Page 138 of Zach
More real than I imagined for you.”
“What does that mean?” But I know. And by the look he shoots me, he knows that. The plastic
women. The women who want one thing from me…well, my money too, so two things. “I don’t know
what the fuck I’m doing.”
“Clearly,” he says dryly, eyeing my still-unbuttoned shirt.
I take a swig of the scotch and savor the heat. “What the hell are you doing here?”
He quirks a brow. “I’m here for you. I didn’t want you to have to do this on your own. What you
said, about the events and shit that we leave you to do? You’re right. It’s not fair of us to put that all
on you. So I’m here, ready to schmooze and shake hands. That’s pretty much all you do, right?” He
gives me a shit-eating grin, and the web of crazy I’m stuck in loosens, most of the tension draining out
of me.
“You know damned well I do more than that. After tonight, the hospital expansion will be fully
funded, thanks to me.”
So typical of Ransom, he doesn’t trash talk or give me shit. He just smiles. “Nice job, brother.”
And like I do every time he praises me, I squirm a little in my seat. What can I say? I’m a praise
whore. “So we’re not needed in there?”
“Not really. It wouldn’t hurt to go in and shake some hands. You might be able to squeeze out a
few more donations, but it’s not necessary.”
“Good. Then we can sit here, have another drink, and you can tell me why you’re wandering
around half-naked.”
I groan and slump in the booth. “I need a double for that story.”
“SHIT, IS SHE OK?” RANSOM ASKS WITH A WINCE.
“Yeah, her skin was a lot less red when I left. She’ll use the lotion, and hopefully, she’ll feel
better.”
He hums and studies me over the rim of his glass. “So…why exactly did you leave her, mostly
naked, alone in the room? Seems to me you missed a golden opportunity there.”
“I’ve been asking myself the same damn thing,” I mumble, staring at the bottom of my glass. That
went down way too fast. I put it on the table and push it away. The waitress catches my eye, and I
wave her off. I don’t want more. My head needs to be clear when I knock on that hotel room door.
“Do you really not know?” he asks in disbelief.
