"No way. That's your job. You did this, now you fix it."

She looks at me for several seconds, her head tilting. I know this look, it says she's got an idea. "What?"

"Antoine and I have tickets for a fundraiser at the zoo, but he's meeting with Spence and the STURGIS team tonight."

"Oh, that sucks. Sorry, sis."

"Take Rook instead."

I shoot her a dirty look. "Now you want me to take her out, but yesterday you were threatening my manhood if I got anywhere near her? What's the deal?"

"Spencer is here and he's got that look, Ronin. Don't let him swoop in because you know he'll try. Let her choose a dress from the closet and take her to the fundraiser. I have a feeling she'll enjoy herself. Oh, and write a check on your way out. A big one."

And then she pats my cheek a few times and walks off.

A night at the zoo. For a fundraiser. I'm not sure about this. It sounds like I have to wear a tux. I think about this for a second, then wander into the closet. It also means I could pick Rook out a nice sexy dress. I make my way over to the evening gowns and start looking for something red, long in length, and plunging at the neckline. I grab the dress and some shoes that look like her size, and then put it in a garment bag and hang it on the rack with Rook's name tag.

I hope she likes it.

Next on the list is the girly stuff, so I head over to the salon and talk Josie into making Rook up for the occasion. She agrees if I tip her generously, which I do because I figure if Rook has to worry about hair and make-up she'll probably say no.

Walking across the terrace makes me nervous for some reason. This girl who has not even been in my life for one week completely dominates all my thoughts. I mean, she's on my mind every second of the day. Even when Clare and I were fighting this morning, the only thing on my mind was how Rook was going to perceive that manic display of insanity from Clare.

I told Antoine I'm done with that girl. If Clare wants to jump off the ledge, f**k—there's nothing more I can do. I cut her loose and that's the end of it. Antoine was not happy, but whatever. He's never been able to control Clare and I've only ever had a tenuous hold on her at best. But all of that has left the building these days.

I can only hope that Rook doesn't read too much into it.

I stand at her door and knock, again feeling just a little bit off balance from all the recent changes. Rook answers in a pair of shorts and a halter top. My eyes take her in, from her perky ni**les standing at attention, to her long legs, to her bare feet.

Which have painted pink toenails and are fidgeting around like she's Gidget talking on the phone or something.

I take a deep breath.

"Hey," she says, seductively leaning against the door jamb, jutting her hip off to the side and twirling her long raven-black hair around a finger. All she needs is some gum and she'd be the Gidget of my dreams.

"Hey," I say back, like an idiot. "Uh, I was wondering if you'd like to go to the zoo with me tonight?"

That sounded lame.

She coughs down a laugh. "The zoo?"

"Yeah, it's a fundraiser. Antoine and Elise were gonna go, but they have to work tonight. So she gave me their tickets."

"What are we raising funds for?"

"I have no idea." Fuck, all I want to do is take you upstairs and throw you on my bed and hold you down while I make you scream my name. I hope to f**king God I did not just say that out loud.

She doesn't laugh or squirm, so I guess I'm safe. "Is it fancy?"

"Yes, very. But I have a dress for you and Josie said she'll do your hair and make-up. What do you say?"

"You picked my dress?"

Oh, shit. I probably f**ked up with that move. "Uh, well, you can pick something else if you want, but it's sexy as hell." I waggle my eyebrows at her and grin like an idiot, hoping to defuse that blunder.

"Does it make me look like Gidget?"

"No," I say too quickly. "Not at all."

"Well, in that case, I'll go. What do I have to do?"

I take her hand and tug her out the door. "I'll take care of everything, just relax and I'll meet you outside the dressing room at seven."

I drop her off with Josie and get the hell out of there before she can change her mind or ask me anything else about fruit baskets and vacant bedrooms on the lower floors of the building, then take the stairs up to my apartment three at time and go searching for my tux.

Chapter Thirty-Two - ROOK

Josie does my hair in an up-do. It doesn't take long, all she has to do is brush it out and pin it up, swooping it over to one side, while the top and back are sufficiently poofed up to give it some height. When she shows me in the mirror I let out a small gasp. Even without the make-up and dress, I already look better than ever before. The hair is sleek, not messy and half falling out like most up-dos end up, but shiny and pulled tight.

Josie smiles when I look over at her. "That's how fashion models do the up-do, Rook. Don't ever let them give you those wispy tendrils again!"

As if I ever had wispy tendrils to bag on. "Thank you, it's perfect."

"Now, for make-up, you don't need much. Some foundation and bronzer, then red lips. Ronin said the dress was red, so you must have lips to match. I'll put a sealer coat over it, so it will last."

She does it just like she said and then sets me off to find my clothes in the dressing room. It's past six now, so the whole place is quiet. I find my bag and take it over to the upholstered benches in the middle of the outer dressing area where all the naked girls were earlier. This time I get shoes, and I'm relieved because my ripped-up Converse would never do for the absolutely stunning red creation I pull out of the bag.