Chapter 17 Mikey
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
mikey
Everywhere we tried to go, people were holding up their phones, trying to take pictures of us in secret.
None of them were particularly discreet about it, though.
A few times, I was able to catch them in the act and shoot them a glare.
I didn’t know if it scared them off taking the photos or if it would bite me in the ass later, but that would be another bridge I’d cross when I got there.
After the night we faked having sex, a social media post went up “confirming” our relationship. Their only proof was overhearing us—not an actual statement—because neither of us had said anything, but the Internet was still going feral over it.
Travis hadn’t said anything about it yet, probably wanting to wait to see how it played out.
I’d recently started working with him in the hopes to secure some sponsorships.
I’d made it to some of the biggest rodeos in the world, and I was also making six figures a year. It was time to expand my brand.
But my reputation wasn’t a secret in the industry, and sometimes it made it harder to secure deals. Nobody wanted the face of their company to be a man in his thirties who “couldn’t settle down.” It was possible my agent—like me—thought this relationship was the publicity stunt my career needed.
As long as the media didn’t start twisting it and ruin Juniper’s reputation in the process, I was willing to give anything a shot.
I figured I’d keep doing what I was doing and ask for forgiveness later.
If I was truly doing something wrong, Travis would have told me to knock it off.
Since the main issue everyone had with me was that I couldn’t settle down and was allegedly distracted by one-night stands, having Juniper on my arm on multiple occasions was working in my favor.
Colter and Reid won their SuperSeries, which wasn’t a shock to anyone. They were the favorites this year for a World Championship. Things could change rapidly in this sport, but they were determined, just like I was. The difference was, no one had any doubts that they’d pull it off.
Jake and Hayden were set to compete in the final SuperSeries starting tonight, and then the competition would progress into the semifinals.
Colter, Reid, Ellison, Isa, Juniper, and I sat around a table at a little, family-owned diner here in town. They were famous for their burgers and milkshakes, but had other options as well.
“Welcome to The Legless Cow!” our server, a lively girl named Lauren, greeted us. “Nice to see you two again.” She smiled at Colter and Ellison like she knew them.
“It’s good to be back.” Colter nodded as he put his arm around Ellison’s shoulders.
“What can I get for y’all?”
Ellison ordered first, then Isa, and we went around the table listing off what we wanted.
“I’ll take your Cowboy Burger.” The half-pound burger with barbeque sauce and grilled onions sounded just right for me.
Juniper ordered a simple bacon cheeseburger, and everyone ordered milkshakes.
“You know the waitress?” I asked Ellison and Colter after she’d left.
A flush creeped into Ellison’s cheeks.
“This was where our second date was. Ellison knows the owners,” Colter explained.
I chuckled. “Ah, so this is where you went the day Reid cockblocked you, huh?”
Ellison reached over Colter to smack me on the arm, but Reid just grinned as he nodded.
“Do you have a favorite restaurant back at home?” I asked Juniper.
“My hometown in Michigan has this place where you can get the best deep-dish pizza. But my favorite place in Goldfinch is called Marco’s. They’re not better than the pizza back home, but they’re a close second.”
“Yeah, we know Marco’s! That place is still open?” Reid jumped into the conversation.
“Well, now you just make us sound old.” Colter elbowed him in the ribs.
He just shrugged. “You know how much that town changes.”
Juniper smiled. “Yeah, it’s still open. One of the few places that didn’t change in the four years I was there. I’m sure if you went in today, they’d still have the black-and-white checkered floors, green countertops, and all the photos framed on the wall.”
“Did you know we’re up on that wall?” Colter asked me.
I shook my head. “I did not.”
“Yeah! Reid, me, and a few other guys on the rodeo team back in the day made it up on the wall. Only the best of the best end up on the Marco’s wall of fame. Even Coach Aaron’s up there.”
“I think I’ve seen that picture up there before,” Juniper admitted, suddenly acting shy. “Maybe that’s where I recognized you guys from.”
Reid’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, yeah?”
There was a hint of skepticism in his voice, but I couldn’t pinpoint why. I thought I’d recognized her from somewhere, too, but I chalked it up to seeing so many people and the faces all blending together. Besides, I wouldn’t have thought I’d forget a face like Juniper’s.
I rested my hand on her knee, giving it a light squeeze. Instead of moving it off her leg because no one would actually be paying attention to what was happening under the table, her lips curled up in a soft smile.
Our food came out surprisingly fast, and our chatter lulled as we dug in.
“This is probably the best burger I’ve ever had.” A few heads bobbed with my compliment. “You’ve got good taste, Firecracker. In food and company, clearly.” My brows wiggled.
