“Hey.”

“Hey, yourself,” Cutter casually responds. Not turning his head toward me. Typing away at something on yet another one of my burner laptops. “Where have you been all day?” he casually asks.

“It’s moving day tomorrow, asshole, so I was helping the little one pack.”

“Oh shit, that’s right.”

“Oh shit, that’s right,” I parrot back with loads of attitude in my voice.

My all of a sudden absentminded brother was supposed to meet me at Jade’s apartment over two hours ago to help me box up and tape her kitchen cabinets. I kick off my boots and hang my jacket on the hook by the door.

“You haven’t changed your mind about Jade moving in here have you?”

He finally stops typing and swivels around in the chair.

“Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know. It will be a big change for us.”

“Yeah, a change for the better. She cooks better than you. She works out harder than you. She definitely smells better than you. And best of all, we get to play with her all over the house anytime we want now.”

“You do realize we aren’t going to be sharing my woman twenty-four seven right?”

“Obviously, asshole. I’ve got my own woman to claim. I don’t need yours too.”

I look over Cutter’s shoulder and take a peek at the screen of the laptop. Now I see why he never showed up. He’s scrolling through images of the glamazon. At this point I think it’s become an obsession. Like masturbating.

“I’ll bite,” I say fed up. Helping myself to some of the Thai leftovers in the fridge. “Tell me what you’re doing, so that I can help, and so that you can finally be finished with this ridiculous project of yours.”

“It’s an ongoing thing. There’s not much you can do to finish it.”

“Ongoing?”

“Yeah … getting the glamazon, I mean Sloan, to see the light is going to be a little more difficult for me than it was for you. I can’t just force her into working for me twenty-four hours a day. We don’t have a history of a friendship like you and Jade do. It’s going to take a bit more finesse for me to get the job done.”

“And what’s your motivation? I’m really trying to understand. I mean she is definitely beautiful. I would assume she’s not a gold digger, since she comes from money. But that describes a thousand privileged socialites up and down the East Coast. Some we’ve shared together in this house.”

“I didn’t say it made sense.”

“So the plan is to …”

“The plan is to cut all possible suitors out of her life until she comes to her senses about me.”

I have to laugh out loud. “Cutter, have you lost your mind? When’s the last time you even saw her? I don’t think the woman even gives two shits about you.”

“When has a woman ever said no to me? Even yours.”

I throw a glass of iced tea at his head.

Quick little fucker ducks just in the nick of time.

“Good try!” He chuckles. “But I’m faster than you, big brother.”

“Go clean it up, and watch your fucking mouth about my girlfriend. I’m going to marry that woman. She only said yes to you, because I told her to.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“You know what, you’re on your own! I can’t wait to see how this shit blows up in your face.”

“Yee of little faith. I’ve got this one, Cam. I’ll bet you a thousand dollars and a breakfast that your girlfriend has to cook for me in only her bra and panties.”

“You’ve lost your fucking mind if you think I’m involving Jade in any juvenile wager with you.”

“That’s what I thought.”

He turns around and starts scrolling through some more pictures of Sloan. I pour myself another glass of iced tea and silently finish my plate of lime chicken watching him. After I finish eating, I toss my plate in the sink and hover over his shoulder.

“Can I help you?” he asks nonchalantly.

“Just the money,” I agree to. “One grand.”

“Nope. I need more motivation than that. Breakfast by Jade and one grand. That’s the wager.”

From what I know about her, Sloan is slick, not sweet. She’s worldly, not naïve. She doesn’t seem the type to have any interest in any thing long term with a certifiably crazy clown like my brother. But he’s right about one thing. No woman has ever said no to him. Even when we were fucking thirteen years old. Women love him. He’s the charismatic King, so there’s definitely a chance that he could actually win this stupid bet, and then I’d really be up shit’s creek. Jade would have my ass.

Of course if it doesn’t work out in my favor, I could always shoot his ass.

“Bet!” I say.