I shoot her a wolfish grin. “Stop staring at my ass, pervert.”
“Then put on some clothes. And get that thing insured,” she says, pointing at my backside before whispering what I’m pretty sure is,I need to start going to Pilates.
There’s a black silk robe hanging on the back of the door. I grab it, slipping my arms through and tying it off around the waist.
A loud pop—the cork bursting from the bottle—sounds behind me, and a second later, Aanya is handing me a long stemmed glass with a large bowl full of pinot.
“So, the gig?” I prompt her again, crouching to sit in front of her in my closet.
A couple weeks ago, a manager expressed interest in her music, and, being as brazen as she is, Aanya didn’t hesitate to invite him to her next show. That was last night, and I’ve been dying to know how it went. The fact that I was stuck in meetings instead of being there for her grated on me, but knowing Myles attended eased my guilt a little. The two have been inseparable since they met at the pub a couple weeks ago, spending every spare second of their time together. She liked to come over after their dates and debrief me,in detail, before I told her she had to stop because he was technically my employee.
Aanya takes a long pull from her wine, and a lump forms in my throat at whatever she’s about to say that would require her to down half her glass in one go.
“Did the manager show?”
She nods her head slowly but doesn’t make eye contact. “He did.”
“And?” Long, painful silence is followed by more drinking. “Aanya Bhandari! Tell me what happened right now, or I’m changing the locks.”
Her hand full of chocolate covered malt balls halts its route to her mouth. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Then talk.” I invoke my best business deal look and level it at her.
“All that look is doing is turning me on.” She finally pops the sweet in her mouth, smiling wide and crinkling the skin around her brown eyes.
I grab one of them now and throw it, pelting her squarely in the forehead. “I’ll tell Myles your affections have changed and we’re running away together.”
“Don’t forget to tell Tieran too,” she teases.
My stomach flips a little at the mention of him, remembering in too-vivid detail his sweat-soaked skin as he ran across the pitch, the shift in his demeanor when Hughes said the thing that finally made him snap, his fist crunching against bone, intensity in his gaze as he stared at me while I cleaned his knuckles in my office. None of it should affect me, but it was a scene that played on repeat for days. I couldn’t seem to escape it—or him.
There was something about Tieran that made me feel out of control, but somehow grounded at the same time. Maybe I could chalk it up to the first time we met and how he was able to make me feel calm on a night where all I felt was uncertainty. Maybe it’s his easy smile that irritates me to no end, or the way he’s respected my flimsy boundaries, or his willingness to go help my dad, and ask for nothing in return.
The man is a walking green flag, and he is absurdly sexy in a way that’s concerning to my own health. No one should be that hot and that nice; something needs to be wrong with him. Maybe he has a secret third nipple, or he’s really into crypto or something equally horrifying—taxidermy, maybe? I’ll take anything at this point because I don’t trust myself around him anymore. I can feel the professional barriers I erected the second I saw him in that conference room slipping away with every dimpled smile and easy conversation.
“The talent manager showed up,” Aanya says, blessedly breaking me out of my train of thought.
I sit up straight, grateful for the distraction. “Tell me more.”
“I have a meeting with him on Monday to sign a contract.”
All composure leaves the room, and I launch myself off the floor, throwing her down and squealing like a girl whose crush just asked her to prom.
“You bitch! You had me going for a while there. I’m so proud of you,” I say excitedly into her ear as she chuckles. I pull back slightly. “Don’t sign anything until my lawyer reads over that contract.”
She groans. “You just went boss bitch while you’re on top of me in a silk robe. I’m only so strong, and I have a penchant for kissing my friends after too much wine.”
“Think of Myles,” I chuckle, sitting up.
“He knows I’m an equal opportunity kind of gal. He’d understand.” She looks wistful. “He's actually kind of perfect, really.”
“Are you in love with the big blond rugby player?” I tease.
Her cheeks redden, and she quickly changes the subject. “So why are we in your wardrobe?”
I hesitate. “I was looking for an outfit for something, but I think I’m going to cancel.”
“What was it for?”
