Lip Service [Private Relations 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Michelle Roth

  He’d stayed in school and finished his degree, but hadn’t known what to do with it. What did one do with a marketing degree in Wauchula, FL? Especially one that most people thought you probably didn’t earn. People had been convinced he’d been passed for the sake of the team. He’d been a decent student. Probably not the best, but definitely not an idiot.

  When Jim had called him about starting a company, he’d been completely floored. It had been a few years since they’d spoken. He wasn’t even sure how Jim had gotten his number, but he’d realized that this was probably the only person willing to take him seriously. He’d jumped at the opportunity, just like Deacon had. A couple somewhat scary, lean years later, and JDC had been born.

  He was currently CIO for the boutique PR agency. They worked mostly with athletes and sports teams, but they were constantly branching out. Between them, they were pursuing more contacts in Hollywood, software developers, and video game companies. They were trying to work with other corporations too, and shed their boutique image.

  His current place was a million light years away from the grimy place that the three of them, along with Chloe, had rented when they first came out there. It wasn’t in the best neighborhood, and had been pretty run down. Deacon had done his best to make it a home for Chloe, but she’d had really unconventional teenage years. She’d been a bit of a mess with all of the shit her Mom put her through.

  About the time she turned fifteen, they’d all started making decent money. Deacon had moved out, and gotten an apartment for the two of them. He’d been able to move into his own place, and Jim decided to buy a house in Sherman Oaks. Looking back, he suspected that Jim probably had only stuck it out with them for so long because he knew they were both scraping by. Chris knew that he’d come into some money, hence the giant building, but he’d never been sure how much.

  Walking into the master bath, he turned the water on and wandered into the kitchen to grab a beer.

  He’d seen her periodically after that, but not nearly as much. He remembered one day—she’d been about twenty—she’d come in the office to visit Deacon and he’d been checking her out. He hadn’t realized til she turned around that it was her. She’d been wearing these black leggings and a red sweater dress that had hugged her body. She’d grown her hair out. It was halfway down her back and that same dark brown, pin straight. She’d had these glasses on, black frames that gave her a naughty librarian look. He’d felt like a dirty old man when he realized who she was.

  Shaking his head, he acknowledged that he still felt like a dirty old man. He’d been twenty-nine or thirty at the time. Way too fucking old for her. She was a bit older now, but so was he.

  Seeing that the tub had filled, he flipped on the jets, then shucked his clothes. Lowering himself into swirling water, he groaned when he felt the pressure ease in his knee almost immediately. Taking a swig of beer, he drifted, trying to disconnect his brain from thoughts of Chloe.

  Once the tension had fully drained from his body, he just lay there for a while. Eventually he felt himself drifting off to sleep, then decided it was best to get out of the tub. Drying off, he wrapped his knee in an Ace bandage and got dressed. Moving out to park on the couch in front of his PS3, he grabbed the remote.

  A few hours wasted on Gridiron 2013, he decided to order some Chinese food and watch television. Finding a mob movie on television, he waited for the delivery guy to arrive. One order of sweet and sour pork and an egg roll later, he felt his eyes drifting closed. Finding no particular reason to fight sleep anymore, he dozed off for a bit. He woke about forty-five minutes later, wide awake.

  Reenergized now, he packed his suitcase for tomorrow’s flight to San Francisco. He’d be up there for a couple of days meeting with the folks from Innova Gaming. The deal that Deacon struck with Cynertex had opened new doors for them. He was flying up tomorrow to look at their current marketing scheme for their new line of sports games. Because of JDC’s already massive presence in the sports marketing world, he was certain that they’d be able to help Innova tap into some otherwise unreachable markets.

  Grabbing his toiletry bag, he zipped up the suitcase, and added a clean suit to his garment bag. After moving both over to the chair in the corner of his bedroom, he sat down at the desk and checked his e-mail. He responded to a couple, then decided he didn’t feel like working at the moment.

