Play Fling

by Amber Scott

  But she couldn’t. “What matters is Brooke.”

  “So you’ve said.”

  Try and save Brooke or give in to pent up lust and yearning. No time for both. In the end, Brooke won. Didn’t look like Millie was going to get much more than a brief friendship consolation prize for her, though. Not with her brain sticking in reverse every other minute.

  She cleared her throat and met Elliott’s waiting gaze. He appeared unmoved by her stiff silence. “I need to know how you feel about Brooke,” she bit out. This would all be so much easier if she could see the chemicals.

  “I don’t see how that is any of your business.”

  “Right. Well, uh, it is and it isn’t.”

  “No, it isn’t. At all. And you should leave.” His pecs flexed.

  Millie put her hand up. A white flag wave of sorts. “You win. Alright? It is none of my business. But, if you would pretty please maybe have a seat and indulge me a little, for Brooke’s sake, I promise, I’ll leave and vow to keep my big nose out of it.” Liar, liar.

  He took his time, but in the end, sat in an armchair across from her. Better. At least they were eye level now. Maybe she could get this right after all.

  Now, where to begin? Oh yeah, and be sure to leave out all the I’m-supposed-to-find-Brooke-true-love-or-lose-AJ stuff. Check. “Elliott Jovovich. Middle child, felon dad, departed mother. Never been in a serious relationship.”

  “You’ve been paying attention.”

  “I’ve been trying to but, in truth, Elliott, you have been keeping me distracted from my real focus. Jason Munkle.”

  “Don’t you mean Brooke?”

  She took a deep breath. “No. Right now, I mean Jason. Brooke is my best friend. I know you know that so don’t give me that what’s-the-point look, alright?”

  He shrugged and leaned back. “What do you care about her ex-husband? Better yet, why should I?”

  Millie laughed and not because it was funny. More from twinges of delirium. She’d been crazy to come here. She couldn’t tell him anything and yet was supposed to get so much. The way she was going, he’d be calling Brooke from the bathroom and telling her about her backstabbing friend and poof, Brooke would never speak to her again.

  She plunged onward. “Brooke is still in love with Jason.”

  Elliott shook his head. “No, she’s not.”

  Millie pressed her lips together. She couldn’t hide her sarcasm. “Um, yeah, she is. And as her friend, I’m trying to help her. In order to help her, I need her to face her feelings about Jason.”

  “And she can’t do that when she’s in my bed all day.”

  All week, technically. “Exactly.” Now they were getting somewhere. “Jason’s mom is having a holiday party tomorrow night and I’ve come to tell you, you are not invited.”

  Millie bit down. Had she just said that? Now he definitely knew about the party if he didn’t already and he’d likely dig in his heels and make sure he was there. Oh well, no taking it back now. All she could do was hope she hadn’t just shot herself in the foot in her mouth.

  Elliott continued to stare at her, apparently unimpressed. So much so, Millie nearly repeated herself. She bit down on her lip again, straining to maintain steely composure. She was a warrior in the battle for love, friendship and AJ. This puppy of a man would not take what was hers. Brooke had to either fall for Jason or get over him. She had to be able to put that wedding picture away.

  Elliott’s silence pulled at her. She tried to think of something smart to say. Some kind of winning closer better than “What do I have to do to get you out of Brooke’s life today?”

  “What’s the occasion?” he asked.

  Occasion for what? Oh, yeah. The holiday party. “Does it matter?” she said, all ice and snow.

  “You don’t know, do you?” he said and smiled. Not a gloating grin, but more a smile filled with wonder. “You think Brooke still loves Jason. That they have a chance.”

  Wonder? She didn’t know what? What the party was for? Not a clue. “Does it matter what the occasion is?” Not the artsy-est of war answer, but not the worst either. All that mattered was he wasn’t putting up a fight. Or did that mean he wasn’t taking her seriously? Shit. How could she possibly tell? Get a commitment. “Starting today, I’m going to do everything I can to impress upon Brooke how wrong you are for her.”

  “You mean you haven’t already?” He actually sounded amused.

