Page 8 of Nothing to You (Nothing to… #7)

“NO.”

“I haven’t said anything yet,” Hotshot’s voice came through her cellphone’s speaker.

“And to whatever you’re going to say, I say no,” she said, combing her just blow-dried hair. “I spent all afternoon yesterday with a lawyer thanks to you. Then on calls to long-haul movers. I’m moving my whole life.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, oozing cocky condescension.

“I’m doing this because it will help a lot of people… and because I won’t let my aversion to being your friend come between me and professional progress.”

“You’re a smart woman.”

He believed he’d won. Maybe he had. What war were they fighting? At that precise moment, she didn’t know exactly. But he certainly sounded sure of himself, good for him.

“Do you actually believe in the idea or are you flexing some macho misogynistic muscle?”

“Who cares?” he asked. “If you do your job right and this gets off the ground, do you think the people you help will care?”

“I won’t help anyone,” she said, amused by the prospect. “Of all the people in the world who someone might charge with caring for others’ sensitive needs, I’d say I’m the last person on the list. No, sorry, second to last. You’d be right underneath me.”

“When we got horizontal, it was the other way around,” he said. “We’ll see how you do taking control next time.”

“There won’t be a next time,” she said, smoothing her flyaways with a straightening iron. “You only got so far because you took me by surprise. I was being polite.”

“I have no problem scratching your itch anytime, Babycakes. This friendship needs an incentive. Keep those benefits coming. So long as you don’t go getting ideas, we’re good.”

“Ideas?” she asked, trying to quell her outrage. “Of what exactly? Decency? Trust? Loyalty?”

“I’m all of the above, Radley, and then some. Free love and equal rights, whatever. Just know I won’t be putting a ring on it.”

“Mm hmm, and why exactly would I want a ring from you?”

“You’re a woman,” he said. “Your life’s purpose is to find a guy to take care of you.”

Scowling into the mirror, she kept straightening her hair. “It’s a good thing you’re rich. No woman would put up with you if you didn’t provide her with a gold card. She’d need it to whisk herself away to some tropical paradise. Alone. Away from you at a second’s notice.”

“Do you know how many women have tried to tie me down? Pick a number. Doesn’t matter what they start out saying, it always ends the same.”

“That’s the beauty of friendship, Xavien,” she said, wearing a sarcastic smile.

“It keeps going long after the love has faded. I’m not one of those women you pick up in a bar or pass little notes to after gym, I’m your friend.

Your best friend. So there can be kissing and sex talk and flirtation, whatever, you’re still going to pick up the phone the next day and talk to me. It’s in the contract.”

“We have a contract?”

She put the straightening iron on its heat mat and looked her reflection in the eye. “Yes, you changed this, Mr. Rourke, your choice. You made this real world. You found me; you’re stuck with me. Isn’t this what you wanted?”

“I just wanted to know if you were as hot in person as your voice suggested.”

“Disappointed?”

“That I didn’t cop a feel when I had a chance? Yeah, now that you mention it, I am.”

Again, she frowned. “Your hand was up my skirt.”

“Yeah, but the real potential’s in the bra.”

“You know, it doesn’t surprise me you’re a breast man,” she said, returning to her hair. Today’s style was poker straight. “Somehow you seem like the grab and grope type.”

“So this contract between us…” he said, gliding right on by the accusation. “If it feels good, we do it—”

“Your clause, but what about it?”

“Yours seems to be, find reason to bitch at him as often as possible.”

“No, mine is: friendship is real and permanent, whether you like it or not.”

“Good call,” he said. “You want to come upstairs?”

“I have a meeting with your Leon, whoever he is, downstairs in a few minutes.”

“I can tell him to be late.”

The smooth transition from asshole to seductor came in the tone of his voice. It went from provocation to soft as bassy silk in a heartbeat.

“Tempting,” she said without sincerity. “I think I’ll leap into the fire.”

“Rather than fan the flames with me?”

“It’s a wonder you ever got a woman to go out with you, Hotshot.”

His brief laugh tickled her. “Leon is a cool customer. He’s levelheaded, no nonsense, a guy who gets things done.”

“Which is why you like him.”

“Which is why I like him,” he agreed. “He’ll be your team’s point person on this. If you need anything, he has a direct line to me.”

“More direct than this?” she asked, switching off the styler and running her fingers through her hair.

“Still haven’t given me your phone number,” he said. “You can only get me on Huddle if I’m logged in on Huddle.”

They talked every night, or they had before his big reveal, through Huddle, at designated times.

They didn’t often talk earlier in the day.

Now knowing who he was, she could understand why he couldn’t hang around social media all day, every day…

though he did own the site. Being logged in was his right, given he was in charge.

But the guy had a business to run, several actually, he had things to get done.

“I’m sure I’ll survive a day without you.”

“I’m in LA through the weekend and out of state from Monday.”

“Until?” Was she worried or just asking the obvious question? “Until you feel like coming back, I bet. What is it? Monaco? Yacht in the Mediterranean?”

“New York, then London. I could be back in New York for a while after, depends how negotiations go.”

“Acquiring something shiny?”

“Potentially partnering with an old friend on a new deal.” She didn’t understand but didn’t have to. “I have a dinner in Washington coming up in a couple of months, Labor Day, if you want to join me. Some people get excited about that kind of thing.”

“Washington State?” she asked, wondering what took him up there.

“D.C.” he said. “Your call. We’ll talk about it later. There’s a party in LA tomorrow night too, but you’re not ready for that.”

“Oh no?”

“You’ve got enough going on.” Yeah, thanks to who? “Leon is suspicious of beautiful women, Radley. Don’t be surprised if he takes a while to warm up to you.”

Her smile curled slowly. “Oh, I can handle men, Hotshot, don’t you worry about me.”

“About you? No. Him…? I’ll tell him to wear a helmet and pads.”