But he hadn't been serious.
Had he?
I bit my lip. Even if hehadbeen, I wasn't one to play games. I didn't like lyingorpretending.
This begged the question, why on Earth was I here?
But the reason for that was obvious. I had nowhere else to go, and he'd asked me for a favor.
I owed him, plain and simple. Unfortunately, this also meant that I couldn’t accept any payment – not without feeling like a total ingrate. Already, I'd told him flat-out that no money would be changing hands.
Stupid? Probably.But I had my own code of ethics. So, here I was, wondering what to do.
As I watched, the redhead leaned closer to Jax and whispered loud enough for me to hear, "We don'thaveto dance standing up, you know."
What the hell?
Surely, she could see the girl on his arm –me, his supposed girlfriend – or, at the very least, his date. How would a normal girlfriend react?
I spoke up. "If you're talking about the horizontal hokey pokey, forget it."
Slowly, she turned her gaze in my direction. As if noticing me for the first time, she gave me a quick once-over and a little smirk. "And you are…?"
Stalling, I took a nervous gulp of my champagne. "His, um, girlfriend?"
God, I totally sucked at this.I looked to Jax for any sort of guidance. I received none. He was still scanning the crowd, as if determined to not be distracted.
The redhead gave a little laugh. "Oh, please. You can't be his girlfriend."
I tried for a little laugh of my own."Oh really? Why not?"
"Because," she said, "I'mhis girlfriend."
Suddenly, I wasn't laughing anymore.Wait, what?
Chapter 9
Her announcement hung in the air, and I didn't know what to say.
His girlfriend? Seriously?
I was still trying to form a reply when Jax told her, "No. You're not." As he said it, he didn't even look at her, like she wasn't worth the effort.
It was so cold, I stifled a shiver.
Ignoring his denial, she looked to me and announced, "We're on a break. That's all."
"Yeah," Jax said, "And like I told you, the break's permanent, so stop bothering Cassidy, alright?"
"Who's Cassidy?" She fluttered her hands vaguely in my direction. "You can't meanher."
"I can," he said. "And I do. So cut the crap. I'm looking for Jaden. Have you seen him?"
She gave Jax a sly smile. "Maybe."
The smile was a total waste. He was still scanning the crowd. "I'll take that as a no." Finally, he looked to me and said, "Come on. Let's get you a drink."
I blinked. I already had a drink. I looked down and paused. My glass was nearly empty.
