“You’re not here to make her jealous, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“I’m not here to fuck you, though, either. Am I?” Her eyes narrowed as she looked down at the bulge in my pants.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Barbie,” I said, my brain starting to work in overload. What exactly did Barbie know?
“Yes, you do.” She grinned. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. I wonder what Mila would think if she knew. And Cody?” She tilted her head back. “What would they all think if they knew exactly what TJ Walker had up his sleeve?”
“What are you talking about?” I said, but my heart sank as I knew that this had been a setup. Even the meeting at the bar must have been planned.
“We both know what I’m talking about.” She grinned. “So, you going to make the move on Mila, or what?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said again as I glared at her.
“She’ll be like putty in your hands.” She laughed. “And the poor girl has no clue. She’s going to think it’s all her, when you’ve had it all planned out.”
“I don’t know what you’re insinuating.” I grabbed her wrists and snarled.
“Sure you don’t.” She licked her lips, like a cat that had just gotten the cream. “You’d better make sure that things don’t get complicated for you.”
“They won’t,” I said and pursed my lips. “I’ll make sure of that.” But as I stood there and thought about what I had planned, I wasn’t so sure. Mila was going to complicate things. A lot. And not just because I wanted her in my bed. Not even because I wanted her to be my fake fiancée. No, I had to step very carefully now. I had to make sure that everything went smoothly. And step one of my plan was already in motion.
Chapter Six
Mila
October 4th, 2009
Dear Diary,
Something really weird happened today. TJ asked me what I thought love meant. Like seriously. For a few seconds I thought he was trying to tell me he loved me, but I don’t think he was. I think he was trying to talk to me on a deeper level, like I was an adult or something. I said that love is loving someone so much that you think of them before yourself. He then asked if I thought that was truly possible. I said of course. Then he just nodded and said I’d grow up one day. I have no idea what he meant by that. But I think he was saying he doesn’t believe in love. That makes me sad. For me and him. I think that’s a sign that I’m growing up. Scary, but true. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t screw his brains out if I had the chance. Hahaha, I got that term from a book Sally’s been reading. I don’t really know where it came from. How can you screw someone’s brains out? I’m not sure, but maybe one day TJ will teach me. And maybe I can teach him how to fall in love. One can wish!
Mila
XOXO
Present Day
“So, fun fact, Barbie just barged into the bedroom with TJ and me and demanded to talk to him,” I said quietly as I walked back into my bedroom. Sally sat up with a curious expression and a glint in her eye.
“So, what did she want to talk to him about?” she asked eagerly.
“Well, I can’t read minds, and she asked me to leave before she started talking, so I have no idea.” I shrugged as I sat on the bed next to her. My mind was spinning and all I could think about was TJ asking me if he could come and get me for anything. What did that mean? What was anything? Was he insinuating sex or was he talking about something stupid liking doing his laundry? I could still remember the time he’d come home with Cody and offered to pay me $10 to wash and iron his clothes. The sad part was that I’d accepted his offer gladly. I’d held his shirt to my face like it was some sort of trophy and then I’d sniffed under the armpits and nearly gagged. Maybe that wasn’t the smartest idea I’d ever had. TJ may have been the college boy of my dreams, but I wasn’t sure he’d known much about deodorant in those days.
“You should have listened outside of the door, duh.” Sally said. “Haven’t you learned anything from working in corporate America?”
“Um, I was a receptionist and now I’m basically an assistant.” I shook my head at her. “I wasn’t exactly in the boardroom discussing merger and takeover plans.”
“You guys are merging?” Sally asked in a surprised tone.
“I don’t really know what’s going on. I don’t think we’re merging with anyone.” I bit my lower lip, my head thudding. “I don’t know that business is going great. You know how this economy is. I know Dad and Cody have been worried. That’s most probably why Cody is working late tonight. I think they were going to go over the books. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m sure things are fine, but I’m not exactly in the know.”