The Hookup Handbook(16)
I switch off the light and lie back down in bed, hoping a good night’s sleep will give me a few more answers.
Maybe Allison is right. Maybe, in more ways than one, Case is the solution to my problem.
Chapter Seven
Case
I drop the dumbbells on the floor, my biceps screaming as I finish the final rep of my arm workout.
That flu that knocked me out a few days ago? Came and left in all of twenty-four hours. That’s why I’m back in the gym first thing Monday morning, even though I still feel a little weak. I’ve got to get my body back in prime condition. Rippling abs and bulging pecs are a given with the job description. So is a rock-hard dick, but I still haven’t figured out how to fix that one.
Well, maybe I do have one idea. But banging Ryder’s little sister will only solve one problem and then give me a million others. Besides, Sienna has a mind of her own, and for as well as we’ve been getting along lately, I highly doubt sleeping with the boss is on one of her color-coded, alphabetized to-do lists.
As I move to the treadmill to finish my workout with some cardio, I wonder how Sienna’s interview at the ballet studio is going. I was worried she’d think I overstepped when I arranged it for her, but she seemed genuinely excited. I have no doubt she’s qualified and will get the job if she wants it—if she can keep her quick tongue in check, that is. I’ll never forget the way she mouthed off to me on her first day on the job, though now I can look back on it and just smile and shake my head. It hasn’t been that long, only a week, but it feels like we’ve come a long way since then.
After I finish my workout, I shower, then quickly dress in jeans and a white T-shirt. As I walk into my office, I find Ryder standing at my desk, and he looks pissed. Hands on his hips, nostrils flared. I haven’t seen him like this in a long time. What the hell?
I panic for a second, worried that he’s somehow read my mind and knows the dirty thoughts I’ve had about his sister. “Hey, man, what’s going on?”
He quickly turns at the sound of my voice, the stubble along his jawline only making him look more unhinged. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he hasn’t been sleeping well. Which is surprising, given how chill and relaxed he normally is.
“We need to talk,” he says, his voice low and measured.
“Sure, have a seat.”
He sits down across from me, and I lower myself into my chair, watching his face for any hint of what’s bothering him. Luckily, I don’t have to wait long to find out.
“I need a break, man. You’ve got to give me a few days off.”
“What are you talking about? You’re booked through next weekend, and with some of our highest-paying clients.”
“Exactly my problem. I’ve been booked solid for the past two weeks. Sure, I love sex as much as the next guy, but it’s starting to feel like I’m being punished or something.”
“Is this your roundabout way of requesting to be moved into some BDSM work?” I ask, arching a playful brow.
Ryder’s face darkens. “I’m serious, Case. I’m fucking done with this shit. I know things have gotten tighter since Nic left, but I’m starting to think I’m the only one doing any real work around here.”
I guess my absence entertaining clients hasn’t been as inconspicuous as I hoped. Still, I can’t let him know that he’s rattled me. “You’re fucking with me, right? You don’t think I’m doing real work?”
“You have Sienna to help you now, so I don’t know how the business side of things could be keeping you so busy. Besides, I can’t remember the last time you took a client out. I don’t know what the hell is going on with you, but I’m done being the only one picking up the slack. No one else has more than four clients a week. I’m pulling doubles some days.”
Shit. Clearly, I didn’t give Ryder enough credit for paying attention. Still, there’s no way I want to tell him what’s really going on.
“It’s this book, man. You know I’ve got a deadline coming up.”
“Oh, so you’re telling me that you’re spending every waking moment on this book, and you can’t take even one night off to wine and dine the clients who specifically request you by name?”
I sigh, scrubbing my hands through my hair. Fuck it. “Look, you want to know the truth?”
“Enlighten me.”
“The past few times I took clients out, I had some trouble.”
“Like crazy-bitches-trying-to-follow-you-home trouble?” His mouth tilts into a smile.
If only.
“No, nothing like that.” I take a deep breath, pausing for a second. “Trouble . . . in bed.”
Ryder’s eyebrows shoot up to his hairline, his eyes wide with shock. “Fuck, man, that’s—I can’t imagine. You’re only twenty-nine, and your career’s over already?”
“My dick’s not broken, asshole. I can still get hard. It’s just a little more selective than it used to be.”
“Too selective even for our hottest clients?”
“Even for them.”
“Fuck. That’s, like, my worst nightmare.” His eyes are still wide as he spaces out, trying to imagine it, and I swear to fuck he shivers in fear.