Page 21 of Role Play (Off the Books #1)

When I hear romance, my mind goes to that Nicholas Sparks book women lose their minds over. Although, that might have more to do with the movie adaptation and Ryan Gosling with his shirt off. Whatever Sora just spewed out sounds like a nightmare that would happen on Elm Street.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

She closes her eyes, her head lolling to the left like it’s loose from her neck.

“It’s not important. All I’m saying is I’ve been rejected, ridiculed, and beaten down so much, I’ve lost my mojo.

I don’t even enjoy big romantic moments when I write them anymore.

They’re all so contrived.” She pumps her brows.

“That’s right, mister. I know big words too. ”

I chuckle. “Clearly.”

“My point is,” she continues, “I just don’t know what romance readers want. I don’t know how to make them fall in love with me and my stories. It’s useless.”

“I’m at a loss. Seems like it’d be easy to fall in love with you,” I admit. Her eyes grow to startled owl proportions, so I add, “ As a reader .”

What the fuck is wrong with me around this girl? It’s all clumsy interactions, and enough word vomit to fill a toilet bowl. I clear my throat, trying to recover. “Your market is mostly women, right?”

“Yeah, so?” she asks defensively, her shoulders tensing.

“I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m simply saying that I may not know what readers like, but I know what women like. That’s why I still have a job.”

Her eyes land very obviously on my crotch. “I think there are more significant reasons you still have a job.”

My mouth twists into a mocking half-smile. “Eyes up here, ma’am.”

She blushes furiously and I’ve found my new favorite game. I’m like a schoolboy with a crush. Every time I catch Sora checking me out, all I have to do is call her out to see her cute cheeks turn red. The cool night air can’t chill the heat that keeps rising in her face.

“All right, I have an idea. But first, do your feet still hurt?”

She shakes her head. “Not remotely. Can’t even feel them. Those gummy bears are magic for achy feet.”

“Good.”

I dart over to the pretzel cart once again, this time with my phone in hand.

The metal clinks as I set it on the counter.

After pulling up Spotify and selecting a song, I bribe the cart owner with a twenty-dollar bill to plug in my music and turn his speakers up loud.

“Press play when she’s on her feet, okay? ”

He nods in understanding, tucking the money into his pocket, and I head back to the bench to sweep Sora right off her feet.

“Come on, Your High ness. Up we go.” Cupping my hands under her elbows, I peel Sora off the bench.

“My legs feel like jelly.”

“You had three servings of edibles. It’s a miracle you can feel your legs at all.” I yank her tight against my body and guide us a few strides away from the bench. “It’d probably be best for you to let me lead.”

“Lead what?” she asks, right as the music starts to swell over the cart speakers. Leaning away, her mouth parts in surprise. “We’re dancing? You cheeseball, you’re so lame. And I love this song.”

“That’s a lot of mixed signals, Sora. Do you want to dance or not?” The music fills the empty street, bouncing off the buildings around us.

“Kind of. But I don’t really know how.”

I draw her in close with my hand planked firmly against her lower back. Her dress is silky under my palm. “Just lean into me. I’ll do all the work.”

She rests her cheek against my chest, and hums along a few bars before she murmurs, “This is such a sad song.”

“Why do you think that?” Dido’s “White Flag” rings through the speakers, the melody clear in the night air.

“Because it’s about unrequited love. Listen to the lyrics…she loves someone she’s never going to have.”

“Can you twirl?” I hold her hand tightly.

“I guess we’re about to find out,” she mutters, as I spin her around. It would’ve been incredibly romantic if Sora’s reflexes weren’t slightly delayed and she wasn’t tripping over her own feet. She collapses back into me, her body solid against my chest.

“Whoops, okay, no more spinning. Just stay close.” I guide her head back to my chest and sway us back and forth. The concrete is rough under my shoes, but I tighten my core to keep us moving in smooth, fluid motion. “And by the way, I think you misinterpreted the song.”

“I didn’t, but go ahead and show your work.”

I rest my chin against the top of her head, not an inch of space between our bodies.

I breathe in the faint smell of her perfume that’s faded.

“It’s about a woman who hurt someone she loves.

But instead of walking away and calling a loss a loss, she wants to go down with the ship.

I think the song means it’s still better to have love, even if it’s messy and painful.

Real love is worth surrendering to, regardless of the outcome. ”

“Fuck’s sake,” she grumbles against my chest, her breath warm through my thin shirt. “Maybe you should write romance books, then.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t give up just yet. It sounds like you’re in a slump. Take a quick break from it all. Back in law school, whenever I was in a studying rut, I’d leave campus for a few days. Go home. Reset. I always came back refreshed, and performed so much better.”

Her feet glue to the concrete when the music stops.

With the most peculiar look on her face, she studies me quizzically.

“Hold on.” Sora darts back to the bench and snags her phone.

After typing ferociously, she returns to my side, heels clicking against the pavement.

Two notifications from my phone chime through the pretzel cart’s speakers.

“Go check,” she instructs, her eyes wide and expectant.

After thanking the cart owner for his time, I yank out the auxiliary cable and scour my alerts. Sora’s made two payments to me. One for ten dollars. The second is for ten thousand. Shocked, I turn around to face her, my heart pounding in my chest. “What is this about?”

“The first is paying you back for the pretzel and water,” she says innocently, cupping her hands around her elbows.

“Unnecessary… And the second payment?” I lift my brow, guessing where this is headed. My pulse quickens, blood rushing in my ears.

“Here’s my third question, Forrest…” Sora looks nervous and shaky, like she’s about to commit a crime. Her teeth catch her bottom lip for a second before she continues. “What’s your going rate? Is that enough for you to take me home and…um…stay with me tonight?”

This isn’t how my jobs are booked. It has to go through Rina for legal purposes. But right now I’m not concerned with any of that. I’m more interested in what the woman in front of me is suggesting.

“If I take you home and stay…” I take a step closer to her. “…what do you want to do?”

Nearly trembling, she asks, “What does ten thousand dollars get me?”

I take another step, closing the gap between us. Her chest is pressed tightly against my abdomen as I speak in a growly whisper against her ear. “It gets you anything you want.”