Alex led Anthony to the server who was sorting out the details of the sale.  He sorted his thoughts and found himself almost chanting.  'It is fine.  I shouldn't be upset.  We are just pretending.'  He held to that strongly as he smiled a flirtatiously to Anthony as Anthony subtly asks Alex one of those double entendres, “was there anything else you saw that interested you, Alex?  Any other pieces you wish to take home?”.  He can almost hear the too perky stewardess on the plane squeal out “coffee, tea or me?”  while batting her eye lashes at him.  He has to hold hard not to burst out laughing.  The smile on his face though was easy and sincere for it.<br/><br/>Alex was still totally oblivious to the undercurrents playing around him.  He had no idea he wasn't the lead of the show.  He thought himself the manipulator of the puppet show.  He takes Anthony's arm even stronger than before, straightens his spine a bit more and winks to Anthony as he says “Nothing to hang on my walls at least.”  His mind slips to Victoria and somehow Anthony is in the mental picture as well.  He closes his eyes briefly and swears about too much champagne and then grabs another flute from a passing server.<br/><br/>He refused to think about the stiffness in his pants from Anthony's touches.  'I'm just drunk.' he tells himself.  'It is from seeing Victoria,' he tells himself further.  The fact that it happened only after Victoria left does not seem to enter his thoughts.  Probably a careful screening to create that delusion, just as he chalks the kiss had given to Anthony up to keeping up the act.  The fact that the man's scent filled his nose or that his mind was not on how the two of them appeared would not be admitted at this time.  Also, the fact that he was just as surprised as Anthony would be denied.<br/>