Page 43 of Counting On You

I let the asshole comment slide, because to be honest, I don’t care what Cash thinks of me.

“If you weren’t a club owner, you’d probably make a good pimp, you know?”

“That wouldn’t be my career choice.”

“What would be?” I ask, interested, and take another gulp of my drink.

“Making great movies and asking you to be the lead actor.” The dirty connotation is unmistakable. I shouldn’t have mentioned the missing porn channel.

I grimace. “I love sex, but I wouldn’t want to make money off of it. Give it a few more days here though, and I might be telling you a different story.”

“Two more days and you’ll have your fun.”

“Thanks. I owe you big time.”

“Yeah, you do. I’m most certainly not doing this for free. I mean, let’s face it, the 365 days are up. But I’ll help under one condition.”

“Which is?”

“I want you to fuck your roommate.”

My heart speeds up as Vicky’s image flashes before my eyes. “What if I don’t want to do that?”

There’s a short pause, but the silence is ominous, heavy with the promise of bad news.

“Then you’ll lose the bet.” I open my mouth to protest, but Cash continues, “As you might recall, when we made that bet, we also agreed that I’d get the chance to point to anyone and you’d have to fuck her. Well, I haven’t used that card yet. So, here’s my condition: I want her to be the last on the list. It goes without saying that any women you might have in between don’t count. Including the dancer I’ll arrange for you to meet.”

“I don’t know,” I say, hesitating. This could work. Besides, I’m not one to say ‘no’ to a challenge.

“It shouldn’t be too difficult,” Cash says. “Most women dig bad boys. However, my gut feeling tells me that’s not what she needs. Patience is not your best virtue, so, me being your best friend and all, I suggest you play the friends card. Do we have a deal?”

I let the thought sink in for a moment.

Cash might be spot on about her.

I close my eyes and take a breath. “I can take all the time I need?” I ask warily.

“Of course.”

This can’t be too hard.

A woman like her is in desperate need of romance and love, and I know exactly how to lavish attention on her. Besides, I can plan this carefully, make her want me with everything she’s got, and then strike on the last day, right before I leave this place.

I nod. “Deal, it is. If she needs nice, I can be nice.”

“And, Kade? I want proof.”

I let out a snort. “As if I’d ever cheat my way into winning a bet.”

“You never know. Remember the time we played cards and you kept on winning? I’ll just say, trust is earned.”

“That’s old news. I was twenty and in desperate need of quick money, seeing that I was going through a losing streak.”

“Who’s to say you’re honest now?” There is another pause. “You can come up with any kind of proof you want, as long as it’s believable.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll come up with something,” I say and end our conversation.

One hour later, I’m in my room, devising my plan.

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