The Setup Read online

  I licked my dry lips and looked away. If I looked straight at him, I’d do whatever he said with a too-eager grin on my face. “I need my job.”

  Someone could cut a knife through the sudden tension.

  “So, if you didn’t need your job, it would be a yes?” he asked.

  “Maybe.”

  “The hell?” He jumped to his feet. “Are you kidding me with this right now? Why are you so afraid of us?”

  “Because!” I yelled right back. “I’m already in too deep! Okay? I’m already preparing for the worst, and we aren’t even a thing! And you’re you, and I’m me!”

  “Do you hear yourself?”

  “YES! And I make sense!” I stomped my foot. “You probably don’t even fart!”

  He stared me down and then burst out laughing. “So that’s what’s going to get you to date me? Farting? Burping? Do you want me to scratch my balls too?”

  “I mean, it would help.” I cracked a smile. “I just, I don’t see this ending well, Finn. I see you getting bored. I see you moving on. I see you wanting more than I can give you. You’re a Pleasure Pony, for shit’s sake, you’re not meant for a girl like me. I see you—”

  “That’s the problem, Jillian. You say you see me. But you really don’t. And in that case, you’re right, we would never work. Because I see you. But you don’t see me.”

  I stared in stunned disbelief.

  A knock sounded on the door.

  “Come in,” Finn barked.

  Ian poked his head in the room and looked between us. “Everything okay?”

  “Perfect,” I said smoothly. “I was just leaving…”

  “Actually, I need to talk to you, both of you.”

  I was so getting fired.

  And the thought of losing my job didn’t terrify me as much as the thought of not seeing Finn, which made my eyes well up with tears.

  “The launch is in two weeks, but Lex wants to do a surprise launch to get ahead of the competition. Apparently, another dating app is coming out the same day. You have one more date this Friday, make sure you drop off all your notes to the developmental team. And this also means a lot of work for all of us, so if I need you to stay late, know it will be temporary.”

  “Got it.” Finn handed me my phone back. “We were actually just picking out our dates for the week anyway, weren’t we Jillian? You wanted someone boring who would never challenge you, and I asked for a blonde with big tits.”

  I gasped in outrage while Ian held up his hands in innocence. “You guys sure there’s nothing—”

  “It’s fine,” we both snapped.

  Ian smirked. “You both just yelled at your boss, but that’s cool. Everything’s fine, my ass. Fix it before Friday. You both need your A-game.”

  With that, he left.

  “Could you be any more out of line?” I hissed, jerking my phone away from Finn.

  “Could you be any more terrified of your own feelings?” he snapped right back.

  “Oh, please!” I kept my voice low. “You’re a spoiled rich kid who’s pissed because someone told you no!”

  His glare was nearly enough to make me run and hide under my desk. “So, it’s like that?”

  “It’s like that!” I stood my ground.

  “Leave,” he clipped. I’d never seen this side of him before. This anger. And I knew I’d pushed him too far, but I hated that he was right, I hated that he seemed to hold all the power.

  And in that moment, I hated myself so much.

  “I’m leaving,” I whispered and went back to my desk.

  The rest of the day went by agonizingly slow. People gave Finn a wide berth, even Slater, and I faked a smile for every single person who walked by, including Finn, who looked ready to flip me off every time we made eye contact.

  By the time the day was done, I wasn’t sure what to do. My car was at his apartment building, and so were my clothes.

  And my chest hurt.

  Was this what breaking up felt like?

  And how could it hurt so bad if we weren’t even together to begin with?

  “You coming?” Finn stopped at my desk, keys in hand. “We don’t want to hit traffic.”

  “Um, yeah, sure I’ll need to get my stuff, thanks.”

  We drove home in pissed off silence.

  And when we got to his apartment, the only sound was that of Princess barking to get let out.

  Finn had found a dog walker, which was a small mercy considering he couldn’t take care of her during the day unless it was the newly minted bring your dog to work day. But even with the dog walker, Princess always demanded attention the minute we came in.

