The Million-Dollar Question, page 9
“That’s Jory’s ringtone,” Olivia explained unnecessarily, then she shook her head. “Maybe I shouldn’t have brought him up right now. You know, all things considered.”
“Well, one of us had to.”
“But my brother and my sex life aren’t really something I like to discuss in the same conversation.”
“I’m sure Jory feels the same way. But,” he added, “You and me? It’s kind of hard not to bring him in.”
“Ew. Gross.”
“Liv,” he chided, “You know what I mean.”
“I do. I also know that I’m an adult and it’s none of my brother’s business who I sleep with.”
“True.”
Olivia looked uncomfortable. “How much does Jory know? About before, I mean.”
“You don’t know?”
“I know he knows something, but he certainly doesn’t talk about it, and he wasn’t keen on even the idea of us hooking up.” She shrugged. “But you two are friends.”
Evan had no idea where to go from there. “Does it matter? That’s ancient history.”
“Except that it’s news now, isn’t it?”
“Is it?”
Olivia sighed. “Look, I’ll be honest with you if you’ll be honest with me.”
That was almost ominous. “Seems fair,” he said carefully.
“Honestly, the less Jory knows about my sex life the better. And as I said, it’s none of his business who I sleep with.”
“I happen to agree with you on that.”
“So, I don’t see the need to tell Jory about this. Do you?”
“I can assure you that your brother does not want me anywhere near you, so no, I don’t see the need to tell him anything either.”
Instead of agreement, he got a surprised look from her. “Why is that?”
“Because as you said, it’s none of Jory’s business.”
“No. Why do you say Jory doesn’t want you near me?”
“Because you’re his sister.” Surely she understood that.
“But you’re his friend. If you’re good enough for him to hang out with, why aren’t you good enough for me?”
Oh, where to begin. “Because.”
“Because?”
He poured coffee, stalling, and when that didn’t work, he tried to shrug it off. “Yeah, because.”
“Is this some kind of weird guy thing?”
“Yes,” he said, hoping she’d leave it at that. “It’s a guy thing.”
“How juvenile. It’s like you’re still teenagers.”
He was beginning to agree. Hell, hadn’t he already convinced himself there was a big difference between an eighteen-year-old sister and a twenty-seven-year-old sister? But that might just be wishful thinking on his part.
“So sisters are completely off-limits?” she asked and waited until he nodded. “That’s insane. What if we were to fall in love?”
Evan spit his coffee across the counter, burning his lip in the process. “Whoa, there. Liv, I—um...”
She waved a hand and passed him a towel. “Oh, calm down. It’s purely a rhetorical question. It just seems unfair. Does he get to put other, nonrelated women off-limits?”
“No.”
“Then that’s just ridiculous. Either it’s his business who you sleep with or it isn’t.”
“It’s more complicated than that.”
“Only because boys are weird.”
“Oh, and girls aren’t? One of your girlfriends would be okay if you slept with her brother?”
That gave her a second’s pause. “I wouldn’t know. Unless that girl’s brother was also dancing in the same company, the chances of me meeting him are slim. Anyway, dancers are a small community. Chances are whoever you’re sleeping with has slept with someone else you know anyway. The grown-up thing to do is to butt the hell out of any sex that doesn’t currently involve you.”
She had a refreshing, mature approach that didn’t help at all in this instance. “I’d agree, but the last time I slept with you, Jory practically broke my nose. Right, wrong or indifferent, Jory does have strong opinions when it comes to me and you.”
Olivia blinked. “He did what?”
He cursed. “Nothing. You want some breakfast?”
“Oh, no, you can’t drop something like that and just move on. So Jory does know we hooked up?”
He could lie. It only depended on which Madison sibling he wanted to anger today. From the look on Olivia’s face, it was probably safer for him to tell the truth to her. “Yes.”
“And he was mad about it.”
“Yes.”
“Why? And don’t give me any ‘because of a Guy Thing’ crap.”
“Aside from the ‘Guy Thing crap’—which is not crap, by the way—you don’t screw around—literally or not—with someone’s sister when you have nothing to offer.”
“Every woman is someone’s sister.”
“Then let me rephrase—”
“No need,” she interrupted. “It’ll never make sense. But if Jory was so mad about this, how come he never said anything to me about it?”
“Because once it was over and done with, there was no need.” He could hope she’d accept that at face value.
“That little...” She shook her head slowly. “I’m going to kill him.”
“Olivia...”
“Don’t,” she warned. “Jory told you to back off, didn’t he?” She didn’t wait for his answer. “That’s why you dumped me like that.”
“In all fairness, you were leaving for London—”
“New York,” she corrected.
“—or wherever in another couple of weeks or so. What difference did it make?”
“It made a hell of a difference to me. Jory makes a decision, I get dumped and you get to be the bad guy. He comes out smelling like a rose. I’m going to kill him.”
