Free The Deception by Chris Taylor

don’t mind that I invited him?”
    Savannah’s breath left her mouth in a rush. At least she knew now why Lucy had never mentioned the man.
    Lucy grinned. “No, not at all. Is he cute?” She winked up at her husband.
    “You’d have to ask Savannah. She’s already met him.” Pete’s gaze turned in her direction, glinting with humor. “What would you say, Savannah? Is he cute?”
    Three pairs of eyes stared at her with various degrees of interest. Savannah’s mouth went dry and she struggled for something to say.
    “If-if you like that type, I guess you’d say he was cute.” She looked at Lucy meaningfully. “You know, the James Bond look-alike type. I’m thinking Pierce Brosnan meets Hugh Jackman.”
    Hoping desperately that Lucy would take the hint, Savannah almost gasped with relief when her friend’s eyes went wide with comprehension. She turned abruptly to her husband.
    “Pete, honey, could you go and get me something to drink from the bar?”
    “Actually, Will’s at the bar now with our order.” He grinned back at her. “He’s a pretty handy man to have around.”
    Savannah could almost see Lucy’s brain constrict with panic as she scrambled for another excuse. “Um…What did you order for me?”
    “A glass of orange juice.”
    “Oh, thank you, honey, that’s great. But, you know, I would really like some iced water right now.” She fanned herself a little frantically with her hand. “It’s so hot in here with all these people. I’m feeling a little lightheaded. Would you mind?” Her smile was pure innocence.
    Pete looked down at her and frowned, but then sighed and shook his head, mumbling something about pregnant women as he walked away.
    As soon as he’d moved out of earshot, Lucy flashed a look of apology toward Chloe and grabbed Savannah by the arm and pulled her a short distance away.
    “Oh my God , Savannah! What are you trying to tell me? Is Will Rutledgeyour mystery man?”
    Several people turned their heads to look in their direction. Panic burned low in Savannah’s belly. 
    “ Shh! Keep your voice down!” she whispered harshly. “I don’t want the whole room to know.” She glanced over at Chloe and beckoned her closer. “It’s okay,” she explained to Lucy. “Chloe’s an old friend from Canberra.”
    Lucy looked vaguely interested in Savannah’s announcement, but seconds later, returned to the more urgent matter at hand.
    “So, it’s true ! He is your mystery man!” Lucy’s mouth suddenly dropped open as another thought occurred to her. “Please tell me he didn’t recognize you?”
    “No, I don’t think so.” Savannah glanced around to make sure the man in question hadn’t returned. With the way still clear, she bent her head close to her friends, pitching her voice just above a whisper.
    For Chloe’s sake, she quickly offered a few brief words of explanation about how this wasn’t quite the first time she’d met Will, like she’d said and then added, “When Pete introduced us, I pretended not to know him. He said hello in a perfectly normal way, gave me a once-over, and that was it.”
    “Are you sure ?” Lucy whispered. “Pete’s going to be furious if he finds out about all of this. Apart from the danger you’ve put yourself in, keeping it from him is not going to go down well.” Her voice held a dire warning.
    “I agree,” Chloe said. “And I could tell right away there was more between you and that hottie than what you were saying.”
    Savannah drew in a deep breath. “Look, if Will Rutledge recognized me, don’t you think he would have said something?”
    Lucy’s bark of laughter was strained. “What would he say— haven’t I seen you somewhere before ? Savannah, he can hardly own up to knowing you without admitting he was also in the brothel—probably not something a man of his social stature would like to admit in public. The fact that he didn’t say anything is hardly reason to believe he didn’t recognize you. And now