down the convertible top, he helps me into the backseat, his eyes burning a hole through my shirt as I climb into the sports car.
Dylan gives me a once over, and then he takes his place behind the wheel. Sloan connects his phone to Bluetooth and takes charge of the music. He flips through his Spotify playlists, and then a rock beat filters through the speakers. Once we’re on the Pacific Coast Highway, I get the urge to throw my hands above my head as the wind blows through my hair.
On occasion, I catch Dylan looking at me in the mirror. I make eye contact with him, and his eyes fall back to the road. Could he be more obvious?
Technically, I broke up with Dylan, but I had a good reason. We ended our relationship on horrible terms. I was crushed, disappointed with how he handled the news. I thought he would be more supportive. Instead, he reacted like an asshole and pushed me away.
An hour later, after sitting through tons of traffic, Dylan double parks in front of my building on Wilshire Boulevard. Dylan slides out of the car, offering his hand to me. I take it, and my fingers tingle from the immediate contact with his skin.
“We’ll pick you up after work,” Sloan says, resting his elbow on the center console. “If you get done early, call. Okay?”
I laugh. “Have you met Vinnie Sax? That man doesn’t know the meaning of an early day.”
Sloan reaches into his pocket, plucks a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet, and waves it. “Take this. You didn’t eat dinner last night. You must be starving by now.”
“Sloan,” I groan.
I turn away from my brother, and Dylan clutches my shoulder. “Take it,” he whispers. “Otherwise, he won’t leave you alone.”
Knowing Dylan is right, I angle my body to face Sloan and grab the money and stuff it into my purse with an appreciative smile. “Thanks, but you don’t need to do this.”
“Have a good day at work,” he says. “Call if you need anything.”
We grew up with loving parents who are still happily married, but they didn’t have much money. I’m not used to luxury, and I don’t need it. But now that Sloan is wealthy, it’s as if he feels guilty for having so much more than me.
Money or not, he’s still my big brother. I don’t look at him any differently than I did before his app took off. He would do anything for me, and I love that about him. But I hate when he makes me feel like a charity case.
Dylan knows better than anyone how much I value my independence. He would never force his money on me, nor would he offer it. When we were together, he let me make my own decisions.
After I say goodbye to the boys, I head into the office. I wave to a few people who work in the building and step into the elevator that Willow Duvall is holding open for me. She’s my only real friend in this city and a junior agent at my firm.
“Hey, girl,” Willow coos. “You look like you had a rough night.”
“You have no idea.”
She punches the button on the wall, and the doors close. “Out late with a guy?”
“You could say that,” I deadpan. “I got kicked out of my apartment, and now I’m living with my brother.”
Her eyes widen. “Wow, that’s crazy. So, you’re living in Malibu now? With Sloan.”
She licks her lips at the thought of my brother. Most women do. It’s gross but whatever.
“I got drunk and fell asleep on the beach with Dylan.”
Her smile widens. “Your ex is hot in a sexy nerd kinda way. Like a young Tony Stark but not yet a billionaire.”
“Knowing Dylan, he will be one someday.”
Dylan is brilliant, the smartest person I know. I wasn’t the least bit surprised that his app made him loads of money and even less shocked when it became the hottest anti-dating app in the country.
When the elevator doors open, Willow mumbles, “This can’t be good.”
Her brown irises bug out when she looks at the reception desk that’s buzzing with excitement. The phones are ringing, one after another, as the secretary pool scrambles to answer calls. One of the receptionists is running down the hallway that leads to Vinnie Sax’s office.
Brenton-Lake is the top talent agency in the country, but we’re never this busy. Well, I haven’t worked here long enough to know for sure. But by the looks of it,