Playing Dirty

The doorbell rang, and Nick went to answer it. “Noah, what took you so long?”

Noah stood there, immaculate in a fresh suit, his gold-rimmed glasses polished to a shine. And just last night, this was the man who had been buried deep inside her.

“Traffic was a bit heavy,” Noah said with a smile.

He walked in to find Kallie still frozen in place. He nodded at her. “Hi, Kallie.”

She snapped out of it and managed a small smile. “Noah.”

Nick led Noah to the sofa. “Kal, get Noah a cup of coffee.”

Kallie flinched at the nickname. It was his term of endearment for her when they were deeply in love. Now, it felt like a snake slithering over her skin—cold, sticky, and unsettling.

“Kal?”

She frowned. “Watch your mouth. Don’t call me that.”

Nick chuckled. “Alright. Ms. Kallie Claire, would you be so kind as to make Noah a cup of coffee?”

Kallie couldn’t stand the sight of either of them. One was a contest of shamelessness she was doomed to lose; the other, a masterclass in acting she couldn’t hope to match.

They were both bastards. She retreated to the kitchen, not to make coffee, but for some peace and quiet. It was the farthest room from the living room.

In the living room, Noah watched her leave. “Fighting again?”

Nick just smiled. “No, she’s just throwing a little tantrum.”

“I think Kallie’s a good woman. Are you really going to divorce her?”

“That’s why I asked you to come, Noah. Help me assess our marital assets so I can divide them.”

“You’d better think this through,” Noah said. “With Kallie’s looks and figure, the moment she’s single, you’ll have men lining up from here to Fifth Avenue. Don’t come crying to me with regrets.”

“Even the best dish gets boring after a while,” Nick said breezily.

“Has she agreed?” Noah asked.

“She probably won’t. She’s traditional. Once she’s committed to me, she won’t let go easily. Noah, you have to help me with this.”

“What do you want me to do?”

Nick grinned wickedly. “How about you go after her?”

Noah raised an eyebrow. “Are you serious?”

“Of course I’m kidding!” Nick laughed. “But seriously, you’re Grandpa’s only grandson. Stop burying yourself in work and get married. Give him a great-grandchild.”

“Right.”

Suddenly, Nick’s eyes narrowed, focusing on Noah’s wrist. “What’s this?”

Noah pulled his cuff down.

“You weren’t stuck in traffic, you were with a woman!” Nick exclaimed. “You sly dog! You have a new girl and you didn’t tell me?”

“It’s not a good time,” Noah said. “I’ll introduce you when the time is right.”

“Fine. Then I’ll introduce you to Marla.”

“Don’t.”

“Why not?”

Noah cleared his throat. “I’d rather keep my distance.”

Nick laughed. “She’s your future cousin-in-law. What’s there to be shy about?”

“It just wouldn’t be appropriate for us to be together.”

“Tsk! I don’t care, so why should you?”

“Would you care if Kallie and I were alone in a room together?” Noah asked.

Nick looked at him like he’d told a joke. “You know, you and Kallie are surprisingly alike when it comes to these things.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re both so conservative, yet you love to make these kinds of jokes,” Nick said.

Noah smiled, then deliberately brought up some business details loud enough for Kallie to hear.

“I can help you with the assets, but ultimately, Kallie has to agree. In other words, you have to make her fall completely out of love with you.”

“Yeah, I know. She was bragging to me last night about sleeping with another man. As if. You know how innocent and naive she is. She’d rather die than sleep with a stranger.”

Noah touched the scratch marks on his wrist and smiled without saying a word.

“What are you touching that for?” Nick teased. “Didn’t get enough last night?”

“No, not really. She had to leave halfway through.”

“Ooh, a wild one! She scratched you up pretty good, huh? I can see the marks from here.”

Noah leaned back, speaking softly. “She’s usually quite gentle. Maybe it’s because… she’s never experienced real passion before.”