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“I’m not trying to kick you. Just stating facts. This bet was about me, but it’s half about you. About you choosing the same kind of woman over and over, women who only care about money. You do it because you don’t want to risk actually getting hurt for real. Maybe it’s time to take a chance on someone real. Put yourself out there. Find someone who is normal looking, who doesn’t wear ten thousand dollars of clothes, shoes and handbags on your first date. Who isn’t orange and platinum blonde. I’m not making a bet with you, I’m just saying. You might be surprised.”
“What? Like you were? You’ve been on like two dates. I thought you were off women. You can’t be a believer already. Just because this girl footed the bill for you when you couldn’t pay and defended some old granny and then decided to let you get- some kind of lucky- doesn’t mean she’s not going to fuck you over in the end like all the rest when she gets tired of having to support your ass financially. I still have time to win.”
“Yeah, well, we didn’t exactly discuss how long this was supposed to last. I think I’ve proven enough already.”
“No way. I’m not going to believe any of this is real until I meet her. Invite her for dinner on Friday. We’ll take her out somewhere nice, and by nice, I mean not nice at all, because that would say that we have money and defeat the entire purpose of the bet.”
“You and your fucking bet.”
“Yeah, well, you didn’t have to rise to the occasion. You’re the one who can’t let anything go.”
“And look where we are now. I don’t recall hearing you complain about my tenacity when you were riding my coattails straight to the top of this company. My unwillingness to let shit go is the reason you are where you are.”
Jay could have hurled some choice words back at him, but the guy chose instead to roll his eyes and stick out his tongue. “Yeah, well, you had the idea and the drive, I had the brains. You needed someone to look out for you. Clearly. Look at you. Falling for this girl when she’s just supposed to be a bit of fun to prove a point.”
“Yeah, well, your point is shit. You’re losing.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Jay tapped his foot and Alex watched as a clump of mud like crap fell off the bottom of one and landed on his desk right next to a pile of sales reports he was supposed to review.
“You’ll see it. Friday night it is. I’ll pick somewhere good and you’ll have to eat your words and you’ll owe me. You know what I want if I win this bet? I want you to clean my entire office. You just dropped mud on my desk.”
“You always were a little too OCD.”
“Look who’s talking.”
“You’re not winning this bet. I guarantee that this girl is just desperately trying to get laid. She’s not really into you.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“That has nothing to do with it. Anyway, have you thought how you’re going to let her down easy? You know that you’ll have to break it off. It’s not like you can really tell her that you lied to her about everything and just went out with her to prove a point.”
“My point is you’re an asshole for even making a bet like this.”
Jay yawned. He unfolded his limbs, slammed his feet back down on the ground and leaned forward. “We’ve been over this. I’m going to make an exit since we’re just going in circles now.” The asshole stood and stretched. He eyed the reports that he’d just dirtied with his shoes. “Oh, by the way. We’re meeting about those this afternoon. Might want to read them.”
He made a hasty exit, laughing under his breath, while Alex fumed in his chair.
He wished that there was something he could actually be mad at Jay for other than the mud on his desk. He leaned forward as he raked his hand through his hair. On closer inspection, he realized the wad of dirty mung was actually old gum that Jay stepped in.
Alex let out a sigh of disgust. He picked the wad off his desk and threw it in the trash. He didn’t like the way his insides were twisted into a mass of coiled up crap, just like that wad of old gum. It was all his fault. He was the one who had been stupid enough to take that bet. Who had been childish enough to think that dating someone just to prove a point would actually be helpful to anyone. He’d never even considered what his actions could do to the nameless, faceless woman out there.
