Dare Me

“I think once you’ve fucked more than a few times and still see each other regularly, it’s called at least a pattern.”

“Fair enough.”

I’d first slept with Ana at a tasting in February. She was the only woman I didn’t wait to fuck till the end of the tasting, mostly because she’d followed me to the bathroom and said she didn’t pay all that money to taste only my Scotch. I was surprised with how willing she was to get messy considering that perfect makeup and tight bun. She wound up coming home with me that night and I’d fucked her over ever chair in the apartment. Of course, I wouldn’t have had Oz told me earlier that he recognized her from a tasting in March. “She was staring at you the whole time, brother. You just didn’t notice because there was some other pretty thing hogging your attention. Congratulations, my friend. You finally bagged your first groupie.”

There were a handful of women who were repeat guests at our tastings. It became quickly obvious to us that they weren’t coming back for the Scotch and while Oz happily took them home, I avoided it. From observing his experiences, they were the clingy ones. They’d put time into finally being noticed and they weren’t going to quickly let go of that hard-earned attention. Oz handled far less on the business end, so he had time for hot-but-crazy girl drama but I couldn’t have been more averse.

Lucky for me, Ana turned out to be as fixated on her career as I was. We didn’t see each other again till almost three months later, when she came by to suggest the article. Oz didn’t recognize her but I did and said yes to the pitch before stripping her clothes off in the liquor room and fucking her over a big shipment of vodka. Weeks passed before we had to see each other again and texts were all business-related.

We had sex three times more before Lake came back. Only when I declined oral the night of the photo shoot did Ana start to show signs of what felt like actual romantic pursuit.

“You don’t agree that we had a good thing going?” She reached for my belt. I removed her hand.

“Again, and I apologize, but I didn’t really take the time to categorize or analyze it.”

“Exactly. Because it wasn’t dating. It was working and fucking. That’s what we do, and very well, might I add.”

“Your point?”

“You and I are cut from the same cloth, Callum Pike. You’re a machine. Sex is your fuel. Fuel is for work. People like you and me get shit done because we don’t indulge feelings the way others do. It’s not like we don’t have the capacity. We just don’t feel past the point where it causes drama or slows us down. And I can see you slowing down.” She clucked that tongue again. “Which really sucks because of all the men I’ve met who share my unique lifestyle, you’re by far the hottest with the only dick that makes me come harder than my own hand – which you’re well aware is really good at finishing the job.”

I gazed down over the balcony. I could see my drink on the bar and I wished like hell that I’d brought it up with me. “I think I’m still lost on your point.”

“Trim the fat, Callum. Get rid of anything that leeches off your time and energy. Make your career your only focus and feed your focus with good sex, no strings attached. Preferably from me. And in ten years, when all our friends are married and we’re not but we’re the only millionaires – ”

“I’m already.”

“Whatever. In ten years, when all our friends are saving all their money for college tuitions that’ll go to waste, we’ll have accomplished everything we’ve ever dreamed of. And at that point, we can get together, be quite the power couple and have all the time and money in the world to travel, enjoy and look back on our impressive milestones.”

I raised my eyebrows. Clearly, I was wrong about Ana being unlike the other girls. Her brand of clingy just happened to be a long-term plan that was insane enough for me to almost admire. “It’s a well thought out pitch. But I do have to go.”

“Stay for a second.”

“No.”

Her mouth snapped shut. She was holding something in. As I turned to leave, she blurted it out. “You need to lose the girl.”

I looked over my shoulder. “Excuse me?”

“Lake.” Her tongue said the name mockingly. Something about it spiked my heart rate and suddenly, I was hot. “You’re drowning in Lake’s bullshit, Callum. You’re expending way too much energy on her and you just need a clear voice like me telling you to get rid of the drama. Get rid of the walking tits and ass that I will gladly call out as career poison. She’s not good for you and you know it. You know you do.”

I stood still for a moment. I let my gaze linger for another second as I processed Ana’s audacity. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Ms. Hale.”

She flashed a cordial smile. “Looking forward as always, Mr. Pike.”

Chapter Nineteen

Lake

I was running late to dinner because Isabel had insisted on piling my hair into a big, Brigitte Bardot-inspired up-do. “We have to, so we can show off the front of your dress,” she reasoned. My outfit for the night was one purchased at the boutique on Madison Ave. It was black, backless and floor-length with the kind of plunging V-neck that I knew Callum would struggle to tear his eyes off all night.

“You’re gonna die when you see what this fancy-ass place looks like,” Isabel giggled excitedly. While she wanted to keep it a surprise, we eventually wound up Googling the restaurant together and I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw pictures. She wasn’t kidding about fancy. It was palatial – apparently a historic bank in the eighteen hundreds, complete with neoclassical architecture and the kind of towering pillars that made me think of Ancient Greece. I hadn’t known that places that big existed in Manhattan and I’d certainly never stepped foot in anyplace so grand and lavish – not with even Caroline, who spoiled me senseless. I got so obsessed with looking perfect for the night that we wound up running insanely late.

“But your hair looks amazing, and I read that’s more important than being punctual,” Isabel grinned, playing with one of the locks that fell to frame my face. “Are you excited? It’s your birthday in…” She looked at the time. “Three hours and twenty-four minutes! It’s gonna be a brand new year for you, babe!”

I actually squealed because I really, really liked the sound of a brand new year. We were still giggling endlessly during the car ride over and I was so anxious for Callum to see me that when I noticed missed texts from him, I actually yelped.

“What is it!” Isabel squeaked. “What did he say?”