“It’s not.” Skepticism turned what would’ve been a question into a statement.
“Nope. If it were a date, I’d bring you flowers, not bring you to flowers.”
Farrah burst into laughter, and the grin on Blake’s face widened.
“Here.” Olivia plunked a burger in front of Farrah, interrupting her mirth. “Be grateful I didn’t spit in it.” She frowned at the man sitting next to her roommate. “Blake.”
“Liv.”
Farrah had told her friends about her arrangement with Blake because she didn’t need the added stress of more secrets. Sammy had been thrilled, Kris indifferent, Courtney excited, and Olivia upset. She was the closest to Farrah and, therefore, the most protective. Not to mention, the girl had a memory like a steel trap. Time had smoothed the animosity Kris and Courtney held toward Blake, but Olivia remembered it well. She’d been wary, even after Farrah explained the real reason Blake broke up with her.
Nardo’s eyebrows rose when he saw Blake and Farrah together at Sammy’s opening, but he hadn’t said anything, so Farrah mentally lumped him in the “indifferent” camp.
A doorbell rang deep in the house.
“I’ll get it,” Sammy said. “Nardo, you mind taking over for me real quick?”
“No problem.” Nardo cast a strange look in Olivia’s direction while Sammy went to answer the door.
“Just so you know,” Olivia told Blake. “If you hurt Farrah again, I’ll string you up by your balls and drop you in the middle of an ax-throwing competition.”
Blake’s smile didn’t budge. “Noted. Bonus points for creativity. Your Yale degree is wasted on finance instead of screenwriting.”
Farrah couldn’t resist another laugh as Olivia huffed at Blake’s blasé response.
“I mean it.” Olivia poked a finger at Blake’s chest. “Orgasms only. No heartbreak allowed.”
This time, Blake was the one who laughed while Farrah blanched in horror.
“Liv!”
“Don’t worry,” Blake said, draping an arm over Farrah’s shoulder. “Orgasms are a guarantee, and heartbreak is not on the menu.”
“Who’s guaranteeing orgasms?” Courtney butted into their conversation.
Before anyone could answer, Kris let loose an expletive. “Who the fuck is that?”
Their heads swiveled toward the entrance to the house. Sammy had returned…with a gorgeous, leggy blonde in tow. The mystery woman had a face that could put Charlize Theron to shame, and she wore a stylish red jumpsuit that Farrah recognized from the latest issue of Mode de Vie.
“Hi, Nardo,” the blonde lilted.
“Hey, Jess.” Nardo cast another wary glance at Olivia, who was frowning at the newcomer.
Sammy cleared his throat. “Guys, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Jessica. Jess, this is everyone.” He introduced the group, tripping over Olivia’s name.
Silence greeted his announcement.
Shock slid through Farrah’s veins. Girlfriend? Sammy hadn’t so much as hinted at a girlfriend before today.
Nate was the first to speak. “Nice to meet you, Jessica. I’m Nate.” He reintroduced himself even though he was the last person who needed a reintroduction.
Jessica smiled. “I know who you are.?
? No fangirling, no blushing. “Nice to meet you, too.”
“She just arrived in New York. She couldn’t make it to the opening yesterday because she had a court case,” Sammy explained.
“Oh. Are you a lawyer?” Kris’s tone indicated she couldn’t care less about the answer.