“She’s the kind of person you can judge before meeting them. Some of the things she’s said just don’t sit well with me.”
“Can you give me an example?”
The stewardess brought me a bottle of champagne, which I quickly popped open and started sipping.
“Whenever a large sum of money pours into your business, didn’t you tell me you always end up being a few thousand dollars short at the end of the month? That alone bothers me, especially since she handles the finances of your firm.”
I took in what he was saying and knew he wasn’t wrong. “Well, it’s a large business, so I’m sure it went somewhere and she always has an answer for it.” I didn’t want to admit to Gavin that, yes, I was also suspicious of her taking money. “But as far as our relationship goes, she used to be cool about it until recently.”
“That’s because you’ve been getting closer to Ginger, man. She’s direct competition to Ria because regardless of what she says that woman wants you all to herself. And really, can you blame her? You’re the perfect catch for a woman looking for someone to spoil her.”
Gavin was right, and there was no way in hell that I’d ever date a woman like Ria. She was bossy, controlling, and extremely demanding. It was an ideal personality to have in a business partner but not in a romantic one.
“But I keep telling her that I don’t want to be serious.”
“Oh, come on man. Do you say this before or after the two of you have sex? Because women view sex as a sign of commitment. So while your mouth says one thing, the brain between your legs says something entirely different.”
I finished my glass of champagne and quickly poured another one. “Let’s change the topic because the mere mention of her gets under my skin. Any new movie contracts coming up?”
“There are a few in the works, but I’m skeptical about one of them. My agent tells me it’s bound to win an award, but the female lead reminds me too much of my ex-girlfriend, Melissa.”
“You mean the mother of your daughter? That Melissa?”
Gavin said, “thank you” to someone, and I knew he was taking his sweet time returning to our conversation. “Yes, that one. Anyway, our intimate scenes together will bring up too many painful memories, and I don’t need the added stress…or the effect it might have on my performance. I’m thinking, I might have to pass on this one.”
“You can’t pass on a movie that has a good chance of winning an award! Don’t you want that for your mantle?” My hands clung to the armrest as we hit turbulence, which thankfully didn’t last too long.
“At what price, though? There is no guarantee I could actually deliver what the director is looking for… there’s no award in that.”
“Good point.”
“Speaking of women, are you going to Ginger’s party this weekend?”
“How did you find out about it? First, Ria finds out that I’m flying back to the States without anyone telling her, and now you found out about Ginger’s party.”
Gavin chuckled into the phone. “Relax, man. Chase posted something about it on his social media, so I assumed you were going.”
I wanted to come off as nonchalant as possible because I had never been one to get emotionally invested in a woman. As a diamond broker, women were always throwing themselves at me, and all it took was something sparkly to seal the deal. But there was something about Ginger that kept pulling me back, even though we were only friends.
“That’s one of the reasons I’m going back to the States, actually.”
“I knew—”
“And before you say, ‘I knew it,’ no, we are not more than friends. But she just graduated with her MBA, plus she got a massive promotion at the spa. I would fly back if any of my other friends were celebrating those accomplishments too.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Whatever,” I said while feeling the champagne give me a buzz. “Anyway, I should probably let you go. This champagne is starting to get to my head, and I could use a good nap.”
“All right, man. Let me know how your girlfriend's—I meanfriend’s—party is this weekend.”
I chuckled while hanging up the phone, then leaned back and fell asleep for the rest of the flight.
The pilot had to wake me up once we had landed several hours later, and I happily took the latte from the stewardess while getting off the plane. The hot, humid air hit my face as I made my way through the executive airport, walking until I saw my driver waiting for me while holding the door open to the limo.
It felt good to be back in Miami, and I took in all of the surroundings as we made our way to my penthouse. As much as I loved my apartment in Antwerp, the penthouse felt more like home to me. A furniture designer had made my couch, which was a mix of contemporary and vintage. I had fallen asleep on it numerous times because it was so damn comfortable. Plus, I had a mini bar in almost every room.
Once I arrived home, I quickly looked over at Ginger’s condo to see if she was there. Her car was gone, which meant she was either at work or spending time with the girls.