  Hopping on Facebook, he scrolled through until he saw a picture of Deacon asleep in his recliner. Recognizing that Chloe must have taken it at some point this afternoon, he clicked on the picture, then went through the rest. She’d gotten one of Sara yawning. Sara was probably gonna be pissed when she saw it. He tagged her in it, laughing.

  The next one was of him, concentrating on his cell phone. He had been playing that stupid trivia game that had drained his cell battery. He liked it, and commented that Sara was going to kick her ass.

  Almost immediately, she responded with an instant message, saying, “Yeah. She’s going to hate me for a minute. I turned around and no one was paying attention to the game but me, so I figured I’d snap a few pictures.”

  Snorting, he immediately responded, “At least I’m not making a stupid face. I suppose you can leave mine up.”

  He imagined her laughing at him, and wasn’t surprised when she responded back saying, “Like I was going to take it down.”

  “Feeling any less pissed off now?” Chris asked, referring back to her comments about the breakup earlier.

  “Yeah. Definitely,” Chloe said, “He was pushing the relationship, pushed me to meet his parents, then dumped me when his Mom didn’t approve. It was going to fail anyway. Better to know now.”

  “Probably. You guys had been dating for a while. Meeting the parents isn’t outside the norm, is it?”

  “I just want a guy to hang out with that wants to fuck me silly. Meeting parents is way more than I’m looking for right now.”

  Chris stared at the screen, speechless for a minute, then finally said, “Yep. He’s a moron.”

  “Thanks for checking in on me. I appreciate it. By the way, how’s your knee doing? You were limping earlier today.”

  “I didn’t think it was that noticeable.”

  “I noticed. Sorry,” Chloe said.

  “No worries. I’m not sure why. I must have slept funny or something. I soaked it when I got home, and it’s much better. Thanks,” he responded.

  “You’re welcome. I’m gonna head to bed. I have to go to work early.”

  “I gotta be up early too. Leaving for San Francisco tomorrow morning. Have a good night. Delete the picture of Sara. It’s your only hope for survival.”

  “I’ll take my chances. Safe travels, Chris. Night.”

  “Night.”

  Signing off, he closed his laptop. He was glad things weren’t weird between them now. Hopefully she was just going to let it go. It was probably for the best.

  Chapter 3

  After a mostly restless night, Chloe got into the office early. She was working her way toward a junior partner position at King and Cressley, one of the most prestigious accounting firms in the city. She focused specifically on forensic accounting and fraud cases.

  She was working through the revenue of a frozen yogurt chain. During routine book work, the corporate office discovered some really low sales figures for one location in particular. Based on what she’d seen so far, it wasn’t looking very good for the general manager of the store. Average amounts of food orders, very little revenue. It was most likely that someone was skimming off the top.

  By 11:45, she needed a break. She’d been thinking about the conversation she’d had with Chris yesterday afternoon, off and on all day. Deciding that she needed an impartial party to listen, she called Sara to see if she was free for lunch.

  They agreed to meet at a coffee shop near Sara’s shop. Both of them ran on pretty much straight coffee, so it was the perfect spot.

  When Chloe arrived, Sara had already grabbed a table and gotten her a latte.r />
  Sara immediately asked, “So what’s up? Not that I don’t love hanging out, but you don’t typically call me for lunch. Is everything okay?”

  Shaking her head, Chloe said, “Not really. I have a story.”

  Chloe relayed the entire story, starting with the breakup and ending with the Facebook conversation, while Sara just nodded every so often.

  When Chloe finally ran out of steam, Sara said, “Wow. I’m sorry about you and Peter. A text message? What a prick!”

  Nodding, Chloe said, “Not really a big deal. He said his mom didn’t like me so it wouldn’t work out. Whatever attraction there was between us died a horrible death with that statement. I mean, Jesus. Grow a pair.”

  Laughing, Sara said, “No kidding!”

  Taking a sip, she continued. “So Chris finally said something, huh?”

  “Uh.”