  “Hey Princess.” I bent over and picked her up while Finn went into his bedroom and shut the door.

  Tears slid down my cheeks.

  It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

  This was what I was trying to prevent, and it had happened anyway!

  Princess sniffed my neck and whined.

  I went into the laundry room and fed her, then went back to my purse.

  My phone buzzed.

  “Take the dog with you.”

  That was all the text said.

  And it was from Finn.

  I cried the entire way back to my house with Princess in my arms.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Finn

  Me: I fucked up.

  Slater: What did you do?

  Me: Oh, you know… fell for a girl who doesn’t want me and watched her literally take my heart and squeeze out all the blood leaving it dry and crusty. This just in. I’m going to die alone.

  Slater: Hold on.

  Was he serious right now?

  Knox has been added to this conversation.

  Leo has been added to this conversation.

  Fantastic. Now they’d all see my downfall.

  Leo: Okay, I just read the above, what the hell, man?

  Knox: Are you okay?

  Finn: I’m barricaded in my room ready to take a sick day and praying for a Seattle sized tornado, so I don’t have to face her at work. No, I’m not okay!

  Knox: Start at the beginning.

  Me: Jillian and I got close. She came over to help me with the dog, Aunt Nadine genius—one thing led to another, I asked her to date me, she said no, then we played naked charades, which landed us both in my bedroom, no sleep, office sex, fight of all fights, broken heart. The end.

  Leo: I’m sorry you lost me at naked charades. Who won?

  Slater: They BOTH did you dumbass, I mean unless she didn’t, you know…

  Me: SHE DID.

  Slater: No need to yell!

  I loved my friends. I loved my friends. I loved my friends.

  My chest ached so much it felt like someone had stabbed me. See! This is why dating is the worst!

  This is why I should have never had sex with her.

  It complicated things.

  And I just tossed my heart at her feet and went, “Take me!” Without realizing she wasn’t even interested!

  Knox: Look, man, I’m sorry it didn’t work out, but do you think that maybe you said something that could have possibly been an overreaction?

  I snorted.

  Me: I was the perfect gentleman!

  Slater: Okay, let’s ask a different question. What was her reason for not dating you?

  Me: The usual. Fear that it’s not going to last, judgment that I’m a fucking Titus, so I’m pissed I’m not getting my way, oh, and the fact that she thinks she’s not pretty enough at least that’s what I’m assuming. Oh, and she doesn’t want to lose her job.

  Knox: I think I speak for everyone when I say you’re a dumbass.

  Me: WHAT?

  Slater: Oh, this is the best.

  Leo: I mean, come on man, really?

  Knox: She hit your hot button.

  Me: I don’t have a hot button.

  Slater: It’s like the biggest button, man.

  Leo: It really is.

  Me: I DO NOT have a HOT BUT
TON!

  Knox: Bro, you hate it when people throw around your last name or tell you you’re spoiled, you literally punched a dude sophomore year over it and broke his nose.

  Me: For the record, Jay was an ass who had it coming.

  Leo: He’s not wrong…

  Slater: Knox’s point is, she hurt your feelings, and she spoke out of turn, so you just what? Gave up? Yelled? Gave her the silent treatment.

  I gulped.

  Me: I uh, gave her the dog, and made her leave my apartment.

  Knox: It’s like four years working for Wingmen has taught you nothing but how to fail.

  Me: Thanks. Really. I can tell that came from the heart.

  Leo: Ass, heart, they’re all part of the human body.

  Slater: I love the way you speak, bro, poetic.

  Knox: You need to apologize, and you need to make sure that she won’t lose her job, which means you need to tell Ian and Lex, and then you need to get down on your hands and knees and promise orgasms for life.

  Me: Like that’s hard… I mean the orgasm part; the other stuff doesn’t sound fun.

  Leo: This is what the grownups call adulting. Go to Ian and Lex.

  Me: We have our final date tomorrow for the app. I’ll try talking to them beforehand.

