. They were good company, and he was learning bits and pieces about living in the city. But while they liked to go out on weekends, Riley was saving his money for an emergency. He wanted something put away to help him get back on his feet, just in case this gig with Brendan didn’t work out.

The betas were eating out, and Mrs. O’Brien was at the movies with a friend, so it was just him and Brendan for dinner. They were eating lasagna that Mrs. O’Brien had put in the oven for them. No matter how many times Riley insisted he could fend for himself, she wasn’t content unless there was a meal ready to be eaten.

Brendan eyed their empty plates. “Want seconds?”

“I couldn’t eat another bite.”

The alpha grinned at him. “Me neither. How about cocoa? I’m sure I saw some tucked away in the cupboard. And I think there’s marshmallows.”

Riley laughed but nodded eagerly. “I can’t say no to hot cocoa.”

“Great. Grab a seat by the fire, I’ll be back soon. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Intrigued, he toed off his shoes and curled up in one of the armchairs, awaiting the alpha’s return. Brendan arrived with two mugs of cocoa, each with a little mound of marshmallows on top. They sat and sipped their drinks.

“I know we usually keep work for the office,” Brendan started to say.

Riley tensed. Was this Brendan’s way of telling him things weren’t working out? Letting him down gently? He waited with bated breath to hear what the alpha had to say.

“But I’m running out of time with this, and I think you’re up for it.”

“Up for what?” He relaxed when it didn’t sound like he was getting fired after all.

“You remember we talked about you playing roles?”

“To help open doors,” Riley said. “I remember. You have something you need my help with?”

“Uh-huh. It’s more complex than I’d like to start you off with, but it’s really important. I can’t see myself getting through the weekend without a pretty omega on my arm.”

He wasn’t sure what threw him more—Brendan calling him pretty, or the word weekend.

“What do I need to do?”

“It’s more a ‘we’ than an ‘I,’” Brendan said. “I’ve been tracking this person for a client, but I need to get close to him, get my hands on some inside information. An opportunity has come up to do just that. He’s going away for a weekend and, with the help of the client, I’m able to be there. But it’s sort of a big deal.”

“What kind of big deal?” Riley was still a little uncertain what they were talking about. Brendan seemed uncomfortable enough that he suspected it might be something awkward, like he’d have to pretend to be a prostitute, or maybe it was a strip club…

“It’s a couples retreat. A murder mystery weekend.”

Riley blinked. “Um, what?”

“A murder mystery weekend. It’s a live roleplay where we go as guests, and there’s a house full of actors, and we all play along.”

“Oh.”

“But it’s for couples. I’d stick out like a sore thumb if I went alone. With you, though… everyone’s eyes would be on you. No one would be paying much attention to me.”

“Oh.” So much better than pretending to be a stripper.

“Do you think you could handle that? It’ll be three nights—two days—we’d arrive Friday night, leave Monday morning. It’s in this country mansion. Think more money than sense and you’ll get the idea.”

“What would I have to do?” That was the part he was unclear about.

Brendan took a sip of his cocoa, answering at length. “You’d pretend to be my boyfriend. No, let’s say fiancé. The kind of people we’re going to meet there will respect a fiancé more than a boyfriend. We’ll make nice with the other couples, take part in the activities—there’ll be stuff to move the murder mystery plot along, mostly meals and a few parties. We’ll come up with a backstory for the both of us. Nothing too complex, close to the truth so it’ll be easy to remember, or to make stuff up on the fly if we need to.”

Riley mused on that. It wasn’t all that different from a role in a play, except he had to keep it up for three days straight instead of taking his acting hat on and off for a few hours at a time.

“If it sounds like too much, don’t worry about it,” Brendan assured him. “I’ll find another way.”

“I didn’t say