Page 96 of Forbidden Billionaires, Vol. 9

Friday

There were butterflies in my stomach as I unlocked my door. I knew I shouldn’t have them, but I couldn’t help it. And even though we were supposed to just be friends, I didn’t even want them to disappear. I wasn’t even sure I could get rid of them if I wanted to.

He liked when I called him my lifeguard. It felt like that meant he liked all my idiosyncrasies. That he liked me just the way I was. The butterflies started flapping around even more. I smiled to myself as I pushed the door open. Tonight was just what I needed.

The door slammed into something hard on the other side.

“Ow! Son of a bitch!” Kristen fell with a thud and sprawled out on the floor, blocking my way in. “Why did you hit me?”

“Were you spying on me?”

“Don’t flip this around. I think you broke my whole body.”

I tried not to laugh as I helped her to her feet. “That’s what you get for spying.”

“I wasn’t spying.”

I just stared at her.

“It just so happened that I was looking through the peephole at the exact same time you and douche bag dick wad were standing there.”

“And who’s the stalker now?”

She rolled her eyes. “Sue me. And speaking of suing…you’ll be hearing from my lawyer about all the broken bones in my body. I’m basically a professional athlete! My bones are precious.”

“Did I actually hurt you?” I wasn’t at all afraid that she’d sue me, but I didn’t want her to be in pain. And I definitely didn’t want it to be my fault that she didn’t make the cut for the U.S. volleyball team.

“Yes.” She waved her hand in front of her face, torso, arms, and legs. “Everywhere.”

Dramatic much? “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t sound sorry. But I guess I won’t sue you if you tell me what the hell you two were doing together? I couldn’t hear properly through the door. I could have sworn you said word farts.”

If only that hadn’t happened. I was in too good of a mood to care though. I laughed and walked past her and into our apartment. “He came to the ice cream shop to talk to me. He even brought a pizza since I missed out last week. We ate on the beach and…”

“I know. I had to order in because you abandoned me without any warning.” She stuck out her bottom lip and motioned to the Chinese takeout boxes on the coffee table. “But if the next thing out of your mouth is that you two made out under the stars, all is forgiven.”

I wish. I think I wish? God, I don’t know . I shook my head. “No, we didn’t kiss. We talked and went for a swim. He apologized about the other night. It was just really, really nice.”

“Nice? You have to give me a better adjective than that. And more details. Did you hold hands? Did you skip first base and go straight to second?”

I thought about his hands precariously close to my ass.

There was no way I was going to have this conversation with her.

I had a bad feeling it would just go straight into talking about anal.

And I was done thinking about that. Besides, tonight felt…

personal. I didn’t want to spill all the details.

I wanted to bottle them up and keep them forever.

What could I say to distract her from prying questions? “Well, I know what he smells like now.”

“Oh…you were close enough to get a good whiff of him? Does he smell as amazing as we thought he would?”

Even better. “He smells just like summer.”

“So…like…sweaty?” She made a face that squished all her features together.

I laughed. “No. Well, kind of, but in a good way. It was a mix of sunscreen, sweat, and saltwater. It was intoxicating. We hung out after he had worked all day, so it was ocean goodness.”

“Now we have to find out what he smells like when he cleans himself up properly.”

“Okay?” What was with her and male aromas? I liked how he smelled after work. I really really liked it. Probably too much for my own good.

“I guess this means you don’t want me to kill him anymore?”

I shook my head. “Definitely not.”

“So you’re going to date?”

“No. I think we’re going to try to be friends, I guess.”

“That was a weird sentence.”

I shrugged. “What? Why?”

“I think. I guess. Try. You’re going to land straight in his bed for sure.”

“Not going to happen. He doesn’t do long distance.”

“And summer doesn’t end for two months. Right now you’re super close distance. Why not take advantage of that for as long as possible? A sexy summer fling never hurt anyone.”

I laughed. “I’m focusing on myself, remember?”

“And just imagine how good you’d feel with his dick in you.”

So freaking amazing. I should have been reprimanding her, not daydreaming about the possibility of what she’d proposed. “You know what I mean, Kristen. I need to figure out my major. And figure out how to run for more than ten minutes at a time without feeling like I’m dying.”

“All of which you could do together. Besides, I’m sure he’s great at running. Doesn’t he have to run in slow motion every day as a lifeguard? He could teach you how to do that.”

I laughed.

“And I wasn’t watching you guys for very long, but girl, it looked like he was going to go in for the kiss for a second there. I’m not sure the two of you are on the same page.”

