Page 27 of Games We Play
“Oh my God.” Leah began shoveling everything back into the box, as if her mother or Karlie would walk into her room and see what the hell she was into. Yet before she could grab the little whip currently adorning her pillow, she discovered another note at the bottom of the box. “Whatnow?”
It was attached to a bullet vibe, hidden beneath another silk scarf that Leah hadn’t originally seen.
“If this speaks to you, then text me at the following number. It’s my private cell. I want to see you the next time I’m in your neighborhood, which will be soon enough.”
Leah stared at Sloan’s private number, complete with Chicago area code, before grabbing her phone and possibly making the weirdest decision of her life.
“Yes,”she texted Sloan.
It was like the woman had been waiting for her message all along.
“Good. I’ll be back in Portland this weekend. Until then, try whatever you like. Especially the bullet.”
Leah bit her bottom lip so hard that she almost made it bleed.“You want me to use it now?”
“Whenever you use it, make sure I know about it.”
Leah didn’t have her chance until long after dinner and a bath. By then, the box was shoved into the bottom of her closet, with winter sweaters and snow pants covering the top. When her mother asked what had been in the box, Leah explained that it was a care package from an old internet friend in Chicago. Nobody asked for any further information, and Leah was perfectly happy to take her Chinese takeout upstairs so she could giddily text her friends about the potential new girlfriend hitting her up for a date that weekend. She left out the details, because those could stay between her and Sloan. For now.
As proof of her dutiful use of such a gracious present, Leah did something she had never done before. She sent her first set of erotic photos to a woman she barely knew. What was the point of having a phone with a great camera if her lover couldn’t see the hot details?
Why is this the hottest thing that’s ever happened to me?Leah continued to tell herself that none of it was real. Not until she received her final response of the night.
“I love your expression when you come. Have a good night.”
If they ever got married one day, Leah hoped that would be in the wedding vows. Even the wish good night.
Part 2: Games We Lose
Chapter 9
Nails as red as blood pushed the card back across the table. “You’re kidding, right? You must be kidding, otherwise you’re crazier than anyone ever thought.”
Sloan shrugged. “Call me crazy all you want. Although it’s probably not a good idea to piss off your potential donors.”
“If I accept your offer, then you’re the charity’s biggest donor.” Maxine Woodward brushed a piece of lint off her shoulder. Her finely tailored Givenchy pantsuit was almost as high quality as one of Sloan’s suits. Almost.I don’t do brands. I do master tailors who have been honing their crafts for generations.Finding someone willing to take on the female form had been an obnoxious challenge at first, but once she found an Austrian tailor known for her bold fits and luxurious materials, Sloan realized she had to keep the woman a secret. Otherwise, women like Maxine would move in faster than she could blink.
“What’s a few million between friends?”
“Uh, we’re not friends.” Maxine glanced at Sloan’s bodyguard standing in the corner of the small meeting room. “Last I checked, you don’t have any friends.”
“Maybe I’m attempting to expand my social circles this year. Consider it a resolution.”
“A resolution to donate more money to charities this year? Your accountant must be on your ass about tax write-offs.”
“As a matter of fact, she is.” Sloan chuckled. “That’s not why I’m doing it. I believe in little charities like yours. I can’t make it to your fundraisers, so this will have to do.”
“Little, huh?” Maxine glanced at the number again. “I suppose a foundation that only serves central and southern California can be considered ‘little,’ if you broaden the definition of that word.”
West coast people and their liberal interpretations of size.Maxine really was Californian, wasn’t she? Quite frankly, anything that didn’t service people on a national level was “small.” You couldn’t tell these Pacific coasters that, though. California was the center of America.
“Are yousurethere isn’t anything you really want in return?”
“I can’t believe you’re questioning my motives behind a donation.”
“Anyone else, and I would be kissing their feet, Sloan. You? You always have an ulterior motive in everything you do.”
“It’s cutthroat out there, isn’t it?”
