Page 8 of Show Me 1

Go time. I fixed him with my most winsome smile. “So I imagine you must spend a lot of time at the firm, then. Mark makes it sound pretty cutthroat.” I tilted my head to show I was invested in his response and angled slightly toward him to demonstrate I was interested in him as a person. People skills. I had them.

“It’s competitive, yeah, but not all the bad. There are plenty of late nights, though, and more ahead.” John then launched into a good three-minute soliloquy about the cases he was working on and some of the complexities of employment law until my eyes started glazing over.

That was okay, though. I wasn’t trying to marry him or anything, just see what he had on under those khakis. Probably boxer briefs, if I had to guess. Probably a decently sized cock that he used decently in bed. Both were totally acceptable for a night or two of fun.

“Hopefully some of those are the fun kind of late nights?” I gave him a slow once-over, and the corner of his mouth quirked. “Do you have anyone who brings you dinner up there?” The twinkle in his eyes suggested he enjoyed my lack of subtlety.Hook, line, and sinker. Now I just had to get him in my metaphorical bucket. Or, more likely, his literal car, since I hadn’t driven. Hopefully he had. Otherwise maybe there was somewhere on the premises we could—

“Jesse’s a great cook. Er, chef.” I gave Sam a flat stare that he failed to properly interpret. He cocked his head, wrinkling his nose in thought. “Chef? Or cook? Whatever. His food’s good.” He handed John another beer and then passed me something peach colored.

“What’s this?”

“Bellini. Isn’t that what you were drinking? It looked similar.”

That hadn’t been the question I was actually asking, but in my confusion over being brought a drink in the first place, I answered, “It was a peach mojito.”

“Oh, well, hang on.” He snatched the Bellini back.

“Wait—” I blurted, but he’d already set off toward the bar again.

John and I watched as he navigated the crowd.

“He seems nice. Roommate, yeah?” John asked, and I could tell by the way he was studying Sam’s ass exactly what calculations were taking place.

I settled back in my chair and laced my fingers over my belt. Fuck me, it was hard being a nice guy sometimes. Too hard. I opened my mouth to pick up our earlier conversation, but my brain-mouth connection malfunctioned. “If you dare him to suck your dick, he’ll probably do it, because he’s pretty competitive. But he’s otherwise straight. On the other hand, I don’t require dares. I’ll suck a dick because I enjoy it. And Sam’s correct. I’m a really good cook. I’m even better at sucking cock.”

John choked on a mouthful of beer. “Was not expecting that. Alrighty, then.”

I handed him a napkin. “You learn all sorts of fascinating things living in a house with four other guys,” I offered chastely.

“Apparently so.” John burst into a laugh that tapered off when Sam returned with a different glass.

He held it out to me. “Taste it because I’m not sure he mixed it right. Doesn’t a mojito have way more sugar in it?”

I took a sip and closed my eyes in appreciation. “Nope, it’s perfect. Thank you.”

“Did I miss anything?” Sam took his seat.

John’s gaze slid over to mine, a smile quirking his lips. “Not a thing.”

“So did you know James Hoffstra when you were at the U?”

John squinted. “Guy who started Sanibel Capital. Yeah, actually I did.”

And they were off again.

I tipped my glass back with a sigh.

Eric eyed me thoughtfully when Sam and John went to the bar together, which I supposed was the frat boy version of going to a bathroom together. “You know, I worked with a guy this summer who might be your type.”

I blinked at him. “Oh, were you talking to me? Are you done astrally projecting your dick into Nate’s ass?”

Nate put a hand over his mouth, but I saw the fucker’s smile. Nate and Eric were…interesting company to be alone with. They’d perfected having an entire obscene conversation without even opening their mouths. It was annoying. And, sure, a little aspirational. It was okay to be jealous of your friends even though you were happy for them, too, right? I ached to know what that was like to have such a vehement and all-consuming attraction returned.

“I’m actually still in there, it’s just that I’m excellent at multitasking.”

“Ease up on the prostate, please,” Nate deadpanned, and they chortled merrily like the happily in-love fuckers they were.

“As I was saying, I know a guy—”