Charmed by the Billionaire (Blue Collar Billionaires #2) - Lemmon, Jessica Page 0,51

word, but I peek around at the crowd anyway. No one appears to have overheard, which is a good thing. I’m sure Cris wouldn’t appreciate her secret being advertised.

“We know who we are. That’s what matters.” There’s nothing complicated about sex for me. There never has been. It’s a way to have a release, reclaim the happiness and joy that eluded me as a kid. I lost my virginity at age seventeen, which might be young in retrospect, but I’m glad for it. Having sex was like discovering a new world. I had somewhere to go that wasn’t mired in grief. I was granted a much-needed break from constantly trying to fit in with a family that wasn’t really mine and none of whom looked like me. Plus, I was a nerdy kid. A mathlete. Thank God Will pushed me to play sports. Soccer put me in the same circles as the jocks, which kept me from being shoved into my locker on a daily basis. Turns out nerdy kids with decent physiques have no trouble winning the girl.

“You’d better not run her off. I love her.” Vivian pushes her bottom lip into an exaggerated pout.

“Cris isn’t going anywhere. We talked about it. We’re not going to suddenly not be friends. I’m teaching her how to be treated well.” The guys she dates in the future better step the fuck up. God knows those dopes from the dating app can’t tell caviar from Rice Krispies.

“Well I, for one, am glad she doesn’t have to lose her virginity the way most women do—to someone with zero skill who didn’t deserve it.” She grips my forearm and regards me earnestly. “I’m glad she chose you. It’s a big responsibility and you won’t let her down.”

Is she trying to put extra pressure on me? Don’t get me wrong. I’m fantastic in bed. I’m great at giving and pleasing. Her vote of confidence adds steel to my spine. I cannot fuck this up.

“Have you ever taken someone’s…” She looks around furtively before deciding not to finish that sentence the way she’d originally planned. “Have you ever been someone’s first?”

“No, but I remember my first time. I felt like an idiot. I’m sure I felt that way my second and third time too. Luckily, I knew the secret to becoming really good at something.” I give her a grin. “Practice, practice, practice.”

“What is my brother telling you? He looks full of shit.” Nate slings an arm around Vivian’s neck and kisses her temple. “Actually, he always looks like that, so never mind.”

“Oh, just our usual chitchat at these boring-ass things. Can we leave now?” She exaggerates her request by sagging under the weight of his arm. “Please?”

On this, she and I are on the same page. “What a great idea, Viv. We can leave Archer here to handle anything Owen-related.”

“Archer is busy with future prospects.” Nate tips his head toward the bar. A stunning woman wearing a necktie and slouchy white shirt is sitting sideways on the barstool, facing our brother. She’s wiggling one foot, a black high heel dangling from her toes, while twirling her hair around one finger. Archer watches her, his neatly-trimmed beard shifting subtlety.

“Damn. He’s in trouble,” I blurt.

“That’s Talia. She introduced herself to Cris and me earlier. She asked if Archer was as friendly as you.” Vivian pokes my chest.

I burst out laughing.

“Exactly,” she agrees. “Anyway, she’s opening a spa. She wants Archer to help her attract high-end clientele.”

“He’s done it for bars and nightclubs. I don’t see why he couldn’t help a spa, or its owner.” I study their body language. Hers doesn’t broadcast she’s looking for more than a business deal. His, on the other hand, is reading a little 007.

Listen, I know the way Archer is around women. I’ve seen him on enough dates to understand when it’s on. This Talia woman may think she’s propositioning him for a job, but my brother has something more nefarious in mind. I wonder if he’ll succeed. I would stay and find out, but I have better things to do tonight.

“Bet they end up in bed together.” I turn to Nate to see if he’d like to take that bet. He narrows his eyes like he’s considering it.

“Don’t you dare damn her to that fate.” Vivian is so sincere, I find myself chuckling at her comment.

“If Archer has a hard-on for anything, it’s his next business deal,” Nate comments. “He was already looking for something to do in Miami, so