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“Wait, what do you mean beat him at his own game?”
“Nothing.” I shake my head.
“Oh no you don’t! Don’t you clam up on me now. Tell me what you mean.”
“It’s just...well, I had considered seducing him so that he would lose my bet. I figured if I won, he kind of would too, and we could call this thing off and move on with our lives.”
“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Hannah admits, her smile twisting the way it always does when she’s got her plotting hat on. “The prize for his bet was you, but if he’s already had you...”
“Exactly.” I nod.
“But what if you go through with it and he still wants to see his bet through?”
“Why would he?” I ask, leaving out the part of the bet he clarified last night.
I don’t just get you in my bed. I getyou...
That one statement has swirled through my head on repeat since he said it. But then again, I’m not going to fall in love with him, so why does it matter?
“Because maybe he actually does really like you. Have you not been listening to a thing I’ve said?”
“Oh I’m listening. I just don’t agree.”
“So then do it. Sleep with him. Call him on his bluff. You get a night of great sex with a gorgeous man, he gets what he wants. Then you both can put this whole bet business behind you.”
“But we work together.”
“So?”
“So, don’t you think it will be weird afterward?” I ask, having never done anything remotely close to this with anyone I’ve worked with. I usually maintain a strict, no mixing work and personal rule, at least where men are concerned.
“No. I hooked up with Steve last year and there is zero weirdness at work.”
“I seem to remember a few weeks of weirdness following the event.”
“Fine. It was weird for a few days, but look at us.” She holds her arms out. “We got through it just fine.”
Am I really considering this?
“I don’t know, Hannah. I feel like I’m playing with fire here.”
“It’s about time,” she snips.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I’m just saying, ever since James you’ve been a different person. This whole no love thing and only sleeping with a guy for a couple weeks before ending things. It’s not you.”
“But it is.”
“No, it’s a byproduct of having your heart broken. But people have their hearts broken every single day and guess what? They pick themselves back up and they try again.”
“The risk is greater than the reward. Love is...”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Love is just a chemical reaction in the brain.” She rolls her eyes. “No one actually believes that bullshit. Besides, what is life without a little risk? Boring and predictable. That’s what.”
“Are you trying to say I’m boring?”
“No, I’m saying your life is boring. Think about it. You do the same thing every day. You go to work, you go to the gym, you get takeout, and you go home alone. Every few months you’ll meet a guy, sleep with him a couple of times, and then you’re back to the same boring routine. Even the guys you pick are boring. There’s zero excitement in your life.”
