Page 70 of Play Me
Sometimes, I really dislike Gianna.
The world wobbles, then comes to a slow crawl. I move across the room to a nonworking fireplace with fake logs to put some distance between us.
Gianna holds up her hands. “Hey, don’t be pissed at me because I can read the damn room.”
“Okay.” Audrey nods. “I see where this is going.”
“It’s not going anywhere.” My face heats as I look between them. “We called a truce, and he’s helping me like I help him. That’s all.”
Gianna smirks. “I like the reciprocation aspect of your relationship. You’ll appreciate that in the later stages.”
My stomach tightens, and I shoo those thoughts away.I’m not going there.
“I’m assuming you two are getting along much better now,” Audrey says softly. “Is that true?”
“Yes. But it’s a working relationship built on very thin ice. I need the two of you not to take this in the ways you’re taking it.”
“Wait until you see how you’re going to be taking it,” Gianna mutters. I glare at her, and she laughs. “I’m kidding. I’ll stop.”
Audrey glances at Gianna before returning her attention to me. “Tell us what you need. We’re here for you.”
Thank God for Audrey.
I blow out a shaky breath because I don’t know what I need. I don’t even know why I called them. It was a silly decision that I made in a moment of panic because I’m overwhelmed with stress, and I broke.
Everyone breaks sometimes.
Gianna stands, kicking off her heels. “What are you wearing?”
My shoulders soften. “I don’t know.”
She motions for Audrey and me to follow her into my bedroom. Once we’re in there, she flips on the light and wastes no time flinging open my closet doors.
“Oh, you look hot as hell in this.” Gianna pulls a lacy black camisole off a hanger.
I shake my head. “That’s the wrong vibe. I’m meeting an attorney, for Pete’s sake.”
Audrey sits beside me on my bed.
“We’re going to be in a truck for over an hour each way,” I say. “He mentioned that he wanted to stop and see his brother, so I think we might be doing that. I’m not sure. And his brother lives on a ranch so?—”
“Stop it,” Gianna hisses. “A ranch? You’re freaking kidding me right now.”
Audrey moans. “If Gray puts on Wranglers and cowboy boots, I might faint.”
“Don’t faint,” Gianna says, laughing. “That’s the moment when you ride that man like it’s your damn job.”
I cover my face with my hands.This isn’t helping. At all.
Vivid images of Gray on a ranch with sweat dripping down his chest invade my mind, and there’s no pushing them out. Suddenly, imagining him in cowboy boots isn’t as funny. I cansee him wearing a cowboy hat, and I can’t completely dismiss the ripple it causes in my core.
That’s it. I’m losing my mind.
Audrey hops off the bed and joins Gianna in front of my closet. It takes her just a minute to pull out a teal T-shirt that Gianna bought me for my birthday last year. The fabric is thicker than a standard tee, and the V-neck stops a hair above the tops of my boobs. It’s not too revealing and never dips low enough to show off my chest … but it feels like it might. And, according to Gianna, there’s an allure that comes along with that.
“What about this?” Audrey asks. “Pair those with your gold stars that have the little diamonds in the center. It’s comfortable enough for a road trip, conservative enough for an attorney’s office, and fun enough for a ranch.” She glances into my closet again. “You’re only going for the afternoon, right?”
“Yeah. I think we’re just going to the attorney’s office, and then he wants to see his brother. Maybe he’ll visit his brother while I’m talking to the attorney. I don’t know.”
