Reaching her car less than a second before she does, I slam my hand against the door, preventing her from yanking it open, and when she spins around, gaping at me, all I can do is offer her a rueful look.
“Brookes!” She huffs, pushing her long dark hair back from her flushed face. “I-I—I have to get to work.”
“You really should’ve read the contract, huh?” I say, folding my arms across my chest and arching a brow as I look down my nose at her. “You literally could’ve just signed to agree to suck my dick every other day.”
Her eyes blow out. “You said no shady business.”
“Relax. I’m joking,” I snort out. “But seriously, you don’t even want to have a lawyer look over it?”
“You think if I was the kind of person who could afford alawyer, I’d be agreeing to this?” She waves her finger between us with an incredulous laugh. “The best I could do would be one of those no/win no fee guys from the billboards on the side ofHighway One and… I don’t even know if they’re legit.” She throws her hands up in the air.
I soften because I need to remind myself Poppy is just an everyday person. That’s why I think she’ll be the perfect fake girlfriend. She’s doing it for nothing but the money. “Look, there’s no hurry to move in. Besides, when you do, you can treat it like an all-expenses-paid vacation. I’ll be covering your rent and your bills and anything else you need while you’re here.”
“I don’t pay rent.” She looks down a moment, her shoulders cowering, and I can’t help but side-eye her car dubiously.
“You’re not, like, living in your car… are you?” There doesn’t appear to be any pillows or blankets in the back seat, but they could be in the trunk.
Poppy looks up at me again, cocking her head to the side, deadpan. “No. I… I live with my… ex,” she admits, suddenly a little sheepish.
“Your ex?” Who the fuck lives with their ex? “Are you guys still?—”
“No!” She almost chokes on the word. “We moved out here together from Missouri and… well, I guess he felt bad for me, so after we broke up, he let me live with him until I could afford to find a place of my own.”
I remember back to the flash of sadness in her eyes yesterday, after Jonesy asked her if she had a boyfriend, and now I can’t help but wonder if maybe she’s hoping to get back with him, and I really don’t want a potential mess with this whole thing. “You’re still… friends?”
She snorts. “He cheated on me. And then he blamed it on me, because I’m not a size four and apparently he has areputationto uphold. What do you think?”
I can’t help but balk because what the fuck? Suddenly, all I can think about is Blake and his stupid-ass Ozempic comment.
“A reputation?” I quirk a brow. “Who the fuck is this guy?”
“He plays for the Hurricanes.”
I look at her confused. “Am… I supposed to know what that is?”
Poppy bites back a grin. “It’s the local double-A baseball team.”
“Double-A? Pfft.” I scoff. “Might as well play on a beer league. Loser.”
Poppy heaves a small, resigned sigh, looking down again. “I’ve been saving up to move out, but rent around here is expensive as hell, so it’s taking longer than I’d hoped. But thankfully he let me stay there because otherwise Iwouldbe in my car.”
“Well, then, there you go. Two birds, one stone.” I shrug.
She eyes me doubtfully before glancing back at the house.
“You’ll have your own room, your own bathroom. Honestly, we’ll barely even see each other.”
“Okay.” She nods, clearly reluctant.
“Oh, and you’ll finish up work at the club today, too.” I continue, “Your boss is aware.”
“Huh?” Her eyes go wide.
“This was all in the contract you didn’t read,” I remind her. “We leave for Oklahoma on Tuesday, and then we’re in Texas the week after.” With a smirk, I can’t help myself as I say, “You work for me now, Pops.”
With an eye roll, Poppy tugs open the car door, shoving me away in the process and hopping in. And as she pulls away, I give her a finger-wiggling wave which she returns with a shake of her head. And when I see her shitty blue car exit out of my security gates, my smile falls and I turn and head back inside with a newfound rage that sears my veins.
“Get out of my house!”
