Chapter 23

The guys and their wives finally arrived, and just as David had said, Irian/Brie got berated with questions? She shot him a look of desperation and he handed John the meat fork to rescue his wife. "Ladies, can I borrow her for a minute?" he asked.

She didn't even bother waiting for them to respond. She got up and went to his side. "Sorry, ladies, I'll be right back, but when Daddy says jump, I jump", she said and flashed them a smile. They walked into the house with his arm wrapped around her waist. When they got into the kitchen, she turned to him and laid her head on his shoulder. "What do I say to them? They want to know what you first said when you asked me out, how you proposed, what the sex is like. I don't know what to say."

"Tell them whatever you want to and I'll stick to the story, ok? Even if you say that I drove past you one day and wrapped my vehicle around a tree, I'll agree with whatever you say."

"And you want what in return?"

"Another one of those deep tissue massages that you gave me yesterday."

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Meanwhile, Dan, John, and Mike were standing around the grill, each with a beer in one hand, watching the scene in the kitchen. "I wonder how much of what we're seeing there is an act and how much is real", Mike said.

"I don't think any of it's an act, to be perfectly honest", John said. "I think she actually does care for him, but she's afraid to admit it."

"I don't know. I do know this, though, they have had sex a couple of times", Dan told the guys. John and Mike's eyes got wide. "Really?" Mike said.

Dan nodded. "He about half assed admitted it earlier when I brought the stuff for Irian to change her appearance and become Brie."

"Did he say how many time they'd done it?" John asked.

"Nope, he kicked me out of the house and told me he'd see me in the evening."

"Is he falling for her?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, but he said, 'At least I know I'm not falling alone'. She's got to be falling for him too."

"That's obvious, Dan", John said. "Look how affectionate she is toward him."

"Have either of them said the 'L' word yet?" Mike asked.

"Not to my knowledge", Dan said. "I hope not. They're both fucked if they do. HQ will make him leave the agency because he fell for a charge. They'll have his fucking head on a platter."

"Well, I do know this", John said. "This is the happiest I've ever seen him. What about you guys?"

Dan and Mike thought about it for a minute. "Yeah, I would have to say so", Mike said. "And, who knows, Danny, maybe the agency will have mercy on him."

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David and Irian/ Brie came out of the house and separated into the different groups. Irian returned to the wives, getting bombarded with the same questions that had sent her panicking to David. "Hold on, ladies. One at a time. I can't answer all of you at once."

Kristen, John's wife, asked. "How did you two meet, Brie?"

"Well, I do a few massages every now and then for charity events, like walks and stuff like that. At one of my events, David was there. I was taking a break and we both saw each other at the exact same moment. He came over to me and we got to talking. By the end of the event, he asked me out. The rest is history."

"How come we weren't invited to the wedding?" asked Nicole, Dan's wife.

"It was one of those off the cuff things where we both just looked at each other and said, 'Let's get married.' I think the only people who knew besides us are your husbands."

"Ok, I've just gotta know because I've been wondering this since I laid eyes on him, but if any of you tell Mike, you're all dead", said Tina, Mike's wife, "but, how is David in bed?"

Irian giggled. "Scale of 1- 10, 1 meaning he's shit and 10 meaning he's a fucking GOD?"

"Yeah."

"He's easily a 40 or 50. One of the best lovers I've ever had. No, scratch that... he is the best lover I've ever had." They all laughed.

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David walked back to the grill and cracked open his second beer. He'd been nursing the first one when the guys arrived. "We saw that, David", Mike said.

"And I care?" David said back.

"You may not, but HQ will."

"Do I look like HQ scares me? I'm doing my job. It's not my fault that she's a really good actress."

"How do you know it was an act?" John asked.

David sighed. "Honestly, I can't tell. She said it was an act."

"What we just saw in there couldn't have been an act, David", Dan said. "Hell, you yourself even said that she's falling for you too."

"Thanks, Danny. Now I know who not to trust my secrets to." David took a sip of his beer and flipped the steaks. "Now, I would really like to know what you guys think about her getting her son back."

"It's doable, I guess. It would take a hell of a lot of work, but it shouldn't be very difficult", John said.

"She wants to just drive to Tennessee and pick him up from her parents' house."

"Are you kidding me?" Mike said. "That's a suicide mission if ever there was one. We're supposed to be keeping her alive, not taking her into the eye of the shit storm."

"We could say that her parents are putting him up for adoption privately and Brie and I are adopting him. It's not that fucking hard, Mikey. Use your head for something other than a hat rack and think outside the box, dumb ass." David sucked in a deep breath. "You know, guys, I think it's best if you all just go home after the meat is done cooking. I can't do this right now. I've got a lot of shit on my mind and I can't protect her if you guys are busy busting my balls over how I do it. I'm trying to keep this from being a living hell for her and none of you are helping."

"We're sorry, brother, really. We're just concerned", Mike said.

"We've watched a lot of relationship go down the shitter for you and we don't want to see it happen again."

"One of my ex's was a spy for the Establishment. She was reporting on us to them. Can you blame me for dropping her like a bad habit?"

"No, guess we can't", John said. "But the guys are right. We're just concerned. That's all."

"Well, take your concern and shove it."