Page 112 of Playing My Rivals

First shot. Locked and loaded. Ready to fire.

“There have been a lot of rumors going around. Some don’t put Dorothy in the best light.” I raise an eyebrow.

“Yeah. So I’ve heard.”

“Any idea who started such a vicious lie?”

He grunts a laugh. “If I knew that, the rumor would have disintegrated. I’d make sure of it.”

“I see you’re still protective of her. That’s good to know.” My eyes burn with a vengeance.

“You hated it before. Why the change of heart?”

“Knowing you want the best for her is important for our meeting tonight.” I sip my drink as the server places another one in front of him.

He picks it up and takes a long pull off it the second she retreats.

He places it down and locks eyes with me. “Back to why wanting the best for Dori is important for tonight's discussion. Why?”

“Because there’s another rumor I heard today. I’m wondering if you have as well.” My gaze sweeps across his face. I don’t want to miss anything when I drop this on him.

His brows narrow. “What rumor is that?”

“It seems you and Melanie have been spending a lot of time together recently. People are taking notice.” I wave the server over.

She comes to us in a flash. We order dinner, giving Jamison plenty of time to stew about the news he and Melanie are the talk of the office.

Jamison leans in as soon as the server is gone. “Melanie and I are friends. Dori already knows that, so it won’t matter what people are saying.”

“You never know. People talk a lot. Sometimes those dirty whispers can sneak into someone's mind and screw with their thoughts. Even best friends who consider each other a part of their families can turn on each other. It would be a shame if Dorothy and Melanie would have that fate—a damn shame.”

His jaw tightens and twitches.

He growls. “Dori knows us both better than that. She trusts us.”

Knowing he would say that, I wince. “I don’t know. Are you sure she trusts you? She’s made a few comments recently that say otherwise. It seems you’ve been rather short and dismissive of her.”

He takes a deep breath and turns his head away.

Trigger pulled. Bullet fired. Target hit.

Second shot. Locked and loaded. Ready to fire.

“Jamison, do you remember our conversation that night before we went out to the club?”

“Which one?”

“The one where you told me you would never go where I had been.” My eyes narrow with retaliation.

His chest flexes. “What about it?”

“You went where I had been. Do you remember the other part of that talk? I know you’re in a hurry. For time's sake, I’ll remind you. She’s only on loan for the night unless she's marrying you. Since you two aren’t getting married, it’s only fair you know I have no problem going where you’ve been. It doesn’t affect me at all.”

“So you say. Look, I’m getting the sense this talk isn’t about making amends. You’ll need to excuse me. I have more important business to tend to.” He shifts to leave.

“Don’t bother getting up. We’re going to come to a mutual agreement. It’ll be a win-win outcome. If you leave, I can’t say the same. I’m cautioning you, Jamison. You don’t want to miss the rest.”

He hesitates for a second before pulling his chair back to the table. “I take it we’re playing an old-fashioned game of no-limits hold’em.”

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