“What’s so funny?” I asked her suspiciously as Lacey started laughing into the phone. “What are you thinking about?” I asked her, wondering why she was looking so happy all of a sudden.

“I wonder what Scott is going to say when he finds out you’re not really his secretary and rather a sexy actress there to seduce him,” Lacey said and I wondered if she was changing the subject because she didn’t want us to focus on her during the call.

“Uhm, first of all, I’m not really an actress, or at least I’m not a working actress, and secondly, I haven’t been hired to seduce him. It’s not like I’m going to go in there and bend over his desk and say ‘take me from behind’.”

“Why not?” Lacey grinned. “It’s not like you haven’t had sex with him already.”

“I can’t believe you said that.” I shook my head at her. “You’re no longer my best friend.”

“Why not?” She continued grinning. “Because I know you too well?”

“Bitch.” I laughed and groaned. “You do know me too well and yes, a part of me is asking myself why I don’t just have some fun with him this week and to hell with it.”

“Well, why can’t you have the best of both worlds? I mean, you thought he was good in bed, right? Why don’t you have your fun with him this week and then on Saturday give him the lap dance and walk out of his life and make him feel like the biggest fool to hit the planet.”

“You mean I should play him?”

“Yup.” She nodded as she scooped more ice cream into her mouth. “Play the player.”

“That sounds like the name of a movie.” I giggled. “Or a really corny book.”

“Maybe I should write that instead of my current book.” Lacey’s eyes lit up. “I’d have a guy called Scott, who was tall, blond, and fit with bright blue eyes and he’d meet an innocent sweet girl called Elizabeth and he’d try to play her, but she would resist and then—”

“You’ve gotten one thing wrong,” I said, cutting her off. I jumped off of the couch and walked to the kitchen to see what junk food I had. Watching her eating her ice cream was making me hungry.

“Oh?” She frowned.

“There’s no way Elizabeth would resist.” I laughed. “Not if he’s tall and blond, and sexy and rich and fit.”

“She’s a good girl,” Lacey said. “All the girls in romance books are good girls, that’s why the men want them so badly.”

“Maybe that’s what I’m doing wrong?” I said as I opened my fridge. “I’m a bad girl and I’m getting the bad guys.”

“You said Scott was good in bed. So not a completely bad guy,” Lacey said and I rolled my eyes.

“He was hot as hell in bed—he was better than good—but that doesn’t mean he’s a good guy. Or that I’m a good girl. I acted slutty and I got a jackass.”

“Nothing wrong with slutty,” Lacey said and I frowned into the phone.

“Wrong response; this is when you’re supposed to tell me that I’m not a slut.”

“Oh, yeah, my bad. You’re not a slut.”

“That sounds very reassuring.” I shook my head and laughed. “I’m almost as bad as the girls on The Bachelor.”

“Hey, not all of them are sluts. Some of them are sweet.”

“Which ones?” I asked with a grin.

“Uhm...” Lacey paused and I could tell she was thinking.

“Hey, I’m getting a call,” I said as my phone beeped. “Oh damn, it’s Scott,” I said as I looked at the screen.

“Ooh, Mr. Bad boy himself. Answer it and hurry back and tell me what he wanted,” she said eagerly and I watched as she jumped off of her bed. “I’m going to get some wine, while I wait,” she explained as she walked through her parents’ corridor.

“Okay, hold on,” I said and took a deep breath as my heart raced. “Hello, this is Elizabeth speaking,” I said, acting nonchalant.

“Where are you?” Scott’s voice was annoyed as I answered the phone.

“Sorry, what?” I asked, confused. What had happened to ‘hello’ and the other niceties?

“Where are you, Elizabeth?” Scott’s voice was a monotone and I frowned into the phone. What was he talking about? And with such an attitude, as well.

“Watching TV on my couch,” I said and sat up. “Why?”

“Isn’t there somewhere else you’re supposed to be right now?”

“Uhm, in bed?” I asked, confused.

“Didn’t you read the work contract?” Scott asked again, his tone suddenly amused.

“What did I miss?” I said curiously and then my jaw dropped as I thought about what could have been a part of the contract. “You’re not saying that sleeping with you is part of the job, are you?”

“Would that be so bad?” he asked, his tone teasing. “I thought that would be a perk.”

“Not really,” I said, my tone dismissive as my heart raced. Was he being serious?

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m not asking that of you, then, isn’t it?”

“So why are you calling me?”

“You were supposed to come over tonight for some dictation.”

“Dick-tation?” I screeched, my heart thudding and then I realized I’d heard him wrong. “Oh, sorry, you mean dictation.”