“Are you going to tell me why you’re so happy?” Bailey asked.
Her hair had changed, and I hadn’t reconciled it with the girl I’d met freshman year at college. She’d been so naïve, and in a lot of ways, she still was.
“I had the most interesting night of sex you could imagine,” I admitted.
When she turned a bright shade of red, I remembered who I was talking to.
“I’m afraid to ask,” she said.
“Don’t be. I’ll spare you the details and just say Striker took me to a sex club and I let him tie me up.” Her jaw dropped, and I clarified. “Okay, it was more like Velcro and straps than rope and ties.” As she sat there in stunned disbelief, I remembered something. “Oh, there might have been a spanking or two involved as well.”
My friend had only recently discovered sexual freedom. She’d come from a religious community separated from society, and my admission had obviously left her speechless.
“Yeah, I know what you’re thinking,” I said. “Believe me, I thought the same thing when I stepped into that room. But honest to god, Bails, and this scares me, I trusted him.”
“Wow,” she said.
“Exactly. I mean, I barely know the guy. But on some level, I knew he wouldn’t do anything to hurt me.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “The spanking?”
“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. It didn’t so much hurt. Maybe it was the forbidden nature of it all, but it was the best sex I’ve had in my entire life.”
“That’s good, I guess.”
“Tell me something. When did you know you were falling for the big Scottish lug?”
“Falling? I stumbled, tripped, and now I’ve righted myself. I’m so over that mistake.”
I still didn’t believe her. She had hearts in her eyes for Kalen.
“Besides all that. When did it switch from sex to something more for you?” I asked.
Her mouth curled away from the frown that had formed when I mentioned her gorgeous but grumpy boyfriend or ex. I couldn’t keep up with the pair’s status.
“Is someone falling for Striker?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye.
“I think falling is a strong word. I will admit I miss what I had with Hans.”
“Everything in the news I’ve read says Hans is there for the taking.” She dangled the idea like a lifeline.
“We’ve been through this. I can’t. He and I don’t fit.” Literally and physically. “I wish sex wasn’t a huge part of who I am, but it is. I’d end up needing a sexual partner outside of our relationship. That’s just the truth of it.” She nodded, and I sighed. “I’m a jerk, aren’t I?”
“No. You’re honest. It’s a good thing. Others would just cheat.”
“Exactly. He’s a great guy.”
“And Striker?” she probed.
“I don’t know. He’s a mystery.”
“Why’s that?”
I shrugged. “My choice, to be honest. I don’t want to know much about him because I didn’t want to fall for the guy. And no, I haven’t. But I am getting attached to his presence in my bed.”
“That’s how it starts.”
“What?” I asked.
“That’s how it started with me. I got used to Kalen being there. It was comfortable.”
“Not to mention great for your sex life,” I said.
“That’s the point,” Bailey said. “I’ve been reading up on this. Women are far more likely to develop feelings when involved in a strictly sexual relationship, despite the rules a couple comes up with.”
“What are you saying?”
Getting relationship advice from my friend was almost weird. In all our years of knowing each other, she’d depended on me. But the fact was, the last time I’d had a relationship that resembled anything close to a boyfriend before Hans was in high school. And how had both turned out?
Bailey’s face softened. “I’m saying be careful. You’re not as tough as you think. You have a soft gooey center inside that hard-as-nails heart of yours. But I’m not saying don’t try. You never know. Maybe you should invite him to your art show.”
I hadn’t thought about that.
“See how he fits in your world. You know the sex works between you, but what about the rest? You should know that before actual feelings get involved.”
“You are wise,” I teased, though she was.
We slipped into conversation about my upcoming show and her plans for moving to D.C. to take a new job, which saddened me. I’d gotten used to having her as a roommate.
“Have a fun dinner with your parents,” she said in jest before we ended the call.
“Thanks for not being here and taking Mother’s matchmaking mischief off me.”
She laughed. “Oh, and how are the renovations going?”
“About as well as your reconciliation with Kalen,” I teased. “Slowly.”
She sighed. “You can’t reconcile with a man you don’t see.”
“Trust me, he’s there. He has eyes on you somehow. There’s no way they have a security guy following me and not you.” Though I hadn’t seen mine lately, I knew he hadn’t been reassigned.