lewd with men? None. Image is huge for her, and those pics don’t make the cut. And then she posts these? Never mind that all the guys she’s out with are all totally gay. Some of them look butch, but they have too many buttons undone to be straight.”
She forced the phone into Mike’s hand.
“Yes, you can sleep with Tiffany tonight. I’ve heard her talking about how she’s going to land you tonight which, as your sister, makes me want to shave her head in her sleep. But that’s beside the point. The point is that I owe Rori for pushing Luke into my lap. So I’m just standing here asking you if you’re ready to throw away all the ground work you’ve laid with her in the past few months?” She tapped the phone. “I know you think she slept with that Count Loser guy last night, but based on these pictures I’m saying she didn’t. Or if she did, it didn’t go well at all. This is a girl who is freaking out. I know, because I pulled stunts like this like a thousand times when I knew Luke was getting laid. He, like you, didn’t notice. I rubbed up on men right in front of him, and he grabbed the girl he was with and took her back to the bedroom.”
Hearing his sister describe the scene he knew she’d lived through over the years, Mike felt a little sick. “I’m sorry, Kris.”
She frowned. “Me, too. And obviously I’ve forgiven him for being such an ass, but I don’t know that Rori will. Her trust issues are a lot deeper than mine. One roll in the hay and she may write you off forever. If you’re cool with that, fine. But if you are thinking of making a big move when you go to New York next month, then girls like Tiffany need to wait. I’m just laying that out there for you plain and clear before you get drunk and stupid. Because I want you to be happy. And I like Rori—as weird as that is. She’s good people.”
“Even though she’s made out with Luke?” Mike asked, feeling a little bit bitter about it himself.
She shrugged. “You saw how they were together. Not exactly dripping with chemistry.”
“No,” he agreed.
“It’s up to you, bro. I just had to do my sisterly duty. I’m done now.” She started out, but Mike stopped her hand before it reached the door knob.
“Kris?”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s say I wanted to get Rori’s full attention without freaking her out. What kind of pictures would I post?”
His sister grinned. “That’s too easy. Post pictures that both she and all her gay buddies will obsess over.”
Mike grimaced. “Ew.”
Kris shrugged. “It is what it is. You post pictures those boys like looking at and they’re going to talk you up all night long and bring you up over and over for the next month. You want your shot at Rori? Well then, you might have to show some skin.”
“What happened to my sister?” he asked, shaking his head. “You used to be so innocent.”
“Yeah, and thank God those days are over. I’ve never been happier, which is why I want you happy, too. You want Rori’s full attention tonight, then get your butt outside and start a ball game with shirts against skins and make sure you’re a skin. I’ll take pictures, and only post the ones that will make her gay friends fight over the phone. What do you say?”
He gave his sister a side hug. “I’d say you’re tactics are mercenary and I hope I never get on your bad side.”
“So you’re in?”
Mike nodded. “I’m in, sis.”
She sent him a smile. “Alrighty then. Let’s go take some pictures that’ll make Rori swoon.”
“Let’s do it.”
Chapter 44
“Another round?” Fredrik asked when the waiter came by again.
Rori shook her head. “I think I’m one drink away from bending over a toilet.”
Fredrik gave a quick shake of his head to the server then focused back in on her phone. Rori eyed the go-go dancer dancing adjacent to their booth and took note of the fact that she was the only one in her party watching the guy bust a move. For the past few minutes they’d all been huddled over her phone oohing and ahhing and pointing.
“Do I even want to know?” she asked.
Fredrik looked up, his lips pursed playfully. “It involves skin. Lots and lots of skin.”