Page 23 of Rules Of Engagement: St. Louis
“Yeah, yeah, of course. I’m good.”
I nodded. “Pour me whatever you’re having.”
Xander reached for the bottle on the small table between us and filled a second glass. “What about your day? Elijah told me the Davidson deal went through.”
“It did.” I accepted the glass and took a slow sip, letting the warmth burn down my throat. “Twelve million in fees, and the client’s happy.”
“So why did you look like someone stole your bike when you walked in?”
I laughed. “You remember that bike?”
“How could I forget? You cried for three days when it got stolen.” Xander took another drag from his cigar, studying me through the smoke. “Speaking of things getting stolen, how’s your situation with Mistique?”
My laugh ignited, turning into a deep guffaw that drew the attention of others nearby. “Who’s Mistique?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. The woman you’ve been seeing for months but won’t tell us about. I’m pretty sure it’s the same person who has you checking your phone every five minutes and turning down family dinners.”
I set my glass down harder than necessary. “I don’t turn down family dinners.”
He twisted his lips.
“One time,” I said. At the dip of his brows I reiterated. “Three, but it’s not like that.”
“Then what is it like? Because I’ve known you my whole life, and I’ve never seen you this twisted up over a woman. Not even when Dahlia started wearing those tight skirts to work.”
The mention of Dahlia made me grimace. “Dahlia’s my employee.”
“Dahlia’s gorgeous and wants to be more than your employee. Yet you act like she’s invisible.” Xander leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “So either you’vesuddenly developed a conscience about workplace relationships, or there’s someone else taking up space in your head.”
I picked up my cigar, taking my time lighting it. The ritual gave me a moment to think, to decide how much I wanted to tell him. Xander and I had always been close, but this thing with Naomi felt too complicated to put into words.
“You only smoke during victories,” he pointed out.
“Consider this my celebratory cigar for the Davidson deal.”
He nodded, accepting my excuse.
“There is someone,” I said. “But it’s complicated.”
“Complicated how? She married? Got kids? A criminal record?”
“None of those things.” I took a long pull from the cigar, watching the smoke drift up toward the string lights. “We have an arrangement.”
Xander’s eyebrows shot up. “An arrangement? What kind of arrangement?”
“We see each other regularly, no strings attached, no questions asked.”
“And you’re telling me this bothers you because...?”
“Because I’m starting to want the strings.”
Xander was quiet for a long moment, swirling the Brandy in his glass. “How long has this been going on?”
“A year.”
Laughter pushed through this mouth. “A full year? As in twelve months, and you’re just now realizing you want more?”
“It wasn’t supposed to be about wanting more. It was supposed to be simple.”
