The Setup Read online

  Jillian frowned at that. “Weird, because I basically asked for a hot nerd—”

  “Like Lex.”

  “Like Lex,” she agreed. “No offense.”

  “None taken, I’d do him.”

  She blinked slowly at me. “Something you want to—”

  “If I was gay, I’d take him. Not now. I like women— Never mind. All I’m saying is no judgment. He’s a good-looking dude with nice hands.”

  “Nice hands.” She grinned. “You’re noticing his hands now?”

  “I—” Glaring, I moved in. “Do I need to defend my sexual preferences?”

  She gulped. “No, no, I um, believe you.”

  “Anyway…” I drew out the word. “You wanted a hot nerd and got scotch sipping John.”

  “Right. I mean, it was close, but not exactly what I asked for. He had certain traits I never plugged in.”

  “Same.” I sat down on the couch. “Well, we’ll give it another try and double-check all our settings just to make sure, all right?”

  “Good plan.” She kept petting the dog, and within minutes Princess was asleep between us on the couch.

  I picked up the remote and turned on Vampire Diaries.

  And when the Chinese came, we ate in companionable silence.

  And when she fell asleep with Princess, I picked both of them up and laid them in the guest room bed.

  Wishing, stupidly, that my name was Princess, and that I was the tiny dog snuggled up against her chest.

  Thanks a lot, Aunt Nadine.

  The dog had more game than I did.

  I shut the door with a smile on my face and wished for things I knew for the first time in my privileged life, I would never have.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jillian

  I woke up confused. The bed was so fluffy, the sheets so soft that I turned around and nearly suffocated Princess, who was sprawled out next to me, looking every inch a princess on the pillow.

  I smiled.

  And then moaned as I pulled the sheet over my head. Even Finn’s sheets smelled like him! Strong, spicy.

  Why had I agreed to even come? What weak part of me thought that sleeping across the hall from him would help my self-restraint? I had to get this promotion.

  And sleeping across from him wasn’t the easiest way to ignore the throbbing between my thighs when he’d kissed me.

  And the way his tongue had devoured me.

  And the way his touch almost burned my skin.

  Gah!

  I kicked my feet in frustration, woke up Princess in the process, then stumbled out of bed.

  I jerked my door open and gaped. God bless America. There he was, just standing there in nothing but a fluffy white towel against his tan skin, his long hair slicked back with water sliding down his back, every hard plane of his stomach was on full display.

  I must have made a noise. Okay, it was most likely a whimper of pure sexual need as I braced myself against the door frame.

  Finn turned his lean body toward me and smirked. “I like your hair.”

  Ah! I touched my rat’s nest, screamed, then slammed my door shut and leaned against it. What was I thinking? I couldn’t face his male perfection without at least brushing my teeth!

  A knock sounded.

  I punched the air several times, closed my eyes, took a soothing breathe, then pasted a smile on my face as I cracked open my door. “Yes?”

  “You okay?” He was so close, his naked skin was so close, maybe he’d let me touch an ab? Maybe he’d let me lick a few for Wingmen App research purposes. I mean, how was I supposed to know if I want a guy with abs if I’ve never experienced the feel of them beneath my tongue. I mean, science!

  “Jillian?” he said again with a smirk. “Not a morning person or just feeling distracted?”

  “Uh…” I gulped as Princess jumped against my leg. Without thinking, I picked her up and shoved her against his chest. “She needs to poo.”

  Humiliation complete, I shut the door and rested my forehead against it with one loud thunk.

  “Jillian?”

  “You’re still there, aren’t you?”

  “Did you just bang your head against the door?”

  “There was a spider,” I lied.

  “So, you used your forehead to kill it?” he asked in an amused voice.

  Damn him.

  “Yes! It was a knee jerk reaction if you must know!” I crossed my arms even though he couldn’t see me.

  “Yes, I can see how killing spiders with your forehead is a natural reaction…” Why wasn’t he going away? “Did you want to ride together to work?”

  Were we really having a conversation through the door?

  Muttering under my breath, I opened it back up. “That would be nice.”

  “All right.” He grinned. “In the meantime, I need to find a dog walker or sitter or someone for this little guy.”

  I just shrugged. “Bring her with you.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “I may as well turn in my man card and get neutered.”

  “Oh, please.” I rolled my eyes. “Real men have little dogs!”

  “Says no man ever.”

  I smirked. “Fine, I dare you to bring your dog to work, besides you can’t find anyone last minute, and Princess needs attention. She’ll ruin your entire laundry room.”

  He let out a heavy sigh. “I’m going to get so much shit for this.”

  “Hey!” I punched him in the shoulder. “If you’re a real man, you can take it.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “Yup.” I grinned.

  And just like that, he pulled his towel from his waist, said “oops,” then turned and walked away from me, bare ass cheeks moving firmly with each decisive step.

  I gaped, unable to look away.

  And then he turned, and I never wanted to charge another human at light speed so fast in my entire existence—you know, if that were a thing.

  He was the full package.

  Full. Package.

  “Jillian?”

  “Yup.” I didn’t look away from his body. “This man enough for you?”

