Gentleman Nine(21)

Feeling stupid, I shook my head. “No. I was just playing along.”

“Good. Because you should never go home with someone you just met. Ever. I don’t care how good his game is,” he scolded. He was even hotter when he was angry.

Channing was staring off and looked seriously worried. Guilt washed over me, thinking about Gentleman Nine.

If he only knew about that. He’d kill me.

Channing never resumed character, and much to my chagrin, it seemed the game was over.

“Thank you for the practice run,” I said.

He simply nodded.

Surveying the room, I sighed. “It doesn’t look like you’re actually going to get to test your wingman skills out on me tonight, Lord.”

He chuckled. “We apparently picked the lamest bar in Boston.”

“It’s okay. I had no expectations. In my experience, nothing ever happens when you’re looking for it. You either have to make something happen for yourself, or it just falls into your lap when you stop searching. But when you’re sitting around passively waiting for something, typically it doesn’t happen. Sometimes, if you really need something, you have to take it into your own hands.”

His eyes looked like daggers. “What do you mean by that?”

I knew what I was referring to, but I wasn’t about to tell him.

When I hesitated, he said, “You know, I’m as wild as they come. But over time, I’ve learned to think before I act. When people are feeling vulnerable, they’re more likely to do something stupid. You might believe that you want certain things that you may not really want. You might be more likely to act on impulse without thinking something through. Spontaneity in life can be both good and bad, but many of the mistakes we regret for the rest of our lives were born from a moment of impulsivity. Sometimes, when you know you’re in a vulnerable state, it can be good to take a step back and check yourself.”

His words were random and oddly cryptic given what I’d been up to lately. It felt like God was speaking through him. I took those words in, but unfortunately, the longer we stayed in this bar and the more drinks I consumed, the more uninhibited and impulsive I felt.

“I think I need another drink,” I said. “How about you?”

“You want another Cosmo?”

“I would love one.”

When I took out my wallet, he placed his hand on mine. “I got it.” The feeling of his hand made my body react again.

As Channing walked over to the bar, I admired the curvature of his ass in the dark jeans he was wearing. He was charming the pants off the older, female bartender. I felt really fortunate to have this handsome man buying me a drink and to have his full attention tonight, even if we weren’t together romantically.

I got the sudden urge to shock him a little. Reaching behind my back, I undid my bra and slipped it out of the bottom of my shirt.

“Hey, Channing! Catch!” I said before slinging the bra toward him.

What I didn’t anticipate was my bra landing on his head. A wide smile spread over his face. Clearly, he was used to women throwing lingerie at him since he seemed amused but unfazed that my bra was currently hanging off his face.

He climbed up on a chair and hooked it over the bar where it joined the bras of over a thousand other women who’d lost their minds here before me.





CHAPTER SEVEN




* * *



CHANNING




Amber taking off her bra was definitely…interesting. It made me realize what shaky ground I was on because it was a full-on struggle not to make my gawking obvious for the rest of the night. She was so goddamn sexy without even trying to be. I’d always thought so, but I’d never really gotten to see that wild side of her until tonight. Of course, knowing what she’d told Gentleman Nine about me—knowing she wanted me—made my inner conflict worse.

I’d taken it too far with that “let’s pretend” game, too. It felt too real. I was playing off of our attraction to each other and experiencing actual chemistry with her. My strong reaction to her saying she’d come home with me was a little much. It’s not like I hadn’t picked up countless women in that exact same manner. But I couldn’t help feeling protective because her gullible response reminded me about the whole Gentleman Nine situation and how vulnerable she was.

It truly was my intention to try to hook her up with someone decent if the opportunity presented itself at the bar tonight. But the more time we spent there talking, drinking, and reminiscing, the more I hoped no prospects came along. I was enjoying having her to myself. But that was wrong, because I really did want what was best for her. And that didn’t include me. And Gentleman Nine most definitely wasn’t what was best for her.

I’d been relieved that she hadn’t contacted “him” again all week. That made me hopeful that she decided to nix the idea of seeing him and had come to the correct conclusion that it wasn’t the right move.

As I sat up in bed unable to sleep, I decided to check the account I’d created just in case there was anything new.

My stomach dropped when I noticed a new message from Amber that came in about fifteen minutes ago. She must have just sent it from her room.

I braced myself and opened it.



Dear G9,