Dirty Deal (Perfectly Matched 2)

“No. But I did forget to tell you something. Maybe it can wait, though.”

“Just tell me,” she sighed.

“Well…”

Her heart sped up while he paused and met her gaze with an intense one of his own.

“It’s just that I never got to show you my move. So I guess, if you’re determined not to sleep with me again, you’ll never get to see it. Kind of sucks, is all.” He frowned and released her hand, then walked through the wide glass doors without so much as giving her a second glance.

She stared after him for a long moment. He was just lying to get under her skin and into her bed. There was no way, with all that they’d done, that he hadn’t done “the move.” Assuming there even was a move to begin with.

But if he was telling the truth…

She squeezed her thighs together to quell the fresh ache. God damn him.

He thought he could make her uncomfortable all night? He thought he could make her pant after him like a lovesick puppy?

Well, if that was his plan, he had another think coming. Two could play at that game, and whether he knew it or not, he’d declared war on the grand master.

She stared at the glass doors and steeled herself for her newfound mission. She was going to take a moment and collect herself. And when she finally got in there? She was going to make him pay.

…

“Apparently we missed a memo.” He turned to his side, but apparently Serena hadn’t followed him.

That was fine. She was probably doing what he’d been doing since the first night they met. Flip-flopping. Trying to decide what to do about the problem of him.

What surprised him, though, was that the situation wasn’t as clear to her as it had become to him last night. The sex was electric, and the best part was that neither had any expectations beyond that. He’d be gone by the end of the month…so where was the harm in enjoying that time while it lasted? There had been that moment where things had gotten a little too deep, but they’d rebounded and gotten back on track. The fact was, she wasn’t anything like the nutty girls he’d been with in the past. He liked her. He wanted her. And, while it couldn’t last, and they’d have to call it quits soon, it didn’t have to be now. He’d deal with the aftermath when it came. Until then? Depriving themselves didn’t make a lick of sense.

Waiting for her to join him, he stared around and tried to avoid eye contact with any of the people surrounding him. In a crowd this big, it should have been easy enough, but since Serena was taking her sweet time, he’d have to be extra careful.

“You came!” A female voice said behind him, and he flinched for a second before realizing it was Q.

When he spotted her, he wasn’t so sure he’d been right in assuming her identity. She barely looked like herself with a giant star painted over half of her face. But once he saw her smile and those loose brown braids, he knew for sure that he was staring at his sister.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Was this shindig planned with a boss?” he asked.

She gestured around the massive space. “All my handiwork. It’s an eighties theme.” She pointed at her face. “You dig?”

He should have known that this was the sort of thing only Q could dream up. The gym of his old high school was transformed into the sort of bandstand that only really existed in movies about the eighties. Neon lights and colors abounded, and women in full-body spandex circled the crowd on roller skates while carrying trays of neon green drinks.

When one of the waitresses finally rolled past, he picked up two cups and handed one to his sister. “You definitely have a talent.”

“Why thank you. Now where’s your lady love?” Her face twisted into a knowing smile, and he fought the urge to give her a noogie like he had when they were kids. She knew the scoop, but he was fully aware that she was holding out hope that this farce would become a reality.

“What did you say about a lady love?” Serena sounded beside him, and he tried his best not to seem affected by her presence. Instead, he handed her a drink, and she took it with a coy grin. Gone were the baffled eyes, pink cheeks, and fluttery hands. Ballsy, sexy Serena was back, and she’d clearly rethought her strategy pertaining to him.

Very interesting.

“My sister was asking where you were. Q, meet Serena. Serena, meet Q.” He gestured between the women and they shook hands.

“Nice to actually meet you, officially. I saw you at the auction but didn’t get a chance to say hello before this guy dragged me out of there.” She jerked a thumb in his direction. “I’ve heard so much about you,” Serena said.

“Is that so?” Q eyed him and then focused on Serena again. “Well, I’m very pleased to meet you, too. Let’s get to know each other better at a table, huh?” Q sliced through the crowd, and they followed behind, Serena taking the lead.

This time he didn’t worry about recognizing the faces around him. He didn’t even bother to look. The sole of his attention was on Serena’s form as she walked, her ass swaying like a cartoon vixen.

Her skirt was so small and tight that he hadn’t been able to look at her for most of the ride over. If he’d so much as dared, he would have pulled the car over the second he saw her and convinced her to change her mind if only so that he could catch another glimpse of what was underneath that tiny skirt. If he hadn’t known better, he would have thought she was teasing him on purpose. Even now, his cock twitched at the thought of having her all to himself.

Q sat at one of the small cocktail tables along the cinder-block wall. He hadn’t noticed, but apparently the two women had been chatting as they’d moved through the crowd, and now they were each in a fit of laughter.

It should have been a nice sight, but it was chilling to see them with their heads together. The mischievous grin on Serena’s face did nothing to help matters, either.

“I’d like to offer a toast.” He raised his glass and the ladies followed his lead. “To the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.” He pinned Serena with a stare and clicked his glass with hers. “And to a wonderful night together.”

Rather than responding to the thinly veiled pass, Serena sipped her drink, but she couldn’t hide the blush on her cheeks. Point one, Bryan.

And the wins just kept coming. For a solid hour, they hung around the table and talked about Q and her business. About what high school had been like. About everything.

It was a strange sort of thing to watch his sister and Serena. After their difficult childhood, Q had abandonment issues, and while she was outgoing, she’d never been one to get close too quickly, but with Serena the friendship seemed almost instantaneous. Within the first hour, the women were already starting to finish each other’s sentences.

In fact, the fates were so in his favor that even the fake girlfriend thing was working like a charm. Girls who had previously latched onto him at events like this tried to inch toward them, but Serena was quick to shut them down, playing her part to the hilt. Probably more than technically necessary, but he wasn’t complaining. It was all going perfectly.

And then Piper showed up.

“Well look who’s here! Hey Bryan, hey Q! Sabrina,” she added, shooting an icy look in his date’s direction.

“Now Piper, don’t be such a witch, you know that’s not her name,” his sister said, leaning closer to Serena and baring her teeth at his ex.

Damn. And things had been going so well.

“How was the apple pie, Bryan?” she asked, pointedly ignoring Q and pinning her too-bright gaze on him.

“You’d have to ask the raccoons,” Serena said with an apologetic shrug. “He was so stuffed from eating all my pie, we had to throw yours away.”

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. One second, Piper was faking nice and the next, she was tugging her earrings off and lunging for Serena. He stepped between them, and Q held Piper back as she screamed at Serena over her shoulder.

“You scrawny little bitch! You think you can hold on to him any better th

an I did?”

“Listen here, you crazy ho,” Q hissed. “If you fuck up my party, I’m going to wring your little neck, you hear me? Now either walk away and find some friend who can talk you down or I’m calling the cops.”

Nostrils flared, and she seemed like she was going to argue, but one look at the dead serious expression on his sister’s face and Piper took a step back. “Yeah. Okay.”

“No more trouble tonight. I mean it,” Q warned.

Piper shot one long, last look in his direction before turning on her heel and stalking away.

“That never gets old,” Q said with an eye roll. “Sorry, Serena. You okay?”

“Yeah, we’ve danced this dance a couple times. Tell you the truth, I’m getting kinda used to it.”

Q smirked. “See that? You guys would make a great couple. Maybe you should try—”

“Hey, would you look at that,” he cut in. So much for Q to the rescue. The easy, relaxed vibe at the table was long gone, and now with every word out of his sister’s mouth, Serena’s face grew more panic-stricken. He had some serious backpedaling to do, and the only way to solve things was to get away from the touchy-feely and back toward the…touchy.