  “Chris has liked you for a while. It’s written all over his face. Deacon even caught on. I don’t think he’s altogether pleased with the idea, but Chris isn’t very subtle. You knew he hated Peter.”

  “I didn’t think that was why he hated him. I thought he just thought Peter was a dick. Let’s face it. He was kind of a dick.”

  “Agreed. I fucking hated him. At least I don’t need to be nice to him anymore. One more ‘make me a sandwich’ joke and I was going to deck him,” Sara said.

  “Sorry. He’s gone now, though. So that’s something,” Chloe said, then shifted gears again. “I didn’t even realize Chris…”

  Trailing off, Chloe just sat there, looking vaguely confused.

  “So. You’re young, attractive and single. Chris is young, attractive and single. Any interest?” Sara asked, curious.

  “I had some pretty lust-filled fantasies about him when I was a teenager. He’s hot. That shaggy brown hair, killer blue eyes. He’s got a great smile. The dreams I used to have about him. I mean, have you seen him with his shirt off?”

  Shaking her head, Sara laughed and said, “No. I am pretty sure Deacon would forbid that.”

  They both laughed for a second, imaging his reaction to that particular scene.

  “I find him attractive. I mean, who wouldn’t? He’s a nice guy. I like hanging out with him. I guess I never considered it. I figured he didn’t see me that way, and that I was kind of off limits. I’d totally be willing to explore something, assuming that it wouldn’t destroy his friendship with Deacon.”

  Looking to Sara, she asked, “How ‘not into the idea’ is Deacon? Like, kick his ass, ruin a friendship? Or a stern talking to and a few minutes of awkwardness?”

  “He cares about you both. I don’t think he’d stand in the way of it, if you really wanted this. Be careful though. I don’t know if Chris is exactly the marrying kind, if you know what I mean.”

  Snorting, Chloe said, “I’m not exactly looking for the marrying kind. I want a guy to hang out with that wants to fuck me silly. I don’t even know if I believe in marriage, really. No offense.”

  Glancing at the rock on Sara’s ring finger, she said, “It’s just not for me.”

  Smirking, Sara said, “It wasn’t for me either. You’d be amazed what happens when you find the right person, though. In any case, if you both walk into it with eyes open, I don’t see any reason to not explore the idea. Deacon may be annoyed initially, but it wouldn’t break anything beyond repair.”

  “Hmm,” Chloe said, “Do me a favor? Don’t mention this to him?”

  “Hah! I could just picture the look on his face if I said, ‘So, Deak, your sister is thinking about fucking your best friend. What do you think?’”

  Laughing now, Chloe said, “Point taken. Thanks for letting me vent. So, you really don’t think it’s a terrible idea?”

  “Nope. I see the way you guys interact with each other. There’s obviously a little spark on both sides. As long as there aren’t any false expectations then it can be a thing until it’s not anymore. You’re both adults.”

  “Maybe I’ll start putting myself in his way a little bit, then. Part of me just wants to point-blank ask him, but I know he’d totally shut down on me.”

  “You’re probably right. He doesn’t exactly seem like the type that would want to talk about his feelings. A little finesse may be required.”

  Narrowing her eyes, Sara said, “On to new business. That picture on Facebook? It needs to come down. I feel like this time out of my busy schedule to listen to you vent, along with the secrecy required in this situation, has earned that.”

  Chloe sighed and then said, “Fine. It was cute though!”

  Sara gave her a skeptical look and said, “My yawns are not cute, Chloe. We both know it.”

  Laughing, Chloe said, “Chris said you’d be pissed off.”

  “Not anymore since you’re taking it down,” Sara said, with a satisfied smile.

  “So, are we still doing preseason football this weekend?” Chloe asked.

  “I thought we were skipping that in light of the horrible boredom? Why?” Sara asked.

  “Just curious. Maybe I’ll try to talk Chris into taking me out on his boat instead,” Chloe said.

  “Sounds like more fun than watching the Legion decide who they’re going to cut.”

