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I looked down at the paper, which was a card fro with an offer of fifteen percent off A coupon Nicole was offering ratitude A coupon for spa services that I couldn’t afford I held it out to her "I can’t afford…" I sed hard "Thank you for the offer, but I’ht now"

She looked atfro out and plucking the card froers She hesitated, then held it back out "Then book e For Saturday, if they have availability These long days are killing me" She turned back to thethe color before checking her watch "How er do I need to keep these on?"

"Another fivethe back of my neck in a futile attempt to relieve some of my own tension

She let out a huff of irritation and I decided, right then, her nails druht in Shining Joey

"There’s the love of h to stall productivity, and I glanced over my shoulder to Joey, who held out his arms and walked toward me as if he expected an embrace I stopped him three paces out with the dirtiest look I had

"Ouch" He stopped in his tracks and clutched at his heart "Don’t tell me A divorce already? Perez will be so devastated He drew hearts around us and everything"

I fought a s my attempt to push hitruck "All of your proble all of hly unlikely I let hi twenty pounds, and it had nothing to do with my supercute boots "I’m not like you Joey My parents--"

"I know all about your parents," he interrupted "My publicist gavehas already agreed to sleep with me, just to throw the wolves off your scent"

"What?" I ca from my shoulder "Are you serious?"

"Don’t feel sorry for her" He winked at me "I’ll make sure she enjoys it"

Oh, I was sure she’d enjoy it "And hoill that help?"

"We’ll leak sorope her in public, and our little kiss will be forgotten as quickly as your boss’s e attempt at a career" He smiled that famous smile, and my mind stuttered, still stuck on Katie’s involve to sleep with you? Just to throw off the press?"

"Uh … yeah Technically, we’ll be fucking et the point In twenty-four hours, I’ll have solved all your probleed me forith his hand "Co truck, unsure if Katie in Mixing was stupid or lucky Unsure if I was stupid for believing in this plan Was he right? Would it all go away that easily?

Vic the Dick

Is such a Prick

He took ot a C in Modern Poetry

It was hailing The top of the SUV dru beat except that soon Dante would stop and I would have to step out into its fury I watched hail bounce off the hood of a taxi and hoped it would stop before we got to set