Fake Marriage Box Set

“Maybe you are,” Paul said, a devilish note to his voice that came through clear despite the shitty reception. “I've never heard you give a shit about anyone before.”

“I give a shit about you,” I protested.

“A female, then,” Paul amended. There was a pause. “I'm happy for you, kid. Even if it is just a bit of fun.”

I rolled my eyes. “Even though you're all married and having children and whatever, I'm not a kid,” I said.

There was laughter on the other end of the line, and our conversation quickly turned to other, less serious matters.

Chapter Sixteen

Gretchen

Mina was waiting outside the massage parlor when I showed up on Wednesday morning. I snorted and accepted the coffee that she handed me. “I want to know all the details,” she told me, breezing into the shop behind me once I'd unlocked the front door. “You have, what, an hour until your first appointment? I want to know all the details.”

I laughed a little, even though inside, I was wondering if maybe I shouldn't regret having told her about the follow-up date. I'd needed her opinion when it came to outfits, though; sometimes, it felt as though she knew my wardrobe better than I did. She knew which outfits would make me look sexy.

“Come on, don't be coy,” she told me, shaking her head. “You had a good time?”

“I had a good time,” I allowed. “I actually should take you to that restaurant sometime; I think you'd like it. It's down on the beach, and it's just barbecue. Like, you order whatever it is that you order, and they bring all your ingredients over to your table and cook them for you, kind of like Korean barbecue. But with, like, pineapple and stuff, so-”

“Okay, no offense,” Mina interrupted, holding up both hands to forestall my babbling. “But I don't care about the food.”

I laughed at how direct she was, but that was one of the things that I loved about her. “Yeah, okay,” I said. “But it is a great place. And then we went from there back to my place and...” I trailed off, cheeks flaming.

“Holy shit,” Mina said, her eyes widening. “You actually fucked him, didn't you?”

I blushed brighter. “I hate that word,” I complained. “Fucking just sounds so-”

“Okay, okay,” Mina said, shaking her head, a grin on her face. “You made love to him, didn't you?”

“Yeah,” I mumbled, picking at the hem of my sleeve.

Mina whistled lowly. “You fucked—sorry, sorry—made love to Christian Wall.”

“Yeah,” I said, shrugging a little as though it was no big deal.

Mina frowned, peering at me. “You don't sound too happy about that,” she pointed out.

I swallowed hard and turned away from her, feeling traitorous tears pricking at my eyes. “It's not like that's ever going to happen again.”

“Aw, honey,” Mina said, sweeping me into her arms. “I've heard some stories about him,” she said. “Did he kick you out of bed afterward?”

“I kicked him out,” I told her, not sure why I was so tearful about the whole thing.

“You did what?” Mina asked incredulously.

I couldn't help laughing at her expression, a little watery sound. “Yeah,” I said, shaking my head. “We slept together, and-”

“Was it that bad?” Mina asked, sounding scandalized.

“No, it was good,” I told her. “It was really good,” I said, coughing lightly.

“So, he's good in bed?” Mina asked, a wicked gleam to her eye.

“I haven't slept with that many people,” I reminded her. I swallowed hard.

Mina laughed. “You don't have to sleep with that many people to realize that someone is a good lay,” she said. She cocked her head to the side. “You enjoyed it.”