The Infatuation (Josh and Kat #1 , The Club #5) (10 page)

“You know why. But I’m not gonna feed your ego and
say it. I can play the ‘I don’t give a shit’ game, too. It doesn’t
just work on professional ball players, it also works on gorgeous
women who are used to men falling all over them.”

“Okay, well, as long as neither of us gives a shit,
I guess I’ll go, then. I’m on a date with an All-star baseball
player, in case you didn’t know.”

“WAIT! No. I take it back. I GIVE A SHIT! I’m coming
to get you. Where are you?”

I giggle. “Screw you, dude. I’m having fun. I’m on a
date with Cameron Fucking Schulz. I’m sure he’s about to re-enact
his latest razor commercial for me. Sexy!”

“Put your fork down. My Party Girl with a Hyphen’s
not allowed on a date with Cameron Fucking Schultz. Hell no.
Especially when I’m in the mood to celebrate my freedom. Tonight’s
MY night, Party Girl, not that dickweed’s. Tell him to step the
fuck aside and let a real man show you a good time.”

Those butterflies in my stomach just turned into
bald eagles. I can’t think what to say in reply, so I just stare at
my phone, freaking out.

“Kat, tell him you’ve had a family emergency. Or
that you feel sick. I don’t fucking care what you say. Just end the
date. I’m coming right now. THIS IS MY FUCKING NIGHT AND YOU’RE MY
GODDAMNED PARTY GIRL WITH A HYPHEN!”

My entire body feels electrified. “OMG. You’re nuts.
No.”

Cameron clears his throat and I look up from my
phone. Oh crap. Cameron’s staring at me intently. My cheeks blaze
with sudden heat.

“I’m sorry, Cameron,” I say. “I’m being
rude—absolutely horrible.” I put my phone down. But then I pick it
right back up. “I’m... Lemme just... I just need to say
goodbye.”

“No worries. She needs you. I understand. You’re
worth the wait.” His eyes darken.

“Thank you,” I say, blushing. “Just a minute more, I
promise. And then I’m all yours.”

He picks up his water, salutes me, and winks. “I’m
gonna hold you to that.”

“Please do,” I say, but my voice lacks its usual
flirtatiousness. I bury my nose in my phone again. “Careful, Josh.
You’re gonna make me sleep with Cameron just to spite you.”

“NOT FUNNY, KAT.”

“I’m not being funny. I’ve never slept with a pro
athlete before. It’s on my list.”

I’ve no sooner pressed send on that last text when
my phone buzzes with an incoming call from Josh.

I decline the call and put my phone back on the
table, smiling at Cameron.

“Sorry about that,” I breathe. The phone buzzes with
another incoming call and I decline it again. “She’s just really
needy right now,” I say, despicably spiraling into full-blown,
pathological deception. “Post traumatic stress or something, poor
thing.” Oh my God, I’m morally bankrupt. Heinous.
Reprehensible.

Turned-on.

“Why don’t you just go give her a quick call?”
Cameron suggests. “Make sure everything’s okay. And then we’ll
start fresh, you and me.”

I nod. “Yeah, good idea. Thanks. As long as you
don’t mind.” My phone buzzes with another incoming call and I
decline it. “I’m just gonna step out front, real quick, call her,
see if everything’s okay, and then I’ll put my phone away for the
rest of the night. I promise.”

The waiter comes to the table with my martini and
sets it in front of me. “Are we ready to order?”

My phone buzzes with another call and I decline
it.

“I don’t think we’re ready to order yet—” Cameron
begins.

“No, no, I’m ready,” I say. “I’ll only be gone a
minute, I promise.”

He smiles at me.

I quickly place my order with the waiter, take a
huge swig of my martini, and then another, and sprint outside,
gripping my phone with white knuckles as I go. I’m scum right now.
A lying, deceitful, insincere piece of shit. But I can’t help it. I
feel like a junkie hankering for her next fix—and Josh Faraday is
most definitely my next fix.

The chilly night air feels like a slap to my
face—which is good. Maybe it’ll slap some sense into me. I’m being
an absolute nightmare right now. A female-asshole, which is a
massive step above bitch. Oh my God, I need to stop this. I’m on a
date with Cameron. He’s hot. He’s a professional athlete. He’s
sweet—like a Boy Scout. Jeez, the man’s pursued me through
two
cancellations of our dinner date. I’ve got to go back in
there and give him my undivided attention. He deserves that much.
And I will. Just as soon as I talk to Josh for a teensy-weensy
second.

