Page 23

I shut the door and watch him pull away.

While walking toward the giant thirty story building of J. Witt, I can’t help but wonder where my dad is. New York? No. Pennsylvania? Yeah, probably out of the tri-state. Hope Stanzo isn’t messing with him too much. Then again, why would he? I’m keeping my end of the bargain and staying with a strip-club-owning psycho murderer.

We’ll leave out that he’s ten out of ten volcanic hot with a venomous snake slithering in his pants.

Focus on work, Capri.

After greeting the stubbly security guard at the front desk, taking the stairs to the basement makes me remember how shitty this case I’m working on is. Dad always says this is paying my dues, though. Luckily,I have a good crew. When I get there, Jacky is already sitting at our four-person desk, face down with her forehead stuck to an open binder. Maybe she never left?

“Dude!” I slap the desk.

“Ahh! Stinnel Pipeline is the devil! What?”Jacky looks around frantically. “Oh God, you scared the shit out of me.”

“Payback for last time.” I chuckle. “But seriously, Jacky, go home.” I grab at my binders, which are right where I left them on Friday night.

“Nuh uh. I go home, brother sees how hungover I am, tells Mom. Whole thing.” She waves her hands.

“You’re speaking like a cavewoman. I’ll pick up your slack today.”

“No. I’m fine, really. Sunday fun-day, am I right?” Jacky grits her teeth at the sweat-stain left by her forehead. “Guess I’m reprinting that one.Wait.”She throws her hands up, looking at me through two bloodshot eyes, holding a wry smirk. “How was your scuba date with Gil?”

I look around to make sure no one else is in the room.

Jacky gasps. “You fucked him, didn’t you! Underwater, starfish mermaid fuck-time. Tell me everything. Do dicks looked curved underwater? When you’re sucking it under there, is it salty like the sea?”

“Someone’s awake now.” My eyes widen as they stare at the page, hoping she’ll magically fall back to sleep. “No, I didn’t fuck him, Jacky.”

“Boo!No fun.” She deflates with a puckered frown. “You should’ve seen me at the Guetta concert Friday night. Found this headband-wearing hottie when I pushed my way to the front rows and started dancing on him.”

I take a good look at her – the messy golden-red bun, loads of freckles, braless green top, and crusty eyes from sleeping at a desk. She’s beautiful regardless, in her own way. Probably an easy target for the hottie she found.

“Let me guess, you were wearing a few strings as your outfit.”

“That’s the getup for these things! Anyway, I’d be lying if something didn’t find its way into me as we were dancing.Too crowded to say for sure, but both his hands were wrapped around my waist, so…”

“How do you ‘not know for sure’?”

“Lots of Molly. Everything feels like an orgasm on it.”

Hm. Maybe I could use some. But I’ll keep that to myself.

I shake my head at her. She’s the literal opposite of me. Maybe shewouldbe good for Trino. God. Imagine if she knew about my weekend? It was actually crazier than hers, and I’m not allowed to say a thing about it.

If you can imagine it, I found a hottie too. And we even almost kissed!I wish I could blurt.

“So… Gil. Is it going to be awkward when he gets here?” Jacky grimaces.

“No. I was at his lesson for all of five minutes—”

“That’s all he lasted, huh?” Jacky snaps her tongue. “A damn shame. You are a fiery ten, though, in his defense—”

“Jacky!”

We both laugh it up until we hear a set of footsteps descending the stairs.

It’s no one from our team. We wave at the guy with a man-bun and fire-engine-red suspenders, and continue our gossip. Another fifteen minutes of Jacky’s shenanigans go by while we edit agreements mindlessly, until Charlie heads down the stairs.

He has light grey eyes, dark wavy hair down to his shoulders, and the smoothest skin a man ever did have. Oh, and you’d never know he’s as gay as the pride flag unless you were good friends with him.