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“Do you think that just because her mother is Regina Morelli it changes things? It doesn’t.

” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Regina is dead, and once again she has no real family. She’s a lone wolf, always has been, always will be.

A woman like her doesn’t belong with men like us.

I only wish her the best and believe she should meet someone one day, get married, start a family, all that card company stuff.

” He paused, exhaling. “Not with us, though. Do you understand?”

I rubbed my temple, hoping I got through to him this time because if I didn’t, I would have no other choice but to call security and have him thrown out of my office.

“You’ve been giving me warning after warning since you walked through my door.

So, let me give you a warning, okay? Don’t you dare talk about my fiancée again.

In fact, I don’t want her name to fall from your lips ever again.

In other words, get my fiancée’s name out of your mouth. Do you understand?”

He opened his mouth, but I held a hand up. “One more thing, and after I say this, I don’t want to hear a peep out of you. I want you to get up, turn around, and get the hell out of my sight because I’ve had it up to here”—I gestured above my head—“with you.”

His face grew red, and I knew he was going from annoyed to downright pissed.

I went on anyway, though. “Jade is not alone. She has sisters, friends, and me . Unlike you, I don’t lose myself easily to beliefs others set on me.

I know who I am and where I came from and that none of it matters.

Jade and I are getting married. It seems like you’re the only one who has a problem with it.

And even if there are others who stand with you, I couldn’t care less.

You can all start a club and converse about it on your own time.

” I was done talking about this with him.

Done with all of it. “Now get out.” I peered down at a stack of papers on my desk and fingered the edge of one of them so I could scan the pile and see where to start. “I have work to do.”

Nate didn’t say shit, but someone did as I heard, “What a goddamn bore.”

I gazed up to see who was talking and spotted a scowl cross Nate’s face, his eyes throwing daggers at one of my oldest friends as he turned and walked out.

“EJ,” I said by way of greeting. We’d been buddies since Mrs. Macallister’s homeroom in the sixth grade. Nate had never liked him, thought he was a cocky SOB. Go figure.

I could concede EJ was ruthless and cunning when he needed to be—typically in business—but he was as loyal as a basset hound and treated women with kid gloves. Nate didn’t know his ass from his elbow.

I gestured for him to come in, not that I had to because he was already rolling up the sleeves of his black button-down shirt and getting comfortable. I got up and greeted him, giving him a slap on the back. “What brings you to New York?” I asked, crossing my arms and walking back to my chair.

I didn’t expect him, didn’t know he was even visiting the Big Apple.

See, EJ lived in Las Vegas, where he owned one of the most popular cocktail bars.

Vegas was his place in every sense of the word.

His late father had run a strip club in Vegas after his parents had gotten divorced.

EJ had stayed with his mother during the school year, attending school with me (obviously, since that was where we met), and spending time in between with his father in the city best known for gambling, booze, and women.

Shaking his head, he cleared his throat. “I heard the news and came here to bust your balls for not telling me yourself.”

“The news?” I cocked a brow and cracked my knuckles as I waited for him to elaborate on his otherwise elusive answer.

He nodded curtly and sat down across from me, his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. “Come on,” he probed. “Don’t treat me like a fool. I’m not one of the jackasses you do business with.”

I stifled a laugh, shaking my head as I scrubbed a hand down my face. “I’ve missed you, man.”

“That’s exactly what my one-night stand said when she called asking for another roll in the hay.” He growled, clearly remembering the woman he’d slept with. “It was good the first time, but great the second.”

“Must I hear about this?”

“No. We should talk about how you’re engaged.”

So that was the news he was referring to. “There’s not much to tell.” Other than it being all a great big fat lie. Not that I could tell him that. Well, maybe I could. If there was anyone I could tell the truth to, it was EJ.

He brushed me off, fixing the watch on his wrist. “What’d I say about treating me like a fool, Red? Our mothers play tennis together.”

I didn’t need him to remind me. I leaned back, pushed my chair out, and walked to the wet bar in the corner of my office. “This conversation calls for scotch.”

“The hard stuff, huh?” He angled his head before gripping his ankle crossed over his knee.

He had no idea. I didn’t even know where to start. But we were like brothers in every way that counted, so I just went for it. “It’s not real.” I passed him a glass.

“Ohhh, is this one of those things where you’re going to wax poetic about how it’s too good to be true?”

What? No. I shook my head, sitting down and leaning my elbow on the arm of my leather chair. “Do you really think I’d say something like that?”

“Don’t know. Assholes fall in love all the time and start singing as they walk their dog. It’s fucking bizarre.”

Not a clue what he was talking about. Hey, I said we were like brothers, not that I could read his mind.

And I was grateful for that because I didn’t want to.

I imagined entering his mind would be like going into a haunted house—scary and would unearth shit that should stay buried for good.

“You make having a conversation immensely difficult, anyone ever tell you that?” I took a swig of my scotch.

“I’m a great conversationalist. Just ask any woman I’m with,” he said, waggling his brows and grinning like an idiot.

There was no reason to mince words, and obviously I had to be direct with EJ. “Jade and I aren’t in love. She’s doing this as a favor for me. It’s fake.”

He blinked rapidly, then downed all two fingers of his scotch in one gulp. “Say what?”

I raked a hand through my hair. “You came all this way for nothing. Sorry.”

Whistling, he nodded. “Why do you need to be engaged?”

I got up and pointed to the door. “This conversation calls for a setting that isn’t my office.”

EJ stood. “Let’s get the hell out of here then.”