Fair Game by Jasmine Haynes Page B

stared at the phone without picking it up. She had a couple of guy friends she dated. Well, not dated . They were . . . buddies. Rick and Paul. She got horny, she called one of them. One of them got an itch, they called her. It was the safest sex without actually having a relationship, and she had no problem calling to say “Hey, do me.”
    Calling Kyle made her hesitate. Kyle was different. Sure, he was mixing business and pleasure, but beyond that, she had a mess of indefinable emotions roiling around inside. Jeez, really, she needed to get laid. If she’d taken care of pleasure, she wouldn’t have to worry about mixing it with business.
    “Will you get over it?” she whispered, flipping open the SMG file and calling his number.
    He answered on the fourth ring, just before she would have gone to voice mail. “Hold a minute.” He rustled, and then there was a distant “Thanks, Kisa.”
    So. Little Miss Snowflake had wandered into his office. She wondered how many times that had happened today. “What’s she wearing?” she asked when he came back.
    He fell right in line, not even asking who the hell was on the phone. “Leather pants and a tank top.”
    “Leather? At work?”
    “We don’t have a strict dress code.”
    But he’d worn a suit, even for the quarry tour. “Bra or no bra?” she went on.
    “Bra. But it’s gotta be thin lace because I could still see her nipples.”
    “Horn dog.”
    He gave a half snort, half chuckle. “It wasn’t like I could help noticing.”
    “You were probably focused like a laser beam.” It was all in fun. She liked teasing him. She wasn’t at all jealous of Little Miss Snowflake.
    “I think you have a fixation on Kisa.” A dry note tinged his voice.
    “I’m just noticing your fixation.” She liked that he played along with her teasing. “Did you show her your thong?”
    He laughed. “No. I haven’t bent over once today. And I didn’t ask to see hers, either.”
    Hmm. “So you’re wearing my thong? Honestly?” She didn’t believe him.
    “Of course,” he shot back.
    “Prove it,” she said just as quickly.
    “I’m ready, willing, and able to meet anywhere you want.”
    “Yeah, and you’ll probably sneak into the bathroom before you leave work and put it on to try to fool me.”
    “I would never lie to you.”
    “Men always lie.” It was just a matter of degree and how bad the fallout would be.
    “Do I detect a note of cynicism there?”
    “Just reality. A little lie is not always a bad thing.” Connor probably told Faith white lies about nonessential things. It saved Faith’s feelings and was perfectly acceptable.
    “You’ll have to tell me the story sometime.”
    “There is no story.” Just her asshole professor in college. She’d put that whole episode completely behind her. Months later she realized she hadn’t been in love with Ian at all. She’d been bowled over by him. Of all the students he mentored, she was special amongst them. She’d meant something. He knew she could do extraordinary things. Yeah, and after he’d screwed her over, he’d moved on to screw another special , gullible little cream puff in his next class. Whatever.
    “Josie, did I lose you?”
    Thank God for bad cell connections. “Yeah,” she lied, “you cut out for a few seconds.” Damn. All the teasing spark had melted right out of her. She should have kept her mouth shut and her thoughts toned down. This whole thing was a bad idea. It could blow up in her face, get her fired.
    “Where shall we meet so I can prove I’m wearing the thong?”
    “You know, I’ve been thinking—”
    “Don’t think. You need to know. You need the comeuppance after yesterday.”
    God. She needed something to take her mind off Ernie, Ronson, Lydia. She could remain in control. “All right, where?”
    “Your place.”
    “Forget it.” Not that she wasn’t capable of kicking him out when she was ready for him to leave, but . . . well, just but. “And don’t say your