About a dozen reasons come to mind, along with the image of him dancing backstage with a random girl after the auction.He looked so…natural with her.Laughing.Teasing.Spinning her, then tugging her into him.It’s like pure charisma flows through his veins, and he has no issue doling it out to anyone and everyone.Shoving the memory aside, I stick with the most obvious example as to why he would be a terrible boyfriend.“Because he flirts with anything that walks.”
“So?”
“So, I couldn’t be with a guy who treats every girl the same way he treats me.”
Well, dang.Even I didn’t see that coming.The word vomit or the transparency.I didn’t even think I really considered it.Ford as anything other than a friend of a friend.Okay, that’s a lie.Of course, I’ve considered it.You’d have to be blind not to wonder what it would be like to be with someone like him.Sexually.Emotionally.My brows pull, and I pick up the prophy brush, moving it toward Lexie’s face in hopes of ending the conversation.
“So you admit he flirts with you,” she says.
I move the tools away from her.“He flirts with everyone!”
The same bob hits her head.“He doesn’t flirt with me.”
She’s right.He doesn’t flirt with her in the slightest, but that’s beside the point.“Maybe you’re the exception.”
“And why would I be the exception?”she counters.
“Because he refuses to step on Hawke’s toes.”
Her eyes bulge.“Oh, we’re going there, are we?”
“Mm-hmm,” I quip.“We sure are.”
“Okay, just so we’re clear, Robin?—”
“Aka Hawke,” I clarify.
Her gaze narrows.“Robin,” she repeats, using the strange nickname she gifted Hawke with, “is nothing but a creepy stalker who likes to hang out while I’m at work and give the evil eye to any customer who even looks at me.To say it’s a complication is a massive understatement.Now, is he harmless?Yes.Is he sexy?Also, yes.But is there any universe, and I meanany universe,” she emphasizes, “where I would let anything happen between me and Robin?Why, no.No, there is not.You and Jeep, on the other hand…”
“I wouldn’t be dating Bryan if I didn’t think it could turn into a long and happy and monogamous relationship,” I remind her.
“So, you admit you two aren’t official yet?”
Not even close.We’ve only been on a couple of dates, and we’ve barely been to second base, but still.Would I actively pursue anyone else?Would I give in if someone actively pursued me?Not at all.
Waving her manicured finger an inch from my nose, Lexie says, “Called it.”
I swat her hand away.“Just because we aren’t official doesn’t mean I want Ford as anything but a friend.”
“Friend,” she repeats as if tasting the word.
“Friend,” I toss back at her, my tone thick with resolution.“Now, open your mouth so I can start your cleaning.”
Grumbling under her breath, she does as she’s instructed, and I get to work.
18
FORD
It’s been a long week.Three more clients decided to pass instead of making a bet on a couple of NFL games, and one didn’t even bother responding to my text.Not exactly what I’d call a promising end to my week.The ones who did answer said it’s because of a lack of funds, but I know better.Morgan’s working double-time, and it’s biting us in the ass.I need to come up with something fast, or we’re fucked.
Okay, fucked is a bit of a stretch.My brothers and I aren’t stupid enough to have all our eggs in one basket.Yes, we have other avenues for our investments, but when it comes to business, we have Mercer Consulting, Harden Nights, and underground bets.And right now?It feels like each is being threatened in one way or another.
Scrubbing my hand over my face, I lift my hand and rap my knuckles against the front door.
I’ve only been to this apartment once.It was when Violet needed help moving in, though I didn’t meet June at the time.Knowing who’s on the opposite side of the door is a special kind of torture.Truth be told, the only thing that got me through this week was the promise of a night off.And for some reason I don’t fully understand, it’s what every interaction with June feels like.A night off.A moment of quiet.A solid distraction in the form of a curvy brunette with pale skin, rosy cheeks, and the aura of a Disney princess.I bet she has a thing for animals.I bet they have a thing for her, too.Animals have a way of sensing a person’s soul, and June’s is squeaky clean.So much so, I almost feel bad for hanging around her and sullying it.Almost.
Oh, well.
