The Player's Club: Scott Read Free

a sip of her drink. “I’ve suspected that. You were sad, but you were also sort of relieved. You just never said so before.”
    “I think I didn’t want to admit it,” Amanda said. “Now I think I’m ready to move forward.”
    “It will get better. We’ll go out, party. Have some real fun. If I have my way, you’re never again going to go to sleep at ten o’clock after watching TV for six straight hours.”
    “I’m not sleeping well lately,” Amanda stated. Apparently her “rep” as a boring hibernator was well documented. She grinned, momentarily distracted as she remembered last night with Scott. “Of course, that’s not all my fault.”
    “Nightmares?” Jackie said with concern. “Or just can’t get your head to shut up? I hate it when that happens.”
    “Better.” Amanda claimed her celery from her Bloody Mary, took a fortifying sip. “I spent some time with a strange man.”
    Jackie’s eyes widened dramatically. “Oh, my God. Did you get lucky?”
    “Huh? Oh, no. Not like that.” Amanda quickly told the story of her visitor.
    “I figured you’ve got a secured building, but you probably shouldn’t leave that window open,” Jackie admitted, then laughed as the story progressed. “He sounds hot, though. You should have jumped him.”
    “Yeah, right,” Amanda snorted, finishing her Bloody Mary. “Anyway, I was thinking of taking a vacation or something, but nothing sounds quite right. I want an adventure, you know? Ethan was right. I either work, or I veg out. I need to shake things up.”
    “I think that Mr. Window Guy sounds like he could shake things up,” Jackie countered. “Like maybe your love life, or at least your mattress. You should totally sleep with him.”
    “What color is the sky on your planet?” Amanda asked. “Do you really just walk up to people and say, ‘Hi, I think we should sleep together,’ and then they just…do?”
    Jackie looked askance, counting off on her fingertips. “It works five times out of seven.”
    “I’ve seen your data pool. No offense, but I wouldn’t want to sleep with seven out of seven of those guys.”
    “That’s because you think you have to keep them,” Jackie said with a wicked grin. “For the short term, the results can be phenomenal. Even if they’re not, it’s fun. Live a little. When was the last time you had recreational sex?”
    Amanda glanced around the café, her cheeks heating with a blush. “Um, never?”
    “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” Jackie said sagely. “You know, I think it’s exactly what you need.”
    “What is?”
    “A fling.” Jackie’s smile was Cheshire-cat wide. “Man, I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before. You need to have cage-rattling, bone-crunching, monkey-jungle sex.”
    “And another Bloody Mary,” Amanda said to the waiter who was now staring at the two of them, wide-eyed. “Jeez, Jackie, what happened to your internal censor? Besides, I’ve had short-term relationships…”
    “This isn’t a relationship in any way, shape or form. You shouldn’t even know the guy’s last name. You just need to know that he revs your engine.”
    Amanda thought of Scott, wearing only those sweats, his hair tousled. Her heart was already beating fast at the thought of an intruder, but knowing it was her neighbor hadn’t slowed it down one bit.
    Oh, yeah. He revved her engine—and had since the first moment she’d seen him in the hallway, about a year before.
    Jackie caught the look on her face. “Soo…maybe you should invite Window Boy up for some more hot cocoa. And other tasty treats.”
    “You’re demented,” Amanda demurred, taking a fortifying gulp of her refilled Bloody Mary. “I tried flirting with him, and he didn’t respond at all.”
    “Maybe if you were Amish, that would count as flirting,” Jackie scoffed. “Be clear. Ask the guy up, then ask him to get naked and see where it goes.”
    “And if he said no, I’d have to bump into him at the