Page 11 of 40 and (Tired of) Faking It
A second passed before Carter gave an abrupt laugh, obviously catching on before JD did. “It’s a risky move, my friend.”
“What’s a risky move?” Something had gone over his head, but he wasn’t sure wh—
Oh.
“No.”
Linc raised a brow. “No? You said she was forty. Is she married? Too plain Jane?”
“Are those the only two less than desirable choices?” Carter teased, his usually serious face now full of amusement.
For fuck’s sake.JD groaned, finally catching on. “You’re talking about pulling a ‘Ms. Cole.’” He shook his head even as a laugh threatened. “I’m not pulling a ‘Ms. Cole.’” Lily wasn’t married, and neither was she anywhere near plain, but that didn’t mean he would—
“But you’re so good at the ‘Ms. Cole’ scenario,” Linc pointed out.
“Only in my misspent youth.”
His friends laughed. “Didn’t you pull a ‘Ms. Cole’ a couple of years ago during that hotel complex build in Vegas?” Carter asked.
“I didn’t get that contract by sleeping with the client.”
“Of course not,” Carter smirked. “The client was a man; that wouldn’t work for you.”
“But you slept with his daughter,” Linc reminded him.
God, don’t remind me.He’d thought he was past mistakes of that magnitude. But his client’s daughter had been particularly persistent in her pursuit of him. And she hadn’t been all that much younger than he was. In her late thirties, if he remembered correctly. At least his integrity hadn’t allowed him to give in until he’d won the contract and gotten the project well underway.
But that wasn’t the scenario his friends were referring to.
“The daughter wasn’t in a position to give him an A, though,” Carter pointed out. “Not like Ms. Cole did.”
“It was a long time ago. You both realize that?” JD asked sarcastically.
“But those skills never die,” Linc pointed out. “They just age like fine wine.”
“And if they don’t, there’s always Viagra,” Carter added. “Or prostate supplements.”
JD’s instinctive growl at the idea that he needed any help with his prostate—which was just fine, fuck you very much—had both men howling.
Who needed enemies when you had friends like these?
Linc waited for the laughter to die down before concluding, “Assuming Ms. Easton is as unattached as Ms. Cole was, it’s the perfect way to ensure her cooperation. She’ll be too sexed up to stick her nose in our business decisions.”
She was indeed unattached. And JD was trying desperately not to think about that. Not that his friends were helping with his attempts to focus right now.
“I know you’re not serious—”
Carter cut JD off. “Says who?”
They hadn’t asked anything further about Lily’s marital status or her attractiveness, which told him they didn’t think he had any intention of sleeping with the lady mayor, as they’d taken to calling her.
If they only knew.
God, he wished his subconscious would shut the fuck up right about now. There were no intentions toward Lily except the intention to steer very clear. Or as much as was possible given the two of them would be spending the next week together.
He broke in, ignoring their continuing jibes. “I’d like to point out that she didn’t say I had to use local people to gain her support. I simply have to be open to the idea. A week meeting the businesspeople here in town isn’t exactly time wasted. And at the end of it, I’ll have convinced Lily to support our bid with the planning commission.”
“He’s calling her Lily,” Linc pointed out.
