The phone vibrates, and I pick it up.
“When and where?” I read and then look at Jace, saying, “This is about to get fun.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” he answers.
As I’m typing, I read Jace what’s going into the message, “Let’s blow off for the next couple of days and just get away together. I hear Maine’s gorgeous this time of year. I’ll make it worth your while.”
“You’re sending them to Maine?”
“Correction,” I say and smile, “I’m sending him to Maine.”
We wait a minute and another text comes in.
“With the late notice, I don’t know if I can get away from the wife that long,” I read.
“Why am I not surprised that he’s married?” Jace asks.
“Because he’s an asshole,” I answer. I type, “Just tell her something came up and you’ve got to take a last minute business trip. Trust me: you’re going to be smiling before the night is out.”
“Do you really think that’s going to work?” Jace asks. “I can see standing him up here in town, but I seriously doubt he’s going to go f
or a days-long vacation planned last minute through text messages.”
“I think you’re underestimating the degree to which men like to stick their dicks in warm, wet places,” I answer. “Besides, I’m offering to raise the stakes, but I’m not being specific as to how. That drives men crazy.”
“Does it now?” Jace chuckles.
It’s good to see he’s starting to find the humor in all of this.
The phone vibrates again and I read, “I’ll see what I can do, but booking a flight for both of us isn’t going to be cheap.”
“The dude makes well into six figures,” Jace says. “Why’s he so worried about the money?”
“He’s not,” I answer. “He wants me to tell him exactly what I have planned. He’s trying to get me to convince him.” I type, “It may not be cheap, but with what I’m going to let you do to me, I’d say it’s worth every penny. I have plans that you wouldn’t believe.”
Jace is actually laughing now, though I still see lingering pain on his face.
“We’re just giving them both what they deserve,” I tell him. “I know the situation sucks, but revenge is oh, so wonderful.”
Another minute passes, and the phone vibrates again.
“I’m looking at flights,” I read. “What time do you want to leave tonight? There’s a 7:35 and a 9:20 to Bangor.”
“Watch this,” I tell Jace, and he looks over my shoulder as I type, “You take the 7:35. I’ll take the 9:20. I don’t want to take a chance that my boyfriend or your wife follows us and spots us together.”
“He’s going to catch on,” Jace says. “Do you really think he’s going to buy the need for two separate flights?”
“It adds to the intrigue,” I tell him. “It’s part of the foreplay. He’ll go for it.”
The phone vibrates.
I read, “Tickets purchased. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
“You’re fucking kidding me,” Jace says.
“I told you, men are easy.”
“That or the guy’s a fucking idiot.”