  Slater: Wait until after your date.

  Me: That’s opposite of the advice you just gave me.

  Knox: Agreed.

  Leo: Ditto, or is that triple? Just wait, they’re under a lot of stress with the app testing. Turn in your notes and then go to them about it.

  Me: Fine.

  Knox: And in the meantime, text your girl and apologize for being a dick.

  Slater: At the very least, send her cat memes.

  Leo: Or baby Yoda, girls love that shit right now. Kora won’t stop asking for a stuffed animal.

  Knox: Bro, the pre-order’s already up at Target.

  Slater: Amateurs. I already have mine.

  Me: I have no idea what you guys are even talking about.

  Slater: Because your head’s so far up your ass.

  Me: Thanks.

  Leo: Text her.

  Me: Thanks guys.

  I set my phone down and went out to the living room. I’d heard her leave. And the worst part?

  I hated the silence.

  I even missed the stupid dog, but I couldn’t bear to look at it and think about her.

  How the hell was I supposed to work with her after this?

  I groaned and grabbed my phone, and shot her off a text.

  Me: I’m sorry.

  She didn’t respond.

  So, I texted her again.

  And ended up texting her until midnight with nothing but apologies and asking if we could talk.

  The next day, she didn’t show up for work.

  But she did let Ian know that she was up for the app testing.

  I wanted to ram my fist through a wall by the time I made it to the restaurant.

  Sitting across from her while she flirted with a guy I would kill dead sounded like the worst idea on the planet, forget even looking at another woman.

  I just wanted the one.

  Was that so much to ask?

  I checked my watch and nearly swallowed my tongue when Jillian walked up to me in a tight leather dress and red heels.

  “Nice dress.” I choked out, wondering how the hell I was going to keep my hands pinned at my sides.

  “Thanks,” she mumbled. “Apparently, Tatum bought it, and she didn’t like the fit, so she gave it to Slater to give to me or something like that.”

  “Huh.” That was weird, not that I was complaining, but my sister was a shopping pro. If shopping was a sport, she’d be an Olympian with numerous gold medals.

  She also never made mistakes.

  Jillian wouldn’t look at me. She checked her phone again and frowned. “Weird, my app seems to be down.”

  I grabbed my phone and hit the W. “Me too.”

  “And our dates are no shows,” I said ten minutes later after the worst small talk on the planet.

  “Another wasted dress.” Jillian rocked back on her heels.

  “Come on.” I put my hand on the small of her back. “Let’s eat. We wouldn’t want a wasted dress.”

  “Finn—”

  “Please.”

  She nodded slowly as I led her toward the bar area and motioned for the bartender.

  When he saw us, he grinned like he had known we were coming, then pulled out two champagne flutes and poured us drinks. “Celebrating?”

  “Um…” Jillian stared at her champagne. “No, actually, we aren’t together.”

  “Coulda fooled me. That man looks ready to eat you alive.” I was apparently that man, and he wasn’t wrong, so I just nodded and grabbed my champagne.

  “Cheers,” he said and then went over and grabbed some menus.

  “That was weird,” Jillian said under her breath.

  “I’m sorry.” I blurted out so I didn’t lose my nerve. “I’m sorry for being a dick, I’m sorry for not thinking about your feelings, and I’m sorry that I reacted like a petulant child—”

  “Finn—”

  “Let me finish,” I said softly. “I’m not sorry for liking you, I’m not sorry for wanting you more than air, I’m not sorry that I’m pushy when it comes to you, I’m not sorry that I gave you the dog because I don’t see it as mine I see it as ours—and I’m not sorry—”

  She silenced me with an epic kiss that had the bartender whistling. Her arms snaked around my neck as I tried to kiss her deeper, hold her tighter, my hands roamed to her ass as I pulled her into my lap and kept kissing her.

  She pulled back, tears in her eyes. “I was the one who was a dick.”

  I choked out a laugh. “Maybe, like a small dick.”

  “A big dick.”

