Playing You (Omega's Luck #3) - Claire Cullen Page 0,18

do, but Brendan was confident they could pull this off.

“Let’s wrap it up for tonight. We’ll go over it again on Thursday. And then Friday…”

“Friday is opening night,” Riley said brightly. He looked far more excited at the prospect than Brendan was.

Brendan had the sudden worry that Riley would enjoy this too much.

“Remember, we’re not looking to win any awards here. We’re trying to fly under the radar and not be the center of attention.”

Riley’s smile didn’t dim. “I get it. Live your character. I can do subtle.”

Brendan hoped so. They’d probably only get one shot at this.

Chapter Ten

Riley sat in the passenger seat, tapping his foot against the floor as Brendan drove. The radio was on, the windows open, and he suddenly wished he was really heading away for a weekend with his fiancé instead of just pretending. Brendan looked good in his suit pants and button-down shirt. There was no denying the alpha was handsome, but the careful selection of stylish clothes elevated him to a new level. Brendan seemed totally at ease dressed up. Riley wished he felt the same. He tugged at the hem of his shirt and adjusted the collar for the dozenth time.

Brendan glanced at him. “Relax, Riley. You look great. Blue is definitely your color.”

He’d spent an excruciating afternoon at the clothing rental store Brendan used, being fitted by a tailor for the kind of outfits he’d need for their weekend. He kept having to remind himself that it was no different than donning a costume to play a role. Yet somehow, this felt more intimate.

“They’ll take our bags up to our rooms while we meet the other guests. Then we’ll head up and change for dinner. There’ll be drinks after dinner, and a poker game, but we’ll steer clear of the cards, have one drink, and head outside for a walk. That’ll give us some time to change our plans if we need to. We’ll come back in for a nightcap, then head on up to bed. How’s that sound?”

The entrance to the estate came into view. This was it.

“We can do this,” Riley said, faking confidence.

Brendan grinned. “That’s the spirit. The first few minutes are always the hardest. Once we’re over that, it’ll go smoothly.”

It wasn’t long before they were headed inside, through a set of double doors that had been thrown open to welcome the guests. They were shown into a reception room where a few other couples were milling about. Some of them looked bored, but a few pairs of eyes tracked his and Brendan’s entrance. One set of eyes in particular settled on Riley, lighting up with interest. Riley resisted the urge to shiver. He didn’t like the way that alpha was looking at him. Not one bit.

A woman approached them, her arms outstretched.

“Darlings. You’re here, finally. Just in time, too—we were about to break open the champagne.”

She was a total stranger, but her outfit made it easy to pick out which character she was playing.

“Caroline, dear,” Brendan said smoothly. “You look wonderful.”

“Thank you, Brendan. And this must be your best-kept secret.”

Brendan grinned, looking totally at ease even though Riley knew for a fact that he’d never met this woman before.

“Caroline, this is Riley, my fiancé. Riley, my old friend, Caroline.” That was the story, and they were sticking to it.

“It’s lovely to meet you,” Riley piped up. “Brendan’s told me so much about you.”

“Good things, I hope. And not stories from our college days.”

Riley laughed. “All good things… and maybe a wild story or two.”

“Well, that I can live down, I’m sure. Let me introduce you to the rest of our friends. We’ve got quite the crowd this weekend. I’m certain you’ll all get on like a house on fire.”

Riley guessed about a third of the room were actors there to steer the story along. The rest were actual guests. As they were introduced, he began to put names—and roles—to faces, doing his best to commit them to memory. When he got a closer look at the alpha who was still paying him a little too much attention, he realized that he recognized him. Brendan had shown him pictures of the man. It was their target, Christian Night. That was both good and bad. Riley might be able to use the alpha’s interest to their benefit, but it might make it harder to pull off their plan if he was being watched too closely.

Once they’d circled the room and made small talk, they escaped up to their