Fat Cat Liar

Lawson tenses, his arm tightening on my shoulder.

“Hey, I wasn’t a creeper. And, besides, that hot guy is sitting beside you, so I’d say it worked out well.”

“I don’t talk for a reason, Jenny. This is my business.”

“I didn’t ask for his credit card number or address. I asked if he was as gorgeous in person. Lighten up.”

Jonas cuts me off before I can argue with her more. “I’m not interested in this guy at all. I’m wondering how Lawson is still alive. Last time I showed up when Greer was working, she threatened to cut my balls off.”

“You came to my office with the intention of meeting a model,” I point out.

“You still threatened me.”

I let out a little yelp when Lawson slips his arm under my knees and effortlessly lifts me onto his lap without knocking the table. “It was a coincidence. I was going to take Greer to lunch, but she was busy.”

“Lunch my ass. We all knew she had that appointment. Play coy all you want, but Haley gave me a detailed run down,” Jenny adds.

Lawson shrugs, drinking his beer.

“Besides, Greer’s not swayed by fame and fortune. She’s gotten enough of it in her life.”

It’s my turn to tense.

Jerking my head to Enrique, I silently ask him to wade in. “Yeah, being in her line of work, meeting celebrities comes with the territory.”

I breathe a sigh of relief because his statement falls in line with what I told Lawson last week.

“Absolutely, I bet when Greyson drops Greer’s name, her business is going to explode with the who’s who in the city,” Bessie boasts a little too chirpily.

“Speaking of business, did you hear what Enrique and I will be working on starting next week?” Jonas’s lips split into a sly grin.

Excellent gateway to change the subject.

“Don’t ask! Please, no one ask!” Jenny shakes her head fiercely.

“I already know because I work with you dummies,” Bessie throws in.

“Well, I don’t. What am I missing?” I dart my eyes around the table.

Enrique and Jonas share a look right before Jonas sets his beer on the table and scrubs his hands together dramatically.

I know immediately this could get very, very inappropriate.

“Enrique and I will begin a new project dissecting the chemical balance of semen.”

Lawson starts to choke, his chest heaving against my shoulder. I twist, yanking his beer out of his hand, and doing my best to reach behind and slap his back. His face turns a bright shade of red, and his eyes glisten.

“What did you say?” he gasps.

I grab my water glass from earlier, offering him my straw. He gulps it down, catching his breath.

“S-e-m-e-n. We’ll be launching a new study,” Jonas repeats.

“What kind of fucking lab do you work in? First, condom effectiveness, and now, this? Is it a sexual disease facility?”

Bessie snorts and Jenny chuckles as I wait on pins and needles to see how they’ll explain this.

“It’s a biological and chemical laboratory for research. Our part will be to separate the sperm from the liquid and break down the components for testing.”