Page 13 of Ice Cold Chemistry
“I could talk to Dana.”
“And say what?”
“I don’t know. That the guys are being inappropriate? That I can’t do my job because they won’t stop staring at me?” I take a long drink. “She’ll think I’m being dramatic or that I can’t handle it. Either way, it doesn’t look good.”
“Okay, so Dana’s a last resort. What else?”
“I could report specific players. Grayson, mainly.”
“Would you?”
I consider it. “I don’t want to make enemies. I just started this job. If I go in guns blazing, reporting people, I’ll be the problem. The difficult one. The woman who can’t take a joke. And I hate that.”
Tori’s jaw tightens, but she nods. “I hate that too, but you might be right. What else?”
“I just ignore it? Keep doing my job and hope they get bored eventually?”
“Has that been working?”
“Not even a little,” I admit.
We sit in silence for a moment, the weight of limited options pressing down on both of us.
Then Tori says slowly, “There might be one other thing.”
“What?”
“It’s kind of crazy.”
“At this point, I’ll take crazy.”
She shifts on the couch, tucking her feet under her differently. Stalling.
“Tori.”
“Okay, okay.” She takes a breath. “What if… you weren’t available?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what if the guys thought you were taken? Like, seriously taken. By someone they wouldn’t dare mess with.”
I stare at her. “You want me to get a boyfriend?”
“Not a real one. A fake one.” One corner of her mouth lifts, like this is an obvious solution.
“A fake boyfriend.”
“Just hear me out.” She’s getting that look—the one she gets when she’s convinced she’s brilliant. “The guys would back off immediately if they thought you were with someone. Someone intimidating. Someone they’re actually scared of.”
“And who exactly would that be?”
Tori doesn’t answer right away. She just looks at me with raised eyebrows, waiting for me to catch up.
It takes me a second.
Then it clicks.
“No.”
