Page 12 of First Comes Revenge

The rough outline so far is pretty simple. I dangle the fact that I’m working very up close and personal with the ex-girlfriend of Griffon Vanderlesh’s son in Landmark’s face. I publish her book. Me, Nolan, and the rest of Grey Wolfe publishing enjoy some much needed wild profit and success. It will be pure, petty revenge at its finest.

But something is missing. Maybe it’s all just a little too straight forward. A little too simple and blunt. After all, it is more of a front punch and not much of a backstab.

I take my third cup of coffee up to my room and sit thoughtfully by the window. I even strike a thinker’s pose–one fist beneath my chin and the other weilding the coffee. It’s not exactly helping. I’m mostly just thinking about Charli and wondering if she’s actually going to blow me off. Surely she wouldn’t, though. Even if she isn’t into me, she has to at least want the opportunity to work with Grey Wolfe.

As if on cue, there’s a knock at my door.

There she is.

I frown when I pull open the door and see my business partner, Nolan.

He walks past me, having to squeeze to get by in the narrow hallway. He frowns, taking in the room with one sweep of his eyes. “What’s with this room and the hotel?”

I scoot past him and sit on the bed. “Remember when you told me to book a room for this convention a few months ago?”

“I do. You said you already did it.”

“That was a lie. I waited until the last minute and this was the only hotel with availability. It’s working out just great, though. That author from earlier happens to be staying just down the hall.” I wiggle my eyebrows.

He shakes his head. “If you weren’t strangely good at what you do…”

“But I am. So you’re stuck with me.”

He sighs and pulls out a chair. He sits in it awkwardly because he can barely fit between the desk, the wall, and the chair. His knees are pressing into my bed. “I didn’t even know they made hotel rooms this small.”

“It’s cozy,” I say. I stretch out on the bed, which means my legs are hanging off the end. “You should try not buying executive suites once in a while. It would be good for your humility.”

He scoffs. “Myhumility? You’re one to talk.”

“I need not be unjudgeable to judge you. Pretty sure that’s in the Bible.”

Nolan squints. “And I’m pretty sure you’ve never read the Bible.”

“I read the Cliffs Notes once.” I shoot a finger gun at him.Got ‘em.

He shakes his head, then leans forward with his elbows on his knees. “Real talk, Jameson. What’s going on with the girl? Do you really have a plan? Does she actually have a book? Because I had to clean up your mess with everyone at the meeting after your stunt.”

“Just trust me and stop worrying. I’m going to handle everything and it’ll all end up amazing, just like it always does when I get involved.”

“I’m not worried. I’m aware that employees work better and more efficiently for bosses they respect and trust. I swear, half my fucking day is just following you around trying to undo the damage you do on that score.”

“This girl is special,” I say. “I think I like her.”

He’s scowling. “This is the part where you tell me what was so amazing about the book. Because if I find out you were just following your cock, I swear to God…”

“Initially, my cock was in the back seat catching up on sleep while my kind heart took the wheel. Sure, my cock might have woken up and fought for the wheel a few times once things got going, but my motivations in going after her were temporarily pure. I was just trying to be a decent human being.”

Nolan folds his arms. “Your definition of decent doesn’t line up with any dictionary I’ve read.”

“That’s exactly your problem. You really aren’t supposed to read dictionaries. They are reference material, and super outdated. Have you heard of the internet?”

As usual, Nolan looks torn between annoyance and amusement with me. That has kind of always been our dynamic since we were kids. We met in middle school because he had a thing for my sister, Cleo. I kicked his ass when I found out. Then he kicked my ass the next day because I supposedly “jumped him from a bush and only won because I surprised him.” He called me a “sucker-punch throwing pussy,” if I remember correctly. But I saw it for what it was. Give me a little time to plan, and I’ll win any fight. Even if I have to emerge from a bush to do it.

Whatever the case, we bonded after that. I made sure he never dated Cleo, of course, but we bonded. We found ourselves to be a pretty effective duo. I try not to take life too seriously, which helps push Nolan outside of his boring ass box. He treats life like it’s a test he doesn’t want to fail, which occasionally is good for balancing out my chaos, I guess.

“Initially, your cock passed,” Nolan says slowly, as if he’s just now realizing what I said. “Does that mean your cock has had a change of heart?”

“First of all, it makes me uncomfortable when you talk about my cock.Don’t stop, baby. Second, yes. But the important part is I had nothing but decency in mind when I decided to help her.”

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