Page 35 of Hook Up

Dick move? Not really. Just a man staking his claim.

After ten minutes in the VIP area, I remember why I loathe strip clubs. The booming bass reverberates through my brain as a woman wearing only pasties and a thong grinds against me.

Is she hot? Sure, in a silicone-filled way.

Is she Greer? Not even close.

Shoving a fifty in her g-string, I huff out a sigh of relief when she moves on to her next victim. Judging by the shit-eating grin on his face, he’s more than happy to oblige.

“Step outside with me for a second,” Greg says, and I follow him to the back patio. It’s cooler than earlier in the day, not that anyone considers 100 degrees cool. Unless you’re a sidewinder.

“Are you having fun?”

“Ryder, it’s a great party. Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. I’m happy to be here.”

Greg scrubs his face, releasing a huffed sigh. Uh-oh. I know where this conversation is headed. “Jillian texted me earlier. Apparently, you and my sister are dating? Care to fill me in?”

“The media are relentless,” I mumble, unsure how to broach the topic without having to spill all the facts. One of those facts being that Mandi is still in residence at my house. “They snapped some photos of us together.”

“So, it’s bullshit.”

“I don’t want it to be.” With a sigh, I face my friend. “You know how I had a thing for Greer when I was a kid? I still do. I always have. We fooled around once, several years back, but lines got crossed and—”

“New Year’s, right? Greer told me.”

“What did she say?”

“That you two hung out, and you wanted to take her to Paris, but then you never called. I was pretty pissed at the time, but she told me to leave it alone. So I did.”

“I never got her number.”

“Why didn’t you ask me?”

“I was a twenty-two-year-old chicken shit. I figured you’d hate the idea of me and Greer dating, not that it would have stopped me. I also thought Greer would call me when she disappeared from the party, and I didn’t want to look desperate. But, I finally caved and called you. That’s when you told me about the doctor she was dating and how serious it was. I knew then I had lost my chance.”

“Except you didn’t, because here you are.” He folds his arms across his barrel chest, his expression solemn. “What are your intentions with her? She’s been on the receiving end of a long line of assholes, Ryder. She doesn’t need another man fucking with her head, or her bank account.”

“Come again? Her bank account?”

“That piece of shit, Richard, left her with a mountain of debt. He went through med school, and she footed all the bills, including several loans she took out, in her name, to help him. Then he left her for a younger woman, right after he finished his residency.”

“Fucking asshole. You should have told me about her financial situation. I can help her.”

Greg chokes back a laugh. “Are we talking about the same woman? Greer would never allow that. She doesn’t accept charity, as she terms it.”

“It’s not charity. I’ve adored her for decades. She needs help. I want to help her. Show her that not all men will cut and run.”

Greg nods, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Yeah, Dad leaving really messed with her ideas about love. She was a diehard romantic as a kid.”

“I remember. That summer I spent with you guys, she told me she wanted to get married on a beach at sunset, the light casting off the ocean.”

“What are you, planning to marry her now?”

I smirk in my friend’s direction, but the idea isn’t unwelcome. I always said I would marry Greer in a heartbeat. “Don’t you want me as your brother-in-law?” I jest, giving him a jab in the arm.

“Just don’t upstage my wedding, okay? Wait a week.” Greg downs the rest of his drink and I can’t help but wonder how many more he plans to imbibe before midnight. I love the man, but he drinks like a fish. “You really want to help her?”

---