  “A bag of dicks.” I nodded.

  “Multiple dicks.” She giggled. “And I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being afraid—of everything. And I’m sorry for throwing your money in your face. That wasn’t fair. And I’ll have you know that I’ve thought about it, and I’m going to go to Ian and Lex—”

  “No, you aren’t, because I’m going to Ian and Lex.”

  Her eyes searched mine. “No, it’s me, I’m the one that—”

  “How about we both go to Ian and Lex?”

  “NOBODY IS GOING TO IAN AND LEX,” a voice shouted, and naturally, it was Ian, followed by Lex.

  “Oh, shit,” I muttered as they both made their way toward us, and then I looked behind them.

  What was this? An office party?

  Slater, Knox, and Leo followed with their significant others—my sister included, she winked at me like we shared a secret.

  Jillian slowly crawled off my lap and stood. “Um, I know how this looks—”

  “Do you?” Lex grinned. “Because to me, it looks exactly like a heavy dose of meddling, trickery, sabotage, and wingmanning.”

  Slater and Leo high fived each other while Knox grinned like he’d won the lottery.

  “Um, what?” I asked.

  “You were the last one standing, bro.” Slater shrugged. “And your idea of playing it cool needs work. We saw the way you couldn’t stop staring at Jillian, and well, we had this brilliant plan. Why not have you guys test the app? Forced you to work together in small spaces, and maybe, just maybe you’d both find happiness.”

  “Are you shitting me?” I asked no one in general.

  “It was extremely helpful,” Lex said smoothly. “In fact, the final part of the app is called Wingmen Friend. It basically allows your friends to help build the perfect partner, a lot of times we think we know what we want, but we don’t. The development team started working on it last week, and wouldn’t you know? You two are a perfect match. The only problem was we needed you to see it, so we may have sabotaged all your dates.”

  “I knew it!” Jillian put her hands on her hips. “I knew I put in the information right!”

  Ian grinned. “To be fair,
every single time you plugged your ideal guy in, it pinged Finn’s profile, so we had to do something. Same thing happened with Finn. The app kept trying to match you guys, but we figured it would make you overthink things if you saw it.”

  I stared in stunned disbelief. “So, you’re okay with us… dating?”

  Ian and Lex shared a look before Lex spoke. “We built a billion-dollar enterprise on dating. What the hell do you take us for?”

  “Man’s got a point, you know,” another familiar voice piped up. Two tables away from us, a menu was put down. And there she was in all her matchmaking glory. Aunt Nadine.

  Black dress, leopard heels, red lipstick, and a glass of champagne in her hand.

  “Well done, boys.” She lifted her glass. “I think the dog was a nice touch.”

  “Inspired.” Slater slow clapped.

  All at once, Jillian burst out laughing.

  “What?” I pulled her to my side. “You guys are all insane!”

  “Thank you.” Lex looked like he actually took that as a compliment while the rest of the group started ordering drinks.

  I think in their own way they were giving us privacy.

  “This is…” Jillian shook her head. “Crazy.”

  “I kind of like crazy, don’t you?” I nudged her and then pulled her into my arms and pressed my mouth to hers, pulling back to say. “I miss the dog.”

  “I’ll bring her back.”

  “Well, I was thinking… I still might kill her, totally by accident…”

  “Uh-huh.” Jillian grinned.

  “And, you really don’t want her death on your conscience.”

  “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

  “Which is exactly why you should pack a bag or two, or three, or maybe just… move.”

  Jillian’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Are you… asking me to move in with you?”

  “That depends… are you saying yes?”

  “It’s been two weeks, Finn.”

  “Exactly, don’t torture me any more… especially after knowing what it’s like to have you in my bed, in my home, in my arms—”

  I didn’t get to finish as she mauled me with another kiss that I think meant yes.

  We made out like teenagers for a few minutes before someone finally tapped me on the shoulder.

  Slater was the buzzkill. “Yeah, people are staring.”

  “Let them stare.” I started kissing her again.