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Neal
The surface of the basketball court squeaks under my sneakers as I dip and weave, dribbling the ball to the other end.
I dodge my hapless opponent, my head elsewhere, full of thoughts of Dani.
My mind’s in a bit of a quandary where she’s concerned. I don’t want to hurt or upset her, but I need that florist shop. I need ityesterday.
Her sweet face fills my thoughts. As beautiful and fragile as one of her flowers. Her eyes kill me just as much as that pretty mouth. The things I could do to that mouth. The last few days I’ve been jerking off in the shower with that mouth in mind. I need some real-life action before I go fucking crazy.
In my world, I get what I want. Both in business and in my personal life. I am never denied. Up ‘til now, that’s been the rule of thumb.
And that doesn’t have to change, I tell myself.
If I play my cards right, I could have Daniandher shop.
I just need to find the right way to put things to her. To sweeten the deal.
Admittedly, it needs a lot of sweetening.
In one swift movement, I leap straight into the air and dunk the ball into the hoop. It bounces down and towards Ross, who’s a few yards away.
Ross’s so crap at this game I really don’t know why I bother. I do like to havesomecompetition.
“One of these days, I’m gonna beat you.” Ross chuckles, pointing a finger at me, then scooping up the ball and bouncing it haphazardly. “Just because you’re ten minutes older than me doesn’t mean I can’t take you down.”
“You think?” I throw back my head and laugh, playfully punching Ross’s shoulder while I pass him by, whipping the ball into my possession.
Stealing it from him is as simple as taking candy from a baby.
I run, shoot and dunk...score.
Ross and I are twins, best buds, and fiercely competitive.
I may joke about his sporting prowess, but I wouldn’t be able to run the successful business I do without him at my side. He’s a freelance attorney and law strategist and my legal advisor. I depend on Ross for almost every big decision I make. And he gets a dividend on the back of it. Ross draws up all the contracts.
He’s my go-to guy.
I dodge as Ross grabs the ball and chucks it hard toward my face.
“Hey, don’t mess with the looks,” I quip.
He smirks.“Too late, ugly fucker.”
“Takes one to know one.”
He grins. “So, how did it go with the florist?” Ross asks, retrieving the basketball and practicing bouncing it with the finesse of a third-grader. He moves slowly as he talks, breathless from our warmup. He needs to get down to that gym a bit more. He’s never been good at sport, but he used to be super fit.
“I haven’t actually broached the subject yet. I’m taking her to dinner tonight.”
“Ah, cool—breaking down the resistance,” Ross murmurs with a dirty grin.
I ignore him. “I feel she may be tough to convince. She’s just bought her shop, and it’s like her newborn baby. She might just fight to the death before she gives it up.”
“You’d better have a good strategy, then. Or you’re pretty much dead in the water, bud.”
“I’m working on it. But I wouldn’t object to some input from you.”
The ball drops to the court, and Ross traps it beneath his foot. Then he scrubs at his chin while in thought. I wait as he ponders the situation. I’m smart, have good business acumen and a strong gut instinct, but Ross has the best brain in the family.
