So, will you do it?

Robbie asks, twirling a pen in one hand while snapping gum in his mouth.

Are you my god-chuck, are you there for me?

This smile sparkles, making me squint.

Can I count on you?

I wonder briefly how much his teeth whitening regimen costs.

He has his feet propped on the desk.

I can see the logo and the soles of his shoes.

They're a special edition model.

No way you can get those without a connection in the fashion world.

He's waiting for an answer, so I drag my mind from the sludge of low-grade envy and look

into his eyes.

A dozen possibilities rushed through my mind, only one of them good, although good isn't

exactly the right word, not in the moral sense.

Are those still a thing?

Morals?

I thought they were, but now I'm not so sure.

Yes, I finally say, forcing the word out of my throat like shoving a scared fat kid

down a water slide.

His smile gets a thousand lumens brighter before it suddenly vanishes, letting my eyes

relax as he pulls his feet off his desk and leans over.

He peers over the marble-topped desk.

...