“Okay, okay…” I laughed. “You’re the best.”
“More!” he demanded like a mad scientist. “More!”
“You’re demented.”
“Bwhahaha! I?—”
I flipped him over, pinned him to the mattress, and tickled his sides. “Shut up and kiss me.”
His eyes shone with easy humor and something that mirrored the longing I couldn’t shake when he was near. I liked this man…maybe too much. And for now, knowing I wasn’t alone in this made it okay.
But the following evening, loneliness seeped through the walls in my empty house, and my certainty faltered. The eerie stillness and echoing silence ate at me, forcing me to fill the void with work I’d brought home and wonder if it was okay to text, okay to reach out, okay to hope for more.
I was used to people leaving. I was good at accepting halves and small portions of time. Maybe too good.
CHAPTER 16
SILAS
Contract signed.
One year in Boston for a mind-boggling sum of money.
Ger ordered Cristal and caviar to celebrate even though I hated champagne and got creeped out by the sight of those little black eggs. I humored him. Let the guy live large. This was a win for him and probably for me too. I didn’t need the money, but I definitely needed a purpose, and a second chance to end my career on my terms was ultimately too sweet an opportunity to pass up.
I was glad Alli thought so too. The story wouldn’t be officially released till tomorrow, but she’d happened to text me just as I’d arrived at HQ and it was the sort of news I’d have shared with her anyway.
I’m SO happy for u, Si! Gotta love that greedy agent of yours. Text me when you’re in LA. Let’s lunch, pookie. Mwah!
Ger peeked at my phone and gave a thumbs-up. “Ask her if we can use that.”
“Use what?” I thanked the waiter for the glass of Pinot, then dove for the bread and butter.
“That text. I’ll delete the greedy agent part, of course.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s a private text between friends.”
Ger fixed me with a long-suffering look. “Your naïveté is almost cute. A congenial relationship with your now-more-famous-than-you ex is a good thing. Exploit it. But with permission. You don’t want to come across as an asshole.”
“That’s so…smarmy.”
“Oh! I like that word. I don’t even care if I resemble it.” His sharkish grin was on point as he lifted his flute. “This is all part of the publicity game, Silas. Play to win. No sitting on the bench hoping someone else says nice things about you. We make our own reality. So yes…let’s leak that text and let theTrilogy Alpha Teamcrew know you’re in with the cool crowd too.”
“Really? ’Cause I should be more concerned about what Boston thinks than?—”
Ger made an obnoxious buzzer noise. “Wrong. Boston is stoked to have youandthe free publicity. Geez, if you can get Alli and Liam to come to a few games, you’ll be a hero. You’re a moneymaker, and they know it. As long as you don’t do anything completely insane for a year, you’re their golden boy.”
“What qualifies as insane?”
“Ugly drunken displays, drugs, orgies, excessive gambling, stripping in public, coming out as—oh, thanks.” He paused mid-speech as a server arrived with our meals. Once we were alone again, he continued. “But you’re not insane, and you know the drill better than most. Play ball, have fun, and let me worry about managing everything else.”
“Yeah…right.”
Ger lifted his flute in a toast. “To you and to Boston, and…to me.”
I snorted but tapped my glass to his anyway. “You’re a dick.”
“Maybe. But I know what I’m talking about. We can meet in LA next week and go over some of the advertising ops that have come in.”