  Could AJ be right? Could Elliott be Brooke’s match? “If her best friend’s opinion doesn’t help get her head out of the clouds, I’m sure yours will.”

  “Mine?” His grin faltered.

  “Yours. You see, not only will you be too busy to go tomorrow,” she said, growing more confident with every word. “You will also be too busy to ever see her again.”

  He stopped smiling. “Or what?”

  A tremor ran through her. This was the moment, the kill, her last ace up the sleeve. She had no choice. “Or Professor Shope will be apprised of your affair with a student—his niece, Michelle.”

  Elliott stood, his eyes narrowed. Was this the part where he threw her out? Millie stood too, and headed for the door. Her stomach had gone completely sour. But, she needed to know he would choose Brooke.

  “Michelle Shope won’t lie for you,” he said.

  Impressed that his mind got that far ahead, she pressed on. “Oh yes, she will. I promise you that. But I don’t really see how it will matter since you won’t do anything to force me to make her.” Her belly felt sicker. She might vomit right there on his tiled floor. Now that would be some closer. “All I need from you, Elliott, is to know you’ll end today what you would be ready to end a few weeks to months from now. No biggie. In fact, Michelle is still interested, so you’ll have a warm body to kiss the boo-boos.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” Elliott said, his even tone at odds with eyes ablaze with anger. “I can’t believe Brooke trusts you. Don’t worry, though. I won’t be the one to tell her who you really are. I couldn’t stand seeing her in that kind of pain.”

  Ouch, that stung. Bad. Worse than a backhand. She almost wished he had just hit her. She suppressed the urge to explain herself, the impulse to make him understand that she was doing this for Brooke’s own good. If she was right about Jason, Elliott was supposed to dislike being told what to do, but, with his job on the line, should back down. Spit nails. Call her every whore name in the book, but back down.

  “You let me worry about Brooke.” She put her hand on the door, hesitated. She still needed him to vow he’d stop seeing Brooke. Or not.

  “Tell me, will Gordon be at the party?” he asked, a gleam in his eye that should have warned her.

  She arched her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes. If icicles could shoot out, they would. The kind of superior sidelong look Kiki could make a man pee himself over. “Does it matter who else is there?”

  Elliott gave her a wide, beaming smile. “Only if the dinner is in Jason’s honor and he has an announcement to make.”

  Millie’s surety faltered. What was so flipping funny? And how did he know the reason behind Nancy’s dinner? One more pathetic “does it matter?” on her part and she’d laugh herself out of the door right along with him.

  Deep down, something yelled at her to find out. A small panic danced up her chest. “Why would Gordon be there for an announcement?” Why would Elliott think his cousin being there was funny? “If you think you can use Gordon as a way to go to that dinner—?”

  Elliott laughed throatily. “I’m not going, Millie, but I wish I could be there. Except, I’ll get to hear all about it. Probably long before it’s over. In small hurried phone calls from the Munkle bathroom.”

  Millie’s hand dropped. Calling her bluff would not prove his mettle in her eyes. He had to see a serious threat and then choose Brooke anyhow. “If you talk to…to…to Brooke at all… I’ll send Michelle straight to Shope.” Her shoulders hunched up, couldn’t help it. Why did an image of that bathroom hallway flash
, rewind, flash again inside her brain? Better yet, why couldn’t she think enough to form words?

  Elliott crossed his arms and slowly shook his head. He closed his mouth and watched her, that damned half grin on his face. She itched to slap him. But none of her could move as her mind ran. Image to thought to possibility to conclusion. Her mouth fell open. Impossible. It couldn’t be. Not Jason.

  And Gordon?

  “Yep,” Elliott said and he opened the door. Pity shone brightly in his eyes.

  “No.” Millie put her hand to her stomach. No. Oh, crap, no, no, no, no, no.

  “Yes.”

  Jason’s longtime business partner, Zeke Watts. So many business trips. Single hotel rooms. Then the business dissolving. The divorce. The timing. Then the day at the mall, Gordon showing up. Thanksgiving. The bathroom, the hallway. Kissing.

  Jason kissing…Gordon.

  If there were a chair nearby, she’d have fallen into it. Instead she sagged to the floor.

