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The fly crawled up Katie’s arm with an aggravating tickle. She smacked and missed, stinging her own skin.
"No offense to your gender, but a man is about the last thing I need right now. Most of you are more trouble than you’re worth," she said.
Landon didn’t seem offended at all. In fact, he seemed down right peppy about the news. "Good, then call me when you get home and we can talk about what you wore out under your clothes. Wear something with polka dots. I don’t know why, but that’s my new favorite fetish."
"Landon, we can’t keep doing stuff like that."
"Why not?"
"It’s not very friend-like, for starters, but honestly I’m sure even being friends goes against Lori’s rules."
He wasn’t ready to concede. "Are you really not going to let me see you when I get back? Just come to my apartment for one night. That’s all I need. One real night and then I’ll leave you alone if that’s what you want."
Ding.
Katie pulled the phone away from her ear to glance at the screen. Her mother. An acrid taste settled in her mouth as she ducked away from the fly that started circling again.
"Of course, we’ll see each other, Landon, it’s part of my job, and I need to keep it that way...for right now."
Landon grunted, a noise somewhere between confusion and frustration, while Katie batted at the damn fly with her palm.
Ding.
Her mother again.
“So you’re really serious?” Landon asked.
The bug buzzed her nose, then tickled across her bare shoulder until she wiggled away from it with an irritated grunt.
Ding.
A heavy sigh escaped from her chest, tears prickling at her eyeballs. She blinked hard, pushing them back and down in a useless gesture because the burning agitation kept bubbling up inside her, a simmering volcano ready to burst. Why did her mother have to ruin everything? Why was she even in this moment? Why was it so damn hot out here? And why wouldn’t this fucking fly leave her alone?
"Hello, you still there?" Landon asked. "Is this thing on?"
His tone had the barest hint of agitation, so small Katie might well have imagined it, but it was enough. Enough to make her feel a little less flattered by his persistence. A little more manipulated by his attention. A little more irked by the stress he was adding to her plate. Did he really not get it? She slapped the fly off her arm, wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead, and exploded all over him.
"Geezus, Landon?! What do you think? That I’m playing hard to get or something? If you’re putting in all this effort because I’ve somehow injured your fragile male ego, let me go ahead and reassure you: I find you attractive. You’re hot, you’re sexy, if it wasn’t a sure fire path to career suicide, I would fuck you six ways to Sunday and blow you in the VIP box, okay? Happy? Now with that knowledge, let’s see if you can’t get me out of your system."
"Wow Katie, I—"
She didn't give him a chance to respond. She hung up the phone and marched back up to her apartment where Ellis already had an outfit laid out for a night on the town.
chapter 10
"What is going on with you, Kat? What were you doing out there? Your face is all red and flushed and your head’s been somewhere else all day. All week, actually."
The things she’d said to Landon still pounded in her ears as Katie feigned interest in the clothes Ellis had laid out on her bed. "I don’t know, I’m just still adjusting to the job, I guess. These long hours are pretty brutal."
Ellis snorted. "That’s an understatement, but no, that’s not it. Maybe you just need to get laid. You should let me set you up on some dating apps. I know some really good ones."
It was Katie’s turn to snort. "Uh, no, that is exactly what I donotneed.Besides, who said that’s not already taken care of?"
"What does that mean? Are you seeing someone and you didn’t tell me?"
He swatted her with a Balenciaga clutch, then gave the handbag a contrite look before setting it down with care and picking up the black Alice + Olivia slip dress.
Katie rolled her eyes at him. "I just meant, I don’t need a man to take care of myself that way. I have a vibrator."
