I regret those words as soon as they leave my mouth because I know her life is not what it seems either. I’m just saying these things to hurt her now. So I guess I am an asshole.
“Then tell why you want to fix me up with Cole.”
“You asked me to fix you up with Cole, Tiffy.”
“Why did you sleep with me?”
“And there it is,” I sneer. “You’re just like all the others. I promised fun, you agreed, and now you want to attach some secret meaning to it. It was a fuck, Tiffy. I like to fuck, like every other normal man my age. And it was fun. OK? You’re a good fuck. And if you were still interested, I’d fuck you again. But you’re not. That’s all there is to it.”
“Would you still do your job if I said you didn’t have to quit?”
“I just told you, I’ll do the show!”
“Not the show,” she says, gripping me tighter. “Your job with me.” Her face is serious. Even a little sad.
“Teach you to be sexy?”
She laughs. “I was wondering what word you used for it. Is that what it is to you then? Teaching girls to be sexy like you?”
“Like I always say… Sexy doesn’t sell, it’s for sale.”
She laughs again and it makes me smile. God, what will happen to her when her father dies? I can’t imagine. “You don’t need me to teach you that, Tiffy. I already told you, you’ve got sexy in spades.”
“Not according to Cole. Because I asked him if he’d like to have dinner tonight, just the two of us, and he said he was too busy. And if you were interested in someone, and they wanted you to eat with them, then you’d say yes, right?” She looks at me, wanting me to say no, but knowing I won’t lie to her.
“I’m not sure.” Maybe Cole is distracted by her dad’s illness and doesn’t have time for that kind of stuff right now? Maybe his job is the most important thing in his life? I can relate to that. It’s why I don’t have girlfriends. But maybe the fact that she won’t inherit any money takes her out of the running? And if Cole knows about that then…
It’s that last part that gives me pause. If that’s the reason I will kick his ass. I don’t care how big that motherfucker is. I will kick his ass if he’s been using her and her dad all those years for money.
“Look,” I say. “I don’t think you’re serious about Cole, Tiffy. I think you want a boyfriend and he’s just as good as the next. I think you want to replace whatever is missing in your life with him. And I don’t think you trust me one bit. So just say it.”
“Say what?” she asks, equally annoyed.
“Just admit you can’t walk away from my sexy.”
She laughs and hides her face.
I like her laugh. She doesn’t do it enough. I bet she’s been on this road to respect since she was adopted by the old man. A little girl is suddenly thrust into a world of the rich and powerful. Parties, private schools, and all that other shit that comes with it. Pony lessons, ballet, tutors, and most of all… expectations.
“Say it,” I repeat. “Tell me I’m sexy and you need me. And then I’ll help you. Just let all that other stuff go. If you want the fantasy, then let me be your fantasy.”
She rolls her eyes and presses her lips together.
“I know you think it, Tiffy. Everyone thinks it. You can deny all you want. But I’m hot.”
She snorts. “It’s not hot to know you’re hot.”
“Sure it is.” I stare at her green eyes as they sparkle with the reflection of the water. “Sure it is, Tiffy. In fact, when I look twice at a girl, it’s not their body I’m looking at. Lots of people have nice bodies. Lots of girls have pretty faces. When I take a second look, it’s because she has confidence.”
“Then why did you look at me?” She’s serious now. She holds her hand up and shields her eyes from the sun and I can see them peering out at me from the shadow she creates. “Because everything about me says second best.”
“Wow. Who did that number on you? Normally I’d accuse your father, but I don’t think it was him. So who called you second best, Tiffy? It wasn’t Claudio. It sure the fuck wasn’t me. Was it Cole? Did you turn his disinterest into self-loathing? Because I’m gonna be honest here. From my perspective, everything about you says winner. Everything points to strength, independence, and intelligence.”
She drops her hand from her eyes and bows her head. “Thank you.”
And that’s a good answer. She can accept a compliment, at least. I have known lots of girls who couldn’t even do that. But Tiffy’s reply comes off as well-bred manners instead of confidence. It’s something she’s been taught to do. Be polite.
“I’ll do the show and keep our deal about Cole.”
She looks up, but the smile is gone.
“I’ll do it. But I want something from you in return.”
“I’ll make sure you have a job—”
“No,” I cut her off. “I’m scrappy, Tiffy. That’s not what I want. I can find my own way in this world. I don’t need your handouts. Fuck the job. I’ve already written it off and have three ideas for replacing the money.”
She squints at me, suspicious. “Then what do you want?”
She has every right to be suspicious. Because I’m smiling a devious I-am-sexy-fucking-Fletcher-Novak smile. “A lap dance, Tiffy. I want a lap dance. Right here. Right now.”
Chapter Seventeen
“You’re kidding.”
“I’m not.” And he isn’t. I can tell. Because he stands up and walks across the large flat boulder to another one that is the perfect height to sit on. “Come on, show me your stuff. Show me how sexy you are. And if you do that, I’ll give you everything you want.”
“Fletcher, I’m not a stripper.”
“Neither was I nine months ago. My first lap dance was hilarious. Chandler laughed his ass off. I had to do him, by the way. So at least you’ve got me to entice. Just imagine trying to be sexy with a dude like him.”
I laugh as I picture him. “But you’re different. You’re good at this stuff. Girls look at you and imagine ripping your clothes off. Guys look at me and imagine the granny pants I have on under my suit.”
“No,” he says with a laugh. “I’m pretty sure the thought going through my head that night I saw you at the show was, She looks fuckable.”
“It was not. I was a prissy bitch to you that night.”
“You were a sex kitten, Tiffy. Even your name is sexy. You opened that door and the look on your face said insatiable sexual appetite.”
“Fuck you,” I chuckle, trying to hide my blush. “It did not. I was thinking about how to fire you that night.”
“Lap dance. Come on. Get up and do it.”
“I don’t even know what a lap dance is. I’ve only ever seen one at your show.”
He eyes me suspiciously, considering if I’m lying or not. And then he stands up, takes my hand, whirls me around and pushes down on my shoulders. “OK, I’ll go first then. But you’re not getting out of it.”
I take a deep breath as I look up into his blue eyes. My heart starts to beat a little faster as I imagine what it would be like to watch him try to seduce me with a dance. I blush. Fiercely.
He shoots me one of those grins that light up his face. “Ready?”
I nod.
“Pay close attention, Tiffy.” He says this as his hips begin to move back and forth. I’m already mesmerized. But when he places his hands on my shoulders and straddles my legs, I have to gulp down air. “You have to make contact, Tiff. It’s the most important thing. I touch you here,” he says, his voice lowering as he rubs my shoulders, “and if you’re into me, a chill should run through your body.”
It does. It so does.
His hips are right in front of my face now, and I can’t help but stare at his torso. My eyes slip down to his belt. And then his hands are there, playing with the waistband of his jeans. “And then you direct my eyes down to your hips. Just like that.”