  Gordon and Jason kissing. Oh, so much added up. And she felt dumber than a pet rock. How did she miss so many glaring signs? Jason wasn’t in love with Brooke. He might not ever have been.

  Her hands covered her mouth. Oh no. Did Brooke know? Millie looked past her hands and only then realized they were covering her face. Elliott had crouched in front of her. Empathy softened his features. Understanding. Millie’s insides coiled in anxiety.

  He offered her a hand. She took it, glad to have when she stood and felt her vision tip slightly. She leaned against the wall. So this was what being knocked into next week felt like.

  “Does she know?”

  “Brooke? No. I don’t think so. She hasn’t said anything to me. Of course she hasn’t said much to me about her past… or present.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Still up for blackmailing me?”

  Blackmail? More like bluff called. Throwing around threats she’d never have acted on hadn’t seemed so risky a moment ago. Even tossing Michelle’s name out had seemed safe. In truth, she didn’t know if she could make the girl do anything even with AJ’s help.

  Now, Millie didn’t know what she was up for. Her brain was swimming through panic and consequences. She’d gotten it all wrong. Everything. She was going to fail Brooke. She was going to lose AJ. She couldn’t even say if Elliott was worth Brooke’s love.

  If she didn’t leave now, she would puke in front of Elliott. His kindness was like strong perfume on top of her nausea of realization. It had her thinking all sorts of impossible things. Like maybe he was the one for Brooke.

  But how could she know, really know, he wouldn’t end up hurting her?

  “I need to find Brooke,” Millie said, his question forgotten. “Do you know where she was going when she left here?”

  Elliott nodded. “Home.”

  She didn’t bother saying goodbye or thanks or another word. She couldn’t. Not with her guts wrenching and mind twisting. She’d just laid some pretty healthy bullshit at his feet and he’d been chivalrous.

  He wasn’t exactly what she’d thought. Not heroic, but not rotten. Not shallow. Fine. Good. So what? The winter sun beat hot on her face. Her eyes and nostrils stung. Someone’s wood burning stove stunk the air up. She strode down the street to her car.

  She had to find Brooke. No, wait. Think. What would she say to her? Hey there, just came from threatening Elliott to force him to dump you. Can you believe what he made me figure out? Your ex-husband is in ‘the choir’. Yep, ‘the industry’. Light in his loafers. Queer as a three dollar bill.

  Gay. Debbie Bigmouth had gotten the subject right, just the object wrong.

  Millie knew why she had missed it. Neither Gordon nor Jason gave off even a hint of pour homme scent. Well, maybe Gordon. But Jason? Not at all. He was too corn-fed and jock jawed. If a coming out party was Nancy’s plan tomorrow night, or Jason’s for that matter, she couldn’t send Brooke in to be blindsided.

  How could she tell her pour homme though?

  Oh, and what was I doing at your boy toy’s place? Following you. And how did I happen to know anything about him? Because I’m a love spy. It’s your lucky life, Brooke m’dear. You get to fall in love.

  Right.

  Home it was, then. To AJ. Was there a way to turn this around and get Brooke matched with Elliott? A spark of hope formed in her chest.

  Once in her car, Millie’s phone rang. It was Brooke.

  Panic laced her voice. “Can you come over?”

  “Sure,” Millie said, ignoring her lower bowel buck at the very idea. She needed to get her bearings around this huge change of plans. “I can come by. When?”

  “As soon as possible. Can you come now?”

  Millie wouldn’t lie to herself. She couldn’t go there until she had at least an hour’s worth of AJ pep talk. She looked at the dashboard clock. Six o’clock already? Three days left to losing him.

  “Is seven-ish okay? I can bring take-out?” and buy herself a little more time.

  “That long?”

  Millie winced. “Yeah. I’m tied up until then. But you got me all night after, I promise. What’s going on?” Millie just couldn’t resist asking.

  “Oh, nothing life threatening. I just think I’ve made a gigantic mistake and need your cool head to help me figure out what to do next.”

  “Sounds deep. Should I bring pizza and beer or Chinese and sake bombers?”

  “I don’t think I can eat. Bring wine, though. I definitely am going to need lots of vino.”

