Page 20 of Pride & Precedents

"Idosee you. I saw you from the beginning; I was just too scared to act on it. I didn't think I was good enough for you."

An unladylike snort escapes my lips, and Rory cuts her eyes at me in warning.Shit.

"You're here now.We'rehere now. That's all that matters."

The two actors embrace in a passionate kiss. In post-production, I'm sure there will be a big swell of violins and piano, marking the beginning of their epic love story.

"And cut! Let's take fifteen, people!" the director yells. He looks, at most, twenty-five.What does he know about love?

Before I can further pick apart this train wreck of a movie, Rory yanks me out of my chair and far enough down the street that we're out of earshot of anyone in the production.

"Big sis, I love you, but what the fuck is going on? You've been sucking your teeth and rolling your eyes ever since you got here."

She looks pissed, and rightfully so. I may not care if Henry fires me,—he probably already has; I haven't checked my phone since I left—but that's no reason to mess with my kid sister's money.

"Sorry, Rory. I'll chill."

She looks at me with concern and pulls me to sit next to her on the railing of a nearby apartment building.

"That's not what I asked. What's going on with you? Did something happen?"

I sigh, resigned that I have to reveal my embarrassment. That I have toreliveit while it's still tender and red.

"Friday, after everyone left, when it was just Henry and I?" She nods, urging me to continue. "Well, we kinda…made out."

"Made out! Holy shit! I had a feeling you had the hots for him, even though you tried to act like you hated him."

"I never tried to act like I hated him," I interrupt, hating the defensiveness in my voice. "Heisa strict boss. He's got all these rules, and he makes me work late almost every night, and—"

"And youlikehim. Don't deny it. Was the kiss hot? Was it a Hallmark kiss or an HBO Max kiss?"

I giggle at my sister. She's always gotta have the juicy details.

"Definitely an HBO Max kiss. Maybe even Pay Per View. God, the man really knows his way around a mouth."

Rory smiles wickedly.

"And? Did you ask him to come back to your place to do the horizontal tango? Does he know his way around a pussy, too?"

I playfully elbow her in the ribs and she grips the railing to keep from falling.

"No! Nothing like that. We just kissed. He had his driver take me home and crashed with his family in Brooklyn. But today, after a whole weekend of thinking about it and hoping it will go somewhere, he calls me into his office and says it was a mistake. Says it can't happen again. It breaks one of his precious rules."

I keep the tear in my eye with sheer force of will and Rory leans her head on my shoulder.

"Oh, sis. I'm sorry. That sucks."

"Yeah. I didn't actually get the afternoon off; I just left. I couldn't stay there feeling like a fool."

"I get it. I would've left too, right after I kneed him in the balls"

I sniffle and give her a small smile.

"I know. I was channelling you."

She raises an eyebrow.

"You kneed him in the balls?"

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