The Wager (The Bet 2)

On the bright side, at least Grandma was getting him a limo. It wasn’t that he was poor or anything, but being cut off from a multi-million dollar company wasn’t exactly a mark in his favor, not after living the lifestyle he’d been living for the past five years. He’d partied through college, spent money like there was no tomorrow, and didn’t care about anything except himself. Which would’ve been fine by him if the money hadn’t suddenly run out. Well, not run out, to be fair. He was still a millionaire, but without his inheritance from Grandma things were going to be tighter than normal. Good-bye impromptu flights to the Grand Caymans, penthouse suites, and six-figure birthday bashes.

This year was the year he was supposed to have taken over the company.

Instead, his grandmother had jumped out of retirement and taken full control of the board again, leaving Jake as a measly vice president. Without the paycheck of a CEO he was feeling a bit… ungrateful. Or maybe just irritated? He wasn’t sure. But he needed a strong drink and sex before he could even think about going to work come Monday morning. Maybe Sarah would be available? Or Natasha? She’d been fun for a while.

“There it is!” Grandma nudged Jake toward the giant pink leopard bag. “Grab it! Hurry!”

With a grunt he lifted it off the carousel and nearly toppled over. “What the hell do you have in there?”

“Oh, you know…” Grandma waved him off. “A girl can never be without her traveling outfits and makeup.”

“Right.” He saw his bag and grabbed it. “So where’s the limo?”

“What limo?” She pulled her dark Chanel sunglasses from her purse.

“The limo,” Jake repeated. Exhaustion from the plane ordeal was really getting to him. “You were just on the phone and you said you got a limo for two people. Where is it?”

“Jake, I’m sure there are lots of limos that fit more than two people in them, and to be honest, I have no idea where one is. I texted instructions to the driver to call Char and her sister.”

“Why the hell would you do that?”

“Because the poor dear was exhausted!” Grandma’s mouth dropped open as she pointed her finger in Jake’s face. “After everything you put her through! And to think! A thank-you note? For what? An orgasm? Do young men truly do that these days?” Grandma scowled. “Poor thing doesn’t even remember sleeping with you. I’d say you’ve lost your touch—I doubt you had it in the first place.”

“What?” Jake snapped. “What the hell are you talking about? I can pleasure anyone, anywhere! I’m damned good at giving orgasms!”

A few snickers ensued around him as Grandma patted his arm patronizingly. “Of course you are, dear.” She mouthed “sorry” to the people behind them and linked her arm in his.

What the hell? Char didn’t remember sleeping with him? At all? Seriously? Was she insane? He remembered every single detail. From her soft hair, that smelled faintly of lavender, to the little sounds she’d made in the back of her throat when he kissed her. And her taste… Damn, a man could never forget the way a woman tasted, and everything about Char was unique, purely hers. It had taken him months to forget the way she tasted, how she clenched the sheets between her fingers and then used those same wicked hands to touch Jake—

“I know exactly how you feel,” Grandma whispered into his ear. “I always get a little randy when I fly, too. You’ll get over it. Now can we please leave before people see that the excitement of airports turns you on? It’s bad enough that you yelled ‘orgasm’. The Lord above knows I’ve exercised enough patience with you today.”

“What—?”

“Jake, a grandma knows. It’s fine. Well, when I was your age…” She chuckled. “One time me and your grandfather went into the airport bathroom—they were smaller then, you know—well, I had red heels on and they made me the perfect height for—”

“Grandma, please, I beg you: don’t tell me what for. It’s bad enough that my imagination is running rampant. I just… I need this day to be over. I need to get some sleep before work, okay? Let’s just get you to wherever you’re staying so I can get home.”

Grandma shrugged and breezed by him to the outdoors. She raised her hand for a taxi and gave him instructions while Jake helped haul the luggage into the back.

Once the taxi was on the I-5 he finally relaxed. Grandma sat silently next to him, her eyes on the Seattle landscape. He knew this was her favorite city in the world. For good reason, too. The air was crisp and even the bustling metropolis was surrounded by forest.

Suddenly it occurred to him: When was the last time he’d even gone for a hike or appreciated the city he lived in? That would be never. Shit, he needed a vacation.

Within ten minutes Grandma was snoring. At least she’d stopped yelling obscenities. With his luck, she’d start talking about her red heels or orgasms again. Aw, hell. He’d never look at red heels the same way again.

He clicked through his phone messages. A few from Aileen, where she’d misspelled words anyone her age should know how to spell. If a woman struggled just sending a text, perhaps she wasn’t dating material for him. Not that he’d ever tell Grandma she was right, lest she hold it over his head for the rest of his life.

The last text was from Travis.

Moved up wedding date. No waiting. Kacey and mom unstoppable. Be ready in two weeks, best man!

“Shit!” Jake slammed the phone against the seat and cursed again.

Grandma stirred but didn’t wake.

How the hell was he supposed to face Kacey and Travis after everything? He’d been best friends with Kacey his whole life and then… things changed; he changed, she changed. People changed, right? It was normal to move on! It was normal to outgrow friends. What wasn’t normal was sleeping with then abandoning them. Clearly Jake had an issue with commitment. He hated the way women whined in the morning. They were like clingy death traps. All legs wrapped around his, lips on his back—no. He hated it. He only wanted that one moment. He refused to give more.

Because in the end, when you gave more, people left you, just like Kacey’s parents had left her. They’d died the night he’d taken her virginity. He’d never gotten the chance to apologize for disrespecting their daughter. But what was worse—he’d never been able to say good-bye to the two people he owed everything in the world to. The only two people in t