She fidgets in her seat, her eyes moving to the plate. I never realized how shy she is until recently. It’s like she’s afraid to talk to people she doesn’t know.
“I… don’t know.”
“We’re partying like kings tomorrow and the next night, then Pretty Boy is giving us a ride home in his shiny plane.”
I groan at the mention of that hideous nickname. Fucking Pretty Boy.
Tria grins lightly, but hides it behind her hand. Corbin’s phone chirps, and he checks it while Maverick lays out all the casinos around.
“Change of plans,” Corbin announces. “Rain wants us to meet her and Dane at noon for some random show they scored us tickets to see.”
Almost instantly, everyone else’s phones chirp, including Tria’s. She puts her phone away after reading it, probably getting the same message we all just did.
“You coming?” Corbin asks her, forcing her to squirm uneasily again.
“I suppose so.”
Tilting my head, I ask, “Don’t you have a lunch meeting about your cosmetic line?”
The words are out of my mouth before I even think about it, and her eyes grow wide in her head as all my cousins turn a questioning look my way. Shit.
“Rain mentioned it,” I say qui
ckly, covering my ass.
She breathes out in relief for the fast recovery, and shakes her head. “It… The lady cancelled. It’s okay though. She just didn’t think my line was a good fit with her store.”
The guys instantly start talking to her the second they find common ground—business. Any Sterling can talk business all day when we’re not busy partying like rockstars.
Dale is quick to point out the fact she’s the niece of a man who owns a chain of the largest fashion stores in the nation, but she shoots him down the same way she did me. Creating your own brand is too hard to do without using contacts. I never thought about her being so prideful.
“Well, I know a few guys in New York that I could put you into contact with,” Corbin says, pissing me off when his eyes drop to her cleavage.
No. If he hasn’t noticed how sexy she is before, then he doesn’t need to start noticing now. I’ll kick his ass.
Christ. I’m losing my mind. Or it’s already gone. That’s a strong possibility.
Tria graciously refuses his offer, promising the table of business enthusiasts that she’s going to do this on her own. She’s underestimating how hard it is to gain ground in a world that runs based on who you know. If she’s not going to trade in on her name and her opportunities, then she’s going to fall on her face.
The food comes, and we eat during casual conversations. Tria never says much of anything else, and I keep finding my eyes drifting over to her. The second we’re done eating, Tria glances at the time.
“I should get back to my room and change before the show. I got dressed for the meeting. I thought it’d be good to get here early and grab us a good table, but she cancelled just before I got here.”
She tries not to show her disappointment, but her crestfallen expression is too hard for her to hide. Everyone tells her bye as she leaves, and Corbin lets out a low whistle.
“You know, she’s really not so bad,” he says, his eyes on her ass as she makes her way out of the restaurant.
If he doesn’t stop looking like he’s going to run up behind her and mount her, I might throttle him.
“If you’re into girls that shy and awkward. Those kinds of chicks are boring in the sack,” I lie, trying to dissuade him from doing anything stupid.
“Man, you’re a dick,” Mav says, rolling his eyes. “The girl is still scared shitless of us. Give her time to warm up. You just pushed her into the damn pool last night, so obviously she’s skittish.”
Shrugging, I try not to let them see my smug smile. I’m the only one at this table she is comfortable with, and I happen to like the hell out of that fact.
***
KODE