Page 65 of Talk Nerdy To Me
“I’m assuming no guy has made it past that mark then,” I say, still meeting their angry glares with my nicest nice-guy smile I have. Mostly to be a dick.
People hate it when you smile at them while they plot your death.
However, these aren’t thugs or mafia guys. They’re not going to drag me to a dungeon and pop my bones out of place. They’re also not merciless bastards. They’re just average guys who have been pampered their entire lives.
“I know two label heads very personally who owe me favors,” Kode says seriously, throwing down that monetary gauntlet I’ve been anticipating.
Sitting up, I place my elbows on the table. “So does Tag. I turned down his offer, and it didn’t even have strings attached,” I tell him.
“I bet you’d love a new guitar to make music on. Maybe even studio time to lay down tracks—”
I pause Corbin’s monetary gauntlet with a hand up. “Lay down tracks? How old are you?”
He glares at me.
“Studio time is expensive,” Maverick goes on, picking up where Corbin left off.
“Good thing I have a tab with Tag. Any money he puts into my career, I pay back—with interest—in installments,” I tell them, watching as they all swing an accusatory glare toward Tag. “He went to my fucking mother and she made me do this.”
Looking over my shoulder, I see Tag trying not to smirk as he pretends he doesn’t notice them glowering his way.
“But you admit this would be an easy choice if you didn’t have Tag backing you,” Maverick says, bringing his eyes back to mine.
“I wouldn’t have bothered driving over here if I thought I was the kind of guy to take a bribe and walk away from a friend so I could cash in,” I tell them.
“Friend,” Dale scoffs. “You already admitted to me you were interested.”
“And you didn’t tell us?” Kode snaps.
“I let him think she was gay,” Dale defends. “How was I supposed to know he’s this persistent? I thought he’d be like Maverick and move on in the next breath. Guys like him aren’t supposed to have attention spans this big.”
“Hey,” Maverick says, throwing a hand up like he’s been insulted.
“Sorry. Like Maverick used to be,” Dale amends, much to my amusement.
“Still offended, because it had nothing to do with my attention span,” Maverick decides to argue.
“I think we’re losing touch with the real issue at hand,” Corbin says, gesturing toward me.
It’s like a little sitcom I’ve been missing out on. I assumed there’d be champagne flutes, penguin suits, and sticks shoved up asses. I’ve never seen the Sterlings this relaxed and…semi-normal.
What’s normal really?
“I’m that issue,” I state, as though everyone needs a reminder. “And there’s not really any way to deal with me.”
“Siri, where’s the best place near me to hide a body?” Maverick asks his phone.
“Very funny,” Siri replies, while I give him an incredulous look.
“I’ll see if Alexa is more helpful,” Corbin says, turning and walking toward the house.
“He’s kidding, right?” I ask, lifting an eyebrow and wondering just how crazy they really are.
They all just stare at me, unblinking. They’re full of shit.
Back to grinning, I shake my head.
“Given the fact no guy has made it through these tactics, I’m no longer surprised Britt’s still a virgin. Apparently, you’re keeping her isolated to the dickbag circles.”