“Liv, be serious. You’re getting all worked up over something that happened years ago. And Jory really did mean well.”
“Oh, as long as he meant well, that changes everything,” she snarked. “I’ll just forget all the hurt and shame and stuff since he ‘meant well’.”
Somehow he was the rational person in the conversation. Jory owed him big-time. “How would you going off to New York feeling like you had some kind of attachment to me have been at all good for your career?”
“I wasn’t ‘attached’ to you,” she mumbled.
“Really? Then why did it hurt?” Her lips flattened and she looked deep into her coffee cup. His point made, he continued. “But that way, you went off, with nothing holding you back. And being mad at me was far preferable to you being mad at Jory, right?”
“Why are you being so damn reasonable about this?”
“Because I happen to think Jory was right.” It had been the right thing—for everyone.
That took some of the wind out of her sails. “Wow. You really are a cold, heartless bastard.”
“So you’ve said.”
She lifted her chin. “So what about last night, then?”
“There’s a big difference between then and now. Not only are you an adult, you’re established in your career and your life—there’s not much for me to screw up for you now. I’ve been very honest about what I wanted, so if you did make that choice, my conscience could be clear.”
Olivia rubbed her temples. “I’m not sure how to process this.”
“Then or now?”
“Either. Both. It’s going to take a little time for me to make sense of it.” She looked at him. “Here’s the thing about now, though—I’m not worried about Jory or what he thinks. Are you?”
There was a clear challenge there that was impossible to fully answer. “I brought you home last night, remember? But, no, I don’t see the need to rub Jory’s nose in it. I may not be the best of friends, but I hope I’m better than that.”
“If it makes you feel better,” she said quietly, the quick change of mood surprising him, “I think you’re a really good friend to Jory.”
He certainly didn’t feel like it. “Yes, because sleeping with his baby sister is the true sign of friendship.”
“But you don’t want him to be upset, so that says something. Does it make me a bad sister to sleep with my brother’s best friend?”
“Well, when you put it like that...”
“The thing is, I can see where the idea of possibly being put in the middle or forced to choose sides comes into this, but that’s an issue any time two people you know—especially if you know them independently of each other—are involved. It’s selfish to demand other people adjust their behavior so that you aren’t made uncomfortable at some point. And it’s insane to think you could put those demands on people. It’s like telling a married couple they can’t get divorced because it will mess up the seating charts at your future dinner parties.” He started to argue, but Olivia lifted a hand to stop him. “I don’t like to think about my brother having sex, either, so you know what I do? I don’t think about it.”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s very logical, Olivia.”
“Thank you.”
“But people, as a whole, aren’t logical. Especially about people they love. Or sex.”
“Then it’s your call. I’ll leave now, if that’s what you want.”
“I didn’t say that. But Jory won’t forgive me if you get hurt again.”
“Your ego is simply astounding.” She shook her head.
“It has nothing to do with ego.”
She sighed, then shrugged. “Well, if you don’t think you can handle me, that’s fine.” She set her coffee cup on the counter. “I’ll go get dressed. Call me a cab, will you?” she called over her shoulder as she headed back down the hall.
He caught her in the bedroom and tackled her to the bed. “Can I handle you? Liv, honey, I thought I proved that last night. Repeatedly. The real question is... can you handle me?”
“I think that was proven last night, as well.”
He pretended to think as he worked the buttons of her shirt open. “Maybe we should try it one more time. Just to be sure.”
“Might take more than one more time,” she said. “You know, to be absolutely sure.”
His conscience sent up a small protest, but Olivia was sliding out of that shirt and...
Well, at least he could say he tried.
There was nothing quite like orgasms to completely change a girl’s outlook on life.
It was rather silly, actually, as nothing else in her life had changed at all, but Olivia had to admit she was in a much better mood. Like a pressure valve had been opened.
Endorphins, she thought. Amazing things.
There was a slight soreness to muscles that hadn’t been used like that in a long while, but the little frizzle of energy remaining in her blood was well worth the trade-off. And while Evan had brought her home early last night, the sheer amount of energy expended on what would normally be her lazy day off left her feeling a little tired and hungover as she warmed up at the barre Monday morning.
But even with that, she still felt it was worth it. No regrets at all.
She wasn’t sure she could say the same about Evan, though. She had to respect the level of loyalty to Jory that would make a player like Evan think twice about sleeping with a woman, but it dinged her pride as well—as if she had to talk him into it or something. Her inner femme fatale was a little miffed.
But everyone kept asking her about the smirk on her face, so she couldn’t be too miffed about it. Or stay that way for very long. After all, once Evan had gotten past the whole Jory’s-sister thing, she could make no complaints about his performance.
