Page 31 of Roommate Wars
Sophia pressed her fingers to her forehead and closed her eyes. “Elise, this is a terrible plan.”
“Blame Jackson. It wasn’t my idea.”
Max’s eyebrow quirked. “Jackson?”
I grinned mischievously. “He hates his new nickname.”
“Thus you continue calling him it,” Max surmised.
“You’re so smart, Max. I see why Soph keeps you around. The expensive chocolate you ply her with doesn’t hurt either.”
Sophia huffed out a breath of exasperation. “I don’t keep him around for the chocolate,” she said. “He’s also very pretty to look at.”
Max chuckled, and Sophia flashed him a sweet smile.
“Don’t make me hurl,” I told them. “I have enough on my plate without your love talk.”
“Back to the issue at hand,” Sophia said. “Is it a good idea to pretend to date Jack?”
“Nope,” I admitted, “but we’re in it now.”
Max studied me thoughtfully. “It’s like watching two trains about to collide. I can’t look away. I need to know how this will end.” He glanced down at his significantly shorter girlfriend. “We should swing by the apartment more often. I predict fireworks.”
“Fireworks?” Sophia said. “This is a shitshow.” She turned to me. “Elise, reconsider. Jack is Max’s best friend, and I need you two on good terms.”
I took a sip of the wine Jack had brought me. “We just need to hang in there long enough for Thalia to get the message she has no chance with Jack.”
All three of us looked to where Jack stood with Thalia, talking to a group of finely dressed men and their dates. She was still resting her hand on his back while they spoke to the group.
I cringed.
“Yeah,” Sophia said. “She looks real deterred.”
Max frowned. “I’ll talk to Jack. That can’t be good, having to fend off an employee.” He shook his head. “He has the worst luck with women.”
ChapterFourteen
Jack
So far,the night had been a success. Environ received one verbal commitment from an investor, and two meetings were scheduled with potential investors who’d gone from cold to warm in interest. Not a done deal, but promising. On top of that, my date was smoking hot, though feisty, and I was enjoying myself, which I rarely did at these events.
Ball attendees had made their way to dining tables positioned off to the side, and we were in the process of tackling the last part of a four-course meal, guests talking animatedly around us.
Elise stared greedily at the limoncello and raspberry mini cake on the plate in front of her. “If this is the type of food I can expect from these things, feel free to bring me to all the parties, Jackson.”
I smirked. That was a promise I would hold her to. With Max and Sophia here tonight, along with Elise, it felt more like a fancy get-together than an investor ass-kissing.
“I won’t even mind it when Thalia insults me if the food is this good.”
I swiveled my head to her. “What did you say?”
Her fork was raised to her mouth, a bite of cake on the end. “Huh?”
“About Thalia?”
She bit the side of her lip and set her fork down. “Nothing. She just, ah…isn’t a fan of mine.”
The fuck?“Why do you think that?”
