Page 122 of Just for the Plot

“Yeah…friends.”

CHAPTER 21

BENNETT

“Oh my fucking God, shedry-humped my dick last night,” I say as I sit down next to Graydon and OC.

OC is midsip of some water when he tears the bottle away and does a spit take, spraying Graydon in the arm.

“What the actual fuck,” Graydon says, his eyes burning with flames.

OC is wiping the water off his chin, completely unaware of his impending death as he says, “Who did? Bower? The sister’s friend? Please, for the love of fuck, let it be Bower.”

I nod. “It was Bower.”

Graydon grabs OC by the collar and brings his face almost nose to nose with his. “Get me a towel, now.”

“But—”

“Now,” he growls.

“Right.” He shakes off Graydon and holds up his finger. “One second. Don’t start without me. I want to hear everything.”

OC takes off toward the bathroom while Graydon turns to me. “Tell me everything while he’s gone.”

“Brutal,” I say on a laugh.

“The fuck sprayed me with water. He deserves to miss out.”

Graydon is on a whole other level of grumpy today.

Today we’re signing our pictures we took at the zoo for an off-site fundraiser. Everyone who comes gets a picture, but we’re waiting onGretchen to bring them and she forgot Sharpies as well, so we have a little bit of time in between, something apparently Graydon is not pleased about.

“I got the towels,” OC yells as he runs toward us, holding them in the air before he plops down in his seat and starts dabbing at Graydon.

Graydon rips the towels from OC’s hand and says, “Don’t fucking touch me.”

“Jesus fuck,” OC says, backing his chair away. “It was just water.”

“That was in your goddamn mouth.”

“For less than a second. Talk about sensitive.” OC thumbs toward Graydon and rolls his eyes.

“I’d be careful, dude,” I say to OC as Graydon keeps his eyes on OC the entire time.

OC glances toward Graydon and I see the bob in his throat before he brings his attention back to me. Funny thing is I’ve seen OC play hockey, I’ve watched clips, and he’s a goddamn beast on the ice—brutal, actually—a goddamn menace, but for some reason Graydon has a hold on him.

“Hurry up and tell us what happened before Gretchen gets back. You know she won’t let us fucking talk about it. She’s all business.”

Not able to contain myself, I say, “We went to a dinner party last night where we had to pretend we were a couple. I got to touch her, and she sat on my lap. Fuck, it was amazing. Of course we drank a lot and when we got back to the apartment building, I walked her to her apartment.”

“To dry-hump?” OC asks.

“No. She bought cupcakes as a thank-you for helping her out.”

“Were there actual cupcakes or was ithercupcake she was offering up?”

“Clearly it was actual cupcakes, you nitwit,” Graydon says.