“To what?” I ask, my heart lurching into my throat.
“To firing Amy that first week.”
“Oh.”
“But then, after she told me about you, I decided to keep her around and keep her busy, so she’d stay out of my shit. But, I’ll be damned, that crazy little unicorn kept delivering whatever stupid thing I’d asked of her. Until one day, I realized I’d started liking the kid, despite myself. And not only that, she’d gotten damned good at her job. By the end, she was the best PA I’d ever had. My little unicorn.”
“Amy said you called her ‘unicorn’ because of a welt on her forehead the first week.”
Caleb chuckles. “True. But I kept calling her that, long after the welt had disappeared, because she’d gotten so damned good at her job.”
My heart squeezes with pride for Amy. “She’s looking for a permanent PA job in LA. Hire the girl.”
“She already asked me, but I can’t. When I’m home, I’m a hermit. Having Amy around would drive me batshit crazy. She’d try to organize everything. Keep me on schedule. Make me do something with my life. Be a better man. Fuck that shit. If I want to sit on a balcony and smoke a blunt and stare at the ocean, that’s what I’ll do.”
“I don’t want her working for a douchebag, man.”
“Then you hire her.”
“I can’t. I don’t need an assistant, any more than you do. But also . . .” I sigh. “It’s complicated.”
“Well, if she wants to work in LA, then odds are high she’s gonna wind up working for a douchebag.”
“Not if I can help it. I’m gonna introduce her around and make sure she winds up with someone who doesn’t think dick-sucking is part of a PA’s job description.”
Caleb snickers. “Do you always work this hard at finding jobs for all your honorary little sisters?”
“I’ve only got the one.” I glance at the time on my phone. “Shit. I should go. I’m in my buddy’s wedding tomorrow. It’s gonna be a long day.”
“Get your beauty sleep, Colinoscopy. It was great talking to you.”
“You, too, C-Bomb.”
“Hit me up whenever you’re back in LA. We’ll hang out.”
My heart leaps. “I will. Goodnight, brother.”
“Goodnight, brother.”
I end the call and stare at the ceiling for a long moment, feeling an ocean of relief and excitement coursing through me about our conversation. The comradery between us felt the same as it always did. It was like no time had passed.
Amy.
Those same sexual images from before flicker across my mind, against my will.
Fuck.
I roll onto my side, my mind racing, and finally decide to try that technique Ryan told me about to clear my racing thoughts when insomnia strikes. What’d Ryan tell me, again? Oh yeah. Think of unrelated objects, one after another, and soon, your mind will be clear and you’ll drift off to sleep.
I roll onto my back, take a deep breath, and let my mind wander.
Horse. Barn.
Shit. Those things are related.
Horse. Daisy. Cloud.
Yeah, good. This is working. I’m already feeling more relaxed.
Suitcase. Vodka. Lemonade.
Shit. Vodka and lemonade are kind of related.
Genovia. Curly hair. Green eyes.
Perfect. Fucking. Tits.
In a flash, I see myself devouring Amy’s perfect tits. Her head is thrown back and she’s screaming my name.
Jesus.
Stop.
I roll onto my other side and realize I’m hard as a rock and my balls ache. With a deep sigh, I grab my phone, swipe into my favorite porn purveyor, and head to my saved videos. I click on the one at the top of my list—a clip that always gets me off fast. As the video gets started, I shove my hand into my boxers and grab my dick, ready to get going . . . and suddenly freeze.
Oh, fuck.
The woman getting banged from behind in the video looks like Amy. Auburn hair. Peaches and cream skin. Full lips. Freckles on her nose. Perfect tits.
Obviously, I couldn’t have known my porn star of choice resembled the adult version of Amy O’Brien. But now that I do, I’m disgusted with myself. I mean, the resemblance is uncanny!
I swipe into Instagram to look at the photo I posted of Amy and me tonight—and, yep, there’s no denying Amy looks like my favorite porn star, though Amy is much prettier.
Whoa. Kiera liked the photo of Amy and me! Why the hell would she do that?
For some reason, that pisses me off. I didn’t post that photo for Kiera to see it. I didn’t intend to bait her. I posted it for Nate. To make him feel like a tool for negging Amy. And, yes, if I’m being honest, also for Laila, too. I thought maybe she’d see it, which it turned out she did, and show it to her hotheaded boyfriend and say, “See? I told you Colin’s not interested in me anymore!” Which, in turn, would hopefully keep Savage from shooting me daggers—or maybe even shooting me—throughout Laila’s birthday party.