“Your beauty this time.”
“Why not both?” She winks with a sassy grin, and I stop dead in my track.
“Dammit, I thought I was being smooth,” I grumble before continuing my walk into the hotel, and Lauren laughs.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Cupcake. We all have our off days.” She pats my chest, and I catch her wrist, pulling her to me.
“From now on, the only way the word ‘off’ should be used in conversation is after ‘get me,’” I tell her with a half-grin.
“You mean like this?” She slides an arm around my waist and presses against me, sultry bedroom eyes twinkling with mischief. “Michael, I want you toget me off.”
“Lore…” I warn in a gruff voice, tempted to drag her to one of the hotel rooms upstairs if she keeps looking at me like that.
“You keep showing up everywhere as if you belong.” The disdainful sound of Jason’s voice has Lauren rolling her eyes with an exasperated sigh, and the moment is ruined, much to my dismay.
I hate this fucking jerk.
Unlike the last time we ran into him, though, today she seems up for it, intent not to let him ruin our evening.
“I forgot his firm donates annually to this charity. He wasn’t invited to the table until now, though,” she tells me with an annoyed tone, then turns to face Jason. The anger etched into his features has me on edge. “If you have anything to say to me, you can talk to my lawyer. Otherwise, I suggest you back off.”
“Your lawyer?” Jason fumes. “You mean Phoebe Jenkins? Who got in touch with the partners at my firm and is sabotaging my promotion to try and shake me down?”God, I love Phoebe.“How can you even afford someone from Teller, Hirsch, Berger? Did your sugar-daddy pay for it?”
“Why does everyone think I’m old enough to be a sugar daddy?” I mutter under my breath and do an internal mini chest thump at the twitch in Lauren’s lips and the barely stifled snort as she tries to stay serious in the face of Jerkoff Jason staring her down with menace.
“None of your business. Now go away,” she deadpans and takes my hand, leading me to the bar, looking around in thought before a smile lights her face. “Do you remember the red dress Trista wore? The one on S.A.S.S. Instagram?”
“What about it?”
“This is the same hotel, where the conference mixer she wore it to was.” Lauren looks around in joyous awe. “This is where she and Brian finally stopped pretending not to want each other. Where it allreallystarted.”
“That’s both cool and kind of gross to know.” I laugh incredulously, tucking Lauren under my arm as we make our way to the bar.
“I heard you drop nerd boy’s name.” Jason slides in next to us, grabbing a flute of the complimentary champagne. “Did you fuck him as well? Go for Trista’s sloppy seconds just to get your share of attention?”
Don’t hit him, don’t hit him, not worth the fallout, do not hit him, Mikey.
“No.” She leans on the bar and points at me, Jason’s snark visible over the rim of his flute as he takes a sip. “I preferred fucking her brother instead.”
“Lauren!” I can’t help but laugh even as heat climbs up my face, momentarily forgetting I was about to rearrange Jerkoff’s face, taking pleasure in his choking and spluttering when the bubbly goes down the wrong pipe. “You’re going to pay for that one.”
Lauren’s eyes spark at the challenge in my voice.
“Forty bucks?” she teases, and I chuckle.
“A dance.”
“I’m still here, bitch,” Jason snarls, reminding me of the more pressing agenda.
“Seriously, can I punch him now?” I ask Lauren, letting the menace seep into my voice and enjoying how Jason’s eyes grow wide in fear.
“No, it’ll just cause a scene.” She picks up a flute as well and glares at Jason. “I’ll be sure to tell my lawyer your cute little nickname for Brian,herbrother, though.”
It takes Jason’s pea brain a few seconds to process the information, staring at me in confusion as the connections start to form, and when the coin finally drops, he blanches. “Her brother?”
“May I?” I ask Lauren, and she gestures for me to go ahead. “See, you’ve got it into your thick skull that Lauren is all alone in this world. That she needs favors and that you’ve got the upper hand. When the truth is, she’s surrounded by an abundance of people who care for her and admire her, who cherish her.” I place a hand around Lauren’s waist and hold her tight against my chest, inhaling her calming jasmine blossom scent before I continue. “Phoebe and my sister, Trista, remember her? They’re BFFs, and our moms have been besties since ninth grade. So Lauren nevergotPhoebe to represent her. Phoebe has been dying to launch her crusade against you for months. And yes, thatshouldabsolutely terrify you because the girl is a force of nature when you piss her off, and you pissed her off good, JJ.”
Lauren can’t hold back the snort at my abbreviated version of Jerkoff Jason’s nickname, while he just looks flustered.