Page 41 of Playing a Player (Sweet Cravings 1)

I laughed too because I didn't know what else to do. I hoped he'd explain, but he didn't. "So, what do you mean by that?"

"You need to act like all you want is friendship. But at the same time you need to dress sexy and do sexy things."

"So like, hang out with his friends but dress like a whore?"

He laughed again. "Why don't you ask them all out to do something? And find some guy to flirt with all night instead. That kind of thing."

"Okay. I have an idea. There's this really cool music festival going on this weekend. Maybe I should casually talk about how I want to go all week leading up to this weekend when it starts. And then at the end of the week, let it drop that I've officially decided to go. Real casual like. And it won't seem weird because I've mentioned that I wanted to go all week long. And then ask Rory and his friends if they'd like to come cause I don't want to go alone. Or maybe say I'm going with some of my friends and ask if they'd like to go with us. A big group of friends thing? That definitely sounds better. And then talk to my friends the whole time about hot guys that we see at the festival. Maybe even talk to a few of them? All the while we'll be completely ignoring Rory and his friends. Maybe ditch them as soon as we get to the festival!"

"What?" Jim started laughing really loudly. "No. What the heck?" He continued to laugh. "That was completely ridiculous. You're overthinking it. And adding more women to the equation doesn't exactly help your situation."

Geez, I'm a situation. "So something simpler?" I bit my lip. "Oh, what about a bar?"

"Yeah. Much better. And be cool about it, Keira. Don't do that thing you always do."

"What thing?"

"That thing where you don't stop talking. And you keep saying weirder and weirder stuff until someone stops you. Like what you literally just did a second ago with that awful plan."

Right. That thing. Why did everyone always bring that up to me all the time? Was I really that awkward? I rolled my eyes at myself. Of course I am. "I don't do that."

"I'm not even going to try to argue with you about it...because it'll make you do it again."

I laughed. "Fine, maybe I talk too much sometimes."

He laughed. "Only sometimes."

"Thanks for your help, Jim."

"Should I tell Emily you called?"

"Don't bother. Have a good night!"

"You too, Keira."

I hung up the phone. That was what had been bothering me all afternoon. I was just acting super cool. And wearing sweatpants. I needed to step it up. I quickly stripped and wrapped a towel around myself. It was a little shorter than I had expected, but the more skin I showed, the better. Before I could chicken out, I went out of my room and knocked on Rory's door.

"Hey, Keira," he said and put his hand on the doorframe.

How did he always look so sexy? It took me a second to remember what I wanted to say. "Do you have my stuff from the other night?"

"Your stuff?" He raised his left eyebrow.

"My bra and thong."

"I'm sure I do somewhere."

I followed him into his room and sat down on his bed. The sheets smelled like him. I took a deep breath of the alluring smell.

"Are these yours?" he asked and held up a pair of panties I had never seen in my life.

Asshole. "Nope, try again."

"I'm just messing with you." He grabbed something off the counter. "I was gonna give them back to you, I just wanted to do it when you weren't around." He handed me my underwear.

"Why?"

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