Page 5 of Game Changer

Rose huffs out a laugh. “I wish. This is not his scene.”

I need to cast out another lure if I’m going to catch this guy’s name. “What’s his scene?”

“Asger loves antique shopping and mini-golf.”

Slam fucking dunk.

My job just became a hell of a lot easier since the man who hired me to help him win the attention of Rose Petal is Asger Hassing.

After meeting at a bowling tournament, they discovered they work for the same corporation headquartered in Queens.

Technically, Asger owns the business, and Rose runs account receivables, but by this time next year, there should be a ring on the finger of the lovely Miss Petal and a permanent smile on her husband-to-be’s face.

“You’re so much like him,” Rose blurts out.

I want to ask how she came to that conclusion since we’re far from twins. Asger’s got a full decade on me, and he’s sporting an impressive baldhead and beard look. Just last night at dinner, he complained that he had gained fifteen pounds around his midsection since he celebrated his forty-second birthday eight months ago.

I pat my rock-hard abs before running my hand through my thick brown hair. “Asger’s a lucky guy.”

“He doesn’t know I like him.” Her cheeks blush pink. “I get tongue-tied whenever I’m around him.”

“My money is on the fact that Asger feels the same way about you.”

Rose doubles over in laughter. “Yeah, right. That would be my dream come true.”

Tomorrow, I’ll make this woman’s dream come true when I tell Asger to make a move. Tonight, I’ll enjoy a glass of bourbon before I head home.

3

William

“Percy Haines.”The man dressed in a custom three-piece brown suit with wingtip shoes to match extends a hand to me.

I take it in mine for the obligatory shake. “Good to meet you, Percy. Have a seat.”

He glances around the bustling coffee shop on Fifth Avenue in the heart of Manhattan. His gaze is searching for something… or perhaps, someone.

Percy heads a hedge fund. He considers himself a rock star in New York City finance. He’s likely the only person alive who holds that view because one of the women I work with looked into his background. He is successful, but his reputation could use a tweak or two, or ten if I’m being blatantly honest, and I will be with him.

“You’ll find that coffee is just as you like it.” I point at the ceramic mug sitting on the table directly in front of the chair he just dropped his ass onto.

Skepticism knits his brow before he takes a tentative sip. A satisfactory smile glides over his lips. “This will do.”

Pompous bastard.

Men like Percy have kept me in business for almost ten years. Even before I finished my studies in sociology at Harvard, I was helping out friends who needed dating advice.

That ballooned into such a lucrative side hustle that I dropped my plan to pursue a master’s degree. Within a year of moving back to New York City to become a full-time ‘Personal Advisor’ to a handful of wealthy men in this city, I had cleared all of my student debt and bought a two-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn.

I still own that property along with three others that dot the northeastern part of this country, but my prize jewel is the sprawling penthouse in Tribeca. It was my brass ring when I started this endeavor. Reaching that milestone two years ago was fucking amazing. Even though the penthouse is currently undergoing a massive renovation, I still sleep there every night because what better place to dream than in a home that is your dream come true?

“Opal Waverly needs to be mine within the next thirty days,” Percy blurts out. “I’ll double your fee if you get it done within two weeks.”

“Slow the caveman roll, Percy.” I look him dead in the eye. “By get it done, you’re referring to my guidance in helping you put your best foot forward so Miss Waverly sees the merit in spending time with you?”

“I thought I made it clear on the phone.” Percy fidgets with one of his silver cufflinks. “I saw her at a restaurant and fell head over heels. I paid a pretty penny to get her name from the maître d’.”

He did make that abundantly clear during our initial phone consultation. He actually repeated it twice.

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