I took a sip of whiskey and sighed. "So, how goes it at the university?"
“Oh, you know—same shit, different day. We had to order a new set of encyclopedias because the old ones were burned up in the fire.”
I frowned and met his gaze. “Fire? What fire?”
“You didn't hear? The University of Arizona had a little break-in last weekend. Somebody decided to torch the library. It was lucky that I had forgotten my favorite book that night—and my favorite book survived.”
“Oh, Brett, that's terrible!”
“We almost lost the contribution you made.”
I shushed him. “Hey, nobody is allowed to know about that book. I wrote it in college, remember?”
“Don't worry. It's still listed under your pen name. Nobody would ever know. But consider releasing that information soon. It could really skyrocket your reputation.”
“I don't know about that. Everybody will just bring back my dreadful nickname.”
Brett laughed. “We've all grown up, Brooklyn. Nobody is ever going to call you that ever again, okay? I'll make sure of it.”
I turned my gaze away from him. I didn't want to talk about that silly romance novel. I had moved on to bigger and brighter things—the types of things that were much more intelligent than that ridiculous novel. I was a highly regarded librarian who was consulted by most professors across the state. A published book from my college days might ruin my reputation.
The music from the speakers around the room started to play a lively waltz. Brett nodded toward the floor, and I grimaced, taking the rest of my whiskey in one swig. I let him take my hand and tug me out to the center where there was practically no one else, a horrible experience for an introvert like me. The people surrounding the floor all looked at us including Peyton who gave me two thumbs up.
I smiled at her.
Alright, this isn't so bad , I considered while swirling around the floor. I bet I look really pretty. This dress makes me feel like a princess. I wouldn't mind doing this every now and then.
As we twirled around the floor gracefully, I heard passing bits of conversation:
“Who is she?”
“Absolutely gorgeous.”
“That dress is from a fairytale.”
“Was she with Peyton? Maybe that's her sister.”
“Impossible. Booklyn would never come to one of these.”
The sound of my nickname made me slightly furious. But instead of allowing it to ruin the moment, I let Brett twirl me around one more time as people started joining us on the dance floor. I weaved through the growing crowd back toward the bar. As I shuffled between masks, I ran into two men who hadn't stepped out of the way in time.
“Hey, watch it, jerk,” I shot angrily while fixing my dress. “That was rude.”
“Apologies, my lady,” the tall one expressed as he bowed deeply. “Can we make it up to you by buying you a drink?”
I eyed them carefully.
The tall one had chin-length black hair that he had combed back, a lock of his rich raven hair hanging over his masked face. His eyes were dark, so deeply black that I could nearly see the reflection of the room in them. His bulbous nose and square chin made him look like a prince from a fairytale.
Well, I guess I fit the part, I joked internally.
I studied the other man—he was slightly shorter with reddish-brown hair that fell to his eyes. It was ruffled but still looked stylish and I could smell the pomade he used to style it. He had stern-looking features with a long nose but his eyes were what caught my attention—they were bright green.
The two wore matching suits.
“Well?” the green-eyed man asked. “Can we make it up to you?”
I shrugged. “I suppose.”
I grinned happily at each one even though I wasn't necessarily excited about being lured away by two men. However, it was nice to get away from Brett. He was a good friend and a sweet man, but he was also too much too often. I couldn't stand his long rants about intellectual pursuits. I didn't really care for them.
As I wandered over to the bar with my new escorts, I caught another glance from Peyton. She raised her eyebrows approvingly at the men on either side of me. I leaned against the bar. The tall man held out his hand. I took it.
“I'm Cooper,” he introduced. “And this here is my best friend, Jack.”
“It's nice to meet you two.”
“What will the princess have?”
I smiled warmly. “The princess will have a whiskey sour.”
Cooper arched a brow with a look of intrigue. “You're not at all delicate.”
“Not by any means,” I assured. “And you two look familiar. Have you been to the University here?”
“That's where we got our business degrees,” Jack replied. “Maybe you'll recognize us.”
They both took off their masks, and I had to hide my shock.
I did know them.
They were the two guys that used to tease me in the library all the time.
The ones who coined my nickname.
Within seconds, I had gone from shock to panic to pure calm. I had a plan. I could absolutely seduce them and then ditch them. It would finally put the past at rest. I could take them down easily while also slapping Brett away.
It was the perfect plan.
And I planned to make it happen.
Continue Reading THE BILLIONAIRES AND THE BOOKNERD HERE!
Also by Harper West
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The Billionaires and The Bookworm: A MFM Billionaire Menage Romance
The Billionaires and The BookNerd: A MFM Billionaire Menage Romance
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