Page 52 of Mr. Infuriating

“But… what about your lawyer sending her an intent to sue?”

“We kind of set that aside for the night.”

He looked at me incredulously. “You must be smoother than I give you credit for. I thought for sure she’d deck you if she found out.”

“You and me both.”

“So, you stayed the night? Thewholenight?Andwent to breakfast?”

“And I’m having dinner with her tonight after I deliver her cabinets.”

A knowing grin spread across his face.

“Ahh, I get it. You decided to hypnotize her with your dick, so she’d agree to install her cabinets.” He pointed to his temple as he went around the other side of the bar. “Smart.”

“It’s not like that.”

Derrick pulled a frosty mug from a metal cabinet and placed it under the tap of my favorite beer.

“You sure about that? Because just last night you told me you were going to sue her since she refused to take delivery.” He set the beer down in front of me, then continued, “And now after dicking her down, she suddenly agreed to have her cabinets delivered.”

“Fuck off,” I grumbled before taking a swig. “That’s not why I slept with her.”

He threw up his hands in front of his chest.

“No judgment, man. It sounds like a win-win. But be careful if you’re going back for Round Two. You might give her the wrong idea. And whatever you do, donotspend the night again.”

That’s exactly what I was planning on doing. It had been nice waking up next to her. I hadn’t had that in a really long time.

“Yeah, we’ll see.”

“Trust me on this, Gabe. I know what I’m talking about.” He paused and cocked his head as he studied me. “Unless you don’t really wantan understanding.”

He used finger quotes when he said, “an understanding.”

“It’s complicated. She’s a client, and I slept with her. I can’t just not call her or see her again. That doesn’t scream “good business,” ya know?” I took another drink before setting my mug down aggressively, causing some of the contents to spill onto the wooden surface. “Maverick would lose his shit if he found out.”

“No, he wouldn’t. He knows I sleep with customers all the time, and he never says a word.”

“It’s not the same, and you know it. A forty thousand cabinet installation is a lot different than losing a bar customer, who probably doesn’t even pay for her drinks anyway, just because you ghosted her.”

My little brother lifted my glass and wiped the bar before putting it back down.

“Well, for what it’s worth. I thought Gretchen was your soulmate the first time I met her. And seeing you two togetherlast night only solidified it. The fact you went home with her tells me you felt something, too.”

“Yeah, horny.”

“You sure that’s all it was?”

No, I’m not sure.

“I like her, but neither of us are interested in anything more than a good time.”

He shrugged. “If you say so.”

“I do. Hell, her divorce was just finalized what, a month ago?”

“Yeah, but they separated way before that. The divorce being finalized was just a formality to the marriage ending.”

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