All or nothing (Love in chaos #1) - Missy Johnson Page 0,15
the sleeve of my expensive suit, show off my Rolex, and women would be throwing themselves at me.
The problem is, most of the women who prowled there are only looking for a quick fuck, not marriage. At least, not a marriage that offers them no financial reward, but it’s the only real option I have right now. I sigh, because stipulating that I can’t offer money was a stroke of brilliance on Jake’s part. Without that rule in place, I would’ve won this stupid bet in a second.
Tossing my keys to the valet, I head inside. I can feel women sizing me up as I stroll through the bar, but my head isn’t in the game. I know I should be making the most of the attention, but I’m too pissed at Jake to even function. He is playing dirty, which means he really wants to win this. And the way he strung my mom along makes me want to punch him in the face. I sit down in an empty booth, flag down a passing waitress, and order a scotch. When it comes, I down it and then order another and do the same thing.
My hands grip the glass with such force it cracks. I push it aside and release a breath. I need to snap out of this mood I'm in and stop feeling sorry for myself, because giving in and admitting defeat is exactly what Jake wants me to do. The best thing I can do to get back at him is to win this stupid bet.
“Fancy running into you here.”
I look up as Jake slides into the booth opposite me.
“What the hell do you want?” I ask, keeping my voice cool.
“Ouch,” he winces. “Someone’s in a mood.”
“Maybe it’s because you’re fucking me over?”
“Be glad someone is fucking you at all, Tyler.” He lifts his hand and waves at the waitress, motioning for two more scotches. “As for why I’m here, I just wanted to check in on how you were going.”
“I wasn’t even talking to Mom yesterday, was I?” I challenge him.
His eyes glisten as I stare him down. “You’re smarter than I thought.”
“Will you at least tell me why you’re trying to ruin my life?” I ask, because I still can’t pinpoint where it all went so wrong.
“You forget this whole thing was your idea,” he reminds me.
“Is that why you’ve been chatting to my mom for ten days?” I growl, bringing my fist down hard on the table. “Admit it. You planned this. You set me up and I walked right into it. The least you can do is tell me why.”
The waitress arrives with our drinks. Jake pushes his drink over to me and stands up.
“You look like you could use it more than me. Good luck finding Mrs. Right,” he adds. “I feel bad knowing your weekend is mostly taken up. It doesn’t leave you much time.”
“What are you talking about?” I snap, ignoring the fake sincerity in his voice.
He laughs. “You’ve forgotten, haven’t you? Andrew’s bachelor party?” he reminds me when I don’t reply. “Private room at the club, just us guys and a handful of carefully chosen strippers?” He laughs at my expression. “Is any of this ringing a bell?”
I had forgotten.
Andrew is another friend we’ve had since high school. Though we don’t see each other as much since things got serious between him and Mindy, he’s still a good guy. I’d feel bad about missing his big night.
Fuck.
“You're lucky I'm a fair guy.” Jake reaches out to pat my shoulder, but I shrug him off. “I'll give you till noon on Monday to find your wife. Unless, of course, the bachelor party gets canceled, or you don't turn up for some reason.”
I leer at Jake, knowing that something is up. It's not even remotely possible that after the last few days of pure torture, he's suddenly grown tired of ruining my life. There's no way he'd throw me a bone without a reason behind it.
“I want it in writing,” I demand.
“I’ll email it over tonight,” he shrugs. “I’m glad after so many years of friendship we have such a strong trust for each other.”
“You said so yourself; we're not friends,” I remind him.
His lips lift, but his eyes are cold. “Have fun, Tyler.”
I watch him leave, an uneasy feeling stirring in my stomach. I don’t know what Jake’s game is, but I feel like I’m being fucked over. I glance around the bar, my eyes straying from woman to