Chapter 31 Desiree Dixon

Miss Too Busy for Book Club

I glance at my door, and I slip my earbuds in so nobody can hear the other end of the conversation. I talk barely above a whisper even though I’m sitting on my bed and my parents rarely frequent this side of the house, even more unlikely since I warned them I’m holding a video chat for book club with my best friends.

Addy, Lauren, and Chloe all appear on the screen, the three of them together at the apartment I share with Addy even though I’m not there.

“I miss you guys,” I say when I see them, and I feel emotional seeing my three best friends together while I’m in Vegas.

It’s a red flag where moving from there to here is concerned, anyway.

“Have you seen him again?” Lauren asks, cutting to the chase.

“Are we not discussing this week’s book?” I ask, dodging her question.

“After we get the update,” Chloe agrees. “Besides, it’s Tuesday afternoon. Book club is for Wednesday, but since Miss Too Busy for Book Club can’t meet tomorrow and has to cut it short tonight, we need the details first.”

She has a point. Life gossip has to take precedence when we’re short on time, but I’m attending a charity event this evening, and tomorrow during our normal book club time, I have a date.

With Asher.

“You guys, she’s blushing. Look at our girl!” Lauren says.

“Leave her alone,” Addy says, always the one to step in and defend her friends, even if it’s just from teasing.

“It’s okay.” I draw in a breath. “I got a job offer.”

“What?” all three of them gasp at the same time.

I nod. “The Vegas Aces want me to plan their annual charity ball for next year, and they have some other events lined up, too. And while I was at the training facility talking to the director of charity events, I ran into Asher. We went to a hotel, and, well…you know.”

“Atta girl,” Chloe praises.

“Define you know ,” Lauren says, narrowing her eyes.

“Uh, okay, so I blew him in the back of a rideshare, and then he banged me stupid at the hotel,” I admit. I’m doing more than blushing now as the memory plows into me.

Addy’s eyes are saucers, but Lauren and Chloe just stare at me dreamily.

“She is living her best life,” Chloe murmurs.

“Vegas and Nash look good on you, girl,” Lauren says.

“Are you going to take the job?” Addy asks.

I lift a shoulder. “When I’m with him, I think I want to give it a try. But he’s skittish. I have to be careful since…well, you know.”

“Since he plays for your dad?” Addy guesses.

I nod, and I leave it at that. I don’t get into the private things he confessed to me—about his reputation in the locker room and how my dad believes in him. Or any of the other stuff we shared.

It was hard to say goodbye, but if we’re going to continue seeing each other in secret, I had to. I have enough lies piling up where my parents are concerned. I really don’t want to have to invent more by doing the walk of shame into their house in the morning and facing their questions.

I left his hotel room a little after one in the morning, and I crashed until after ten this morning.

My body is deliciously achy from the workout he gave me, and I’m physically exhausted. Mentally, though, and spiritually? I don’t know if I’ve ever felt more in tune with what I want.

And what I want is Asher Nash. Any way I can get him.

All the ways I can get him.

“Are you going to move there?” Chloe asks.

I sigh. “I’m not sure. If I do consulting, I was thinking I could split time between Vegas and home. But I’m not sure how realistic that is.”

“Are you quitting your job?” Lauren asks.

I stare at my three best friends as I try to come up with the answer to that. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Start with the cons,” Addy suggests, something we always do when we’re trying to make a decision about anything, big or small.

“Leaving San Diego,” I say. “Leaving you three. Book club.”

“We’ll make book club work, and you won’t be leaving us. It just won’t be as easy to grab drinks on a Friday night,” Chloe says.

“She can never come out on Friday anyway since she’s always got events,” Lauren points out.

“True,” Addy says. “And we can visit her in Vegas and hit up all the hot spots since she’ll be a local, and then maybe she wouldn’t have to work on Fridays so we could spend entire weekends together.”

“Most events involving players during the season take place on Monday or Tuesday nights,” I say. “Those are their days off. I’m actually attending one tonight, which is why I had to chat early.”

“See?” Addy says. “So if you move to Vegas, there actually might be a better chance we could all go out together on a weekend because, in theory, you might not have to work.”

I laugh. “And Addy, whatever happens, I’m not leaving you in the lurch for somewhere to live.”

She waves a hand. “Don’t worry about that. It’s not a factor in your decision.”

“Oh, move in with me!” Chloe says.

Addy’s brows dip. “What?”

“We could carpool to work. It would be so fun!”

The two of them have their own side conversation for a beat before Addy says, “Wait, back to cons. What else?”

“We have to hide it,” I say.

“For now,” Lauren says.

“Yeah. Or maybe forever. At least until he’s no longer playing for my dad.” What if that’s true? What if we can’t tell my dad about us until Asher retires? What if we have to keep it a secret for years?

We haven’t talked about his plans for the future at all. This is still way too new. It’s still way too early to even be thinking about that, but the planner in me can’t help but want to rush forward to the future.

“Anything else?” Lauren asks.

I twist my lips and shake my head.

“Not even his…you know, rather odd sense of fashion?” Chloe prompts.

I laugh. “No. I find his fashion rather endearing, if I’m being honest.”

“You know next time we see her, she’ll be wearing flamingoes or tigers or something, right?” Lauren says to the other two.

I make a mental note to get a shirt with flamingoes on it. Or, better yet, something matching for Asher and myself.

Except…we can’t. We can’t attend events together wearing matching obnoxious styles because we can’t go public. If, you know, there was something to go public about. Which there isn’t.

Not yet, anyway.

“Let’s move onto pros, then,” Addy suggests.

“Good in bed, hot as hell, big fat…” I clear my throat. “Paycheck,” I finish weakly, but all three girls know I don’t give a fuck about his paycheck given my own financial status. They do, however, know exactly where my innuendo was leading.

Lauren giggles.

“Okay, Desi, but those are all surface things. Are you really considering moving to Vegas over sex?” Addy asks.

I glance out my bedroom window as I think about the intense connection we share. It’s vivid and bold and powerful, and I really, really want the chance to explore more of it.

I think about sitting in the hotel room with him last night as we made confessions over appetizers. We’re still in the getting-to-know-you phase, but every new piece of information I unlock about him has my curiosity piqued more and more.

“It’s more than sex,” I admit. “I don’t know exactly how much more, but there’s something there. We bonded over our dads playing, and he’s got his own paycheck, so I know he’s not after my family’s money.” I shrug. “It’s hard to find someone I trust these days, and he seems like one of the good ones.”

“So a job and a man all in a few days?” Chloe asks.

I laugh.

“Take the job,” Addy says.

“Take the job,” Lauren agrees, and she says it like a chant. Chloe joins in, and then Addy does, too. “Take the job! Take the job! Take the job!”

I laugh and hold up both hands. “Okay, okay.”

“You know you can always come back here if it doesn’t work out,” Addy says. “And none of us want you to go, but all of us want to see you soar.”

Tears heat behind my eyes. “I know you do, and I love you.”

“We love you more,” Chloe says, and Addy wipes away some tears. It’ll be the biggest change for her since we live together, but I feel the love, support, and encouragement from all three of them.

This doesn’t have to change anything, and it’ll be nice to be close to my parents again—even if I have to keep part of my motivation for doing this a secret from them.

It’s worth exploring.

I know that for sure.

We hang up, and I guess I’ll have some exciting news to share with my parents tonight.