But what was up with the hair? I wanted to tell him that the nineties called and they wanted their frosted tips back. Said the girl with pink hair. Whatever, it worked on him.
As he approached, he didn’t look over any of my shelves.
I didn’t get nervous often when alone in the store, but my gut began a slow churn. What did this guy want? Was he one of those types that forced himself on a girl because normally they found him irresistible?
Because I could resist him. No way interested. For instance, I liked black hair and sharp blue eyes. A man with an easy grin who harbored an inner fanboy. Sam. I preferred a man like Sam.
I cleared my throat. “Are you looking for comics, graphic novels, games for any specific gaming system?”
He stopped and frowned. “What’s the difference between a comic and a graphic novel?”
“There are a few things. Graphic novel storylines don’t run for as many issues as comics, so they’re longer, and the story tends to be more complicated.”
His expression read Why should I care?
“We also have a small collection of movies. Have you seen Deadpool?”
His unusual gray eyes brightened and he barked out a laugh. “Yeah, I have. Do you sell that here?”
I led him to the movie rack.
He snatched it off the shelf and read the back. I finally relaxed around him because now he was acting like a fanboy. “I’d have to buy a Blu-ray player to watch it. I haven’t bought a DVD in years.”
It was getting more common these days.
“You know, I saw this in my buddy’s home theater.” His vivid gaze latched onto mine. “I don’t get to hang with him much because he’s found a new girl.”
Said in a way that sounded like my fault. “Happens.”
He leaned in until his smooth-smelling cologne washed over me. A sly smile stretched his lips. “I could find a girl of my own.”
“I’m sure it’s not hard for you.”
He drew back. Was I supposed to fall all over myself?
“Harder than you might think,” he muttered and wandered to the register. “I think I’m going to get this.”
I rang him up and when he handed me his card, the block letters spelled out Flynn Halstengard.
“Do you want to go get a drink sometime?”
As charming as he was, I had no urge to meet him anywhere. “I’m sorry, I’m seeing someone.”
He playfully pouted. “Must be a special guy.”
“I think so.” But I was afraid to give my heart totally to him. If I could at least see where he lived and know more about him, I’d feel better.
“Hope he’s turning them away like you are.” Flynn smiled, the poster child for a toothpaste commercial, and gave me a wink before he left.
Well…Mr. Flynn Halstengard had certainly set an ominous tone I needed to shrug off. A stranger wasn’t going to dictate whether I trusted my new boyfriend or not.
Chapter 11
Wes
On Friday, Flynn left his fifth voicemail since Monday night.
I blew it off and glared at the strip mall out of my office tower’s window. If Sam had torn that eyesore down years ago, none of this would’ve happened. Mara would’ve been forced to set up shop somewhere else and probably wouldn’t have been able to afford any of my dad’s other properties.
She wouldn’t have latched onto Sam, and I wouldn’t have met her. Wouldn’t have gotten to know her. Would their paths have ever crossed?
My office door opened and Flynn barged in.
“Ignoring me much?”
“I don’t want to hear it.” I turned and waited for Flynn’s reproach.
“You need to. Did you even kiss anyone at the club? Rub yourself against them? When Hailey scooted that fine ass of hers into you, you jumped like a fifty-year-old virgin at a swinger’s party.”
Hailey’s painted-on dress and banging body should’ve been Robson catnip. She was a naturally beautiful girl and wielded her makeup wand like a warrior, turning herself into the stuff of men’s fantasies. I had always limited sex with her because she smacked of clinginess. She also gave off I’ll fuck your best friend on your desk vibes. And while Hailey and Flynn had hooked up, neither me nor my buddy worried about territory issues. No man was idiot enough to try to claim Hailey.
With Flynn’s prodding, she’d scooted up to me as soon as I’d stepped out of my office. Probably had been hoping to bang one of us on my desk.
But instead of double-D tits and hips that could swirl the alphabet over my dick, I saw a girl who didn’t have her shit together. Instead of blond highlights and lowlights and whatever else women did to their hair, I missed the pink.
And Mara’s hips were perfectly capable of alphabet sex.
“I need to see this thing through with Mara, and I need to focus.”
“On what? Letting her fuck with you?”
“Enough!”
Flynn’s mouth snapped shut.
Ah, hell. She was driving a wedge between us.
“What if…just let me find out what was going on between her and Sam.” I sunk into the couch in my office. “I’m starting to think, I don’t know, that maybe they were just friends and it wasn’t about the money. Let me find out why he wanted to spend the time with her that he used to spend with me.”
“I see. Coulda said so, dude.”
I sputtered.
Flynn shrugged it off and strolled to the pinball machine. “I get it. I know how Sam bailed on you. You’re pissed he was getting his geek on with Mara Jana Baslinski and you’re worried it wasn’t about the booty.”
Flynn was crack on, except for her name. Mara. Jade. Baranski. Fucker.
“Does this thing even work?” Flynn punched the buttons. Nothing happened.
“Probably. If it’s plugged in.” I snickered and earned the finger. “I doubt you’d even need a quarter. Sam gave everything away.” Or sold it for a dollar.
Squatting in his pressed slacks, holding his tie in like he was at the
