Page 58 of The Little Black Book

“Yes.”

“So, when you took her home Saturday night…”

“Nothing happened. Well, not until the next day. She was drunk, and I’m not a douchebag.”

“Of course, you’re not,” he says, shooting me an apologetic smile.

“I really like her, Jared.”

“I can see that,” he says, nodding. “They say the best romantic relationships are the ones that start as friendship.”

“Ha! You and Sophie hated each other in the beginning.”

“There are exceptions to every rule,” he says, grinning.

“Cheers to that,” I say, lifting my soda.

He picks his own drink up and taps the cup against mine before we both take a long sip. My smile falls, and I take a deep breath before heaving it out.

“I don’t really know how she feels, but if I had to guess, I’d say she considers us friends-with-benefits.”

“But you took her on a date last night, right?” he counters.

“I did, and I tried to make it very clear it was adate.”

“You should just talk to her, Sam. Tell her how you feel. You shouldn’t waste time. You can never get it back.”

His expression turns a bit wistful, and I know he’s thinking about his rough start with Sophie. Even though they seemed to hate each other––he was ultimately responsible for her losing her job, then his old assistant Scotty hired Sophie to replace him without knowing they knew and hated each other––the attraction between them was obvious to everyone around them. Hell, he was jealous ofmebecause Sophie and I became friends before they both took their heads out of their asses and acted on their feelings.

“You’re right,” I say slowly, meeting his gaze. “I’ll talk to her tonight and tell her how I feel.”

He opens his mouth to respond, but a knock on his door cuts off the words. His new assistant––the one that replaced Sophie after she quit and began working with that romance author––walks in at his command to enter and tells him he has a meeting in ten minutes.

Gathering up my trash and dumping it into the bin, I give Jared a nod and thank him for the advice before leaving him to it. I think about Zoey on my way down to the casino floor. I don’t know how she feels and where the conversation I want to have will take us, but I know Jared is right. I shouldn’t waste any time. I should spill my guts and ask her to be my girlfriend.

I’m barely out of the elevator when someone bumps into me. I grab for her shoulders to keep her from falling when she snatches back, and I realize it’s Tabitha, one of the cocktail waitresses who work in my section.

“Woah, hey. Are you okay?” I ask when I see the tears streaming down her face.

“Sorry, Sam,” she says tearfully, swiping at her face with rough hands.

“Come with me,” I say, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into a side hall for more privacy.

“I’m sorry,” she repeats, a fresh wave of tears pouring from her eyes.

“Don’t apologize,” I say gently, releasing her and dipping my head to meet her downcast eyes. “Tell me what happened.”

“One of the,” she says, pausing to take a few choppy breaths, “guests…” Another round of breaths. ”He…touched…me.”

“What?” I bark. “Touched you, how?”

She shakes her head violently, and I know this is bad. It wasn’t a simple pat on the arm.

“I swore…never again…”

She breaks down completely, and I realize that whatever happened has triggered something from her past. Something awful. A white-hot rage sears through me, and I speak through clenched teeth.

“Show me who it was.”

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