"How much are you looking for?" Trey asked.
"What do you mean?"
Trey shrugged. "How much do you want?"
She frowned. "You mean salary-wise? At this point, I don't really care. I'd take anything, although I can't start working until I finish Jasmine's orders. Her dress alone takes so much time to finish."
"You'll really take a job stacking shelves?"
"Why not? Of course I'll continue looking for a better paying job, but if there's nothing else for the time being, I'll take it."
"I happen to know a company who's looking for an admin assistant whose job is to organise supplies in the warehouse. Stacking shelves so to speak," Trey said, looking at her intently.
"Really? Do you think it will still be available in a month's time?" she asked, her eyes wide with interest.
"Unlikely. There are always plenty of applicants for that type of job. I can put in a good word for you if you're interested, but you'd need to be available immediately."
"Hmm," she replied, pressing her lips together. "Thanks. But if they need someone straight away I'll need to pass up. My hands are full with my current orders."
"So why are you still here instead of getting busy with the dresses then?" Trey asked with narrowed eyes.
She flushed. "Dylan wants me to be here when he gets back."
"Oh, I see. You do know he won't like it if you happen to land the job I was talking about? He wouldn't want something like that for his girlfriend."
"If that's my only choice then he'll have to accept it as well."
Trey snickered and shook his head. "Come on, Ari."
"What? I'm serious, Trey."
He smirked. "You know Dylan well enough to know he won't take it lying down. Why don't you just come right out and ask him for the amount you want?"
"Are you kidding me? Why would I want to do that?" she asked, horrified.
Trey tilted his head to the side. "So you could help support your sister?"
She frowned at the clear sarcasm in Trey's voice. Her jaw dropped and a chill went through her as realisation dawned.
"You think I'm after Dylan's money?" she whispered in mortification. She could feel the blood drain from her face as she fought the dizziness that hit her.
Trey didn't answer her. He simply looked at her mulishly.
"Tell me, Trey. Do you think I'm after Dylan's money?" she asked again, her voice strong and clear; her gaze hard and direct.
Trey blinked from the intensity of her glare and had the grace to blush. "Look, there's nothing fundamentally wrong with being interested in someone who's well-off. In some ways, it's like being interested in someone who's good-looking. I'm not saying you're going to steal from him or anything. I'm just saying that if you're looking to be supported by Dylan, just straight out ask him instead of beating around the bush with it."
"I don't believe this," she said, her eyes wide and unblinking as she stared at him in shock.
Trey shifted from one foot to another, his bluster from a few minutes ago gone. "Listen, Ari. Dylan, Adam, and I...we're just really close and we look after each other. This is one of the ways we do it. We've all had bad experiences and we just wanted to make sure we don't repeat the same mistakes. It's nothing personal."
Her eyes widened further as Dylan's words floated in her head. 'Don't take it personally, babe. There's a good reason why he's acting like he is.'
Dylan was in on this? He'd asked Trey to test her out? He suspected her of being a gold digger? Oh my God.
Her eyes watered. Without another word, she turned on her heel, grabbed her bag, and walked to the door.
"Ari, wait," Trey called, grabbing her arm. "Dylan really likes you."
"Sure," she said coldly, extricating herself from his grip. "He just doesn't trust me."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Dylan unlocked his front door, a smile tugging his lips in anticipation of Ari's greeting. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Trey slumped in his couch with his eyes closed.
"Before you kill me, I want you to know I'm sorry," Trey said, not moving a muscle but his lips.
Dylan's heart started galloping. "Where's Ari?"
Trey took a deep breath. "She left."
"Why, Trey?" he asked in a low, deliberate voice.
"I guess she didn't appreciate my line of questioning," Trey responded, opening his eyes and looking at him contritely.
"I told you to go easy on her, Trey."
"I know. I just really thought I had her in a corner. I wasn't expecting her reaction."
"What in the fuck did you tell her?" Dylan hissed, his hands fisted to his sides.
"I can't remember exactly. Something about just coming right out and asking you for what she wants instead of being subtle about it."