Chapter 11: Denny
“What the heck happened to you this weekend?”
I glanced up from my computer to find Sammy standing in my office doorway with a large iced coffee in one hand and a sub sandwich the size of a football in the other. The sandwich had jagged chunks torn out of one end, as if a rabid dog had attacked it. Sammy was a brilliant CEO who had the eating manners of a hungry Pitbull. He was chewing as he gave me the eye.
I pushed back from the desk and pointed him at the chair across from my desk. “Serena and I came back early to beat the traffic,” I said, stretching out my arms and groaning like an old man. “I was gonna let you know but you were indisposed with the Bambi Twins.”
Sammy poked his tongue into his cheek and arched his eyebrows. “You and Serena, huh. Well, I guess my little chat with her did some good. You’re welcome.”
I frowned at him. “What little chat?”
“She didn’t tell you?” His big shoulders went up and down slowly. “Not a big deal. I was outside smoking a joint when she took her break. We were talking about life and love and your name came up.”
I felt my heart dropping a little in my chest. Damn. I knew it was too good to be true. “What did you do, Sam?”
“I just told her that you had a little crush on her and she said she’d always had a little crush on you. I told her you were the best guy I knew and if she was as smart as I thought she was, she’d get her ass up to your room and get busy.”
“Fuck…” I said, rubbing my eyes. “Shit. I knew something was up.”
He frowned at me with the sandwich between his teeth. Chewing like a cow eating cud, he said, “What do you mean?”
“I mean I knew it was too good to be true!” I clutched my head between my hands and stared at the ceiling. “I should have known when she showed up at my door that something was up. Fuck. She wasn’t there because she wanted to be with me. She was there because you put her up to it. Or at least goaded her into it.”
Sammy picked up the iced coffee and took a long suck on the straw. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and gave me a hard look. “Don’t make a big deal out of me talking to her, man. And don’t misconstrue what she did. I didn’t say, ‘hey there’s a rich guy up there who’ll pay you to fuck his brains out’ for Christ sake. She’s not one of those girls.”
“No, she’s worse,” I said, exhaling with my chin on my chest. “At least the Escorts and Specialists are honest about their motives. They’ll fuck you for money. Period. An honest transaction. Serena fucked me to get her hooks into me. And you put her up to it.”
“That’s bullshit,” Sammy snorted, spraying my desk with bits of bread and meat. “How can you even think that about her?”
“Because women like her don’t come onto guys like me without dollar signs in their heads.” I shook my head as the reality set it. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
“Dude, you are so fucking paranoid,” he said as he cleaned crumbs off the desk with the butt of his hand. “She came up there because she fucking likes you. Serena Diaz is no gold digger. And don’t flatter yourself, asshole, there are far better-looking billionaires with way more money than you out there she could go after if that was the case.”
“I don’t know,” I said, taking a deep breath. “Maybe he was right. Maybe she did like me for me and not because of my bank balance.
Sammy shook his head at me. “Den, don’t overthink this. That’s what you do. You overthink shit and fuck it up. That’s why you’re still single.”
“I don’t see a ring on your finger, asshole,” I said, sounding angrier than I really was. He was right. I was paranoid. I did overthink things. That was why I had screwed up every semi-decent relationship I’d ever had.
The money made me that way. The money also bought me a ton of cool shit, so it was a small price to pay. Usually. The thought that Serena loved my money more than she did me made my chest hurt.
“I may not have a ring on my finger, but I know you,” Sammy said, smacking his lips. “And I think I know Serena pretty well. She’s a good girl, Den. And would be a great catch for you. If you don’t grab on to her when you have the chance, you might be missing your best opportunity to finally grow up and be happy.”
“Maybe,” I said, taking another deep breath and pushing it out slowly. “I just don’t know…”
“You like her, don’t you?” he asked.
I blinked at him for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“I do like her,” I said. “I really do.”
“Can you think of one thing about her you don’t like?”
Again, I thought for a moment, then shook my head and smiled.
“No. At least not yet.”
Sammy gave me a smile decorated with mayonnaise and lettuce and shook what was left of the decimated sandwich at me. “Then try not to fuck it up, Romeo. For once in your life, think with your brain and not your cock.”
He finished the sandwich in two large bites, loudly drained the coffee, then left his trash on my desk and sauntered out like a great ape going off to take a nap after feeding time.
I turned my chair toward the window and stared out at the blue sky for a moment, then shook off doubts about Serena’s intentions and went back to work.
I liked her and she liked me.
End of story.