Page 68 of Overtime
“You two women will be heading it up?”
“Yes.”
He chortles to himself, and I’m tempted to chortle his ass into the stratosphere.
“Again I think it's lovely you ladies have done what you’ve done. Even that little photo book you’ve got going. I know my wife didn’t approve. Thought it was rather scandalous when you heard didn’t you, Gladys?” He looks to her with red-faced amusement and she only offers a silent sneer in return. “But I thought it was clever. Get your money where you can from those people who want to get their jollies from your guys. Thinking outside the box. I like it. But I think you need a stronger hand steering the ship. Don’t you boys want to be involved?” He looks between Colt and Alex, and my blood starts to boil.
“Oh no, I’m planning to be hands-off. Harper is a thousand times smarter than I am, and these two pretty much single-handedly saved the history museum with their brains and willpower alone. I’m smart enough to know the best thing I can do for them is what I’m told,” Alex answers.
Mustache Man frowns and turns to Colt for what I’m sure he thinks is going to be a better answer, and I’m also interested in hearing it.
“I agree with Xander. These two are the brains of the operation. I’ve agreed in theory to serve on the board if they’ll have me, but other than my celebrity I doubt there’s much of substance I can contribute that they don’t already have in spades.”
This man was getting any kind of sex he wanted when we got home.
Mustache Man starts with a wheezing sigh of disapproval and a shake of his head. “I’m not sure how I feel about investing then. While I am impressed with what you’ve done, I’d much rather see someone at the helm I can be confident in. Have you thought about bringing someone else on? I can give you several recommendations from my club who might be a good fit. Guys with lots of experience.” The question isn’t even aimed at me and Harper but at Colt. Like we don’t exist.
I send him a murderous smile across the table. I hope it looks less fake than it feels—so that when I rip his balls out through his throat, he has no idea it’s coming, and he chokes on them. I start to open my mouth to respond when Colt knocks over his water glass and it spills directly into my lap. I gasp as the freezing ice water seeps through the fabric onto my thighs and push my chair back abruptly.
“Oh god. I’m so sorry.” Colt dabs me with a napkin. “Damn. Here let me help you. Let’s go back to the bathrooms. See if we can find a dryer or some more napkins.” He stands and holds out his hand for mine and when I raise my eyes to meet his, I realize this is all a ruse. I grit my teeth but follow his lead.
The restaurant’s fancy enough to have one of those lounge areas just inside the restrooms and Colt pulls me into it, locking the door behind us as he reaches for towels out of the basket near the sink and blots my dress again.
“I’m sorry,” he apologizes again—a sincere one this time. “He’s an asshole, Joss, I know. But he’s a powerful asshole in this city. He knows a lot of people. Even if you don’t want his money, you don’t want to piss him off.”
“Someone should put him in his fucking place.”
“Agreed. But you ripping him a new one over dinner is only going to convince him his opinions are correct. He won’t see reason that way.”
“How will he see reason?”
“When you and Harper make this the foundation everyone wants to be involved in. He’ll come running back to see his name on the donor wall because everyone who’s anyone will want to be on it. When he has to apologize to you for not believing in your vision.”
“That’s a lovely thought, and currently very speculative fiction. There’s not a great road to get there from failure city, population me.”
“Alex and I need to leverage our celebrity more for you. Get the word out. Because you were right the first time, Joss. You don’t need whales. You need a million little minnows who love you and your cause and will donate every month because they want to feel involved.”
“Oh. Can you say that again?”
“What? About the minnows or the celebrity?”
“No the other thing. About me being right.” I hold the towels tight to my dress as I grin at him, trying to squeeze the last of the water out.
“You were right, Joss,” he repeats it with the flourish of an eye roll.
“Fuck that turns me on.” I step forward and grab his tie, pulling him closer until our lips almost meet. “Do you know how hot you are?”
“You’ve mentioned it once or twice.” He gives me that boyish grin, and I kiss him.
“All right. Let’s hurry up and deal with these assholes, so you can take me home, rail me, and make me forget this whole night.”
He laughs and wraps his hand around mine as we head back to the table, and I’m grateful that I have this guy who keeps me off kilter and balances me all at the same time.
THIRTY-SIX
Colt
The guysand I are all sitting in one of the side rooms at the restaurant they’ve put together, so we can all eat together the night before this away game without being a giant distraction to the whole space. Tobias is sitting across from me, grinning with amusement as he eats his steak, and I raise an eyebrow at him.