  Looking at her watch, Sara said, “I need to get back to the shop. I’ve got a huge thing tomorrow.”

  “Shit. I’m sorry. I’ve been all ‘me me me’ this whole time. Go do your thing. Thank you so much for letting me ramble!”

  “I’ve been waiting for Chris to finally come clean about it. Believe me. You totally made my day.”

  Smiling a bit smugly now, Chloe said, “You’re welcome then.”

  After giving Sara a hug good-bye, she said, “Talk later. Good luck with your thing!”

  “Good luck with yours!”

  Grinning, Chloe headed toward the door, and out to her car.

  With a renewed sense of purpose, Chloe headed back to the office. After another five hours of plugging away, she headed home for the evening, stopping at Burger Barn for dinner. She wasn’t in the mood to cook until it was less than ninety degrees outside. That wasn’t going to happen for another couple of months.

  Despite her earlier bravado, she was still a little bit uncertain about the situation with Chris. She didn’t want to torch a friendship over something fleeting, nor did she want to cause any friction with Deacon and Chris. The more she considered the idea though, the more it appealed to her.

  He was pretty hot. He was funny, smart. They had things in common. They wanted much the same thing, if she wasn’t completely off base. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t considered it before.

  After she ate, she grabbed her laptop, remembering that she needed to delete Sara’s picture.

  After successfully removing it, she shot Chris a quick message and said, “You were right. She was not happy about the picture at all. Ended up taking it down. Hope you arrived safely!”

  She was surprised when he responded immediately, saying, “Told you. :p.”

  “What are you doing online? Shouldn’t you be out doing something interesting?” Chloe asked.

  “No. I was up at five this morning, and I’m absolutely beat. It’s a room service and pay-per-view kind of night,” he responded.

  Chloe quickly typed, “That’s not much fun. Well. I mean I guess it could be, depending on the nature of the pay-per-view.”

  She could totally picture his raised eyebrows now and wasn’t surprised when he didn’t respond.

  Continuing, she asked, “Any chance you’d be willing to take the boat out this weekend? I haven’t been on the water in ages. I’d really like to before the weather turns cold.”

  After a lengthy pause, he replied, “That would be nice. We could go Saturday morning before the sun gets too crazy. Pack a lunch. I’ll call Deacon and Sara. See if they wanna go, too.”

  Chloe quickly responded, “I can take care of lunch since I basically invited myself out on your boat.”

  “Good of you. It’ll be fun. I haven�
��t been out in a while either,” he responded back.

  “I’ll let you get back to your lounging and questionable pay-per-view movies. Have a good night.”

  “Night.”

  Immediately, Chloe picked up her phone and called Sara. She answered on the fourth ring. Without any preamble whatsoever, Chloe said, “You’re about to get invited out on Chris’s boat on Saturday. I talked him into going. Could you possibly be persuaded to have other plans?”

  Sara laughed and said, “I have a gig on Saturday anyway. I doubt Deacon would go without me unless there was fishing involved. You’re not going to fish, are you?”

  Chloe wrinkled her nose and said, “God no. I’m thinking more like we drive around and dolphin watch, then drop anchor somewhere for lunch or something. There will be absolutely no bait involved.”

  “Have no fear. I’ll take care of it.”

  “You’re the best, Sara. Thank you!”

  “I know,” she said, magnanimously, “I am. Talk to you later!”

  Laughing, Chloe said, “Bye!”

  Chapter 4

  Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. sharp, he heard a knock on his front door. Opening the door, he saw Chloe standing on his doorstep. She was wearing a strappy hot pink tank top, cutoff jean shorts and flip-flops. Her hair had been pulled up into a clip. She wasn’t wearing any makeup.

  He felt that familiar surge of lust, but kept it in check. Instead he gave her a quick hug and said, “Hey. Lemme grab my bag and we can go.”

  Giving him a squeeze back, she said, “Hey you.”

  Snagging his keys and bag, he moved out of the foyer onto the porch. Locking the door, he turned and almost bumped into her.