Page 9 of The Bet

“You can’t do that.”

“You wanna bet?” I fold my arms over my chest as my eyes rake over him.Hold the phone. Rich would be perfect.“You do it,” I blurt out.

Good Lord, what am I doing? This idea has ‘shitstorm’ written all over it.

However, Rich is my friend and the only guy I’ve ever considered having sex with. If I’m going to lose my cherry, Rich is the best choice.

“Do what?” His Adam’s Apple moves when he swallows.

“You make a bet with Kameron. I’ll have sex with you, and you shove it in both their faces.”

“How in the hell did you come up with this plan?”

“Jim said I owed him five hundred bucks, and that pisses me off. And you’re my friend.”

Rich snatches the phone out of my hand and reads the text messages. “That’s bullshit.”

“Text Kameron and tell him you’ll take the bet.”

“I can’t.”

“Fine.” I wave my hands dismissively and head toward the kitchen. “Lock the door on your way out. I’ve got to find someone else to take the wager.”

A couple of minutes later, Rich stomps into the kitchen and slams his phone on the counter. “I did it, but it’s fucking stupid.”

“Thank you.”Holy shit.Am I going to convince Rich Anderson to take my virginity? Will he go through with it?

Don’t be stupid. All he has to do is pretend he had sex with you.“Listen, we don’t even have to have sex. It’s not like they’ll ever know the truth.”

“This is going to be a mess. People will talk.” Rich’s shoulders are tight as he stands in front of me. “You can’t tell Jenna.”

“Okay.” My mouth dries. Jenna would flip out. There’s no way I’ll breathe a word of this to her – ever. I don’t want my best friend to know I pretend-sold my virginity to her brother for a five hundred dollar bet because I was pissed. Talk about humiliating.

Rich’s phone dings, and we both glance at it like it’s a bomb waiting to detonate. He swipes the screen open without picking it up. “Kameron accepts and says our first date has to be tomorrow night at eight o’clock. He wants to watch.”

“He’s not watching us have sex.”What a pervert.My chest constricts. “Oh. My.God. How was Jim supposed to prove he had sex with me?”

Rich’s face pales as his eyes remain glued to the screen. “Video.”

My stomach heaves. “Jim was going to tape us having sex without my knowledge. That’s disgusting.” Bile rises to my throat. It’s bitter and burns at the lining of my esophagus.

Chapter Seven

Rich

Thirty minutes later, I grasp the edge of the island as the room spins. The skin above my knuckles turns white at the pressure.What in the hell am I doing? Jenna will castrate me if she ever finds out I took advantage of her friend.At the same time, I can’t stand by and watch Chloe find some random stranger to have sex with.

The desire to walk out of here and find Jim is making my skin crawl like maggots are eating me alive. Thank God she never had sex with him. The thought of a video of the two of them together floating around is more than I can bear.

But it didn’t happen, and somehow, we’ll make it through this shitshow without violating her privacy. I don’t know how, but I’ll figure something out. If she were thinking rationally, this wouldn’t even be a thing, but she’s not.

“Remember, I told you this was a bad idea.” I’ll have sex with Chloe because Iwon’t let anyone hurt her, but in the end, I’ll be the one who’s screwed.

Once the deed is done, I’ll walk away with the money, which I don’t give two shits about, but I’ll lose a friend – a woman, who under different circumstances, I’d love to be intimate with.

“I know what I’m doing.” Her shoulders relax, and she grins. “You’re a great friend, Rich. I’m glad it’s going to be you.”

Shit.My cock rises to attention. Apparently, my body is not getting the message that this little episode has clusterfuck written all over it. “What time do you want to meet?”

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