Red Hot Rose Boxed Set (21 page)

“Listen, it happens, okay?
 
Think about the skanks he’s been with before you.
 
Jacqueline?
 
Bethany Travers?
 
Angelica Whooten?”

“You’re naming celebrities and supermodels.
 
Is this supposed to make me feel better?”

“Yes, idiot.
 
What I’m saying is … he’s dated empty-headed bimbos and gold diggers his whole life.
 
Compared to them, you’re the holy grail of awesome woman-flesh.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.
 
“That’s one of the more original descriptions I’ve ever heard of myself.”

“I’ll get you a t-shirt with it printed on the front.
 
Come on, though, you know I’m right.
 
They’re the dating kind.
 
You’re the marrying kind,
but
you defied all man-logic and let him in the back door anyway.
 
He’s totally falling for you in a big way.
 
He offered you a total cush job just to keep you close and under his thumb.”

“He actually told me to move in with him,” I said quietly, my friend’s words sinking in and making me think all kinds of crazy things … like maybe there was some truth to them.

“What?!”
 
She back handed me on the arm, swerving the car almost into the ditch on my side of the road.

I screamed, grabbing the door and dashboard while she quickly straightened the wheel out, bringing us back onto the road.

“Why are you telling me this only now, you big jerkface?!” she yelled, looking from me to the road and back again, unable to totally focus on her driving anymore, apparently.

“Watch what you’re doing!” I yelled back, pointing at the road.
 
“It’s not going to do me any good if you kill us both with your maniac driving!”

“Well, you can’t drop bombs on me like that and not expect a reaction, Rosie.
 
Jesus!”
 
She took a few deep breaths and visibly calmed herself, waving her hand very gracefully in front of her, as if smoothing the air.
 
“Okay.
 
So.
 
Say that for me one more time, because I’m pretty sure I misunderstood.”

I sighed loudly.
 
“He asked me or pretty much
told
me to move in.
 
With him.
 
In that big house.”

“What’d you say in response?” she asked in a breathy voice.

“I told him to get real.”

“Nice,” she said sarcastically, shaking her head in disappointment.
 
“Way to let him down easy.”

“Well, what was I supposed to say? …
 
Yeah, sure, I’ll go pack my bags?”

“Yes!
 
Why not?”

I looked at her like she was crazy, which she obviously was.
 
“Because!
 
I don’t even know him.”
 
I wrung my hands in frustration and confusion.
 
None of this would compute.
 
None of it made sense.
 
Everything I was saying was true.
 
So why do I want to go pack my bags and move in to the place I know I don’t belong?

She scoffed.
 
“I’d hardly call having his dick in your asshole not knowing him.”

I punched her hard in the leg.

“Ow!
 
No hitting!” she yelled, pointing her finger at my face distractedly as she tried to keep her eyes on the road.

“Don’t talk about my butthole!
 
Or anything going in it!
 
That’s a til-death-do-us-part secret!”

“Okay, fine!
 
I won’t!
 
But you need to text him back right now and tell him you’ll do it.”
 
She held her phone out at me, shaking it a little when I didn’t immediately take it.

“No.”
 
I stuck my lower jaw out petulantly.
 
I refused to go to him on my knees like that.

“Tell him you’ll think about
 
it, at least.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because … because …”
 
I couldn’t come up with the correct answer.
 
She was right.
 
Letting someone go there with me, like he had, said a lot about how I felt about him.
 
But it didn’t necessarily tell me anything about how
he
felt, other than he liked tight spaces and doing what many considered naughty things.

“You don’t have a good answer, Rosie.
 
I know what you’re thinking though, and it’s stupid.”

“Oh yeah?
 
Tell me then, because I have no clue.”

“You’re doubting yourself.
 
And you’re doubting the attraction and interest he has in you.”

“That’s true, I am.
 
Wouldn’t you?”
 
I held out my hand to stop her before she could answer.
 
“That was a stupid question.
 
Of course you wouldn’t.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”
 
She frowned at me for a second before turning back to look out the windshield.

“Just that you’re you, and I’m me.
 
You’re confident, I’m not.
 
You’re adventurous, I’m not.
 
You’re free sexually, I’m not so much.”

She smiled.
 
“You are the most adventurous, sexually free girl I know,
myself
included.
 
You proved that last night, so don’t sell yourself short.
 
The only thing you’re missing is confidence, which we’ll just have to work on.
 
In the meantime, you need to make things right with Alexander.”

“How do I do that?”
 
I worried it was too late for that.
 
I’d been kind of bitchy to him, and after we’d had such a close moment, too.
 
Maybe I’d spoiled it for good.

“Text him.
 
Tell him you want to talk to him.”
 
She pulled into our apartment complex.

“What if he blows me off?”

She put the car into park and shut off the engine.
 
Turning in her seat to look at me, she said, “Well, at least you’ll know where he stands, then.
 
That’s better than trying to guess.
 
That’s how girls get themselves into trouble, trying to read mens’ minds.”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing right now?”

“No.”
 
She handed me her phone, pushing it into my dead hand.
 
“We’re taking the bull by the horns and dealing with it face-to-face.
 
Now text him, or suffer my wrath.”

I took the phone from her and tapped out a message, refusing to allow myself to think about it anymore.
 
