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Will couldn’t explain it either. The three of them used to be thick as thieves, so although he’d been busy with Beau, it shouldn’t have thrown off Dex and Grant’s friendship that much. They’d been close for a long time—ever since Dex’s microbrewery had become their main supplier for beer, when they’d opened. None of them had had much money back then, and had been struggling to give their businesses good starts. Now Dex had a moderately sized brewery with well-paid employees, and she also had a nice house. She ran a tight ship, and kept making business decisions that were paying off. She had a head for it.
As business owners, the three of them had always understood that their small amounts of free time were to be taken advantage of and used to the fullest. Why Grant was suddenly begrudging Dex her good time was beyond Will.
“Well, he was completely weird and aggravated at the aquarium earlier this morning, bitching about the entrance fee and glowering at people. If you figure out what’s going on, let me know. Maybe he feels like I’m leaving him with too much to do because I’ve been busy with the baby and Juliet. He’s used to me taking the lead on things, but I thought we’d been doing this long enough that he could handle taking over extra work for a while. Just until my life settles down.”
“Yeah, I can’t explain it.” Dex handed the baby to him when he gestured for her. She was already attached to Beau, and vice versa, but she didn’t want to have anything to do with changing diapers or dealing with crying.
“Varushka speculated that the two of you were sleeping together.”
Dex snorted, her expression incredulous. “Grant and me? Are you serious? We’ve been friends for way too long. Besides, I don’t shit where I eat. You two are cute and all, but screwing you would seriously complicate our working relationship and my life. What if we got emotionally involved? Things would inevitably end badly, and then where would I be? I can’t afford to lose my two best friends for a quick shag. There’s plenty of dick to go around. I’d never take that kind of risk.”
“See, that’s what I couldn’t seem to explain to Varushka. It’s hard to explain to people what our relationship is like. They tend to assume that we were involved at some point or another. No offense, but I’ve always thought of you more as the sister I wished I’d had.”
“Ouch. My poor self-esteem,” she said, smacking his arm.
“Sorry for delivering that crippling blow to your massive ego.”
“I’ll have to drown my sorrows in kinky Norwegians tonight.” She chuckled evilly. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they have safe calls before I take them home with me.”
“Make sure you tell me if you figure out what’s going on with Grant.”
“Will do. Unless it’s something juicy, in which case you’ll have to bribe me.”
“With?”
“Oh, I’ll think of something.”
“I’ll let you borrow my Hawaiian shirt.”
“Tempting, but no.” She ruffled Beau’s downy hair, then stood on tiptoe and kissed Will on the cheek. “I’m off to wax. Ta.”
“Don’t break them, woman. They’re my best competition, even if they’re in Vegas. If I start doing better than them, I want it to be because I’m making good business decisions, and not because my best friend is a man-eater.”
“I’m not a man-eater, I’m a submissive.”
He snorted.
“I’m a submissive who needs motivation to behave.” Her grin was feral.
“You’re a submissive who needs a strict Dominant to keep you in line.”
She cackled. “Oh, like anyone could.”
As she prowled out of the room and headed downstairs, Will wondered if he should call the Norwegians and warn them to bring their A-game tonight.
Nah.
Chapter Sixteen
Juliet had woken up in a haze that stayed with her all day. The hangover was a distant memory, but she was so preoccupied that she’d done some spectacular things, like putting her stapler instead of her coffee in the microwave. Luckily, she’d realized her mistake just as her finger hovered over the START button.
By the time she got home from work, she’d almost called Will to cancel four times, but the lure of him was just too strong. By seven thirty, she had showered, done some understated makeup, and had found herself putting her hair up just so Will would tell her to take it down. The simple act of putting her hair up in a French twist had her all hot and bothered by the time she started laying out possible outfits on her bed. Part of her wanted to please him, but another part of her thrilled at giving him a reason to put her in her place.
So much for trying to maintain professional distance. Somehow he’d managed to steamroll over her better judgment. Going out to the bar with Sadie the night before had sealed the deal. After comparing every man in there to Will, she was left with a better understanding of why she’d stayed single for so long. Guys like him—hot, fun, smart, employed—were few and far between. The ones who gave her a second look were nonexistent.
She knew things weren’t going to work out long-term, but where was the harm in enjoying him while she could, right? It wasn’t like he was about to propose marriage or anything. She kept freaking out about the baby, but it wasn’t like he’d asked her to throw on an apron and become Suzy Homemaker. He hadn’t so much as asked her to change a diaper or babysit.
As she slipped on a midnight-blue wrap dress, stockings with French seams, and a pair of kitten heels, anticipation built. Although he’d said they were going for dinner, he hadn’t mentioned where. Her outfit landed somewhere between business casual and dressy, especially with her hair up. If he showed up in a T-shirt and jeans, though, she might have to change in a hurry. For all she knew, they were going out for pizza.
