Page 30 of Billionaire’s Game

“I know. It’s terrible. I might as well be a nun.”

She sounded so sad I almost felt bad for her. Almost. Then I remembered that she got more action in a month than I’d had in years of grad school. But of course, there was no dampening Maya’s spirits. She quickly forgot she was feeling bad because her eyes sparkled, and her voice dropped low as she whispered, “Are you into threesomes or something? You seemed to really be disappointed at the end of my story.”

“What! Me? No. Definitely no.” I couldn’t stop shaking my head.

She looked like she didn’t believe me. “Come on, you can tell me. I can keep a secret.”

“It’s not a secret.”

“Ohhhh,” she looked impressed. “So other people know that you’re into threesomes?”

“What? I didn’t say that—”

“Hi, ladies, I hate to interrupt a very interesting conversation, but I was wondering if I could speak to Lesli for a second.”

It was Jude and I just wanted to hide my head in my shirt. I wondered how long he had been standing there and how much he’d heard.

“What’s up?” I asked, bounding up from my chair wanting to be anywhere but near Maya where I was sure she would just be even more trouble.

“Phone for you. It’s Magnus.”

“Oh,” I said, surprised. What did he want?

To my surprise, he extended his cell phone to me and said, “Here. Go ahead and talk.”

I took the phone and looked back at Maya, who seemed to be listening intently. I needed to get out of earshot. She was clearly planning to eavesdrop.

“Hi,” I said shyly.

“Hey, do you have any plans for tonight?”

I smiled a little to myself. He was smitten. That’s the only reason why he would continue asking me out even though I’d said no.

“I already told you—I’m not going on a date with you.”

“I’m not asking you on a date. I just thought we could meet up at my office and watch some Brain Pain episodes to know what to expect.”

“Can’t we watch them from the comfort of our own homes?”

“Great idea. I’ll send a car for you this evening.”

“No! I meant—”

He sighed heavily. “You’re great at saying no, but how about a yes every now and then? I promise that this is not a date and I also promise to be on my best behavior.”

“I don’t know... I don’t think it’s a good idea...”

“Why not? Are you afraid of being alone with me? Afraid that you won’t be able to control yourself?”

“Stop flattering yourself.”

“I don’t need to, you do a great job for me.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes, really.”

And now we were officially flirting.