Declan chuckles. “That’s the dumbest fucking thing you can say when you don’t want someone to know.” Skylar’s similar words ring in my ear. What have I done to deserve not one, but two meddling best friends?
“Interesting,” I say. “You know who else said that exact same thing to me recently?”
His eyes darken. They’re supposed to be brown, but I swear most of the time, they’re almost pitch black.
He leans forward. “So how was it?” he stage-whispers. “As good as you were hoping? She’s got a juicy ass. I’ll give you that. I bet it jiggles when you?—”
I slam my hand on the desk before he can finish his sentence. “Keep talking about her ass,” I snap.
Declan moves back, a grotesque smile settling on his face. “Oh shit, it’s worse than I thought.”
I sigh and pinch my forehead with my thumb and forefinger. “Just tell me what you want, Dec. I have a busy day.”
“The Brookline charity. I need you to be there,” he says, running his hand through his messy hair.
“Why?”
“To distract my father from the fact that I won’t have a date.”
“Why won’t you have a date?”
“This isn’t twenty fucking questions, Ash. It’s a request. I need you to come to the benefit and bring a date. Someone our age. You know what he likes.”
Nausea slides up my throat. Declan’s father, Marshall Astor, has always given me the creeps. It’s no secret that he cheats on his wife with younger women, but is Declan insinuating that he helps find women for his dad?
“What the fuck, Declan?”
He rolls his eyes, clearly bored with this conversation. “Not like that. He flirts with my dates. He thinks it gives him the upper hand. It’s not like he fucks them or anything.”
“So, let me get this straight. You want me to find a woman for your father to flirt with so he can feel powerful because you’re sick of doing it?”
“Something like that.”
“That’s really weird, man.”
Declan softens. It’s a rare moment when I see any kind of vulnerability from him. Not since he was a kid. Growing up with a father like Marshall, he didn’t have it easy, but he refuses to show what he thinks is weakness.
“Look, man,” he says. “My dad’s on my ass again about getting my shit together. He expects me to have a date, and if he realizes I don’t, he’s gonna flip.” He scrubs his face with his hands. “I just need a night off, okay?”
I look him in the eye. He may be manipulating the shit out of me. You can never tell with him. I nod my head anyway. As messed up as he is, Declan is my best friend, and I know if it came down to it, he’d have my back no matter what.
“Fine,” I relent. “You owe me one.”
“Anything you want.”
I turn to my laptop and expect him to get up and leave, but he settles deeper into the chair, throwing his leg down and scooting his hips up. “So tell me about that juicy-as-fuck?—”
A knock on the side of the door frame interrupts him. I look up to see Allie standing there, her fierce aquamarine eyes pinned on the scene in front of her. They move around the room, assessing any possible threats. That’s new, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s a result of what happened with Craig.
“I had a question.” Her gaze lands on Declan, and she takes in his appearance. “Never mind. It can wait.”
“No, come in. Declan was just leaving.”
I give him a look that I hope conveys just how much I want him to get the fuck out of my office.
“Sure was,” he says in that weird, fake cheery voice he sometimes uses. He slams his palms down on the arms of the chair. “Thanks again, man. Seriously, anything you want.”
Then he stands up, brushing past Allie as he heads out. “Allie.” He nods. “Pleasure to see you again.”