I press the button to call Josh.

“Oh my fucking God!” Josh shouts in my ear the
minute the call connects. “Just the
thought
of you sleeping
with Cameron Fucking Schultz is turning me into my goddamned
brother. I’m coming to get you. Tell me where you are. You’re not
allowed to be on a date!”

I laugh. “Oh, please. I’ve seen your Instagram
account, Josh. You’re not exactly a monk.”

“Don’t believe everything you see. I just got
propositioned by a bisexual supermodel the other day
and
I turned her down
.”

I laugh. “Well, give the man a medal.”

“Tell me where you are.”

“No.”

He’s silent for a long beat. I can practically hear
his gears turning. “Are you gonna turn this guy down or what?” he
finally asks, his voice intense.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Oh my fucking—”

“Josh, you’re assuming he’s gonna make me some kind
of offer. There might not be anything to turn down.”

“Ha! Kat, gimme a fucking break. Of course, the
guy’s gonna make you an offer.”

“Not ‘of course.’ We might not hit it off. You never
know.”

“Kat, Jesus. Don’t act like you don’t know you’re
literally the most gorgeous girl on planet earth. You’re physical
perfection and any man who meets you is gonna want to sleep with
you and he’s gonna pull out all the stops to seduce you.”

I’m speechless. He just said things that would rock
any girl’s world—and he said them like he was rattling off state
capitals.

“So, are you gonna turn him down or not?”

“You think I’m the most gorgeous girl on planet
earth?” I ask, my mouth still hanging open.

He exhales with exasperation, like I’m asking a
stupid question. “Of course. You’re insanity—a fantasy come to
life. You must know that.”

My heart is suddenly pounding in my ears.

“You’re drop-dead gorgeous,” he continues, his voice
shifting from matter-of-fact to something distinctly sexual.
“Anyone who sees you is gonna want you. It’s fucking primal. Anyone
would want you.”

“Anyone?” I ask, clearly asking if that word
includes Josh.

“
Anyone.
Jesus, Kat.
Of course
. That
little cleft in your chin?” He makes a sound like I just licked his
dick. “I’ve got a hard-on just thinking about it. God help me if I
ever get to touch it, I’m gonna lose my fucking mind.”

I swallow hard.

“And on top of all that, you’re funny and sassy,
too. You’re the whole package, Kat. A fucking eleven.”

Holy shitballs, I wanna have sex with this man. If
we were alone right now, my clothes would already be off and my
legs spread. A thought pings my brain like a pebble against a
window:
What did you ask for in your application to The Club,
Josh Faraday?

“So, where are you?” Josh says softly, like he’s
luring a rescue puppy with a hunk of sausage. “I wanna celebrate my
newfound freedom tonight with my Party Girl with a Hyphen and I
won’t take no for an answer.”

I can barely breathe. “I can’t, Josh,” I finally
say. “I’m not gonna do that to Cameron. I’m a bitch, but I’m not
that big a bitch. We’ll celebrate tomorrow.”

“Aw, come on, Kat. If you’re willing to meet me
tomorrow night, that means you already know you’re not gonna be on
a date with Cameron Schulz tomorrow night, which means you already
know you’re not gonna sleep with him
tonight
, which means
there’s no point in going through the motions with him anymore.
Under the circumstances, the kind and efficient thing to do,
therefore, is to stop wasting everyone’s time and come hang out
with the guy you actually want to sleep with tonight. It’s the
kindest thing you could possibly do, Kat—don’t you wanna be a kind
person?”

“And you’re assuming the guy I actually want to
sleep with is you?”

“Of course. It’s no big secret.”

I scoff. “You’re awfully cocky.”

“No, I’m
confident
—and with very good
reason.”

Oh man, that last comment sent a shiver down my
spine. “I wouldn’t be so confident, if I were you,” I say. “I
haven’t spent five uninterrupted minutes with Cameron, thanks to
you—with a little time, we might really hit it off. You never know.
Maybe I
will
be sleeping with him tomorrow night. Hell,
maybe I’ll throw caution to the wind and sleep with him
tonight.”

Josh’s voice shifts to something animalistic.
“
Kat, fuck that shit right now.
I’m the sane twin compared
to my brother, but I’m still a fucking Faraday—you can’t say that
fucking shit to me. Do you understand me?”

Oh, his voice is so fucking sexy right now, I’m
wetting the cotton crotch of my undies.

His voice turns into a low, intense growl. “You like
torturing me. Is that it? It gets you off?”