She even felt a bit better about the way Evan had treated her before. It still stung, and she still needed to kill Jory, but she had to look at it in a different light now. If nothing else, it made it a little easier to reconcile her attraction to Evan now. At least she didn’t have to feel completely shallow or masochistic about it anymore.
As for what would happen next... possibly the best part of this was that she didn’t need to worry about “next”—no matter what it might be. There was a very nice freedom in that.
“Earth to Olivia?” Theo waved a hand in front of her face. “Can you move so we can put the barres away?”
She’d spaced out, moving through the warm-up by rote and habit, and now she was busted. “Sorry,” she muttered and went to stretch, figuring she’d use the time to get her head back in the studio where it belonged before she hurt herself.
Theo followed her. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” She put her foot on the barre and lay over her leg. “Just a little out of it today,” she offered as an explanation.
“Career, money or sex?”
“Excuse me?” she asked.
“It’s got to be one of the three. The smirk on your face means it’s probably good, so that strikes worries about family and health off the list of topics to space out over.”
“I’m putting my money on sex.” Tina, one of younger soloists, propped her foot up onto the barre next to them.
“Oh, really?” Theo asked eagerly, totally ignoring the shut-up-please look Olivia shot him. “And why is that?”
“Leslie, that new apprentice—”
“Which one is she?” he interrupted.
“Kinda short, dark hair. Bad feet but pretty turns?”
Nodding, he said, “Okay, go on.”
“Leslie works for a catering company that did the big Abrams Corporation party Saturday night and Olivia was there. With a very good-looking guy, too.”
Olivia hadn’t seen anyone she knew, but then there’d been a lot of people there, and she hadn’t been paying all that much attention to the staff. Damn.
“How interesting.”
“I know. Leslie didn’t recognize the guy, though. Then she got busy and forgot to ask.”
Good lord. They were gossiping about her as though she wasn’t even there. She stood up. “Ahem.”
“Shh,” Theo said, pushing her back down over her leg. “You stretch.” He turned back to Tina. “And...?”
“And Olivia left early with Mr. Tall, Hot and Anonymous.”
“So definitely sex, then. Okay, ‘fess up, Olivia,” he said, tapping her on the back. “Who is he?”
She didn’t even bother to lift her head. “Oh, so now I get to be a part of this conversation?”
“Yes, please. We want details.”
“The juicy ones,” Tina added.
She didn’t want to be the subject of dressing room gossip, and demurring to answer all but guaranteed she would be. But that did not mean she was willing to confirm speculations about her sex life for the company to further discuss at their leisure. “He’s my brother’s college roommate.”
“Oh.” Tina looked disappointed, and Olivia bit back a smile. While the truth of that statement might be causing her—and Evan—problems, she had to love it a little, too. A complete, concise, easy-peasy speculation shut down without any of the “he’s just a friend” vague denials that would be met with even more probing. “But if he’s hot and important enough to get an invite to the Abrams’s do, give him my number.”
Hell, she wasn’t sure she had Tina’s number even if she did want to offer Evan up like that. “I’ll let him know you’re available.”
“Please do,” Tina said and went back to the other side of the room, presumably to tell the others what new info she had.
She smacked him, hard. “Gee, thanks, Theo.”
“What?” he said, rubbing his arm.
“Did you really have to encourage her? She’s still annoyed that I got ‘her’ contract. Way to give her more ammo against me.”
“That contract was only Tina’s in her dreams. She’s lucky her big butt ever made it out of the corps.” He waved it off. “So are you going to tell me about this guy or not?”
“I need to go change my shoes.”
“Come on.”
She sighed. “I already told you. He’s my brother’s college roommate. He needed a date for the party, and I had nothing better to do. So I went. And I met Matt Abrams, so that’s not too shabby, either.”
“And your smug mood today is caused by...?”
“I had a good time.” She wasn’t going to offer more than that, and Theo could infer anything he liked from it. She trusted Theo not to provide grist for the rumor mill. Of course, it helped that she had some dirt on him, and he knew it.
After a moment, Theo nodded. “Good for you, sweetie. Now, I’ll let you go change your shoes, as I’m pretty sure Sylvie is going to want to run through the adage first.”
Olivia took a second to check her phone while she was at it and found a text from Evan: You busy tonight?
It made her smile and put a sizzle in her blood at the same time she gave it a mental side-eye. There was a definite overtone of booty call to the message, which part of her felt she should be offended by. At the same time, the memories of yesterday were fresh enough to make her glad of an encore.
Theo was calling for her, forcing her to make a decision. I’ll be done by 5:30, she typed quickly and dropped the phone back into her bag. There was no sense second-guessing herself, and there was no reason not to enjoy herself while she could.
With the decision made and the rationale accepted, she found her mind much clearer and her usual concentration returned. In fact, she almost forgot about Evan all together until later that afternoon when Leslie-the-apprentice mentioned seeing her at the party. That sent her back to her phone during the water break to see if he’d responded.
