Page 16 of Negotiation Tactics
He hums thoughtfully and shrugs. “I highly suspected it after Papa Devon and Santiago spent all of yesterday’s golf session discussing how trendy Christy currently is. And he might’ve also mentioned it last Friday when I accompanied him for drinks…”
I throw a pen at my best friend, seething on the inside. So he knew, but didn’t say anything. I’d blame him, but he probably did it so I could focus on my work in Korea.
“I hate that he didn’t ask me before he went and decided it,” I complain as I turn off my laptop and grab the bag of gym clothes I keep under my desk. I’m already stressed today even though it’s just the morning, so a workout sounds good.
Brady herds me toward the elevator, punching the underground garage floor. “You know how your old man is. He sees an opportunity and he takes it. I mean, if she attends and agrees to organize the opening, social media will be all over it.”
We take his car, a sleek white lotus that I fear will end up in a junkyard with the way my friend filters through traffic, but then I remember he’s the best driver I know who almost made it into pro racing. Knowing I’m in good hands, I take out my phone and browse through Christine’s profile, realizing they weren’t joking. She really is trending, which means I can’t blame dad for wanting to take advantage of that.
Absorbed in what I am doing, I don’t realize we aren’t going the usual way until we’re past Irving and crossing the bridge.
“Where are we going?”
Brady flicks his gaze to me, then refocuses on the road. “There’s a new place in Beaverton, near the Hilton. Thought we’d check it out. I know the owner.”
It’s unclear what he means by knowing the owner so I follow up, “You know him or you fucked him?”
He takes a moment to contemplate, then grins. “Both?”
My best friend is a bit of a player. He’s probably slept with half the city already, because he never gets serious. I’m guilty of fooling around too, but it would be a lie if I said I’m not looking for something with a bit more substance.It’s just very hard to find the right person after the mistake I made with Christine, and besides, I’m too busy to look. Joshua was an exception, an impulsive decision because I’d had the worst day in a while. My dad had turned down a proposal I’d spent months on and I really needed a way to let off some steam.
Anyway. Brady’s preferences are why I’m a little surprised this guy is someone he knows and not just a hookup. “Wait, is itthatguy then? Your neighbor or whatever it was, from before you moved here?”
He looks sheepish. “Maybe.”
I’m dying to interrogate him, but I get distracted as we pass by the Workers First Union building. It’s a sad-looking brick structure that’s seen better days, with a sad-looking patch of greenery in front of it. There are two benches, one of which is currently occupied, though I don’t recognize the women who are sitting there and smoking. My eyes flit to the entrance as two people come out, but neither of them is Joshua.
“He really wound you up, didn’t he?” Brady comments once the building is behind us, catching me red-handed and causing me to snap my head to the front so hard I get whiplash. “The union rep guy that you hooked up with.”
I jab him lightly on the shoulder. “He did not. And I told you already, this and that are twoseparatethings.”
“Uh-huh, now try saying that like you mean it,” he argues because he’s an idiot who doesn’t care what others tell him when he’s made his mind up about something. But also, he knows me too well. “Anyway, so your union guy? Is he at least hot?”
I think back on that night, biting on my lip. Is Joshua a supermodel? Probably not, but those eyes… His dark, slightly messy hair makes them and his elegant features pop. He was fit too, so I know for a fact he takes care of himself, and even with the boring suit he wore yesterday, he was still kind of cute.
“He was okay, I guess,” I summarize. “Not really my usual type.”
Which is a lie, but Joshua Anderson is also my enemy. He and I are on two opposing sides, and I need to forget about him ASAP.
Brady hums. “Suuure.”
I slap him playfully and change the topic. We slip into a discussion about who he and I take after, agreeing that both of us scored the jackpot in the looks department as he enters the parking lot of this new gym. Expertly, he parks between an Aston Martin and a Porsche. Just looking at the surrounding cars betrays how top-end this gym is, and once we walk in, it doesn’t disappoint. The tasteful interior that mimics a rainforest and the quality equipment make our workout extra enjoyable.
“Feeling better, ye?” Brady calls out as I wrap up my routine and prepare to head over to the showers. “Less grumpy-constipated, more power-macho ‘no union guy can sweep the floor with me’?”
I flip him over. “Asshole. Joshua didn’t sweep the floor with me, thank you very much.”
“Oh, are you on a first name basis already?” I throw my sweaty exercise towel at him. He catches it. “And are you sure, buddy?” he challenges, putting back the dumbbells on the rack near me. “I saw how you were looking at the union building and totally hoping he would walk out.”
“I wasnot.”
“You most definitelywere.Now, I’m no expert, but it seems to me that you’ve let him get under your skin toomuch. I’m your best friend, I would know, and I am also telling you that you need to nip your little obsession in the bud or it will get you in trouble” he points out as we enter the shower area.
I know, but, ugh, it’s hard to stop thinking about the man. He’s just… so enticing. Meeting his prim and serious self only makes me want to see his bratty side again, to make it come out like I did that night. I know what hides on the inside, I know how his body feels, how he tastes… and it’s driving me crazy. I’ve never been hung up on someone like this.
“Whatever.” I wave Brady off, closing my eyes as I let the hot water rain on my face.
Okay, so maybe I am obsessing a little over Joshua. But I can keep things professional. We are enemies, we want different things. The amazing sex we had was just that—sex. We both wanted it and we both had fun. The end. I’ve just let myself get carried away.
