Page 12 of The Summer We Lie

I down half the whisky in one swallow as I walk toward our table. The alcohol burns a satisfying path down my throat, doing absolutely nothing to cool my temper. When I reach them, I slam the half-empty glass down hard enough to make everyone at the table jump and conversations nearby momentarily pause.

The redhead startles, her hand flying to her chest. She's cute, generously curved in all the right places, with long auburn hair cascading down her back. Any other night I might have appreciated the view, but right now I couldn't care less if she was Miss Universe.

"Please excuse us," I say to her, my voice deceptively calm, the kind of calm that anyone who knows me recognizes as dangerous.

She looks at Ethan uncertainly. He nods reassuringly, so she sashays away toward the bar, throwing one last curious glance over her shoulder at our table.

I take a seat, setting my elbows on the polished wood table and leaning forward menacingly. "I could fucking kill you two with my bare hands right now."

Logan raises his eyebrows, the picture of practiced innocence. "Why? What did we do this time?"

"Yeah, and it better be good," Ethan adds, looking genuinely annoyed. "She was a sure thing. Already suggested getting out of here."

"Oh, this is good," I say, seething with a rage I can barely contain. "So I got an email from Obsidian before I left the house." They exchange quick, guilty glances, confirming my suspicion instantly. "And imagine my surprise when I found out I won an auction. For a virgin. For one-point-two million fucking dollars."

They both burst into uproarious laughter, Logan nearly choking on his craft beer, while Ethan slaps the table with genuine amusement.

"This is not funny," I growl, my voice dropping dangerously low, the way it does when I'm about to lose my temper completely.

"Bro, don't worry about it," Logan says, wiping beer from his mouth with the back of his hand. "We're paying for it. Consider it an early birthday present."

That takes some of the wind out of my sails, but not much. "That's not exactly the point." I have the money, that's not the problem. I could buy ten virgins if I wanted to. But I don't appreciate them making decisions about my sex life like I'm some project they need to fix. "I don't want a fucking virgin," I say, emphasizing each word.

"Why not?" Logan smirks, leaning back in his chair with infuriating smugness. "Virgins are..." He brings his fingers to his mouth in an exaggerated chef's kiss, his restaurant owner instincts showing.

"This is it," I say, my patience snapping like a dry twig. "You two have crossed the line. I don't want to fuck random women, be hooked up, date, or anything else you think I need. If either of you try to set me up again, I'm knocking you both the fuck out. I don't care how long we've been friends."

"Dom," Ethan says reasonably, while Logan continues to laugh like this is the funniest thing he's heard all year. "If you don't want to do it, just back out. At least check her out, though—she's fucking hot. Like, seriously stunning. If you decide to go through with it, it's completely on us."

“I'm definitely not doing it. I don't care how hot she is—she's a virgin." I down the rest of my whiskey and slam the glass on the table with enough force to make the ice cubes rattle. "So she's either way too fucking young for me, or there's something seriously wrong with her if she's a virgin our age. And now I have to figure out how to back out of this shit without creating a mess I'll have to clean up later."

Ethan at least has the decency to look somewhat apologetic, his eyes dropping to his drink momentarily, while Logan just grins like this is the funniest prank they've ever pulled. The bar's ambient noise seems to fade as my irritation grows.

"I don't need this shit right now," I continue, my voice tightly controlled, jaw clenched. "I'm busy trying to get all my work done before Harper comes for the summer. The Peterson project is behind schedule, the downtown renovation needs revised plans by Monday, and I've got three client meetings this week alone."

That gets their attention. Logan's smirk drops as he leans forward, fingers playing with the condensation on his glass. "Oh shit, when's Harper coming? I missed her last summer because I was opening that restaurant in Santa Barbara."

"Two weeks," I say, feeling some of the tension leave my body at the thought of my daughter. My shoulders relax slightly as I check my watch. "And her friend is coming this time too. Harper insisted."

"Is she cute?" Logan asks, eyebrows raised suggestively, a familiar predatory gleam in his eyes.

I shoot him a withering look that could freeze hell itself. "Don't even think about it. She's Harper's age and her best friend. Harper would murder you in your sleep, and I'd help her hide the body."

"So yeah," I continue, drumming my fingers against the table, "now I have to deal with this virginity auction bullshit on top of my already packed schedule. I need another drink."

"On it." Logan jumps up, clearly eager to escape my wrath, and heads to the bar, weaving through the Saturday night crowd with practiced ease.

Ethan leans in once Logan's safely out of earshot, his voice dropping to a confidential tone. "Sorry, man. Logan talked me into it to fuck with you, but seriously, the deal says either party can back out for any reason. You can do it right away or at the initial meet. No obligations."

"Initial meet?" I ask, my brow furrowing, one hand absently straightening my tie.

"So this one is set up for you to meet for like a mini date just to make sure you're compatible before going through with everything. Sort of a safety valve built into the system."

I nod slowly, considering the implications. "Oh okay, yeah. I can meet her and explain the situation to her so she doesn't take it wrong and get her feelings hurt." The last thing I need is some young, vulnerable virgin thinking she did something wrong when it's these two idiots who are to blame. "At least I can make this right."

Chapter Six

Skye