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ONE
DEIRA
"Twenty bucks."
The words intruded into my thoughts, and I frowned.
"What?" I asked, shifting my attention across the table to Dani, my best friend of more than a decade. We were having breakfast in the dining room at the mountain lodge where we were staying. I'd entered a contest for a "luxury mountain retreat" on a whim and somehow, I'd won. I hadn't expected much, but now that we were here, luxurious was an understatement. Even the dining room was beautiful, with a row of glass doors that showcased the mountain view. It was autumn, and the foliage on the trees outside was gorgeous. I hadn't been looking at the trees, though.
"I'll give you twenty bucks," Dani said. In response to my quizzical look, she added, "To go flirt with that guy you've been staring at this whole time," she said mischievously and grinned at me. Whoops. I hadn't realized I was being so obvious. My eyes flicked briefly back to the man in question, who was having his breakfast across the room from us. I'd been admiring him from afar, noticing the way his shirt hugged his shoulders when he cut his pancakes, and how the morning sunlight was creating the slightest halo around his dark, curly hair. It reminded me of a Renaissance painting that I loved.
"I wasn't..." I started to object.
"Mm-hmm." Dani raised an eyebrow. She obviously knew exactly what had been going through my mind.
I sighed. "I thought I was being subtle."
"You were. But, hello! Lifelong best friend! I know when you're into a guy."
"I'm notintohim. I don't know him. I was just... admiring the view."
Dani took a quick look over her shoulder. She turned back and nodded approvingly.
"It's a good view. So?"
"So, what?"
"Soooo, twenty bucks. To go flirt with him."
"You're paying me to flirt with strangers now?"
Dani heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Well, I can't get you to do it any other way. Don't think of it as payment. Think of it as me betting twenty dollars that you won't have the nerve to do it."
"I don't have the nerve. Congrats. Keep your money."
"Deira!" She pouted and looked at me through her lashes. I laughed.
"Hello! Lifelong best friend," I echoed back to her. "Your tricks don't work on me." She dropped the pout and leaned forward.
"Thirty bucks."
"Dani!"
"I know you could use the money!"
"Wow, and what a good friend you are, to use that knowledge against me." I tried to keep the sarcasm light in my voice, though I was starting to get annoyed. Dani always meant well, but she was certain that all I needed in life was to have more sex with hot men I'd never see again. After all, it worked for her. Attempts to persuade her that we were different people in that regard had so far failed.
And it was kind of a low blow, to say I could use the money, because the truth was I could. It had been a rough couple of years.
"I'm not using it against you. You go flirt with that guy, you hit it off, you have a fabulous night...andyou're thirty dollars richer. Win, win, win, win."
I rolled my eyes. Across the room, the man stood up, seemingly done with his meal. He took one last sip of coffee, and even that was attractive to me. His hand easily wrapped around the coffee cup, making it look small. His grip was almost gentle, as if he was so assured of his dexterity he didn't need to hold tightly. He put the rim of the mug to his mouth, against his lips...
Good grief. I shook my head and blinked hard. Maybe Dani was right. If I was getting this excited over a cup of coffee, I probably did need to get laid. I sighed again and turned my attention back to my eggs and juice, which suddenly seemed very boring. Dani tapped the table with her nails.
"Can't you just have a little fun?"
"I am having fun. I'm having fun with you. We're having a girl’s weekend. Speaking of which..." I checked the time, "we're going to be late for our massages."
