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Jessica smirked. “Wait, so you’re super absolutely sure this time that you don’t want a slice of my pizza? It’s just cheese.”
Ashley gazed longingly at the pizza box like a starving dog drooling over steak. “I can’t. My last audition notes from some stuff out in L.A. said I was too curvy.”
Jessica tried not to flinch. Ashley was determined to make it as an actress, which was hard enough for anyone. She was talented, and she was beautiful and – Damn it, the girl didn’t have an ounce of fat on her. At least not for normal people, but Ashley had been on an all liquid diet since her last audition a week ago. Jessica hoped she wouldn’t keep up that regime for long, but it was so hard for her roommate to keep having her self-esteem torn up.
“I can give you a small slice, crust cut off.”
Ashley shook her head and snapped out of her trance. “No, and we were talking about you so don’t think you can distract me. Look, I have to keep up with the industry for my job. You’d think with your dad’s production company you would, too.”
“He’s also an accountant, and frankly, if it doesn’t involve animals, I’m not interested.”
“To each her own,” Ashley said. She took another slog of her chunky, green drink and shuddered just a little. “Still, you could do worse than a hot boss like that!”
“Okay, seriously, he’s just my boss and, even if he weren’t, he’s my dad’s good friend and business partner. I don’t care how blue his eyes are or how he has that rugged chin with that dimple thing you could just… Never mind.”
Ashley grinned and pushed the drink away from her. Good riddance as far as Jessica was concerned. “See, you’re not immune to feelings or being frivolous, Jessica. Admit it, you’re like the rest of us.”
“Okay,” Jessica said, raking a hand through her hair. “He’s handsome. Of course he is. I mean, I have eyeballs, but I also have boundaries, and I’m there for Cara and because she’s going through a tough time right now. Nerd-girl solidarity, alright?”
Ashley got up from her chair and walked around the table to hug Jessica around the shoulders. “First, you’re still a great addition to Chi Omega Chi.”
“I think people took me on at ‘rush’ because they needed to keep their GPAs up to stay chartered.”
“Who cares? Those upperclassmen are pretty much gone by now. You’re awesome, you’re a great vice president, and darn it, people like you. Nerd-girl no more.”
“Because memorizing the Latin names of your favorite lemur species is a totally normal past time.”
“What’s a lemur?”
“It’s a prosimian, like a monkey but more primitive?” Off Ashley’s blank look, Jessica relented and gave the answer she always did. “Did you ever see that Ben Stiller movie Madagascar? Like that crazy king and all his friends.”
“Oh,” Ashley said, stepping back and wrinkling up her nose. “I always thought those were cats.”
Jessica smiled and forced herself to hold the expression. Ashley really did try in her own way, and she was as sweet as she was protective, but sometimes, it was obvious how little they actually had in common. Her roommate was the queen of all things fashion and had an encyclopedic knowledge of classic films. On the other hand, Jessica knew more about some animals than an average tour guide at the zoo and was hopeless at evenly applying eyeliner. But still, Ash was the best.
“Anyway, I know what Cara is going through – I lived it! – so even if Brent is hot, and, okay, I can admit that… Even if he’s objectively attractive, it’s all about being professional. Cara’s needs come first.”
“‘Brent’, huh? First names already. I see how that’s going to go.”
“He doesn’t want me to think of him the way I do his dad, or even use the same terms.” Jessica pushed her plate away and crossed her arms over her chest. “I met his father, too, and the man is a dick and a half. So glad he won’t be around much.”
Ashley nodded vigorously in agreement. “Yeah, I’ve read that, too. From what gossip I know, you’re lucky you came back at all.”
“I barely did, but now I have to sleep, so I can prep some games and things to take over to Cara’s tomorrow.”
“Sure, and you’re not gonna be thinking about that hunk of a gorgeous boss man at all. I buy that,” Ashley chirped.
Jessica hated just a little how well her roommate knew her.
***
“You left so soon the other day. We didn’t get to talk.” Brent leaned back on his bed, and his voice purred like that of a long, lanky panther. He wasn’t wearing anything that Jessica could tell. It was just the broad expanse of his chest before her as well as the dark, red silk sheets draped artfully over his thighs. “I wanted to rectify that.”
