Trust by J. C. Valentine Read Free Book Online

gracefully into the hole, making the rest of them look like the amateurs they were. He came to stand beside Felix as Travis stepped up to take his turn. “Do you want my honest opinion?”
    “Shoot.” 
    “I think you’re the problem here. Poppy sounds like she has a legitimate reason to want to keep her house. Dogs need space to roam around, and from what I understand, that dog is the equivalent of a child to her. Not to mention, it’s a house. That’s an investment you won’t get back. So the real question here is why are you really holding on so tight to the condo? You and I both know that money is never a factor in our decisions.”
    Jon was right. Money had never been an issue. Felix didn’t weigh his decisions based on it, and he didn’t strive to acquire it. He was satisfied with what he had. It just happened that his hard work paid off and provided a lot of it. So why was he holding on so tight?
    Turns out, he didn’t have a good answer for that. He shrugged. “I’m starving. You guys hungry?”
    Leaning against his club, Tate examined Travis. “I heard Mr. Priss over there was watching his figure, but I could eat.”
    Straightening, Travis shot Tate an annoyed look. “You’re just jealous because you don’t look this good.” His arms extended out to display his trim and fit form.
    Tate shrugged and looked away. “Whatever, man. I bet there’s a potbelly and chesticles under all that cotton.”
    Travis jogged to catch up with him as Tate started walking back toward the country club. “Does this look like chesticles?” he called as he lifted his shirt and flashed his abs. A group of young women nearby began to giggle hysterically. Jon and Felix shook their heads and began to follow behind them, keeping a safe distance so no one would associate them with the two crazies up ahead.
    While Tate and Travis compared tit size, Jon offered Felix words of advice that he had to admit were pretty sound. Felix took note of all of them and promised to give them consideration. They ate lunch and kept the conversation light, which wasn’t a problem since Travis and Tate spent most of the hour debating who had the sexier bod. In the end, Travis won due to his current bachelor status. Apparently, happily married men lost their sexual prowess claims upon speaking their vows.
    Directly after lunch, Felix gulped down the last of his drink and excused himself. He needed to get going if he was going to make it. Gianna agreed to meet him and he had less than twenty minutes to make a drive that would normally take him thirty. He’d kept her waiting last time and didn’t intend to make a habit out of it.
    Thanks to his lead foot, Felix made it just in time. Swinging into a parking spot just outside the restaurant they’d agreed to meet at, Felix jumped out of the car. At the door, he gave the hostess his name and she pointed him in the direction of the table. He spotted Gianna’s golden mane immediately and felt the tension roll from his shoulders as he threaded his way through the dining area.
    She must have felt him coming. Lifting her head from whatever she was doing with her phone, her face lit up. Setting the phone aside, she rose to greet him. Her tall, slim frame was perfect in the tight-fitting black-on-black ensemble. Felix couldn’t help admiring her. She was a beautiful woman—classy in a way that screamed money, but subdued enough by the understated make-up and lack of jewelry to make her approachable.
    “Felix,” she said softly , her pale pink lips curving to reveal perfectly straight, bleached white teeth. Wrapping her thin arms around his shoulders, she gave him a brief hug. “You made it, and on time.”
    There was a teasing note in her voice that made Felix chuckle. “I may have broken a few laws to get here, too. Have you ordered yet?”
    “No, I was waiting for you.”
    He scooted her chair in for her and took the seat across from her. The waiter appeared a moment later and they put in their