There’s a knock on the door and I grin. Thank God. The cavalry has arrived. I open the door to find Tyler standing on the other side. I called him the other day, asking if he wanted to come hang out. It didn’t take much incentive for him to say yes, considering all the women I’m surrounded by. There needs to be more testosterone around this place, so here he is.
“Where are all the models?” He smiles.
“On another floor. I think Kinley wanted to create some sort of obstacle or barrier of some sorts.”
Tyler laughs. “Where is she? I should probably meet this girl who can actually dish back all the shit you put out.”
“The warden is across the hall. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled that you’re here.”
“Why do you say it like that?” he asks as we sit down on the couch in the room.
“She’s always worrying that something will go wrong or that I’ll sleep with the models and cause friction. Stuff like that. She sends the same email like two or three times and then has you confirm you got it and read it each time. But I can mostly get it. If this goes well, she’ll get her dream job basically.”
He nods, slaps his hands on his thighs, and says, “Let’s go to the bar.”
After grabbing the things I’ll need, we make our way to the bar. Kinley and Cassie are sitting at a booth. I tap Tyler’s shoulder and nod in their direction. He grins as we make our way over.
“Tyler, this is Cassie, the photographer, and this is the warden, Kinley.”
He goes for the seat next to Kinley, leaving me no choice but to sit next to Cassie. “It’s nice to meet you, ladies.”
“I’m not the warden, but it’s nice to meet you. I didn’t realize you were going to have company.”
“I got bored. Tyler is a teammate of mine, which you probably didn’t know since you’re not a fan and all.”
“I might have known that. And what do you mean bored? Doesn’t your right hand keep you busy enough?”
Cassie and Tyler laughs before he adds, “This is why I came. I had to meet you.”
“Meet me? Why? Is Carson talking about me non-stop or something?”
“Something like that. You are one of the few who doesn’t fall for his charming personality. How could I not want to meet you?”
“Charming? Is that what it’s called?” She looks at me with a raised brow.
“Of course. That’s one way to describe it.”
“I was going to say ‘man-whore’ but I don’t think that’s politically correct.”
Tyler angles himself towards her. “Kinley, I think you deserve a drink for putting up with him.” He lifts his hand to wave a waitress over.
“Now that is Kinley’s favorite thing in the whole world. She could out drink you two,” Cassie inputs.
“Well, let’s find out,” I say. “Two words: quarter bounce.”
The corners of Kinley’s mouth lift in a small smile. “You know I like a good bet, and I don’t usually lose.”
“Every bet we’ve made together, you’ve lost,” I point out.
“Hence the word usually. Now, what do you want to bet?”
“Wait a second,” Cassie tells me. “If you’re going to drag us all into this, let’s do a girls versus guys, that way it’s fair.”
“Works for me. Carson?” Tyler looks at me expectantly.
I nod. “Loser picks up the tab. Does anyone have change? All I have is plastic.”
Cassie digs out a quarter from her purse. We do four rounds and I’ll be damned if we don’t lose every single one. Cassie wasn’t kidding. Kinley is like a pro. The feel good buzz of the alcohol is coursing through both Tyler and me. His eyes keep going back to Kinley. It’s like he’s one of those pesky bugs and she’s the light that draws him to her.