Game Saver by BJ Harvey Page A

relationship, and I don’t think she does either.”
    “Why’s that?”
    “She’s got two jobs. Both at night. I work days most of the time now. It would never work.”
    “Yet you seem to be willing to give the no-strings sex and fake relationship a try?” he asks.
    “Fuck,” I mutter, taking a long, long pull from my beer.
    Thomas laughs and takes a drink from his own bottle before putting it down on the table and looking over at me. “You never know—maybe you can both have ‘no time’ together. Stranger things have happened. I mean, even Noah Taylor conned a woman into marrying him. If he can pull that off, anything’s possible.”
     

 
     

    I am in panic mode. It’s Friday, the day before Cade’s father’s fundraising event/ball/dinner—to be honest, I’m not sure which. All I know is that it’s likely I’ll be the topic of conversation, the new broad on Cade Junior’s arm to be watched, examined, and judged from the moment I step through the doors.
    I have no freaking idea what I should wear and definitely have nothing in my closet that will measure up to the Carsen name. Working five straight nights this week, I’ve been sleeping most days, and have seen Cade twice more since our date . . . I mean dinner.
    The times I have gone out shopping for a dress have all been fruitless endeavors that have stressed me out even more.
    I need help, and there’s only one person to call. Grabbing my phone from the coffee table, I flop down on the couch in my living room and dial the number.
    “Hey Abs,” Dani answers after a few rings.
    “I’m in trouble”
    “Do I need to bail you out again?”
    “What do you mean again? You’ve never had to bail me out!”
    “Not yet, but there’s always a first time,” she says with a laugh. “What do you need?”
    “I need a shopping buddy. I haven’t been able to find a dress for tomorrow night. It needs to be respectable and classy, sexy, but not stripper chick.”
    “But you totally rock the high-street hooker look.”
    “Dr. Cade Carsen does not need that on his arm.”
    “You’re going out with Cade again? Another date?” she asks.
    “It’s not a date. It’s a favor.”
    “A horizontal one?” she muses.
    I reply with an unladylike snort—shit! That’ll have to stop. “That will happen afterwards but first, I have to accompany him to a fundraiser ball thingy-whatsit.”
    “A thingy-whatsit?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Is that the one for his father’s mayoral campaign?”
    “How do you know about that?”
    “Noah and Zoe are going. She’s really excited about it. They haven’t been out much since Misha was born, so it’s like adult date night.”
    “At least I’ll know someone else there then.”
    “Yeah. I’ll have to let her know to look out for you.”
    “Sounds good,” I reply, relaxing a little bit knowing I’ll at least have Zoe to talk to. “So back to my dress problem.”
    “Okay,” she muses. “And what kind of look are you going for?”
    “Sophisticated and stylish.”
    “Babe, you do not need to change yourself for him.”
    “I can be demure.”
    “You can. But it’s not you. He obviously likes what he sees if he asked you to be his date.”
    “It’s not like that.”
    “Explain it then, because it sounds like a date.”
    “I’m just helping a friend out,” I reply.
    At that she bursts out laughing, not trying to hide it at all. “There’s nothing friendly between you two.”
    “We’re very friendly—the naked variety of friendly—with a lot of shared orgasms.”
    “A lot? Define ‘a lot’?”
    “More than one, less than thirteen.”
    “ Twelve? Over how many nights?”
    I smile huge and take a sip of my coffee as I say nothing and leave her to stew.
    “Zach needs to take lessons,” she mutters.
    “If I remember rightly, your man does not need any help in making you moan but if he needs tips, we should definitely get Cade to impart some of his wicked wisdom.”
    “Aren’t orgasms amazing?”