like him.”
Sasha’s boyfriend, Jack, who was Emma’s brother, was also super successful, wealthy, gorgeous and…yeah, Paige had seen him act bossy, except she’d also seen that he worshipped Sasha and she could call him on his bossiness and make him laugh.
“So, to summarize here,” Mallory said, as if she were leading a team meeting at work, “you can have the space you want, after all the months you’ve been looking and coming up with nothing. It will be at a good price that you can afford. You have a hot, rich guy pursuing you. You could go on one date with him and get him off your back. I’m not seeing the downside here.”
Emma giggled. “Me either.”
“She doesn’t want to be a kept woman,” Sasha said.
“ There’s a modern term,” Mallory answered. “But I get what you mean.”
“I don’t know what to do,” Paige said quietly.
“Tell me this.” Sasha leaned in again. “You said he scares you. But are you even a little bit attracted to him?”
Paige didn’t answer. Then she sighed. “Okay, honestly? Yes. More than a little. But I can’t go out with a man like that again! Look what happened with Delmer.”
“It’s good to be cautious about who you date,” Emma offered. “There are a lot of wing nuts out there.”
“I hardly think Raff Lauden is a wing nut,” Sasha said. “And you know what? Jack scared me too.”
Paige blinked at her. “For real?”
“Definitely for real. He…” she flicked her eyes sideways at Emma, “…he wanted me to do things I wasn’t sure I wanted to do.”
Emma clapped her hands over her ears. “I can’t hear you. Lalalala.”
Paige had to laugh. God, she loved these women. Then she looked back at Sasha and sobered. “Delmer wanted me to do things I definitely didn’t want to do,” she said quietly. “I don’t want to go there again.”
Once more she sensed the women all sharing concerned looks.
“But Jack showed me that I like those things,” Sasha continued. “That I wanted those things. That’s the difference.”
“Lalala!” Emma sang.
“But that’s Jack,” Paige said.
“Joe is like that too,” Mallory murmured. She set a hand on Paige’s back and rubbed a little. “But I totally get why you’re afraid, Paige, and I don’t blame you.”
“If I rent that space and he’s around all the time harassing me to go out with him, how am I supposed to handle that? Call the police? He’d be my landlord. I’d be at his mercy. If I pissed him off, he could evict me. Then where would I be?”
Sasha gave Paige a shrewd look. “I think you’re more worried you won’t be able to say no to him forever.”
Chapter Six
Paige dropped her head forward and closed her eyes. Mallory’s hand rested on her back. “Is she right, Paige?”
Paige nodded. “There’s something wrong with me,” she whispered. “Why am I attracted to men like that? I really, really don’t want to go there again.”
“It doesn’t have to be like that,” Mallory said softly. “You don’t even know Raff Lauden. Delmer was a douche bag for sure, but not every guy like that is.”
“I feel uncomfortable leasing from him. On the other hand…I really want my business to succeed. Why not take opportunities that are given to me? What kind of businesswoman would turn down a great deal because she feels personally uncomfortable?
“I came here to Chicago, determined to start over, to be independent and make my own way. I always had this dream of having my own business, and I had this great idea in the back of my mind for years. Delmer told me I was crazy, that it would never work. I really want to prove him wrong. I’ll do whatever it takes to be successful. But…” She raised her eyes and looked at her new friends.
They all gazed back at her with soft, sympathetic expressions. Not judging her or condemning her or telling her she was an idiot. “I feel like such an idiot,” she whispered. “A big scaredy-cat wuss.” She paused. Dammit.
Sasha’s boyfriend, Jack, who was Emma’s brother, was also super successful, wealthy, gorgeous and…yeah, Paige had seen him act bossy, except she’d also seen that he worshipped Sasha and she could call him on his bossiness and make him laugh.
“So, to summarize here,” Mallory said, as if she were leading a team meeting at work, “you can have the space you want, after all the months you’ve been looking and coming up with nothing. It will be at a good price that you can afford. You have a hot, rich guy pursuing you. You could go on one date with him and get him off your back. I’m not seeing the downside here.”
Emma giggled. “Me either.”
“She doesn’t want to be a kept woman,” Sasha said.
“ There’s a modern term,” Mallory answered. “But I get what you mean.”
“I don’t know what to do,” Paige said quietly.
“Tell me this.” Sasha leaned in again. “You said he scares you. But are you even a little bit attracted to him?”
Paige didn’t answer. Then she sighed. “Okay, honestly? Yes. More than a little. But I can’t go out with a man like that again! Look what happened with Delmer.”
“It’s good to be cautious about who you date,” Emma offered. “There are a lot of wing nuts out there.”
“I hardly think Raff Lauden is a wing nut,” Sasha said. “And you know what? Jack scared me too.”
Paige blinked at her. “For real?”
“Definitely for real. He…” she flicked her eyes sideways at Emma, “…he wanted me to do things I wasn’t sure I wanted to do.”
Emma clapped her hands over her ears. “I can’t hear you. Lalalala.”
Paige had to laugh. God, she loved these women. Then she looked back at Sasha and sobered. “Delmer wanted me to do things I definitely didn’t want to do,” she said quietly. “I don’t want to go there again.”
Once more she sensed the women all sharing concerned looks.
“But Jack showed me that I like those things,” Sasha continued. “That I wanted those things. That’s the difference.”
“Lalala!” Emma sang.
“But that’s Jack,” Paige said.
“Joe is like that too,” Mallory murmured. She set a hand on Paige’s back and rubbed a little. “But I totally get why you’re afraid, Paige, and I don’t blame you.”
“If I rent that space and he’s around all the time harassing me to go out with him, how am I supposed to handle that? Call the police? He’d be my landlord. I’d be at his mercy. If I pissed him off, he could evict me. Then where would I be?”
Sasha gave Paige a shrewd look. “I think you’re more worried you won’t be able to say no to him forever.”
Chapter Six
Paige dropped her head forward and closed her eyes. Mallory’s hand rested on her back. “Is she right, Paige?”
Paige nodded. “There’s something wrong with me,” she whispered. “Why am I attracted to men like that? I really, really don’t want to go there again.”
“It doesn’t have to be like that,” Mallory said softly. “You don’t even know Raff Lauden. Delmer was a douche bag for sure, but not every guy like that is.”
“I feel uncomfortable leasing from him. On the other hand…I really want my business to succeed. Why not take opportunities that are given to me? What kind of businesswoman would turn down a great deal because she feels personally uncomfortable?
“I came here to Chicago, determined to start over, to be independent and make my own way. I always had this dream of having my own business, and I had this great idea in the back of my mind for years. Delmer told me I was crazy, that it would never work. I really want to prove him wrong. I’ll do whatever it takes to be successful. But…” She raised her eyes and looked at her new friends.
They all gazed back at her with soft, sympathetic expressions. Not judging her or condemning her or telling her she was an idiot. “I feel like such an idiot,” she whispered. “A big scaredy-cat wuss.” She paused. Dammit.
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