It was time to put up or shut up:
 
I’m sorry about losing it with you earlier.
 
It’s me, Rose.
 
Thank you for today and everything.
 
Talk soon?
 
I handed the phone back to Jessica.
 
“There.
 
I did it.
 
Are you happy?”

She nodded, smiling.
 
“Yes.
 
I’m always happy when people do what I tell them to do.
 
It’s useless fighting me.
 
You should know that by now.”

I grinned back.
 
I was already feeling lighter of heart.
 
She was right - if he answered back positively, we could start over.
 
If he ignored me or was negative, it was over and I could move on.
 
Either way, I had a direction to go in.
 
“I
do
know that about you.
 
I’ve never fought you and won.
 
Thanks for being such a loyal friend.”
 
I leaned over and hugged her awkwardly in the tiny car.

She patted my back.
 
“Don’t mention it.
 
I know that you’ve got my back no matter what, too.
 
And I’m hoping you’ll introduce me to one of his hot friends one day soon, so I do have ulterior motives.”

I laughed, knowing for a fact she’d choose our friendship over any friend of Alex’s any day.
 
Our kind of bond was rare, maybe only eclipsed by the ones of real sisters.

We got out of the car and walked up the path to our door, both of us stopping short at the sight of a strange man standing there leaving a card in the space between our front door and its frame.

“Can I help you?” asked Jessica, sounding irritated as she walked up closer to him.

“Oh, hello.
 
Are you Rose DuPont?”
 
He walked over with his hand held out.
 
“My name’s Samuel Potswell.
 
Nice to meet you.”

She lifted an eyebrow at his hand and then looked over at me.
 
“I think this one’s for you.”
 
She walked up to the door and left me standing on the sidewalk with him.

We faced one another, taking each other’s measure silently.

“So you’re the girl who stole my job,” Samuel said, smiling almost indulgently at me.

My heart was beating way too fast, but I could already tell this guy was an arrogant ass, so I schooled my features to remain bland and unconcerned.
 
People in public relations had to do this all the time, so I figured I might as well start practicing now.

“Yeah, that’s me.
 
Although I’d characterize the situation as you just losing the job all on your own, but whatever.”

He took a step towards me, lifting a finger and pointing it at me.
 
“I did
not
lose my job, young lady, and believe me, I’m not just going to walk away from it quietly either.”

I stood my ground, and he stopped just a few feet away.
 
He might have been able to scare me into saying nothing or trying to escape for my apartment on a normal day, but today was not a normal day.

“First of all, you and I are not that far apart in age.
 
What are you?
 
Thirty?
 
And trust me … if Alex wants you to walk away, you’ll walk away.
 
And I don’t blame him one bit for replacing you.
 
His campaign is in a nose dive, and it’s all because of you.
 
You don’t deserve to be his manager.”

Samuel sneered.
 
“You’re a child.
 
What would you know about running a professional campaign?
 
Nothing,
that’s what.
 
You have zero connections, zero clout, zero brains.
 
Congratulations on ending the career of Alexander Blackstone.”

He moved as if to go down the sidewalk next to me, heading back to the parking lot, but I sidestepped to put myself in his way.
 
“One thing before you go, Sam.
 
Keep one thing in mind.
 
Any attempts by you and your little friend Jacqueline to smear Alexander’s name will not go well for you.
 
Think hard about it before you do anything more stupid than you already have.”

“Are you threatening me?” he asked in a quiet voice.
 
An evil grin spread across his face.

“I’m making you a promise.
 
I know Alexander better than you do, and I can tell you right now he’s not going to be happy about what you’ve done or about what you’re considering doing.”

“You have no idea what I’m planning on doing, but I can promise you one thing: you’ll be one of the first to know when I do it.”
 
He laughed and walked around me to head down the sidewalk.

I turned and watched him get into his SUV.
 
Idiot
.
 
I wondered how Alex could have been taken in by Samuel’s slimy charm.
 
He was good looking in an ivy-league kind of way, even sporting the kakhi pants and navy jacket I always pictured those guys wearing.
 
But he seemed second-rate to me.
 
Like a guy who gambled away his inheritance and then scammed his friends to stay afloat.

“Ick,” I said to no one, walking back to my apartment.
 
My phone beeped in my purse, and I reached in, fishing around to find it.
 
I didn’t get my hands on it until I was inside.
 
The text on the screen said,
Glad you had a good day.
 
I want to take you to lunch today.
 
Not a work lunch.
 
A date.
 
Will you go?

The old me would have said no.
 
The girl I was yesterday and maybe even early this morning would have kept fighting this attraction, this strange set of circumstances that had a gorgeous politician with more money than Midas pursuing me - an inexperienced college student - for not only employment but roommate status.
 
But the girl I was today, right now … the one who was responding to Samuel’s little challenge with strength of purpose … she had finally made the command decision to take control of this campaign management thing and do everything in her power to get that connection to an agency in New York City.
 
Time to stop messing around and get serious.
 
No one’s going to make me an offer like this again, and I need to start planning for my future in New York.
 
This job and Alex’s connections will get me there, so this is what I need to do.
 
I had confidence in my brains.
 
I knew if I just had the opportunity, I could prove myself worthy of the trust Alex was placing in me.
 
Not just to him but to myself and the rest of the world.
 
I had one shot, and I was going to take it.