Chapter Nineteen
A derisive, strangling sound rose from his throat. He liked his lips as if to rid himself of a really bad taste.
“It’s different,” he said.
Her lips curled. "It's not to me. Bryce, I love you dearly. You're like a big brother to me... the best brother a girl could ask for. I need you to do this for me.. Please”
He huffed, then his expression grew thoughtful again. “I assume you’ve done your research on this man and his company. You know him well?.”
Chloe nodded before he’d even finished. On the surface, Bryce looked and acted laissez-faire. He had all the appearances of a golden-boy jock whose only concern might be fast cars and faster women. But beneath that illusion lay a man who had a deep social conscience.
His refusal of endorsement deals had gained him a reputation of eccentricity from some. Others regarded him incredulously as a fool to pass on the opportunity to make millions by doing nothing more than lend his name to countless companies willing to part with their dollars for his endorsement. But the simple fact was that Bryce did meticulous research on all the corporations that approached him, and so far none had passed muster with him.
“E-mail it all to me. I’ll take a look. If it checks out, I’m willing to listen to his offer.” he said finally.
Chloe wanted to jump in excitement, but instead, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thank you so much, Bryce. You’re the best.” she said. “You have no idea how much i want to scream right now”
“I don’t suppose you’ll be so grateful that you’ll volunteer to clean my apartment?” he said with a hopeful look in his eyes.
Chloe snorted and picked up her slice of pizza again. “Let's put it this way. I’d rather quit my job than clean your place.” she said.
He winced. “Well, damn. No need to be so mean about it.” be replied.
“Poor baby. Oh, hey, I need one more favor.”
His eyes narrowed, and he glared at her. “You just turned down my request for you to play cleaning lady and you insult me in the process and then have the cheek to want another favor?”
“How about I find you a replacement cleaning service? Then both of us are happy.” Chloe asked.
He got a hopeful puppy dog look that would probably make mush of most women. Thankfully she was completely immune to any adorableness on his part. “Okay, you find someone to clear a path in my apartment and whatever this other favor of yours is I’ll do it.”
“Wow—and you don’t even know what it is,” said Chloe.
“Should tell you how desperate I am,” he muttered.
She laughed and punched him in the arm. “All I need are two very cushy seats behind home plate for the season opener. I’ll be taking Timothy. Hopefully.”
She waited for her pulse to settle and then she forced a smile. “So you’ll take a look at the research I’ve compiled? You’ll like Timothy. He pretty much handles everything about Packard Enterprises now since his father wants him to take over. He’s a veritable Boy Scout. His employees love him. He has a cracking health-insurance plan. He’s had no layoffs in his business and he’s not shipping jobs or production overseas. Let’s see. What else? He’s a regular contributor to a half dozen pet charities—”
Bryce held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, he’s a saint. I get it. How do other men ever measure up?”
“Cut the sarcasm,” said Chloe.
They spent the rest of the day together, cracking jokes, talking about work and watching TV until Bryce checked his watch and let out a sigh. “Sorry I will have to go now, Chloe. E-mail me the stuff and I’ll take a look. And the tickets will be waiting for you at the office.”
“You see, this is the reason why I love you,” she said affectionately.
He dropped a kiss on top of her head then stood and stretched lazily.
“I’ll give you a call when I'm done reading everything. Take care of you.”
Chloe smiled at him. "Take care of you too, Bryce," she replied. “Thank you”
_________________
Timothy finished his second shot of tequila and dropped the glass on the table. "One more" he said to the bartender, who refilled his glass.
He took a quick glance around him. The band was playing a song and all around him were couples, holding each other and moving to the slow romantic tune of the song. His phone beeped and he pulled it out of his pocket. It was a message from his friend, Charles. Apparently he got stuck at work and wouldn't be able to come join him at the bar. Timothy sighed and slid his phone back into his pocket.
Rory's bar was old. It had always been there for as long as Timothy could remember. Although the place had been renovated and upgraded, Timothy still considered it old. He remembered sneaking in a few times with his friends when they were still in high school.... He had even brought Chloe with him once or twice. Well, until they got caught one time. Jensen found out about it and he had been really upset about his behavior, that he grounded him for a week. Timothy smiled at the memory.
Good times, he whispered to himself.
His thoughts were immediately interrupted when a beautiful red head slid into the seat next to his. He lifted his head to find her already staring and smiling at him.
She wore shorts and a shirt which seemed too small for her considering that she had very huge boobs and one of the buttons looked like it would break off anytime. She had a lot of makeup on and her green eyeshadow sparkled in the lights. The bartender pushed her drink towards her and she lifted the glass to her lips without taking her glance off Timothy.
Timothy smiled back and returned his attention to his drink. Yeah, she was pretty, but for some reason, he didn't feel the urge to start a conversation with her. Tonight he would prefer to be alone. Maybe it was a good thing Charles couldn't make it because some alone time would be good for him. The red head obviously had other ideas, because she leaned over to his side, so she was much closer to him and whispered seductively, : "Hello, handsome"
