Page 21 of Worth the Risk

“Do I have a bad angle?”

She laughs and flips the screen around to face me. “Did you see this?” She points to comment that Taylor left under the woman’s request.

“Yeah.” I laugh, explaining to her how it all went down. “I guess if it gets that many likes, then she’ll agree to do it. Think it’s possible?”

“Maybe.” She shrugs. “The likes probably won’t be the hard part; it’s the comment by a famous person that’s going to be hard. Know anyone famous?”

“Huh?” I take the phone and look at the comment she wrote, the requirements not the same as what we agreed to. “I do actually but they’re all clients.” I flip over to my texts, about to ask her why she added that little detail, but then it would give away my burner account I’m using to follow her.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing here?”

I open my mouth to ask the question but I pause, the words stuck in my throat. I’m definitely buzzed, enough that my guard is down, but I’m not sure I’m drunk enough to hear the truth out of my own mouth. Somewhere along the way, I decided that once I finally said it out loud, I’d have to take my shot and be honest with myself and her.

“Fuck it.” I’ll deal with the consequences later. “I swear when I look at her sometimes… I can see it in her eyes.”

“That’s not a question, Austin.”

“When she and I first met, we were clearly attracted to each other; we almost kissed but decided it was better to keepthings strictly professional between us. We’ve maintained those boundaries, but recently, there’s a tension. An underlying layer of sexual chemistry that is so fucking insane it’s practically palpable between us.” I think of the look on her face earlier tonight when I crossed that boundary.

“Or maybe she feels lost and confused coming out her five-year relationship. You probably provide a very tempting distraction from that heartache. And yes, you’re very attractive, so of course she notices that. It doesn’t mean she wants anything beyond that.”

“Well, fuck. Quick and painless.”

“Sorry.” She frowns again. “Look, like you, I’m only speaking from my personal experience. I said yes to you because sometimes a really sexy guy is exactly what you need to knock the memories loose of the other guy, but clearly, I’m not there yet emotionally. Which is unfortunate because you really are hot as hell.”

“I asked you out because you look like her.”

We stare at each other for several seconds, both of us bursting into laughter at the reality that this really is cathartic.

“I’m sorry.” I shake my head again. “That was so fucked up of me.”

“Here’s to us trying and failing miserably at attempting to get over love.” She lifts her glass of water and clinks it against my tumbler.

“What are you thinking about your ex?”

She keeps her gaze forward for several seconds before looking over at me. “Honestly, I don’t have a clue. I’d like to say fuck him, his loss and move on, but I probably won’t yet. I’m not ready to walk away from him. Pathetic?”

I shake my head. “I don’t fault you. Like I said, I’m just some schmuck in a bar you barely know. You have to followyour heart. But you have to be willing to risk it getting shattered again.”

“And are you going to take that risk?”

I look back down at my phone, still opened to the app with her comment. I glance at the likes; it’s still just under four hundred thousand. A fucked-up thought starts to churn in my brain.

“You don’t happen to know anyone famous, do you?” I laugh, unsure if I’m joking or not.

“Yeah, actually. You know Dante Miller?”

My eyes bulge. “Rookie of the year Dante Miller? Point guard for the Chicago Bulls Dante Miller?”

“Yeah.” She giggles. “That one. He’s my brother-in-law.”

You can’t drive down a single highway in Illinois or watch a single commercial without seeing his face smiling back at you. And thanks to social media, the man has become an overnight international legend with endorsement deals that will set him up for life.

“Any chance you can get him to comment and share that stupid video?”

She looks up from her phone. “Already done. Just sent him the video and told him I need a favor for a friend.”

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