His name was Jeff and he was my copy editor at the magazine I just quit and figuratively set on fire. I chose him because he was already at the office and he was cute enough without being distractingly hot. He was pretty good without being great. He wasn’t strong enough to make me break much of a sweat during sex and show up to my next meeting disheveled – which sounded horrible, yes, but that was the point.
Jeff was just enough to satisfy my libido, but not enough to launch my hormones into crush mode. He got the job done so I could get my job done and finally earn myself a spot on the masthead like every one of my bosses kept promising I would. For that company, I’d adapted myself to an active but deeply mediocre sex life.
And all for nothing.
Those dicks, I scowled as Lia’s text finally came in.
LIA: HOLD ON I’M SO CONFUSED. WTF is happening can you tell me in one sentence please??
ME: FINE
ME: Basically I just snapped and quit June Magazine in a way that might get me blacklisted from publishing entirely so before I launch into disaster control tomorrow, I’m going to make up for all the years of bad sex I had for that company by finding the hottest guy at the bar tonight and having him do EVERYTHING to me.
Once I hit send, I let out a heavy whoosh of a breath. I didn’t realize it till a second after sending the text, but apparently my mind was made.
I was indulging tonight.
In everything.
Fuck it – for just one night, I was go
ing to let myself have whatever I wanted, however I wanted – as hard and fucking sweaty as I wanted.
In ten hours, it would be 8AM, but till then, every one of my rules would cease to exist.
Any fantasy I had, my wish was my own command, because I was both Cinderella and her own fairy godmother at the hotel rooftop ball. Tomorrow, it was back to reality.
But tonight, I was making every second worth it.
2
SARA
“Lia, we’re officially in the same building – can’t this wait till I meet you up on the roof?” I pleaded, my phone pressed between my shoulder and my ear as I handed the bouncer my ID. Once I slipped past him, I found myself in the sleek and seductive lobby of the hotel’s quieter side entrance, waiting alone for perhaps the slowest elevator known to man.
“No, Sara, it cannot wait, because you strung me along all night with your cryptic-ass texts and now that I finally know what the heck is going on, I’m drunk and I’m excited and I’m ready to butter up some hotties for you so they’re nice and warm by the time you get up here!”
“Oh, that just sounds… so creepy, Lia.”
“Did it?” She made a sad little sound. “I guess so. Lukas is giving me the weirdest look right now. But whatever, it’s not your night, Lukas – I’m talking to Lukas right now – it’s Sara’s night. Right, Sara? I’m talking to you right now.”
I had to laugh at what an adorable shitshow my best friend turned into after just a few glasses of wine. “Sure, drunkie, it is.”
“Exactly. So listen. I was talking to this guy just now who is a solid nine – don’t look at me like that, Lukas – and he is a total sweetheart. Like, such a nice person.”
“Uh-huh.”
Lia’s voice faded out as I opted to check my reflection in the mirrored doors of the elevator.
All things considered, not bad.
Despite the fact that I’d been ugly crying in the women’s bathroom at work two hours ago, my mascara was still fairly intact, as was the light blush I’d applied early this morning. Tilting my face to the side, I admired the natural sheen on the cheekbones I’d inherited from my mother – sky-high and eager to reflect any shred of light in the room. Lia fondly called them dirty attention whores. My cheekbones and my “ass that won’t quit,” apparently, were the guiltiest parts of my body.
Oh, Lia. I had to interrupt her when she got to the part about this super nice guy’s three rescue cats.
“Lia – listen,” I started carefully. “I appreciate your tip, and I love you very much, but I don’t think a cat dad sweetheart is what I’m looking for tonight.”
“What? Why?”