“Who’s that?” Emmett asked as I deposited the pigtailed blonde in his suite. It was a short walk from mine but a stark contrast. Despite the game, there was usually music blaring and the tables were littered with beer, wings and giant platters of sashimi. For the low-carb girls, Emmett would say, since he rarely attended a game without at least two or three model-looking things in tow.
Standing at the back of the suite, we overlooked both the game and the antics of his unique social circle. My younger brother’s friends ranged from lawyers to athletes to unemployed rich kids but they all had one thing in common: an affinity for drinking every night of the week.
“Her name is Hayley,” I answered Emmett’s question, watching Hayley instantly mingle with his friends. “I don’t actually know her.”
“Didn’t think so. Let me guess – you’re babysitting her for one of the Roths.”
“Bingo.”
Emmett snorted, twisting his baseball cap to the back and taking a swig of his beer. “I’d say forget them at this point but fuck, do those assholes have everything you need. And all that power just fell into their laps. They don’t even know what to do with it.”
“I’d prefer you not remind me.”
“Alright, let’s change the subject.” His pause was deliberately short. “Oh, wait, there’s no other subject with you besides work. Right?” I didn’t say anything because there was no point in correcting him. That, and I could sense a certain topic coming up that I had no interest in discussing. “Except…”
“Don’t.”
“There is a topic we still haven’t gotten the chance to clear up yet.”
“Drop it, Emmett.”
“Come on, dude. I need an explanation. Who was she? How’d you meet her? I’ve never seen you get so upset over a girl before.”
I dragged my palm over my jaw and grumbled under my breath. “I wasn’t upset over a girl. I was upset that you burst into the room while I was clearly in the middle of something with her.”
I didn’t want to think about it, but Christ, that night last week had been surreal. I’d been with my fair share of beautiful women, but the brunette I met Thursday night at the hotel had my dick half-ha
rd even before I heard her talk about wanting to be pinned down and fucked senseless. Everything from her perfect tits to her nervous laugh made my dick jump. She was the sexual fantasy I never knew I had, and to say I was pissed I didn’t get to finish my night with her was a gross, incredibly offensive understatement.
Great.
Now I was thinking about her.
“I can tell you’re thinking about her.”
“Fuck off.”
“What?”
I looked at my brother. “I almost admire your nerve to singlehandedly fuck up my night then taunt me about it.”
“Are you mad at me or are you mad you’re not over it yet?”
“Both.”
“Christ, J.” Emmett’s mouth was stuffed with pizza as he laughed. “It’s not the craziest thing in the world if you think about a girl for more than one night.”
I don’t know. Five days later and I still hadn’t jerked off to any thought but her.
“Take it easy, brother. This just means you’re human for once. Besides, it’s New York. It’s a small city. You’ll run into her again.”
“It’s the fourth largest city in the world, but I appreciate your ability to always look on the bright side.” I handed him my beer. “I should get back to my suite.”
“Yeah, why not hurry up and wait. You’re gonna get back there just in time to hear the Roths face-fucking twenty-year-old girls in the bathroom.”
I grimaced. “Thank you for your colorful phrasing. And for putting that image in my head.”
“Anytime. Now sit your ass down and watch this game with me. You own this damned team, you might as well try to care about them like you actually did when we were kids.”