“Enlighten me then.” She sets her silverware down on her empty plate.
“Why should I bother? I won’t ever see you after tonight. It seems like an unnecessary waste of energy.”
She laughs dryly, and something about it seems familiar. “I knew the forced politeness wouldn’t last long.”
“Let’s cut the crap.” I set my silverware down and push my plate away as I lean across the table and lower my voice. “My sister tries to see the best in everyone. It’s a trait I hugely admire because she doesn’t trust easily for valid reasons. But I’m not so easily convinced. I know this was a setup, and I’ve indulged it for my sister because I would burn the world down for my twin.”
She stretches across the table, moving her head closer to mine. “As someone who would do the same for her brother, I respect that, but whatever you think this is, I assure you you’re wrong.” Those blue beauties peer directly into my eyes, and either she’s telling the truth or she’s the best liar I’ve encountered.
“I don’t believe in coincidences, sweetheart.”
Her brow puckers a little before smoothing out again. “I really don’t care what you believe. I know the truth. It’s no skin off my back if you want to imagine I have an agenda.” Her eyes blaze with fire, and my dick stirs unhelpfully in my pants. “Your project would have looked good on my company’s résumé, but I haven’t lost any sleep over not winning it. Truth is, I got an even better contract.” She eases back, spearing me with an irritating superior expression. “I should probably thank you, Mr. Manning. I only took the second meeting because I happened to be in town for your presentation. Guess it all worked out well in the end for both of us.”
The look she gives me tells me she knows I’m full of shit. My fingers twitch with the need to call my head of HR and tell her to fire Belinda’s ass, but I resist because I learned a long time ago not to make decisions based on heightened emotions.
* * *
“Walk her to her car,” Abby hisses when we’re outside the restaurant a couple of hours later.
“Don’t leave,” I warn my sister. She’s getting a piece of my mind tonight. “Let me walk you to your car,” I say to Athena, deliberately cutting across the conversation she was having with Demi and Charlie.
“That’s unnecessary.” Things have mostly been tense between us all night, and I think she’s as glad as I am that thisdatehas come to a close.
“It wasn’t a request.”
She huffs out a laugh. “I don’t take orders from you.” Ignoring me, she turns to kiss Demi on the cheek and then Charlie as well. “Great to see you, Demi, and nice to meet you, Charlie.”
Abby shoves past me, giving me one of her signature daggered looks before she hugs her friend and bids her goodnight.
“She’s gonna bust your balls,” Kai mouths at me before he leans in to kiss Athena’s cheek and say goodbye. You’d swear my brother-in-law didn’t know me at all. Of course, my twin is going to bust my balls even if I have reined myself in tonight just for her.
“Goodnight,” Athena says one final time, making eye contact with everyone but me.
“What am I? Chopped liver?” I say, deciding to call her out on her bullshit.
Her nostrils flare as she turns her attention to mine. “It’s been…interesting, like always, Mr. Manning. I do hope things continue to progress well with Genesis.” She flashes me a knowing smile.
Bitch.
“As I hope things progress well for you with your consolation contract.”
Her lips purse, but she lets me have the last word, checking both sides of the road before heading across it.
“It’s no wonder you’re single.” Abby scowls at me.
“I’m single by choice, and no amount of matchmaking by you or Mom will ever change that fact.”
“Did you have to be such a dick to her?”
“I think Drew was very restrained tonight,” Charlie says.
“I did that for you,” I tell my sister, letting my anger run free now the source of it is gone. “Like I even agreed to this farce in the first place for you, but I’m done with your meddling. A blonde, Abby? Seriously? What the hell kind of fucked-up game are you playing?”
“Watch your tone, Manning.” Kai slides a protective arm around my sister’s shoulders as he warns me with his eyes to back down.
“I’m not apologizing for Athena having blonde hair and blue eyes. That’s your demon to battle, and it’s high time you did. I set this up because I like her, and I genuinely think you would too if you just open yourself up to possibilities.”
“I don’t trust her, and I don’t think you should either.”
