Page 11 of Game Changer

“I love her,” he whines in the same nasally tone he used when he proclaimed he loved Mary four years ago. “We belong together. She just can’t see it right now.”

Anna’s hands fist at her side. “You’re wrong.”

“She’s right,” I add my voice to back her up. “Whether or not Anna wants anything to do with you is her decision. Not yours, so tell her you’re sorry and that you’ll never bother her again.”

“William!” Doug shrieks like someone just kicked his shin.

I’m not a violent man by any measure, but it’s tempting to knock some sense into him with a well-placed smack against the back of his head. “Apologize.”

My tone conveys the gravity of my message.

He turns to Anna. “I’m sorry, banana.”

“Jesus.” I sigh. “Enough with that. Her name is Anna. She fucking hates that nickname, so knock it off. Respect her enough to call her by her name.”

“Thank you.” Anna flashes me a smile. “I appreciate that.”

The next woman Doug meets will appreciate that, too, if he finally follows at least some of the advice I gave him.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles. “I won’t bother you again.”

“Good,” she snaps back. “Or I’ll get a restraining order. By the way, Dougie, you stink. You smell like the dumpster behind my office building.”

I swing my left arm behind my back because I have a reputation to protect. I’ll let Doug take the fall for this, even though I have no doubt the Dicey Dip is the culprit.

Doug takes it in stride, shrugging as he whispers something unintelligible in response.

Anna turns and walks away as the people gathered around us set off to go on with their days. I glance to the right to see Opal doing the same. She’s getting into a taxi stopped next to the curb.

“I’ll pay you a king’s ransom to help me get her back,” Doug whispers. “Name your price, Knight.”

No amount of money in the world will ever persuade me to help a man gain the attention or affection of a woman who wants absolutely nothing to do with him.

“Leave her alone,” I say sternly. “She wasn’t joking, Doug. She’ll get a restraining order against you. How the hell will you explain that to your mother?”

As with most men, Doug has a weakness. His is his mother who happens to control his finances. He’s been living high off her dime for his entire life. Considering he’s nearing forty-five, I don’t see him rocking that money boat anytime soon.

“My mom would never know if that happened,” he says, securing my assumption that Doug is no smarter now than he was the day we met.

“I’ll tell her.”

I mean it, and he can hear that in my voice because his eyes widen. “No shit?”

“No shit,” I repeat while staring into his beady eyes. “Forget about Anna, and for the sake of all the women in this city, take a break from love, Doug. Find a hobby.”

He rubs his forehead. “I’ll return the ring and buy a sailboat. Maybe I’ll cruise the great unknown for a few months.”

“Buy a lifejacket while you’re at it,” I tell him because safety is always first.

“Will do.” He nods. “Maybe a break from women is just what I need.”

Maybe it is, but I know for a fact the women of this city could use a break from him. “The fruit nickname thing is ridiculous. Don’t ever use that approach again.”

He laughs that off. “If the urge strikes.”

I step closer. “You won’t do it again. Understood?”

His gaze locks on mine. “Understood, William. I won’t do it again.”

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