“That’s probably the nicest thing you’ve said to me all year, Michael,” she teased.
Juniper gave me a confused look as she listened to us. Ellison and I had our fair share of banter, but it was all platonic—honestly more sibling-like than anything. Sure, I gave her a lot of shit, but she gave it right back.
My hand found Juniper’s and gently squeezed, my thumb brushing over hers, rubbing small circles on her skin. For whatever reason, I liked the subtle intimacy. Pretend or not, it was comforting. Especially when she returned the gesture.
After we’d finished our meal, Reid flagged down Lauren so we could all pay.
“Suppose we should get a move on so we don’t miss Jake and Hayden’s performance.” Reid stood then pulled out Isa’s chair for her. “Shall we?”
One by one, we got up. As we headed toward the exit, Ellison and Colter shared a heartfelt goodbye with the older woman behind the counter and then we were on our way.
The moment we got to our seats, a couple of girls approached us.
“Are you Mikey Tucker?” one of them, a blonde, asked.
“Sure am.” I looked up.
“I’m a huge fan of yours.” The other—a redhead with giant eyelashes and far too much makeup—squealed as she bent down, practically pushing her tits into my face.
“Thanks,” I muttered, snaking my arm around Juniper’s shoulders and leaning toward her so I could try to see around the girl.
“Will you sign?” the girl asked, and I realized she wanted me to sign her boobs.
“Give me your arm,” I instructed after she handed me a Sharpie.
She pouted as I signed her forearm instead and mumbled an unenthusiastic, “Thanks, I guess.”
“What was that for?” Juniper asked when the girls had left. She lowered her voice. “Was it because of the media?”
“You’re my girlfriend. It’s always a bad look to be signing another woman’s tits. The only ones I want to see are yours, Peach.” I winked. “I’m a one-woman man now. You’ve shown me the light.” Dramatically, my hand waved in front of my face, like I was Buzz in the Toy Story movies.
She rolled her eyes, but appreciation still shone in her expression.
“Never thought we’d see the day that a woman would have Mikey whipped.” Colter chuckled.
In the moment, I’d forgotten the others were there and they saw the whole thing.
“Looks like you can never leave this man, Juniper. We can actually sort of tolerate the guy now,” he continued.
I waved him off as the announcer called out the last steer wrestler over the loudspeakers. The cowboy, who came from a small town out of New Mexico, clocked in a time of five-point-three seconds.
“All right, ladies and gents, first up in the tie-down roping, we’ve got a cowboy hailing from the state of Montana! Jake Flynn!”
Jake sat tall on his horse in the roping box, the calf he’d rope in the chute. As a tie-down roper, he held a small string of rope between his teeth.
Up on the screen, his horse spun in a few circles. Jake backed him up then nodded. The calf was released from the chute, and his horse took off after it in an explosive run as Jake swung the longer rope over his head. He threw his rope and caught the calf, the loop falling around its neck.
His horse came to a full stop as Jake jumped down, and the calf was jerked back, not quite falling on the ground. Jake ran over to the calf to flip it over then tied three of its legs together with the string. When he was done, he threw his hands in the air.
Running back to his horse, he mounted it then urged it forward to take the slack out of his rope.
If the calf broke free before six seconds was up, he would get a no time.
The judges nodded, and the calf was freed. Once it was up on its feet again, it was as though nothing had happened as it happily ran to the gate to exit the arena.
“Eight-point-two seconds!” the announcer called out. Jake could be seen up on the big screen nodding, happy with his time.
In between competitors, the cameras panned around the audience for different activities to engage the crowd like the muscle cam or the dance cam. I should have expected the kiss cam to land on me and Juniper.
“Look! You guys are up on the screen!” Isa squealed.
Sure enough, the six of us were projected up on the jumbotron for everyone to see. Ellison and Colter obviously kissed, as did Isa and Reid after her outburst, but my eyes widened.
“Are you sure?” Juniper asked in a low voice.
I didn’t get to answer as chants of, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” erupted around the arena.
I guess if we were doing this fake dating thing, we were going all in. After all, media sources had already “confirmed” our relationship, so not kissing would have raised more questions than anything.
I took off my hat and put it in front of our faces for some sense of privacy as I leaned in and kissed Juniper, giving her a quick peck on the lips, fully intending to pull back.
Instead, she grabbed the back of my head and pulled me back to her.
Her taste invaded my mouth, and my dick twitched in my jeans.
Everyone around us cheered, and as we pulled apart and I lowered the hat, the camera picked up the pink flush in her cheeks.