Page 23 of Roommate Wars
I should have taken offense at that comment, but I couldn’t because it was true. “Don’t know. Somehow, I manage.” I looked over, a thought coming to mind. I hadn’t liked Elise going on a date, but maybe it was because I inherently didn’t trust men after attending private schools with entitled assholes who treated women like garbage. Maybe if I could find a good guy for Elise, I wouldn’t mind her dating someone else. “Why don’t you join us?” I said. “I can screen people for you and rule out needy men.”
She laughed. “That is tempting,” she said, scooping up saag paneer with naan. “Can you really tell just by looking?”
“It’s more a vibe,” I said, following her move with the bread. “I’m good at reading people. Probably why I don’t like hanging out with them. Too many are dicks.”
“Don’t you have to chat up rich strangers while hanging out with Max and his high-society acquaintances?”
“Yep.”
She shook her head. “You’re a conundrum, Jackson.”
“Thank you.”
This back-and-forth felt natural, unfortunately. Good thing I planned to help Elise find a good guy and rule myself out of the equation.
“Okay, well”—she shrugged lightly—“I don’t have anything going on tonight. I’ll come for a drink or two.”
* * *
Fuck me.
This night wasn’t going as planned. Men inside this cesspool of a bar where we met up were all over Elise, while she smiled and flirted. To add to my suffering, Thalia was too handsy after getting a drink or two in her.
“Jackson!” Elise called drunkenly, though not too drunk, I noted. Just enough to be beautiful and draw attention. “Meet Brendon,” she said and waggled her eyebrows in a suggestive way behind the guy’s back.
I already hated him.
But I shook his hand and introduced myself. We chatted for a few minutes, and when he turned to order another drink, I sent Elise a thumbs-down.
She pouted, ditched the guy a short time later, and returned to the table. “Darn, I thought he might be a keeper,” she said, sliding into the seat next to me. “Did you see his shoulders?” She made a gesture that mimicked large muscles.
“Didn’t notice.” I took a sip of my rum and Coke.
Seven of my employees sat around the table, plus Thalia, who’d gone so far as to grab my knee tonight beneath the table when no one was looking. Between Thalia’s wandering hands and Elise reeling in men like a fishing pole, I wasn’t pleased.
“Jackson, you’re too picky,” Elise said. “What was wrong with him?”
“Your friend Brendon has a wandering eye.”
She glanced at the man, who was currently chatting up another woman. “Shit. He seemed attentive, and he has nice forearms.”
I glared. “You said he had nice shoulders.”
She blinked innocently. “He has both. Forearms and shoulders are important.”
“Sure, as long as you don’t mind sharing the forearms and shoulders with other women.”
She frowned. “I’m not interested in anyone long term, but yeah, I prefer monogamy.”
I was trying to help Elise find someone, so why did it bother me to hear her appreciating another man?
Because I’d had her arms aroundme…
And had kissed and licked her body…
And made her come. That was why.
I was being possessive when I’d never been before.
