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“Viper, hey. Good to hear from you,” I said, grinning.
“Hey, man, hope you don’t mind the video thing. I don’t trust shit over the phone anymore, since I can’t see who I’m dealing with.”
“No problem at all.”
Viper leaned forward, clicking something, and then said, “One sec, we’ve got someone else joining.”
As I waited for whoever it was—agent, manager, even Halo—I grabbed a pen and notebook to scribble down any pertinent information, but then I heard the voice greeting Viper and my eyes shot up to the screen.
What…the fuck.
“Hudson, what’s up, man,” Viper said, settling back into the couch.
My jaw remained on the ground as Hudson appeared in the box next to mine, hair perfectly coiffed, suit immaculate, a serious but interested expression on his face. At least until he noticed I was also on the screen, and then his lips parted in surprise.
Those lips… I’d spent the weekend tryingnotto think about those lips. Not the way they’d kissed me back or the way they’d parted to give me a better taste of him.
Jesus, just stop. It was a mistake.
Glancing at myself to make sure I looked more nonchalant than I felt, I couldn’t help but notice the differences between the two of us. Me: open-collared shirt, no tie, hair casually mussed. Hudson: all put together and looking like…well, a lawyer.
A ridiculously hot one, though.
Before I could tell my brain to shut up, Viper lifted his chin at the blond man beside him and said, “Guys, this is my manager, Levi Walker. He handles all the boring shit I couldn’t give a fuck about.”
We nodded our greetings at the man, and then Viper continued.
“Look, I won’t pussyfoot around. Levi said you both laid out some good offers, and that with your client lists, either of you would be a decent choice. Problem is, which one of you do I choose?” He shrugged. “I don’t know shit about you two, but apparently it’s important I do, since you’ll be the ones making me look good. So what to do?”
Levi leaned forward to interject. “Just a heads-up: Viper wanted to flip a coin to make that decision, so just remember that before you balk at the alternative.”
Viper cracked a lazy smile. “I could still flip a coin. You have one?”
“No. Just tell them what you want.”
Okay, these two had me curious. Judging by the look on Hudson’s face, he was just as confused.
Not that I was looking at him. I was actively tryingnotto look at him.
“Lay it on us,” I said. “I’m sure whatever it is, I’ll be able to clear up why I’m the better fit.”
“See, I like that cocky, aggressive thing you’ve got goin’ on,” Viper said, scratching along his jaw. “Then again, Hudson, man, he’s like that quiet type you have to watch out for.”
Didn’t I know it.
“So I figured, why not see what you’re like off the clock?”
Hudson didn’t blink. “Meaning?”
“Halo and I just bought another place out in Martha’s Vineyard for when we wanna get out of the city. It’s badass, sits on a fuckin’ cliff, and we just put a studio in the basement so we don’t even have to leave the house. There’s a million rooms, all this space for a killer party, and we haven’t even thrown one yet. So this weekend, it’s on.”
When Hudson and I didn’t say anything right away, Levi added, “He means he wants you two to attend as guests.”
“Oh. Hell yeah.” Damn, getting an invite to a private Fallen Angel party? That hadn’t been anywhere on my bingo card.
“You’ll come up, say, Thursday? Avoid the shit traffic, spend the weekend, we can shoot the shit, and I’ll make a decision before you leave Sunday. Sound good?” Viper looked between the two of us expectantly, and I just knew Hudson was shitting his pants.
He hated stuff like this. Parties with a bunch of people he didn’t know? Up there with his worst nightmares.
