“Don’t you dare cry on me now,” she says, just before she chokes out a sob.
We cling to each other, crying, and I can’t help but give her a pep talk too.
“Forget that Derek guy. Knox told me he’s a player. You’re worth more than that,” I practically wail into her hair.
“But I want to play around.” She pulls away from me, her hands clutching my arms once more. “I don’t mind the idea of being with a player. As a matter of fact, I want to be a player too. Who wants something serious right now?”
“Not me,” I say with the utmost sincerity.
“Ah, okay. So we’re both going to play it then.” Natalie is about to turn back to her closet, yet again, but I grab her hand, stopping her.
“Nothing that exposes…everything. I want to look cute but sexy.”
“Cute but sexy.” She nods. “Got it.”
After much digging around and dismissing one item after another, we finally come to a conclusion. Natalie is wearing a cream-colored corset with a floral print and satin ribbon straps that tie on her shoulders, paired with jeans and her favorite brown sandals.
I’m wearing a white lace top with puff sleeves that cinch at the elbows, and the neckline dips into a deep V. Oh, and it’s cropped. With an open tie back at the top of my neck. It’s classy yet somehow also sexy. Revealing without being over the top.
I dug up a pair of black flowy pants that offset the shirt’s cropped hem. Once I try everything on, Natalie’s eyes practically bug out of her head as she stares at me.
“Knox is going to dieeee. All of the guys are going to die when they see you.” She stops just behind me in front of the full-length mirror, pulling my hair back into her hands. “Wear it in a ponytail.”
“No.” I shake my head. “I need to wear it down and straight. You should wear yours in a ponytail though.”
She hikes her own hair up and I nod my approval. “We’re going to show them what they’re missing.”
I start to laugh, but it sounds hollow, even to my own ears, so I press my lips together.
Is that what I want to do? Show Knox what he’s missing? After all…
I’m the one who walked away from him.
TWENTY
KNOX
I can’t believeCam convinced me to come to this hellhole.
We’re at Logan’s, and while it’s not as busy, thanks to it being a boring Tuesday night, there are still plenty of people here. Too many for my taste. Mostly athletes for some odd reason, with the occasional female here and there.
Thank Christ. I’m not in the mood to deal with a bunch of clingy women tonight.
Despite the crowd, I’m sitting by myself at a high-top table, nursing a beer and glaring at anyone who dares look my way, let alone tries to approach me. Meaning no one is coming my way, which is how I prefer it.
The only one who dares talk to me is the same asshole who brought me here.
“You’re being a dick.” Cam grins good-naturedly at me as he slams his glass on top of the table.
I stare at him, hoping I look as mean as I feel. “You’re the one who brought me here. I told you I didn’t want to come.”
“I had to get you out of there. I thought you needed a change of scenery.” He shakes his head, most likely remembering my surly attitude at practice and afterward, when we were back at our apartment, and he made the mistake of asking what he most likely thought was one simple question.
“What crawled up your ass and died?”
I proceeded to tell him everything. Yep, every single little detail, including how I got hot and heavy with Joanna in the meeting room not once, but twice. How I followed her into the bathroom of this very establishment last Saturday night. If I didn’t mention something, it’s only because I forgot, but when it comes to Joanna Sutton, I remember every single little thing about her.
Even the annoying parts.