Flawed Perfection (Beautifully Flawed, #1)

Chapter Seventeen

Somehow I managed to make it through that first dinner with Andy. I giggled on cue, fluttered my eyelashes just like Tara wanted, and she was even convinced I liked him. When he asked me on another date I smiled and nodded, only to flop my head into my pillow and scream when I got home. Tara hounded me the next day at work about how she was so right about him. For her sake I decided to give him another shot, but I wasn't going to look like the hotness he'd seen on the first date. I was going to look utterly normal and see how he felt about that.

I slipped on a casual outfit with minimal makeup before grabbing my leather jacket as I answered the door.

"Hey lady," Andy said, his head in the arch of his oversized arms. I hadn't thought it was possible for a human to be bigger than Bobby, but Andy was definitely up for the challenge. He had to be on roids.

"You look great!" he said as his eyes wandered over my body, pausing at each curve. I had a feeling he thought the visual appraisal was a compliment. It just felt skivvy to me.

"Thanks," I replied, cursing myself for putting on a tight t-shirt as he pulled me into a quick hug and left his arm around my shoulders as I shut the door, and we walked to the stairs.

"I'm surprised this place doesn't have an elevator," he said as we began to descend.

I waited the two seconds it took to reach the bottom of the first set of stairs and nodded directly in front of me to the big silver doors.

"We do."

God. He. Is. Stupid.

He gave me a crooked grin. "I guess I was just so excited to see you that I rushed up the stairs instead."

Gag me. I smiled because I knew I should play along; try to make this work.

"It looks like a few stairs wouldn't hurt you," I said. I looked up at him and fluttered my eye lashes.

"Yeah, it's not like I don't work out or anything," he replied as he flexed his arm around my neck for effect.

I took the bait as we headed down the final flight of stairs, trying desperately not to act like a total bitch and shrug his arm off me. "How often do you workout?"

Andy scratched his head. I wondered what was so difficult about the question; maybe he was trying to figure out what would impress me.

Adam's voice echoed in my head Cro-Magnon.

"Cardio in the morning, weight lifting in the evening," Andy said with a big smile.

He thought it would impress me. The fact he used a word as big as evening was the real shocker. I stifled a bitchy giggle.

"Sounds like that takes up a lot of your time," I said as he held the door for me.

His face dropped as he considered what I said, before he perked up again. "It's worth it, don't you think?"

His arm slipped around my waist this time, under the leather jacket, and his jaw slackened as his eyes went wide. "You workout too!"

"What makes you say that?" I asked as I tried to retain the twitch in my face.

He squeezed my side with his oversized paddle-for-a-hand. "Tight abs."

Tara's voice rang in my head—Try, River!

"Aerobic dance five times a week. I give myself a break on the weekends," I said as he pulled out the remote key to his car. I tried not to gawk at the circle with three slashes.

The lights on a white Mercedes up ahead flashed. My steps staggered as my mouth opened and closed with no words coming out.

No way.

"You like it?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

It wasn't just any hunk of junk old Mercedes; it was a new CL- Class Coupe; all sleek lines and dollar symbols. I stopped midstride as I stared at the shiny white exterior and already visible red leather.

"What the hell do you do for a living?" I managed to ask.

"Eh, it's not that pricey," Andy replied, shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably.

Bullshit. I turned to face him and crossed my arms.

"I'm a car girl," I began as I tilted my chin over my shoulder. "You're talking about a hundred twenty thousand dollars right there."

Andy's green eyes locked on mine. "Car salesmen."

Now that made sense.

"So it's not yours?" I asked.

He looked at the sky, cracking his neck in a way that made me cringe. His eyes met mine again, and he smirked, all cheese and nausea. "Nah, I'm just that good."

Oh. No, he didn't.

I blinked hard a few times before answering, "I guess so."

My eyes moved back to the car and that bitter-bitch giggle erupted from my lips again, but this time I couldn't hide the tone.

"You're laughing at me!" Andy took the cue to pull me into his arms in a playful gesture. He took the opportunity to kiss me lightly on the neck.

"So you're a total bullshitter?" I asked as he loosened his grip around me and opened the door.

He was being a gentleman. Wow. Maybe I should give him a chance. I might get a nice Audi TT out of it.

"You know it, honey!" he said, walking around the car and somehow managed to fit his frame inside.

"It's a bit small for you, don't you think?" I asked. His head was barely an inch from the ceiling, and the seat was pushed all the way back.

Andy laughed and tilted his chin towards Bobby getting out of his truck. "You expected something like that?"

"I guess so," I replied.

"Not all big guys are the same," Andy said as we drove past Bobby.

Bobby's gaze rose at the flashy car, and I slipped further down into the seat, covering my face with my hand.

The rich tool next to me was right. Bobby actually had a brain compared to him.