Smitten

My heart stops. “Georgina told you Alessandra wants to have sex with me?”

Kat presses her lips together. “I’ve already said too much. All you need to know is I’ll sprinkle a little fairy dust on my end of things and help Alessandra along—which, in turn, will help you both down the line.” She winks. “But the missing link is that, one day, if the opportunity presents itself, then you need to be ready to encourage Alessandra to communicate with you about what works for her.”

I rub my forehead. “Thank God I talked to you about this, Kat. Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” Her features soften. “At the end of the day, the most important thing is for you to be your darling self with her and, I promise, she’ll be putty in your cute little Fish fins.”

I scoff. “Says the woman who greeted me with ‘Fuck off’ for a solid year in middle school.”

“I did not.”

“You did and you know it.”

Kat grimaces. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I was so mean to you.”

“I do. You knew I had a huge crush on you, and you were trying to find out the outer limits of my loyalty.”

“I’m a horrible person.”

“You are. But you’re also the best.”

“You didn’t deserve that. You’ve always been a sweetheart. Although, if you don’t mind me saying, these days you’re a sweetheart and a hunk. What the heck have you been doing to yourself lately, Matthew? You’ve turned into a fox.”

I scoff.

“It’s true. Even my mother noticed during your last tour. She said, ‘Matthew’s looking so handsome these days!’”

I blush. “She did not.”

“She did!”

I can’t help smiling broadly. “It’s nothing. The last couple tours, Colin’s been forcing protein shakes down my throat, and I’ve been surfing a ton since I’ve been home.”

“No, it’s more than that. You’ve got confidence now.”

I shrug. “I dunno. I’m a late bloomer, I guess. I finally stopped growing and my body was able to catch up.”

“No, you’ve got swagger now.”

I snort.

“You do! Well, whatever it is, you’re a freaking smoke show now, honey.” She winks. “That Alessandra is one lucky girl.”

Before I’ve figured out what to say to Kat in response to that, my phone buzzes on the coffee table.

“It’s her!” I blurt. “It’s Ally.”

Kat pops up from the couch. “Don’t forget: every conversation is foreplay!” With that, she glides out of the living room, her baby bump leading the way.

I connect the call. “Hey, beautiful!”

“I just got the most incredible news!” Alessandra shouts happily. “Georgie and Reed are coming to Boston this week to watch me perform at the coffeehouse!” She tells me the whole story without taking a breath, and I express excitement.

“Georgie is coming with Reed?” I say. “Are they back together?”

“They are! Apparently, Reed did some epic groveling.” She giggles. “So, will you help me decide on my set list? I really want to impress Reed.”

“You bet. We’ll go over it tonight. But, of course, you’ll want to kick things off with ‘Blindsided.’”

“Okay!”

“I actually have some great news to tell you, too. I’m coming to the East Coast, much earlier than expected!” I tell her about the charity concert next month and invite her to join me in New York, and she flat-out freaks out.

We make plans, deciding to spend a few days sightseeing in New York after the concert and then fly to Boston together to hang out there for a full week after that.

“Oh, I have to go,” she says. “My mom is calling on the other line.”

“I’m sure she’s excited about Reed coming to your show.”

“I haven’t told her yet. You were my first call. Bye, babe!” And she’s gone, leaving that electrifying “babe” swirling in the air, like the finest perfume.

Babe.

I’ve been called all sorts of endearments by women. Baby. Sweetie. Honey. Cutie. Every twist on the nickname Fish. Surely, I’ve been called babe, too.

But never has an endearment hardened my dick the way Alessandra’s “babe” just did.

Man, these next several weeks awaiting my reunion with Alessandra in New York will be torture. I’ll literally be counting the minutes. But that’s okay. Because I know what I’m waiting for now. And I know it’s going to be well worth the wait. In truth, I’d rather date Alessandra via phone calls, texts, and video chats for the next however many weeks, than date literally anyone else, in person.

“Holy shit,” I whisper to myself, my heart clanging in my chest. But, after a few deep breaths, my hard-on has subsided a bit. My heart rate slowed to a manageable level. And so, I get up, shift my package in my pants, and saunter back into the party, feeling like I’m on top of the fucking world.

Eighteen

Alessandra

I jeté like a goofball into my small apartment, leaving Georgina and Reed chuckling behind me at my exuberance. I’m a tipsy girl tonight, thanks to the fancy champagne Mr. Fancy Pants ordered at Georgina’s birthday dinner earlier—the fabulous meal Reed, Georgie, and I enjoyed . . . right after Reed Rivers made all my dreams come true! Oh my God! At the end of my set at the coffee house, Reed hugged me and said, “That was exactly the kind of performance I wanted you to give me at my party, Ally! Let’s make ‘Blindsided’ a worldwide hit!”