“Of course we are.”

“Mhm. So when he said he was going to see you tomorrow…that’s not another date?”

“We haven’t been on and are not going to go on any dates. We’re just friends.” But he had actually admitted going to Grottos was a date. And tonight certainly felt like a date. I glanced toward my closet.

“Are you thinking about what you’re going to wear tomorrow?”

“Maybe…”

“Then it’s a date!” She squealed. “Want me to help you pick something out? Oh, I have an idea! Tell me where you’re going and I’ll try to get a good view of wherever you are and I’ll text you great advice the whole time.”

“It’s not a date. So I don’t need advice. And please, don’t ever ever do that.”

“You’re no fun at all. At least let me help you find an outfit then. What are you two friends doing on your non-date? I feel like you’ll need assless chaps.”

I stifled a laugh. “Promise you won’t show up?”

“Sure.” She didn’t sound sincere at all. But I was also pretty sure she worked tomorrow. So even if she wanted to be creepy, she wouldn’t have the chance to.

“We’re going shopping. He starts his fancy new corporate job this fall and doesn’t have anything to wear. And I need some new books.”

“What you need is to kiss hot lifeguard.”

“Yeah, well, maybe in my next lifetime.”

“Or this one.” She pulled out a skimpy, sparkly red dress from her closet. “You’ll definitely get him to kiss you if you wear this.”

“We’re going at one in the afternoon. I’m not wearing a party dress in the middle of the day. Besides, we’re meeting up after lunch. We won’t even be sitting down at a restaurant. I was thinking jean shorts, a tank top, and Keds.”

“Huh. Maybe you are just friends. Because you literally wear that every day. You’re not even trying.”

“Sometimes I wear pajamas all day instead.”

Kristen laughed. “True. At least you’re out of your depressing phase. But can we still watch Project Runway tonight?”

“Yes. The answer to that is always yes.”

“The next challenge looks so freaking good. Who knew bathing suits were so hard to make?”

“Right?” I started to walk over to the couch.

“Wait, we still have to pick your outfit. Work first, play second.”

“I already told you what I was going to wear.”

“And unless you want me to murder you in your sleep, you’re going to pick out a better outfit than that.”

“You’re scary sometimes.”

“Only because I love you. Now try this one.” She tossed a much more suitable sundress at me. But it was still a dress, and it seemed way too fancy for an afternoon of shopping. “Can’t we stick to my closet?”

“Are you saying you don’t like the way I dress?”

Only she could turn my question into an insult on her. “That’s not…”

“Good.” She pulled out several more outfits. “Time for a runway show. Strut your stuff and I’ll judge you like Nina Garcia.”

I was currently wearing something I’d be very comfortable in tomorrow. Minus the bathing suit of course. I started walking in my best runway model strut. “How about this?” I reached her and put my hand on my hip.

“You look like you woke up in a sewer,” she said with a surprisingly spot-on Colombian accent for Nina Garcia. “What is it that you’re wearing, exactly? Trash? Only a sewer rat would be caught dead in that ensemble.”

“Why are you so good at that? And stop saying that my outfit is from the sewer.”

“And the styling…what happened with the styling?” she continued with the accent.

I laughed. “Stop, you’re freaking me out.”

“What? Did you run out of time?” She was still perfectly in character. “You should have used the Lord & Taylor wall more thoughtfully. I can’t look at this girl any longer.”

I picked a pillow up off the couch and threw it at her.

She caught it with a laugh. “Sorry, I’ll stop. I was weirdly good at that though, right?”

“Creepily so.”

“Maybe I should get a job in fashion.” She pulled the pillow to her chest as she collapsed backward onto the couch.

“Try on at least a few outfits I picked out. Please? And then I’ll be able to peacefully focus on Swatch and Tim Gunn.

” She cleared her throat. “This is a make it work moment, Mila,” she said in a pretty awful Tim Gunn voice this time.

At least she wasn’t good at both voices. That would have just been weird.

I laughed and looked at all the ridiculous garments she had pulled. I wanted my lifeguard to like me for me. And nothing on the couch screamed “me.” But if it appeased Kristen, I’d try on a few. Besides, she wouldn’t be here when I left tomorrow. She’d never know what I wore.

“Fine,” I said. “But we get to eat lots of ice cream during the show after this torture.” I may have been finished moping around, but I was pretty sure I was now addicted to binge eating ice cream every night.

“Deal. But, Mila, you need to hurry,” she said in her bad Tim Gunn voice again. “We’re going to the runway now !”