Page 3 of Worth Every Game
“You can’t have an amateur play at your boyfriend’s party just because she’s your best friend. He’s Nico fucking Hawkston.” I gesticulate emphatically with one hand, but Kate doesn’t look convinced, despite the fact that Nico is one of the youngest billionaires in the UK, if not the whole world. “If you were dating a regular guy, I’d say yes. Of course, I would. But not for Nico. The stakes are too high, and it would be your reputation on the line.”
“Jack…” Kate says in a tone that’s meant to warn me off, but I’m not about to let her make a fool of herself in front of London society.
“I’m not trying to be an arse here. There’s a lot to consider; it’s not just about Nico. It’s his reputation too. The business. The brand. The PR of the damn thing.” I tap my hand on the table to make sure she’s listening, and her eyes widen slightly. “Everything he does, and everything connected with him, reflects on Hawkston Global Hotels, and therefore, on us.” Nico bought out our family business last year, and now we both work for him, but not even this point reduces the resistance emanating off Kate as she crosses her arms and glares at me. I refuse to back down. “You can’t invite London’s finest to a party and have a late-night basement singer be their entertainment. Be serious. You have to hire a professional.”
So much for treading carefully.
Kate sucks in a gasp. “But Elly’s great.”
Her defense sounds flimsy as fuck, and I reckon she knows it, but she doesn’t look ready to concede that I’m right, so I keep going. “Maybe she is, but where else has she performed? Are you confident she could handle that sort of pressure? As far as I’m aware, she’s never even sung in the lobby of a Hawkston Hotel, let alone at a party for the CEO.”
This seems to penetrate, and when Kate says, “I suppose that’s true,” I relax a little. But then she adds, “I have total confidence she could pull it off,” and I’m back to square one.
Time to offer a viable alternative.“Why take the risk? You could have Amy Moritz if you wanted. She’d probably jump at the chance to play for Nico.”
Amy is the music scene’s biggest new name, and she’s had a string of top ten hits in the past couple of years. She’s huge, and she’s also one of Nico’s best friends, which, to my mind, makes this a no-brainer.
Kate considers this for all of half a second. “I don’t have the money to pay Amy Moritz to perform.”
I shrug. “Get Nico to pay.”
Kate’s expression hardens. “This is asurpriseparty. And I don’t have access to Nico’s funds. I can’t splurge the way he could.”
“So tell him about the party. Have him book Amy.”
She splutters into the tea she’s about to drink from. “You really don’t have an ounce of romance in your entire body, do you?”
I screw my face up.What kind of comment is that?I’m not hanging around if she’s going to dismiss all my suggestions. It’s late, and I’m tired. I get to my feet and shrug into my coat. “This isn’t about romance. This is about throwing the best party you can—”
“For the man I love,” Kate interjects.
“Sure. Whatever. But you cannot get Elly to perform at a billionaire’s birthday party. It’s ridiculous. Not to mention the fact that she’s ditzy as hell. She can’t even remember to pay her rent, for fuck’s sake. It’s late every single month. Did you know that?” Kate bites her lip and, to her credit, looks a little ashamed about this. “If she wasn’t your friend, I’d have terminated her lease years ago. If you do ask her, she’ll probably forget to turn up or arrive half an hour after her set was due to start. Don’t fucking do it. If you’re strapped for cash I’ll lend you money to pay for someone else.”
Kate looks perturbed by my outburst, but the expression dissolves as she leans back in her chair, judgment wafting off her. “You haven’t even heard her sing, have you?”
My lip curls. “I don’t need to. If she were any good, she’d have made something of herself by now.”
A loud creak sounds from right outside the front door.Someone’s out there. Kate’s worried gaze locks onto mine. Before I can think, I pace to the door and yank it open.
Elly, half-bent over as if she’d been peering through the keyhole, topples into me, limbs flailing, her curly blonde hair all wild.
I have a split second to realise she’s been out here eavesdropping before her fingers are clamping into my quads in an attempt to prevent the crown of her head crashing against my dick.
“Fuck,” she swears, digging her fingernails into my trousers. My hands fly into the air, raised in surrender. I’m not touching her. I can’t be dealing with any accusations that I’m taking advantage of this situation.But if she will fly head first at my crotch…
She’s still clinging on when I let out a croak of laughter. “Found your happy place down there, El?”
She scowls up at me and quickly rights herself, dusting down the arms of her sheepskin coat. “Jack.” She says my name in the exact tone you might say ‘fuck you’. “I knew you were here. Your cologne is hanging out there”—she indicates the stairway—“like a cloud of mustard gas. I nearly choked on it.”
I give her my best smile. “Good to know you’ve memorised my scent.”
She crosses her arms over her chest, and her small but perfect breasts balance on her forearms, the V-neck of her pale blue jumper revealing a hint of cleavage.
Damn. She might not be the best choice to sing at Nico’s party, but I can’t deny she’s gorgeous. Always has been, but I’ve never pursued her because she’s Kate’s best friend, and I have plenty of other options that won’t get me in trouble.
But today, I allow myself the luxury of taking her in. She’s wearing tan leather cowboy boots paired with a sheepskin coat, like a seventies wannabe music star. Beneath it, a short white skirt hits mid thigh. The length of the skirt is baffling, given how cold it is outside, but the glimpse of bare skin is so unexpectedthat I find myself drawn to it, allowing my gaze to linger on the toned curve of her thighs.
She clears her throat, calling me out, and I drag my eyes to hers, determined not to show a hint of guilt as I flash her the grin that works on all women.