My Brother's Billionaire Best Friend - Max Monroe Page 0,31
“I know what a fuck buddy is. Just hearing the words leave your mouth is…well, disconcerting.”
I roll my eyes. “Surely, I’m not the only person in New York saying fuck buddy.”
“Yeah, but you’re Evan’s little sister.”
A deep sigh leaves my lungs. “I’m not thirteen anymore, Milo.”
“That’s becoming more apparent by the minute.”
God, is he always going to see me as Evan’s baby sister?
What is it going to take for him to really realize I’m not a little girl anymore?
Suddenly, a lightbulb goes off over my head, and I spout the words without a second thought. “Why don’t you help me with more than just a job?”
“Help you with more than a job?”
“Yes. Help me navigate the New York dating scene. You said yourself I’m not really in touch with it anymore. I need someone with the inside track.”
It’s a shot in the damn dark, but one I have to take.
For the love of God, what if he says yes?
“Jesus,” he says on a sigh. “Help you date?”
I nod, and he scowls slightly.
I don’t know what to make of his expression, but after a few seconds of silence, he finally makes up his mind. “How about we start with connecting you with publishing houses and go from there?”
It isn’t a yes.
But it isn’t a no either…
Maybe he’ll be more open to it the more time we spend together.
“Fine,” I agree and point a teasing index finger toward his face. “But you better have some damn good connections, buddy.”
He winks. “Trust me, kid. I’ve got the right connections you need to land your dream job.”
Kid. He called me kid.
Every single piece of me knows I should be irritated, but for some strange reason, the way it flows off his tongue with affection and amusement, I don’t hate it all.
Milo
“Mr. Ives, your nine-thirty just called to say he’s running twenty minutes behind schedule,” my assistant Clara’s voice echoes from the intercom on my desk. “And just so you know, Caplin Hawkins has called twice.”
Of course he has.
“Thanks, Clara,” I respond. I haven’t spoken to Cap since I saw him at the hospital, but when it comes to him, there’s always a calm before the storm. He may be silent for weeks at a time, but when he decides to make contact, he always comes on strong.
Women, I fear, see it as part of his appeal.
I toss the file for GlossBit, the firmware company I was scheduled to meet with at nine thirty, onto my desk and pick up my phone to scroll through some of my publishing contacts.
I never have much time during a busy workday, so the twenty minutes I’ve just been granted is the perfect time for trying to figure out who would be the best fit for a connection for Maybe.
Or it would have been, if my phone didn’t start ringing in my hand.
Incoming FaceTime Call Caplin Hawkins.
Jesus Christ, this guy is like a bad rash.
Despite my better judgment, I tap accept and then transfer the call to my computer.
“Goddamn, Milo. You’re so hard to get ahold of, I was almost fooled into thinking you’re someone important,” Cap greets. “But, well…” He gestures at me and the computer and the fact that he has me on the line mockingly. “Apparently not.” I give him the finger, but he pays it no mind as he conferences Evan in.
On a sigh, I brace myself for the kind of call I can only imagine this will be.
Evan’s image shoots dramatically onto the screen, filling half of it next to Cap.
He smirks immediately at the sight of me. “I told him you had meetings all day, but you know he’s hard of hearing.”
“Only when it’s something I don’t want to hear,” Cap clarifies before laughing raucously. “Anyway, I think the point Evan is trying to make here is that you should always answer Old Cap-i-tain’s calls.”
“Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?” I question in amusement. “Shouldn’t I be the one always trying to get my lawyer on the phone?”
Cap chuckles. “You would think that, right? I mean, I am the bigger deal out of the two of us.” I shake my head and Evan snorts. “But you know I’m a hands-on kind of guy in and out of the courtroom.”
“Ninety-nine percent of the women in New York can agree with that sentiment,” I announce.
“One hundred,” Evan corrects.
Cap’s grin grows wider.
“Like you bastards should talk. Up until the last few years, we were nose-to-nose with conquests. Evan’s got a thick chain around