I’m so freaking wet. Oh my God, I want him. “Yeah,
actually. It does.”

“Oh my fucking God,” he replies. “Go back in there
and tell him you’ve got to go. Tell him you got a better offer from
a man who’s gonna make you scream tonight.”

My heart is racing. The cool air on my face is doing
nothing to calm my raging arousal right now.

“Come on, Kat. Do it now. Right now. I’ve got such a
big fucking hard-on for you right now—and I know exactly how to use
it.”

“You’d make me scream, huh?”

“Oh yeah. You bet. All night long, baby.”

“Coming from a guy who joined a sex club, I’m not
sure if that’s good or bad. Would you make me scream your name or
scream for the police?”

He laughs. “You’ll just have to roll the dice and
find out, baby. Either way, you’ll thank me.”

I let out a shaky breath and shift my weight. I feel
like every drop of blood and fluid in my body has flooded into my
crotch all at once.

“You know how this story ends every bit as much as I
do, Party Girl,” he coos. “Let’s cut out the middle bullshit and
get to the good stuff. Because, trust me, the good stuff is really,
really good.”

“I don’t have any idea how this story ends.”

“Yes, you do.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Well, I do. And, believe me, it’s
so
fucking
good
it’s gonna make you drip down your
thighs.”

My clit flutters. So, it turns out Josh Faraday’s a
dirty-talker, huh? He just gets better and better. I take a deep
breath. “It’s gonna be that good, huh?”

“So. Fucking. Good. Oh my God. Best you ever
had.”

If I weren’t on a public sidewalk right now, my
fingers would already be inside my panties. “What’d you ask for in
your application, Josh?” I purr.

He exhales. “You’ll just have to roll the dice and
find out, Party Girl. Come on, Kat. YOLO. I’ve got a boner the size
of the Space Needle for you right now. I jacked off in the shower
yesterday, thinking about you. Don’t make me do it again tonight.
What a waste of an epic boner. Come on.”

Oh man, he’s making me so aroused, I can’t think
straight. “What’d you write in your application, Josh?” I ask.
“Tell me and maybe I’ll tell Cameron I feel a migraine coming
on.”

“I don’t negotiate with terrorists,” he says. “Just
tell me where you are.”

I laugh, even though I don’t want to do it.

“YOLO, Kat,” he whispers like he’s trying to put me
into a trance. “
YOOOOOLO
.”

I laugh again and shake my head, bringing myself to
my senses. “Are you gonna tell me what you asked for in your
application or not?”

“Not. You just have to roll the dice. That’s half
the fun of fucking someone new. Come on.”

I’m pissed as hell he won’t tell me. Didn’t I just
say I’d ditch Cameron if he told me? That’d be an exceedingly
bitchy, heartless thing to do to the guy—and I’m still willing to
do it
for him
—even though Cameron is a goddamned Major
League baseball player, too. Well, now I’m pissed.

“Come on, Kat.
YOLO
,” Josh coos, clearly
still thinking he’s got a chance of getting what he wants.

“Nope. I’m not gonna be a total bitch to Cameron.
And I’m not gonna sleep with you without knowing what I’m getting
myself into. So forget it.”

“Tell him you’ve gotta go. Right now.”

“No. We’ve already ordered our food—really
expensive, nice food. Surf and turf.”

“Wow. Big spender.”

“Stop it. He’s nice—a really sweet guy. He doesn’t
even drink.”

Josh bursts out laughing. “What? Oh my God. He just
gets better and better.”

I’m smiling so big, my cheeks hurt.

Oh man, Josh is laughing his ass off like I’ve just
said the funniest thing in the world. “Fun guy,” he finally chokes
out. “Oh yeah, you’re having a blast, Party Girl.” He laughs again.
“No wonder you’re talking to me instead of sitting with him. You
couldn’t get away from him fast enough.”

“A guy doesn’t have to drink to be fun. I think it’s
awesome Cameron doesn’t drink—it shows he’s got discipline.”

“Pfft,” Josh scoffs. “No, you don’t think it’s
awesome. You were mortified when he told you, admit it.”

I audibly shrug. He’s right, of course. But wild
horses couldn’t make me admit that to him right now. “Why don’t we
just see each other tomorrow night?” I purr.

Josh exhales. “I can’t. I’m headed to New York
tomorrow on the early flight on business. And then I gotta be in LA
for a couple days on a deal. I won’t be able to get back to Seattle
for at least a week.”