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“Yes, Graha—”
“Safely?” he snaps.
“Yes, of course.” My answer is clipped with my mood.
“Good. Do I need to put my fist through Tanner’s face?”
“No, he was the perfect gentleman,” I lie, softening my voice.
“You do realize that you’re a horrible liar, right? Your voice rises half an octave every time you try to cover something up.”
Wow. Pretty sure Claire said something similar. I need to work on that.
Graham’s growl vibrates through my phone. “Stay away from Tanner, Angela. He is not the man he appears on the outside.”
“Give it a rest, Graham. Seriously. You’re going to get me fired.”
“Good.”
“No, dammit. Not good. I need this job too much.” I settle onto my bed, pulling an already worn pair of pajamas from the floor to slip onto my naked body. Another tone sounds on my end from the phone, letting me know I am getting an incoming text.
“I’m sure if you looked hard enough, you would be able to find something else.”
“I’m going now,” I say but do not hit end.
“Can’t you find someone other than Tanner to throw yourself at?”
Oh, the nerve of him. “I’m not throwing myself at anyone! Including you, buddy!”
“I would love to see your face right now. I can only imagine what you look like when you’re this feisty. Send me a pic.”
“Oh, hell no.”
“Come on,” he coaxes. “I need the upper body to go along with the legs pic.”
“Why? So you have something to fantasize about later?”
“Maybe.”
“You drive me absolutely insane. You know that?” I groan, knowing I gave him what he wanted—a reaction. Shit. He is playing me like a slot machine—except he is winning when the odds are stacked against him.
“Could you not find a dress in the fucking stores that covered more of you? I can suggest a few designers who relish in the use of fabric and sophistication.”
Criticizing the dress again? Perhaps I am a disappointment? I frown at his judgment, feeling vulnerable and unsure of my appearance. Part of me deflates at his disapproval. Pleasing one man, displeasing another. How can I ever win?
His heavy sigh fills the growing silence of me not answering. “Angie, you looked amazing tonight. That’s the problem. The sleaze was dangling you for everyone to see. I was not the only one feasting on you with my eyes.”
“It didn’t stop you from feasting on some blonde’s lips.”
I expect to hear a defensive comment, but he says nothing. We sit in deafening silence. His breathing is unsteady. He doesn’t owe me an explanation, but I still expect one. A tear rolls down my cheek, and I am shocked at how badly seeing him with someone else hurt. That simple display of affection has affected me more than the breakup with Russell, and the realization that I am in deeper than I should be is alarming.
“You should be getting a text stating that Tanner wants to reserve you for a week. You need to reject him.”
“What? How do you know?” I ask, confusion lighting up my face. I lean up in bed, bending my knees to my chest. I grab my laptop and unplug it from the charger. It powers up. “Is Dominic enlightening you on all of my dates?”
“Yeah, right. Dominic follows the rules too much as it is to ever help me out. I am trying to book you from your profile, and I see you are potentially booked already. You have a say in the clients you date. So, I am telling you to reject his offer. I can give you a better one.”
“Graham,” I huff. “I can’t piss off clients.”
