It was nice meeting you, MJ. I’m sure you’ll knock ‘em off their feet.” She winks at MJ then leaves us.
Flicking off the straightener, I turn to face MJ. “You ready?”
She smiles shyly. “As I’ll ever be.”
Unsurprisingly, Bates is lurking in the hallway, waiting to ambush MJ, I’m sure.
He’s dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a white button-down that’s rolled to his elbows, exposing his tattooed forearms. He’s even got his eyebrow ring in and a diamond stud in his left lobe.
“Dressed to impress, I see,” I say as I stride past him. “Decide to go out with the boys, did you?”
“Nope,” he says. “I’m going with you guys.”
MJ’s eyes dart from me to my brother as we stare each other down in the living room.
After three minutes, I give in. It’s not really a big deal if he comes along. “Fine, but you have to be on your best behavior,” I tell him, jabbing a finger against his chest.
A massive grin splits his face. “I’m not making any promises.”
I shake my head and stalk toward the door. “Let’s roll.”
The car I ordered is waiting for us at the curb when we get downstairs. I slide in first, followed by MJ, then Bates. By the time we make it across town to the bar where this mixer is being held, Bates has his arm around MJ’s shoulders, and she’s blushing furiously as he whispers something in her ear.
“Okay, horndog, time to knock it off,” I snap at him as I open the door. “You can continue trying to seduce my girl after I’ve secured her a sponsorship.”
Interest lights his eyes. “A sponsorship? You’re an athlete?”
She nods then slides across the seat to get out and stand by my side. “I play tennis,” she says shyly.
Bates gives her a salacious grin as he comes to stand by her side on the curb. “Us athletes have amazing stamina.”
“Okay, okay,” I say, coming to stand between them. “You guys can bone in the broom closet later. Business first.”
MJ’s eyes bug out, and she gapes.
I give her a knowing look. “Babe, I know where this is going”—I flick my finger between her and Bates—“just as well as you do. And I honestly don’t care. But, like I said, business first. Then, you guys can do whatever you want.”
Her jaw slams closed, and Bates sidesteps me to throw his arm over her shoulder again.
He’s going to eat her alive; I just know it.
“Bates, a word before we head in, please,” I say, crooking a finger at my brother. We walk just far away enough that we won’t be overheard. “If your dick screws this deal up for me or affects my working relationship with MJ, I’ll cut it off while you’re sleeping,” I inform sweetly.
He pales and reaches between his legs, rearranging his junk. “Noted. I’ll make sure she knows the score before anything happens.”
“You do that,” I say, patting his chest. Then, I return to MJ, hook our arms together, and usher her inside.
I make all the appropriate introductions, and the night goes off without a hitch. MJ is a hit, and by the end of it, I have two potential sponsors vying for her.
When it’s time to leave, I’m not surprised that Bates and MJ opt not to share a ride with me. I’m actually grateful. I don’t need to think about Bates banging someone in the next room.
The night was a success, and I’m certain, come Monday morning, MJ will be ready to sign with me.
Over the next couple of weeks, I’m pleasantly surprised by Bates’ housekeeping skills. I expected him to be as useless at cleaning up after himself as he was at laundry, but I’m yet to come home to a disaster zone.
Archer’s presence has become a regular thing, though, and I’m struggling with it. Like right now, he’s sitting in my spot. Everyone knows it’s my spot—even him. Yet, there he is, lounging around in my favorite chair in the living room like he owns it.
My eyes narrow on him, and I kick his shin with my booted foot.
He grins up at me. “Can I help you?”
“Move,” I grit out.
“But I’m comfortable,” he says, relaxing farther back into the cushions, a shit-eating grin on his stupid face.
“Not my problem,” I say. “That’s my spot, and you know it.”
He shrugs. “I’m not stopping you from sitting here with me.” He spreads his arms wide then curls his finger in a come-hither gesture.
I scoff. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”
“Then