Page 10 of All Bets Are Off

“I think it will be fairly obvious.” Dad tapped his fingers on his desk. “No more showgirls. You need to pick a woman who you wouldn’t be embarrassed to take to a corporate party.”

I had news for him. I wouldn’t have been embarrassed to take a showgirl to a Stone Group party. In fact, I would’ve found that wildly entertaining.

“You’re the future of this company, Zachary,” Dad continued. “You’re going to be the face of it.”

“What about Ruby, Pearl, and Opal?” I demanded. “Are they getting meetings like this?”

“Your sisters, while a forward-facing part of this company, aren’t going to be the head of it.”

I didn’t say it out loud, but I’d always found his sexist leanings on the subject unfair. My sisters—especially Opal—were far more serious than me. Opal could’ve taken over the company today, and it would’ve been smooth sailing. According to my father, that simply wasn’t allowed. It had to be a boy.

Me. I was the anointed one. That had never felt like more of a burden than today. “And if I say no?” I asked finally.

“You can’t say no. If you try, you’ll be out of a penthouse, out of your salary, and out of the family.” Dad leaned forwardand met my blank stare. “You have responsibilities, Zachary. It’s time you started fulfilling them.”

I WAS STILL IN SHOCK THREE HOURS LATERwhen I met Rex at the Vanderpump Cocktail Garden. It wasn’t one of my favorite spots—I preferred a more low-key environment—but Rex was on the hunt, and he liked the women who frequented the Vanderpump establishment. They were right up his alley, meaning vapid and far too interested in seeing a reality television star.

“He said what to you?” Rex froze with his espresso martini halfway to his lips.

“He said I have to start dating an approved woman,” I replied. That part bothered me more than the meetings for some reason. “No more showgirls. That’s exactly what he said.”

Rex glanced over at the pretty woman behind the bar. “Does that mean no more bartenders either?”

“Pretty much.” My penis was on a holiday anyway after the conversation I’d had with my father. It wanted to hide. “What do you think he means about an ‘appropriate’ woman? You don’t think he means a librarian, do you?”

Rex snorted. Then he sobered. “I don’t know, but I’ve had more than one spank fantasy about a hot woman in nerdy glasses. That might work.”

I pinned him with a death glare. We’d been best friends forever—sometimes I thought he was the only genuinely real person in my life—and I wasn’t about to cut him out or anything. I would’ve preferred a bit of sympathy, though. “He’s being serious. I have to date someone who he approves of.”

“Well … let’s think.” Rex cocked his head. “When was your last public relationship?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s been a few months.”

“You haven’t had sex in months?” Rex’s eyebrows practically flew off his forehead. They were making a run for the Canadian border they moved so fast.

“What?” I shrank in the face of his horror. “I haven’t been feeling it lately.”

“Yeah, but you’re surrounded by cocktail waitresses in barely-there dresses all day. Just pick one, have a quick romp, and then move on.”

How could I explain the aimless feeling that had been flooding me for the past six months? Rex wouldn’t understand it. He lived and breathed Vegas. Me, on the other hand, I’d been struggling. I couldn’t hide from the fact that I was starting to feel the need for more.

More connection.

More laughter.

More … love? Well, that felt like a stretch.

I did want more, though. That was something that Rex wouldn’t be able to grasp. He was still thrilled with the aimless Vegas lifestyle. I didn’t judge him for it. I was simply in a different place.

“What about a fake relationship?” he volunteered out of nowhere.

I jerked my head to him. “What? I’m not paying someone to be my girlfriend.”

“Not pay,” Rex countered. “I didn’t say pay. There’s no need to turn to prostitution … although that’s a perfectly viable life choice.”

I rolled my eyes and sipped my craft beer.

“You just need someone who has goals that align with yours,” he continued.

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