Page 15 of Fiancé for Hire

“Saved by the bell,” he said and hustled out of the kitchen.

Right now, he had no intentions of telling the guys about how Aunt Vi had roped him into going out with one of her clients. They would never let him hear the end of it.

Besides, he told them that he was taking a break from women after that fiasco with Kendall. Her antics were enough to make him want to give up on serious relationships forever.

I sound like Antika.

She hadn’t given him a lot of details about her reasons for giving up on men, but hopefully he’d get a chance to show her that all guys weren’t jerks. He just had to make sure he didn’t fall for her cute ass.

Hours later, Drevon started taking snacks and drinks to the living room where his big-screen television hung over the fireplace. The third boxing match had started, but he and the guys were more interested in the following one—the main event.

“Damn, man. This is a lot of junk food. Do you have more people coming?” Montez asked, carrying the rest of the snacks that Drevon had left in the kitchen, including a fruit platter and trail mix.

“Nope. Just us.”

Like Jet, Montez had arrived casually dressed. He casually mentioned that he had stopped for a drink with a woman before coming.Figures. His cousin was all about having a good time with the opposite sex, which was why he was meticulous about his appearance. He never missed his weekly barber shop appointment, keeping his hair cut short, and his mustache and goatee perfectly groomed.

Though it had been years, there were days Drevon still couldn’t get over his cousin’s physical transformation. While they were growing up, he used to be a skinny, geeky kid with low self-esteem who couldn’t get a date even if he was the last guy on the planet.

Now he was built like a man who spent hours in the gym every day. He oozed confidence and a bit of arrogance, which made women flock to him.

Montez dropped down on the sofa. “There’s enough here to feed a football team.”

Drevon laughed. “I told y’all not to bring anything. Yet, you both showed up with snacks and drinks.”

“We didn’t know if you were going to have all of that healthy shit you always eat,” Jet said as he munched on sunflower seeds. His friend was addicted to them. “Please tell me you’re planning to indulge a little tonight.”

“Why do you think I bought all of this crap?” Drevon said and dropped into his leather recliner. “Since I’m taking some time off from work, I’m planning to eat anything and everything I want.”

“Ha! Tell it to someone who doesn’t know you. You’ll eat crazy tonight, but tomorrow, you’ll be back to eating healthy and hitting the gym,” Jet insisted, and he wasn’t wrong.

“Oh, shit! I almost forgot. Guess what I heard today,” Montez said excitedly, and sat forward. “Mom roped Dre into being an escort for one of her clients.”

Drevon groaned.Damn.I should’ve sent their asses home after dinner.

ChapterEight

Jet’s beer bottle stopped inches from his mouth as he eyed Drevon. “How the hell did Ms. Vi rope you into dating one of her clients? Wait. I thought there was a rule: no dating clients.”

“You and I aren’t supposed to,” Montez explained, pouring some tortilla chips into a small bowl. “But technically, that doesn’t include Dre because he doesn’t work for the company. Still, he’s family, and I’m pretty sure when the rule was created, he was included in it.”

Drevon sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time during this conversation. “I’m not dating anyone. I only agreed to escort her to a few events.” He needed to have a talk with his aunt. He thought their arrangement was confidential.

“And guess what else?” Montez said, seeming to be enjoying this news a little too much. Drevon wanted to slap some duct tape over his mouth to shut him up.

Jet started grinning without even knowing what was coming next. “What? No, wait. First, how does she look?”

Drevon rolled his eyes while Montez continued. “I peeked at her profile photo and she’s nice-looking. She kinda reminds me of Queen Latifah, but get this…the woman used to play for the Atlanta Dream.”

“Get the hell out of here! She played in the WNBA? Seriously?” With wide eyes, Jet glanced at Drevon as if wanting confirmation, and Drevon nodded. “Day-umm!Why didn’t Ms. Vi pick me? Dre works so damn much he barely plays b-ball these days.”

“Dude, I told you we can play this week,” Drevon defended, but Jet was right—it had been a while since they shot hoops.

“They probably have nothing in common. What a waste,” Jet continued, looking disgusted. “I need to talk with Ms. Vi. Dre can’t appreciate a woman who can hoop!”

“Man,shut up,” Drevon snapped, knowing he was wasting his breath.

“We need to get her out on the court to see if she got any game,” Jet kept talking as if Drevon hadn’t said anything.

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