Page 128 of Tobias

“If you can’t afford me, you shouldn’t have booked,” I add. “You know I’m not a cheap date.”

I finish off the Macallan and flag the waitress down for another.

This glass could be anywhere from twenty dollars to a hundred, depending on the year. And I couldn’t care less which it is. He’s made of money. Made it very clear it was all worth more than me.

“I don’t care about the money, Tobias.”

“Don’t care about much, do you?” I say with a grin, though it isn’t friendly. He just keeps watching me without saying a word. So I add, “You know what? No.” His frown deepens as I huff out an unhappy laugh. “I am not doing this with you. Not here. Not today. You can complain to my boss, if you feel so inclined.” I get up and leave the restaurant, not looking back.

Chapter Forty-Nine

Theodore

I close the front door, making sure it’s locked before moving down the hallway and turning into the living room so I can get to the kitchen. I stop short when I see Asher sitting on the couch with a guy I’ve never met before.

“Oh, sorry,” I mutter. “I’ll be out of the way in a minute.”

“No worries,” Asher says. “You can hang with us if you want.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

I get a bottle of water from the fridge and when I turn to leave, Asher is standing in the doorway.

“Didn’t go well?” he asks with a sad smile.

“Go back to your date.”

He barks out a laugh. “Victor is not a date, and he just left.”

Asher brings guys home sometimes. Morgan is cool with it. I still find it… unsettling. But it’s their life, their business. They can do whatever the hell they want. I’m the guest here.

“He’s a friend from work,” Asher adds.

“Uh-huh.”

“Don’t make things weird, Theo. I can have friends without fucking them.”

I groan, leaning against the counter. “This was such a bad idea.”

“Should I say I told you so now, or wait a little while?”

I give him the middle finger, right in his face. He shoves it away.

“I’m just saying, I told you not to do it. I knew it wouldn’t work.”

“Okay, fine. You were right!” I throw my arms up, dropping them at my sides. The water bottle crunches and I remember it’s in my hand, so I open it and take a mouthful.

“I spent two grand for nothing,” I complain. “That’s a lot of money.”

“Yeah, it is. Welcome to the real world.”

“This fucking sucks.”

“Sure does.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Well, you could call him like a normal person.”

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