She waved her hand in the air. “That’s all you. I certainly don’t want to work that close to Mr. Bulldog up there.”
I grinned. “He kind of looks like a bulldog when he wrinkles his nose.”
She sputtered. “Jesus fuck, he really does.”
We had a good laugh at that imagery before she swiveled her chair to face me.
“I don’t believe you, though.”
I paused. “Believe what?”
She worked her finger in the air. “I don’t believe that you’re doing all of this work to pull some sort of promotion.”
I shrugged. “Sounds like a personal problem, then.”
She leaned closer to me. “I think you andJoJohave some serious chemistry you’re hiding, and that’s why you kept turning down Tommy.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Ew, no. I turned Tommy down because he was a creep that kept telling me I owed him sex for missing our first scheduled date.”
“Wait, what? Ew! Seriously!? Why didn’t you tell me?”
I sighed. “And even if JoJo and I did have chemistry, that’s a massive no-no for me. He’s an asshole, and I don’t reward toddlers with treats.”
She barked with laughter. “God, I love you so much.”
I squeezed my thighs together, hoping that she didn’t see my cheeks flushing. The mere idea of JoJo having a thing for me sent me into such a frenzy that I needed to get home and have some personal time with my showerhead. I chugged the rest of my fishbowl and polished off a few chips before our finger foods touched down in front of us on a piping hot plate.
But, the second I felt myself sobering up all I wanted was to get home.
“Hey, you okay?” Brit asked.
I gathered my things. “I just need to get home.”
“Wha—is it something I said?”
I shook my head as I slipped off the stool. “Not one bit. I just have to take this ‘playing hookie’ thing a step at a time.”
She giggled. “Not a rule-breaker, huh?”
I smirked. “Not in the slightest.”
She leaned into my ear. “Well, if you do decide to break more rules, I suggest you break one with Mr. Ryker. I think he could bring some spice to your life.”
I rolled my eyes. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
She rubbed my back. “I got this, don’t worry about it.”
I peeked up at her. “Are you sure? My wallet’s just at the bottom of my purse.”
She waved her hand around in the air. “You can get us next time, because there’s going to be a next time.”
I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt. “I’m looking forward to it.”
As I walked out of the bar I took in a deep breath of fresh air. I cracked my neck before I started toward my car as birds flew over my head. The last thing I needed was to even think about JoJo wanting anything to do with me, because every time I thought about willingly being in his presence my body showed me just how sick in the head I had really become. I rubbed my tits and booked it toward the driver’s side. I rolled my shoulders before I dropped down into my seat, preparing myself to blaze a trail home.
But, when I looked up, I saw a very familiar figure leaning against the brick façade of the bar.
“JoJo?” I asked breathlessly.