  I didn’t even remember he was still holding Princess. All I could do was conjure up a weak nod before he winked and shut the door behind him.

  Well! It was going to be an interesting day, wasn’t it?

  I got ready as quickly as I could, all things considered—my nerves were already shot. I decided to use the guest bathroom instead of going into the master for the outdoor shower and made a mental note to try it later that night.

  By the time I was put together, we only had twenty minutes before we were supposed to be at work.

  I power walked down the hall and into the kitchen. Finn was already ready. Princess was running around his feet, and when he turned, he had two to-go mugs of coffee ready.

  He handed me one.

  And I wanted to cry.

  He was the epitome of the perfect man commercial coming to life, his dog at his feet, looking all sexy, pouring me coffee. Me!

  I quickly took it. “Do you have Princess packed?”

  He frowned. “Packed? It’s not like she’s going on vacation. We’re just headed into the office.”

  “Right.” I nodded my head slowly. “But she’s going to need some food, maybe some of her toys, and at the very least her dog bed and some of the bottled water your aunt left.”

  “The hell? All of that?”

  I winced. “And probably a puppy pad.”

  He made a face.

  “Hey, you’re the one with the pet. I’m just helping you keep it alive, so you don’t get charged with murder!”

  “True,” he grumbled and checked his watch. “All right, I’ll grab all the crap if you grab Princess, and we’ll take off.”

  “Great.” I picked up Princess and held her close to my chest, both of us watching in amusement as Finn packed a very convenient pink backpack that was also left in the laundry room—with all the rest of the dog stuff.

  Hi
s movements were jerky and annoyed as he shoved the tiny dog bed into the pack along with a few other toys and finally an empty bowl for water. “Good enough?” He huffed.

  Princess barked.

  “Well, look at that, you have puppy approval.”

  He glared. “Oh good, I’ve been waiting.”

  “I like the pink backpack with the black slacks.” I lifted my coffee toward him in salute.

  He flipped me off.

  I laughed. “And here I thought you were a gentleman.”

  He eyed me from head to toe, his perusal slow, dangerous as the corners of his mouth tilted into a delicious smile. “Then you really don’t know me very well, do you?”

  I gulped.

  “We should go.” He reached for his coffee, and off we went. I let him lead me to the parking garage and, of course, to his waiting brand new Audi R8.

  “Wow, being a Titus comes with its perks, doesn’t it?” The car was white and shiny, and I wanted it. I never thought I was a car girl until that very moment.

  He unlocked the car with his fob. “Yeah, well, if Princess poos in here, I’m going to lose my shit.”

  “Good one,” I noted as he opened my door like we were on a date and helped me get in with Princess on my lap and my left hand full with a coffee cup.

  By the time we were on the road, my panic over earlier didn’t seem to be that bad. I mean so what? He taunted me, he was gorgeous, and I was doing him a favor. Plus, it was easier to work if I stayed there.

  And friends did things like that all the time.

  For other friends.

  Just like friends saw each other’s butt cheeks.

  I sighed.

  “Something wrong?” He turned up the heat.

  “Just thinking about… buns.”

  “I love a good juicy bun.”

  “Don’t we all?”

  We shared a smile at the stoplight just as the Bluetooth in the car picked up his phone. He patted his chest, pocket, then bit back a curse, must have dumped it in the bag.

  With another curse, he hit the green button. “I’m headed into work, Mom, can this wait?”

  Whoa, his tone was sharp, cruel even.

  “Oh, honey, I’m so glad you answered! Tatum still has me blocked.”

  “I wonder why,” he said under his breath and then louder, “What do you need?”

  “Well…” She laughed. “It’s silly, really… there’s this bag—”

  “There’s always a bag.”

  “Not like this!” she argued. “And since downsizing, all my friends are making fun of me at the club, so I thought that maybe you could purchase the bag for me, it’s not like I’m asking for a new car!”

  “Right, you did that last week.”

  “I was joking!” She laughed.

  I winced uncomfortably.

  “Look, Mom, you had money. You could have kept your money had you been smart about it. Not only are you irresponsible, but you really hurt Tatum. You can’t just call her and ask for money without apologizing first for throwing out all her childhood shit without consulting her!”

  “I’m her mother!”

  “Then fucking act like it!” he snapped and hit the red button.

  Tense silence descended in the car.

  “Are you okay?” I asked a few minutes later when he still wasn’t talking but gripping the steering wheel like he had every intention of pulling it free from the dash.

  “Yes. No. Maybe. I don’t know. My parents are a piece of work,” he muttered. “And since they’re my parents, I can’t just cut them out of my life.” He hit his hand against the steering wheel. “I’m caught between wanting to protect my sister from their wrath and feeling like I need to see a therapist because of how ridiculous things have gotten. I get calls daily asking for money, and it’s not just the fourteen-million-dollar trust fund; it’s the fact that I used to have my own YouTube channel, and since they helped, they think they’re owed the seven million it made. Just because I’m their child, they think they deserve it. They blew through a fortune in the last ten years!”

  My mind spun, still trying to process fourteen million, let alone another seven. I tried to play it cool like oh yeah same, let me just go grab my black AMEX, be right back.

