Page 40 of The Player's Obsession

“Life is full of them, isn’t it?” His voice is slick, and my panties are, too. Damn this man. He doesn’t even have to be in the same room to make me horny.

“Trust me, you’ll love the bling.”

“You’re pretty sure of yourself.”

“I told you I’m good at reading people, and I can tell you’re attracted to me.”

“No, I’m not. I didn’t even want to go out with you. Don’t get your facts twisted.”

“Fine. You did resist at first, but it wasn’t hard to convince you otherwise.”

“If I had grabbed the right set of car keys, I wouldn’t be involved in this charade.”

“You need the money. For what, I don’t know, but it must be important. Are you going to fill me in or continue to keep me in the dark?”

“I don’t know.” I pace in front of my living room window. It’s something else I do when I’m nervous, pace like a caged tiger.

“Ring size.”

“Fine. I’m a nine.”

“Were you engaged before?”

“No, I used to wear my grandmother's wedding ring until the setting needed to be fixed.” I leave out the part about it being stolen by Carlo. What’s the point? Talking about him will make me angry, and I refuse to let him spoil this day. Plus, nothing can be done to replace the irreplaceable.

This feels like the perfect moment to ask Oliver about his engagement. It's now or never.

“Are you going to tell me why you and Melanie broke up?”

“Maybe. Back to the ring. What is your heart's desire?”

I want to say, “To have you fuck me until I can’t walk straight,” but I purse my lips instead.

“Oh, I don’t know, anything.”

“Honey, this is a big step, and you’ll have the ring a long time. I need more.”

“Honey? We’re role-playing now?” Why not? We should actually practice before we show up at the wedding and wing it.

“I would take you with me to pick it out, but we don’t have enough time.”

"Suddenly, a memory flashes through my mind - a ring I spotted in a fashion magazine lying on my coffee table. Its square cut was so grand it seemed visible from outer space. "Hold on, let me check," I say, grabbing the magazine. I quickly thumb through the pages until I reach the one with a bent corner. "Here it is... I think they call it a radiant cut. It’s stunning.”

“Okay, that helps. I don’t want you to hate a ring you’re expected to wear. That would be an unforgivable mistake. Send me a screenshot, and I’ll do my best to make you proud.”

“What do I get for you?” I ask. If I continue to nervously pace every time he calls, I will wear a hole in this carpet.

“Just be on time for the game tonight. I’ll be looking for you in the stands.”

“I can do that.”

“Great. I’ll call you later. Bye, babe.”

Click. Babe? Well, that went better than expected. I bet he’s gonna buy me a ring larger than Melanie’s to compete with her fiancé. This will be an interesting weekend.

I grab my new designer bag with the V name I can never remember and start packing, beginning with the overpriced makeup. It’s probably overrated as well. The sales lady said, “It’s the best.” I don’t know what the best is, and since it’s what “everyone is using,” I can’t risk deviating. I have to dress the part. Besides, Oliver is footing the bill, and he expects me to look as radiant as that ring.

It was fun shopping and not worrying about money, but I can’t help but think it’s money that could have been used to help the local animal shelter. I pull my favorite long underwear out of my bureau drawer. They are pale pink with dark pink flowers. I ensure the lingerie is rolled into a ball along with my socks and hose before stuffing all of it into the netting that zippers closed.

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