Still Jaded (Jaded #2)(40)

As I shut the door behind him, I commented, "Pink is a very 'friendly' color."

"I got the message at the hospital. No touching." He smirked.

"It's more like—I don't need any more drama in my life." Still, I couldn't hide my grin as I found a glass for it.

"Your two 'besties' provide enough." He flashed a smile. "Mena taught me that word. I think it's ridiculous, but it's fun to say."

"More like all their female groupies bring the drama."

I didn't ask about her. This wasn't the time or place.

"I can imagine." His eyes twinkled, and he scratched the back of his neck. "So, lay it on me. What do you need to ask me? What do I need to do for you?"

I threw down the picture of him and Cadence. "How do you know her? Where was this taken? How long ago? Do you still talk to her?"

He picked up the photo to inspect it better and held up a hand. "Hold on, Sheldon. Whoa. I…who is this? I…wait…I do know her. She's a Hempler. She's well connected." His eyes widened. "Sheldon are you going after her? I'd be cautious. Her dad owns the Hempler Diamonds chain."

My eyes closed. Shiiiii….iiiit. I had not considered this complication. "What do you mean 'well connected'? How well connected?"

"I only know her because she came up to me with her two sisters. All of them wanted a picture and then they left. It was a private party for my movie Rough Blue. Her dad's a Hollywood man. He's got his hands in a lot of projects. The brand sponsors a lot of our media events. Her brother, William, was as an extra in a few of my movies. It might've been because of his dad, I'm not sure."

"Do you know her family well?"

He shrugged. "Their mom died when they were little. Her dad never remarried. I think her two older sisters work in the business. That's it. I don't know her personally if that's what you're asking. Why are you interested in her?"

I grimaced. "She's become a thorn in my side. I underestimated her."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing. It's my problem, but there's something off with her."

"Is your psycho radar going off?"

"Maybe." I hid a smile.

"Come on, Sheldon. I don't know what's going on, but I can figure out that it's something not good. You're in a hotel, and who do you call? Not your normal two toys. You called me. You're alone and backed into a corner."

"I wanted information. That's all."

"Bullshit. You called me because I'm not Bryce or Corrigan. You wanted a break from them, and I'm guessing you wanted a break from that world, which is funny because this is you. If you could become a hermit, you'd be happy. You'd miss your friends, but you'd be content. You might not want to hear it, but I know you pretty well. I know when you're asking for help without asking for help." He moved closer and lowered his voice. "Why were you in the hospital? Is someone coming after you again? Is it this girl?"

I winced as pain flooded me. "It's not. I don't know."

"I can help you. I can ask around, see if my agent knows anything. I'm sure he can find out some dirt on her."

"Your agent isn't named Mathias, is it?"

Denton laughed. "No. Tim is generally just a sports agent. He must have his hooks in Bryce, huh? He's a little much, but he's a good guy."

"He's a slimeball."

"He tends to give that impression with girls, which is probably why he specializes in male athletes. He's never had good success with females, personally or professionally." Denton laughed again and turned to stand in front of the patio doors.

I studied his back for a moment. Denton was…okay. He was a friend, of sorts, and he was mostly trustworthy, but I wasn't stupid. If Denton could sleep with me, he would. He wouldn't care if it hurt my relationship with Bryce. However, if he said he'd help, I knew he would. And he wouldn't say a word.

"Are you trying to burn a hole in my back?" Denton turned and flashed those dimples again.

I sighed as I dropped down on my bed. "I'd appreciate anything you can find on her."

"Sure thing."

"And if you have the idea about strings being attached, you better stop right now. I'm not going to owe you a thing. I don't work that way."

He held up his hand and made a scissor motion with them. "Consider them gone, if they were there. I'm not doing this because I want something from you, Sheldon. Sure, if you get the urge to jump my bones, I'm more than happy to make that happen. But I'm not doing it because of that reason. You were my neighbor for a long time. You and I have gone a couple rounds together. Plus, the whole thing with Mena…I know that you really did care about her. I want to help because I care about you, and I don't care about anyone except my sister so consider yourself lucky. And I can't lie to you. You always see through my bullshit."

"I don't know, Denton. You could make things worse for me."

He laughed. "All I'm offering is that I'll ask around. I'll have my agent do the same and we'll see if we can find anything on this girl and her family. How about that?"

I studied him intently. Was that really all he was offering?