International Player(28)

“It doesn’t fit. I can’t see where this arm is meant to go,” Truly muttered.

Natalie shot me a smile, knocked on the door, and went in to help.

I’d always liked Truly, thought she was gorgeous from the first moment I saw her, but since she’d turned me down at the wedding, I’d backed off. Become the friend she insisted we should remain, but whatever attraction I’d felt for her in the beginning had been magnified last night. I’d felt it a thousand times stronger than I ever remembered.

So I’d kissed her. And kissed her again. It seemed like it had gone on for hours. And even now, sitting here with my hangover, all I could think about was her half-dressed on the other side of that door.

I needed to get a grip.

I pulled out my phone and checked my messages. My new assistant had arranged for an IT system to be installed at the office, and I now had a business email address. I knew I wanted part of my job to be investing in up-and-coming entrepreneurs, but seeing the state of the rehab center and helping the foundation had made me want to do more—really make a difference.

Natalie burst through the door, a huge grin on her face, then turned and held her hand out, coaxing Truly out of the changing room.

“It’s not very me, is it?”

I couldn’t focus on her question because I was mesmerized by her. And her outfit. “Well, it’s certainly very . . .” It wasn’t that it showed a lot of flesh—or any, for that matter. It was a one-shouldered black jumpsuit that teased with every curve it hid. The material flared out at the waist and clung to her arse.

“I knew it. I look ridiculous.”

“You really don’t. You look sexy as hell. Turn around.” It was conservative and obscene at the same time. “I think you should get it.”

“You do?” She looked at me as if she thought I was losing my mind. “It’s super expensive.”

“You look great. How does it feel?”

She avoided my question. “It’s not the sort of thing I’d wear in the office. Or at a ball.”

“No,” Natalie said. “It’s an evening outfit. Perfect for a date night. Or cocktails.”

Truly scoffed. “I’m not really a cocktails kind of girl.”

She was so cute. So bloody adorable. Drunk or sober. In jeans or an evening gown. Last night or now.

“Dates, then?” Natalie asked.

Truly cleared her throat. “I think I’d prefer to focus on things I know I’ll wear.”

Did she date? Was she dating? The thought of her with another man had my jaw tight and my fists clenched.

“The next couple of outfits are perfect for the office,” Natalie said.

Truly exhaled. “Let’s try those.”

Natalie was right; the next couple of things were perfect work wear. A dark green dress that made her hair look black as night and a pair of trousers that had me asking her to spin around twice so I could check out her arse and then wondering whether I wanted other people to see her look so incredible.

What was happening? I might have been able to convince myself that my attraction to Truly last night had been courtesy of the tequila and her red dress, but today, no matter what she tried on, I couldn’t help but imagine her out of it.

At the bar, I’d not thought through kissing her. I’d just acted on instinct and alcohol, but the same desire I had last night seemed to have seeped through into today. What had changed? Why had I kissed her last night when until then I’d been content with being friends?

I knew I enjoyed spending time with Truly. I looked forward to it, felt lucky that she gave me some of her hard-won attention. Truly was special. Rare. I liked her relentless honesty, the way my money didn’t impact the way she was with me. I liked the way I knew that although she looked hotter than Hades in a tight dress and high heels, she looked just as sexy in a Batman t-shirt and pajama bottoms. I liked the fact that she worked so hard and was exceptional at what she did. And I liked that I couldn’t outsmart her in a pub quiz or over a conversation about the economy of China.

But none of those things meant that kissing her had been a good idea. My relationship with Rob and Abigail meant there was more at stake than usual. My friendship with Truly hung in the balance. After not seeing her for so long, I realized how much I valued our friendship, and I didn’t want to lose that again.

What was happening to me? I groaned, uncomfortable at the unfamiliar, shifting ground beneath me.

“Are you bored?” Truly asked from the other side of the changing room.

“No, just trying to get my email to work.”

“Are you sure?”

I was anything but bored when I was with Truly, which was something I couldn’t say that about most of the women I spent time with. Maybe it was because I wasn’t sleeping with Truly that she was more interesting to me. “I promise I’m not bored.”

My phone buzzed. “Hey, I just got a message from Rob inviting me over for dinner.”

A ping followed by a giggle suggested Truly’d just received the same message. “Yeah, me too. But that’s weird for a Saturday, especially with Abigail in bed.”

My phone buzzed again at the same time as a ping rang out from the other side of the dressing room door.

“Ahhh. That’s nice,” Truly said. “We’re going to have dinner in their bedroom to help Abigail feel less stir-crazy. My sister doesn’t do well without lots of noise and people around her.”