I stared at my phone, waiting for Samantha’s response to come through.

I knew I shouldn’t have sent that fucking message, telling her she was gorgeous and how good she’d tasted, but I couldn’t help myself. That was how she’d looked tonight, especially after she had some shots with her family and the liquor caused her body to loosen up.

At one point, I’d watched her head tilt back, and a smile filled her face as she laughed. Really laughed, not that fake shit I saw some girls do.

It was almost a relief to see it. Because, whenever I had been close to her, standing next to her at the bar or outside, she was so goddamn uptight, uneasiness covering that beautiful face, tension forcing her body to stiffen.

She was holding a grudge.

I guessed I couldn’t blame her. I’d told her once that nothing could ever happen between us, so the last fucking thing I should have been doing was caging her in my arms and kissing her and sending her texts.

I was a contradiction.

But I didn’t care.

I wanted her.

Even though I knew how wrong that was.

“Shot?” Scarlett asked, dragging me out of my thoughts. She held a bottle in front of my empty glass and poured, not waiting for my answer.

I didn’t know how many fingers’ worth of scotch I’d had tonight. I didn’t know how many shots I’d slammed back with my friends. But I knew it was going to hurt when I had to get up early tomorrow morning to go to the office.

As I swallowed what Scarlett had put in my tumbler, an email flashed across my screen, catching my attention. It was another contract for Shawn. One that shocked the hell out of me.

“Brett, you’ve worked with Puma, haven’t you?”

He leaned his elbows on the table and nodded. “One of my actresses was signed with them a few years ago.”

“They’re tricky to work with?”

He laughed. “That’s an understatement.”

I clicked on my Calendar app and pulled up my schedule. The lines that divided the day into hours were blurry, and the words were, too, so I wasn’t able to see my appointments. I’d have my assistant move shit around if I needed.

“You free tomorrow afternoon? I want to talk about your experience with them. It might help if Shawn decides they’re worth it.”

“Yeah, but you’ve got to come to my place. My ass isn’t going into the office tomorrow.”

I held on to the edge of the table. “James must be flying home?”

“Thank fuck. These breaks away from her are brutal.”

“I’m sure it’s hard, man.”

Not that I’d know. I’d never had a long-distance relationship.

Hell, I’d never had anything that lasted more than a few months.

“Do you need me to bring any of your files?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I keep copies of all of them in my home office. I’m sure whatever is there will help you.”

“I appreciate it, buddy.”

When Max and Scarlett walked away from the table, announcing they were going to the restroom, Brett put his hand on my shoulder. “You want to talk about it? I know you haven’t told them, so I was waiting to say something.”

“I was trying not to be obvious, but Scarlett busted me staring at Samantha so many fucking times.”

He laughed. “She knew something was up when you stopped to talk to her outside their suite. Remember, Scarlett misses nothing.”

“Brett, Samantha is the one who got away.”

“Fuck. Dramatic much?”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t feel that way after you spent the night with James the first time.”

He put the back of his fist in front of his mouth, like he was going to cough. “Touché, my friend.” With his other hand, he pounded my shoulder and released it. “It was a bad idea to pursue James. She was way too fucking young for me. But, back then, I couldn’t help myself. I know you’re in a similar place. You’ll get through it.”

I’d been thinking about Samantha since I found out Shawn was going to the Super Bowl.

I couldn’t get her out of my head.

And that was before I even saw her again.

Now, that goddamn body of hers was going to consume me. That face was going to haunt me.

Those lips were going to keep me up all fucking night.

“I don’t know where the hell I’m at,” I told him. “But I know I’m in a rough place.”

He took a drink, and after he swallowed, he touched his chest. “Are you feeling that shit in here?”

I sighed. “It’s so fucking messy.”

“I get it,” he said. “You know I do.” I watched him glance around the room, his stare landing on Shawn. “I told you to stay away from her back then and to end things, but given what I went through with James, I really had no right to give you that advice. You’ve got to do what’s right for you.”

“I don’t know what’s right for me.”

“You know James and I kept our relationship under wraps, so I didn’t have people telling me what I should do, and the public wasn’t weighing in. Had they known, they would have had a whole lot to say. But, Jack, I wouldn’t have listened to one fucking word of it. What I’m trying to say is, you shouldn’t listen to anyone else either.”

This was on me.

And this decision was on Samantha.

And, right now, I couldn’t even get her to text me back.

He emptied his glass and set it on the table. “You ready to get out of here?”

I nodded.

“I’ll go grab Max and Scarlett, and I’ll meet you out front.”

While he walked away, I gazed at the screen of my phone.

One word.

Yes.

That was all she’d given me.

Somehow, I needed to get her to give me more.