Page 34 of Wicked Tricks

It seemed he was always laughing at me, and I hated it.

“Really?” he asked.

Stupid question, I should’ve known better than trying to trick him like any other idiot. This guy had all the resources and manpower in the city.

“Did you like the flowers?” he asked.

“Actually,” I started.

Bea saw the rage build in me and she waved her hands to get my attention, and grabbed my wrist to stop me from exploding. I put the phone to my chest, muffling the microphone so he wouldn’t hear.

“Just say you loved them!” she whispered.

“What?” I snapped.

“Play along,” she said.

Reaching out, she pulled my phone from my chest and she hit the speakerphone button so they could all hear the conversation.

“They’re beautiful, thank you,” I said in the sweetest voice I could muster.

Bea nodded and gave me a thumbs up, and I pretended to vomit.

“I’m glad you liked them,” his voice was gruff and deep, still heavy from sleep, “I realised last night that I never got your number. I wanted to ask you out again.”

The girls silently celebrated - Bea made kissy faces and Livie humped the door.

I waved my hands, begging for them to stop.

“What did you have in mind?”

He chuckled again, “I’ll just pick you up at eight.”

“Uh-OK,” I said.

“See you then,” I could hear his smirk through the phone.

I ended the call and sighed.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it!?” Bea said.

I rolled my eyes.

It wasn’t that it was difficult, it was that I hated doing it.

“Rome’s getting laid,” Livie whispered in a sing-song voice.

“Get out,” I said, throwing the heavy book from my bedside table at her head. She dodged it swiftly and clapped her hands together.

“Rome’s getting laaaiiiiddd,” she sang repeatedly, as she skipped down the hall.

I shook my head and rubbed my temples.

Bea and Sierra joined in, and Gwen stood by the doorway chuckling and shaking her head. I sat back on my bed, and could still hear them chanting from the living room as I checked the time.

Fuck.

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