  Instead, I stared at him like he had three heads.

  “What?” He frowned.

  “Sorry, that’s just a lot of information you dumped on me, and all I keep wondering is how a person can go through millions of dollars?”

  “Trips. Shoes. Bags,” he spat. “And it’s not like I don’t think people should have nice things, or a reward for a job well done, whatever, but when you’re spending money on private jets that cost more than your house for a three-day vacation that’s completely unnecessary? It irritates me. I mean, I’m the child. I shouldn’t be teaching them about money. And they shouldn’t be asking me for it just because they’re fucking stupid.”

  “Still your parents, though,” I said softly.

  He pulled into the parking garage under Wingmen Inc Corporate and sighed. “Still my parents.”

  “For what it’s worth, it sounds like you’re doing the right thing, the hard thing, but the right thing.”

  He grunted and killed the engine, then reached across the console and covered my hand with his. “Thanks.”

  I squeezed his hand back. “Anytime. What are partners for?”

  He swallowed slowly, eyeing my mouth before rasping, “Right.”

  I wanted him to kiss me.

  We both leaned in at the same time.

  I parted my lips just as a loud yip had me jumping a foot and knocking foreheads with Finn.

  “Son of a bitch,” he growled. “You have a hard head, no wonder you use it for spider killing.”

  We both burst out laughing while Princess panted between us, yeah me too girl, me too.

  “Sorry.” I smiled.

  “No worries.” He grabbed the pink bag, “We should probably get in there.”

  I didn’t have the heart to tell him that on the back of the pink pack in silver glitter, it said, “Party Princess.”

  He would, after all, find out soon enough.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Finn

  I walked in with Jillian at my side. If I was going to do this, I was going big or going home. So, I was holding both pack and puppy.

  Nobody really stared until we were in the elevator.

  A few phones were raised.

  Whatever.

  Hilarious. Finn Titus in an elevator with a pink backpack and a tiny chihuahua! Okay, fine, it wasn’t boring news.

  We finally made it to our floor.

  “Ready?” Jillian grinned.

  “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  “Immensely.” She nodded seriously. “Chin up, they’ll make fun of you, and bam! The day will just fly by.”

  Two hours later…

  I wasn’t hiding in my office per se, it’s just that every time I went out in the hall I was called pretty, pretty princess, and because I didn’t want to go to prison for homicide, I decided to park my ass at my desk and stay there.

  Jillian must have taken pity on me because she ordered in food and delivered it to my door for lunch.

  “Hungry?”

  It smelled like heaven.

  “Is that a gyro?”

  “It is.” She grinned and started to hand me my food and then jerked it away. “All you have to say is ‘I’m a pretty, pretty princess,’ and this is all yours.”

  “Cruel woman!” I roared. “How dare you waltz in here with that amazing smelling food and then sell me out!”

  She raised her phone and shrugged. “I have no regrets.”

  “I do,” I mumbled and stared at the hot bag of food.

  I was starving.

  I would starve to death in my office because, apparently, I was never leaving!

  I grabbed the bag and looked straight into the phone camera and muttered, “I’m a pretty, pretty princess.�
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  “Yes!” She burst out laughing. “This is my favorite day. I mean, think of all the good you did? Ian and Lex are implementing a bring your dog to work day like Amazon offices have! Everyone can bring their dogs!”

  “Yay.” I twirled my finger in the air. “Though I will say she seems calmer here.”

  Jillian rolled her eyes. “Duh, it’s because she gets so much attention.”

  And just like that, Slater poked his head in. “Hey, Princess.” He glanced around the room. “Both of you—”

  “Bite me!” I yelled.

  He cracked out a laugh. “I was going to go down to Starbucks and wondered if you wanted me to take the tiny dog with me so she can handle her business.”

  “Great idea!” I surged to my feet. “Here’s her leash. Make sure it’s tight, though, because she likes to get lost and—”

  Both Slater and Jillian were grinning at me like idiots.

  I shoved the stuff in his hands. “Not a word.”

  “I would never have the last word.”

  “That’s LITERALLY your tagline on Twitter!”

  He grinned brighter. “I’ll take care of her, don’t worry… Dad.”

  “And there it is.” I huffed as he took Princess and walked off, leaving me alone with Jillian in my office.

  Damn, I was alone with her a lot now.

  And now she was helping me dog parent?

  I wanted to throw something at the unfairness of it, of her full hips and the way she spread her hands against the black fabric of her high-waisted skirt, that silk shirt wasn’t buttoned all the way up, meaning I was dying to look inside.

  “You’re staring,” she said, a bit breathless.

  “Why?” I asked, genuinely curious.

  “Why what?”

  “Why not us?”

  “Did you even read that employee handbook?” she scolded.

  “That’s an excuse, not a reason,” I said softly.

  Her face fell. “I can’t lose my job. You can afford to; I mean fourteen million—”

  Something shifted in his stance. “So, you’re holding my wealth against me now?”

  “No!” She stepped closer. “It’s just, you don’t have student loan debt, you don’t have a dad who just lost his job!”