  Yeah. Millie, too. “Do I get a hint?”

  “Only, if it will get you here faster.”

  “Okay. It will.”

  “How about, somebody is about to suffer a very broken heart.” Dread weighted down Brooke’s voice.

  Millie didn’t need to ask whose. Elliott’s heart wasn’t just on his sleeve; it was in his eyes, in his voice. Talk about head over heels. Ready to leap in, guts first. But Brooke wasn’t in love with him. So much for a match. Millie hung up and sped home, ready to run straight into AJ’s arms. She’d fall into him, press her lips to his, and rip his clothes off. She’d beg him not to talk or think. Plead with him to give in to her every wish.

  Then she’d help Brooke face Jason’s news, help her let Elliott down gently. But that was it. Too late for more. Elliott wasn’t the jerk she’d assumed, but Brooke was still Brooke. And she had come out of her Elliott fog all on her own.

  She let out a heavy sigh. Millie’s last three days in this assignment were for AJ. If she had to say goodbye, she would do so naked, moaning his name first.

  If he’d have her.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Millie dropped her coat to the floor. She slid her shoes off. AJ was officially up to speed and looking irresistible in his tattered jeans and snug T-shirt. The desperation and self-disgust coursing through her had somewhat diminished.

  Standing there, waiting for him to react, the realization that she was going to lose him overshadowed failing Brooke. Unfortunately, her elocution hadn’t yet moved him, not even the Jason-is-gay part. He tapped his fingers to his chin. His gaze remained contemplative. Her gaze found his mouth and watched his oh so kissable lips. Lips she longed for. She would soon be as alone as the day she’d been sentenced. No Brooke, no AJ. No one.

  “Have you considered the idea that Brooke might be in love with Elliott?” AJ asked, breaking into her reverie.

  She needed to be near him. He backed away by inches when Millie walked toward him. Could he sense what she hoped to do? Did he feel her longing to disappear into sensation, into him?

  Millie strode toward him, her limbs buzzing in anticipation. “No. She sounded panicked, not thrilled.”

  AJ put the sofa between them. Short of leaping over it and into his arms, she had to walk around. She took her time. AJ was keeping his distance. After two years of innuendo and flirtation, what if he rejected her?

  “Elliott didn’t get angry when you threatened his position?” AJ stepped back again, gestured like an attorney ad
dressing a jury. “He didn’t throw you out?”

  “Elliott was actually nice about it,” she said, only about half aware anymore of the conversation. “I dangled his career in his face and then he pitied me when—genius that I am—I finally figured out what is really going on.”

  Everything had fallen apart, all her flimsy little love match stitches had come undone. She’d completely misread Jason Munkle. Toyed with Elliott’s career and in the end, Brooke would be alone. Alone and betrayed by her best friend. All Millie had left was AJ.

  The rest was over now. Or would be in three days, days she had to stuff full of memories with AJ. Of course, that would be a lot easier if he could stop retreating and just kiss her. He just kept eyeing her, thinking.

  Millie put her hands on her hips. They yearned to feel him. She gave up. Maybe he would come to her. Two years of unspoken promises building between them crashed down on her heart. She needed him and begging would be really hard for her. But she would beg.

  AJ licked his lips. His eyes burned when at last they met hers. She let herself believe they burned for her. “What is really happening here?” he asked.

  “Like I said when I came in. I can’t match Brooke.” Her voice was pitchy. She tried to level it. “I failed. It’s over.”

  Her thighs warmed as her words’ ramifications welled inside her. Why had she waited all this time? What had she been thinking to avoid these emotions? To deny the way he made her feel?

  She’d been scared. Rightfully so. In all Kiki Kent’s escapades and affairs, never had she felt like this. What AJ did to her ran deeper and purer than any worldly experience. He was more man than any woman should have to resist. Now she was ready to risk dying in the flames. Just one problem: How does one seduce perfection?

  “Elliott loves her,” he said thoughtfully, invading the silent air.

  “I’m pretty sure, yes.” She winced inwardly. The truth hurting. “He stood his ground against me. Yet he didn’t gloat much when he won. I misjudged him.” Completely.