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“You do that, and you die.”
“Such harsh words,” Bella said, laughing her butt off. “You need to relax, girl. Take a chill pill and have a fling, or at least find a hobby. Other than baking. That’s all you do. You bake, you try and find a place for your little cupcake shop, and you sleep.”
“She’s right, you know. You always manage to settle for either the ugliest toad in the lake or find the slimiest. And you consider them boyfriend material. You need to secure the kind of man who will treat you like the princess you deserve to become.”
I wanted to break out into hysterical laughter. “As if you’re going to find one of those lurking around.”
Willow winked more at Bella than at me. “I just might. But truthfully. Why quit what seemed like a dream job?”
“Because it wasn’t a dream job.” The two of them just stared at me. “Look. I’d had enough of helping my father achieve massive success. Okay? The job was confining. The actors were assholes. The production staff was demanding. I had no time to explore my dream.”
When they just looked at each other as if I was suddenly a green alien, I sighed. “What?”
“You should hear yourself,” Bella said as nicely as I thought was possible.
“Yes. Okay. Fine. I would love to have a sinful date. You know the kind of guy who isn’t a wallflower, doesn’t just pay more attention to his phone than he does to me, doesn’t try and impress me with Daddy’s money and who, by chance or some miracle, actually gives a damn about the conversation we’re having. Encompass all that in a hot, sweaty, dominating package of a man, and I will be thrilled beyond belief to fall happily into bed with him. After a nice dinner on his tab of course. Then he could do what he wanted with me, tying me to the bed, spanking my naughty butt, and using me for hours and hours. And hours.”
They were still both staring at me.
“Whew,” Bella whistled.
“Let me ask you a question. If I find this man who suits your rather jaded needs in every way, you’ll at least call or text him?” Willow asked.
As if that was possible. I laughed and lifted my glass as the waiter swung by. “Abso-fucking-lute-ly.”
Willow was one of those girls I should know better than to challenge. “Look out, world,” she mused. “One hot date on the horizon.”
Right. As I scanned the bar once again, while some of the men were kind of cute in a prissy boy way, they would crumble under my magical thumb.
I had no chance of finding a real man, not some pretty boy hiding underneath a ten-thousand-dollar suit.
Not in this town.
CHAPTER 2
Selena
I was antsy as it got, swiveling back and forth in my chair as I tried to concentrate on my business plan on such a beautiful morning. For all the wrong reasons, I couldn’t seem to do it. Maybe because all the teasing from a couple of nights before had kept me in a mindless process of going over and over the ridiculous and very few relationships I’d had with men over the years. None of the dudes had been worthy of talking to Mother about.
I’d balked against my father’s wishes of landing a billionaire catch, dating one hot construction worker after the morbid medical student I’d been goofy enough to date in college. At least the sizzling construction worker had a body made for sin but he’d had the brains of a pea. However, the rich son of one of my father’s clients he’d introduced me to had seemed nice on the outside, refined and could certainly carry on a decent conversation over drinks and dinner.
Then he’d turned into Mr. Handsy in the car, even going so far as to try to force himself into my apartment. Not a chance. The last guy had been a hybrid, not a bad guy by any sense of the word and kind of cute. But he’d been more into playing Xbox games than spending time with me.
And forget about the passion.
Our sex life had been like I’d been fucking a dead fish.
Ugh.
As Alicia, the real estate agent I’d been working with for three of the four months since I’d lost my mind continued telling me about how fabulous the place was, I glanced out the window toward the ocean. She’d been stretching it bringing me to this location, but we’d checked at least two dozen during our search.
“What do you think?” she finally asked.
I wasn’t certain what to think. “First of all, it’s not near any other shops. Second, I have no clue who would take an elevator to the twentieth floor to purchase a cupcake or five. You need a storefront on a busy street so on the beautiful, warm days you can block the door open, allowing the scents of chocolate, raspberry, and vanilla to waft onto the sidewalk. That’s how you bring people in through your doors. How much is this per month anyway?”
She gave me a dour look. “Twenty-five thousand a month. With three months as a security deposit.”
I was forced to press my hand across my lips to keep from choking. “O-kay. What else you got?”
