“Are you working with your dad this summer?” Kira asked, plopping down on the couch.
“Nope. I told him I’m taking this summer off. You know I hate working there.”
“You’re the only person in the world who would hate working for a major production company,” Kira replied.
“I’m pretty sure I’m not. Also, do you like spending your summers working with your parents? I don’t think so. Plus, you know I hate that shit. I want nothing to do with the entertainment industry.”
Dad had started Crane Entertainment nearly thirty years ago. He’d built that shit from the ground up, and now we had offices in both Atlanta and LA. I was proud as hell of him, but…it wasn’t my jam. I hated everything about it, had been dragged to parties and events my whole life where I did nothing but make a fool of myself.
“You do realize that when you’re a professor, you’re going to have to speak to people, yeah?” Ali cocked a brow, and I threw a couch pillow at her face. “Fucker!” She chucked it right back.
“That’s not the same thing. That’s my space. I’m comfortable there, or I will be.” I hoped, at least. “It’s different when you’re talking about something you’re passionate about compared to something you’re not. I kill it at speech now.”
“Cool. Yeah. Who cares?” Kira sat beside me and tucked her legs under herself. “Speaking of passion, I want to get back to the guy thing.”
“Oh God, no.” I dropped my head against the back of the couch.
“Jay…come on. This is the year. This is the summer. You deserve to get laid and get yourself a boyfriend.”
“First, neither of you has a boyfriend, and second, I’m a strong, independent man. I don’t need a guy.”
“No shit, but don’t you want one a little?” Ali asked. “Sex is the fucking best. I’m iffy on the relationship part, but I’m with Kira on getting you some ass…and dick.”
This wasn’t the first time we’d had this conversation. “Have you guys seen me around men? I’m pretty sure you’ve seen me, because you were both at lunch. I’d probably…I don’t know. I’d find a way to fuck it up somehow. Maybe break his dick during sex or something. If it’s possible, chances are I’d do it.”
They ignored me. “I can ask Shawn if he knows anyone,” Ali said. Shawn was one of her closest friends. He was a local trans activist, and one of the greatest guys I’d ever met. I’d often wondered why I hadn’t taken the time to get closer to him, but I was a bit of a creature of habit. I had my girls.
“Fuck no. You’re not asking him to find someone to get me laid. That’s what you’re suggesting?”
She shrugged. “It was just an idea.”
“You’ve heard of Grindr, right? If I really wanted to get laid, it wouldn’t be that hard.” Again, I couldn’t say why I didn’t—outside of the awkward, clumsy thing—because the thought of having a boyfriend or sleeping with someone both sounded pretty fucking good. Maybe because the one time I’d tried Grindr, it ended with me getting ditched after a handy.
“I just think…fuck, this needs to be our summer. Your smart ass is starting graduate school in the fall.” Kira kicked my leg. “Fucking graduate school, Jay. Ali’s starting law school. I just got my art degree. We should celebrate, make it a point to go after what we want and make it a kick-ass three months. Don’t you want to have a summer fling? Wild sex in crazy places before you buckle down next year? No one is asking you to fall in love. I’m just saying you need to live a little. One day you’re gonna want to look back on this summer, before you got serious about school again, and have stories to tell. As your best friends, I’m pretty sure it’s our responsibility to make that happen.”
There was this unfamiliar jump in my pulse. I waited for it to even out, to calm down, but the thing kept speeding.
Holy fuck. I wanted to have a crazy fling.
I wanted to have a wild summer of sex and stories to…well, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with it. The experience, of course. Maybe I’d write a book about it… That was beside the point. I was getting off-track.
I wanted a man.
I wanted to talk to a guy without nearly swallowing my tongue.
Still, I looked at Ali and said, “Can you control our friend?”
“Are you forgetting I mentioned this first? Usually I’m on your side with her crazy-ass ideas, but I’m liking this. I think it’s exactly what we all need.”
They looked at each other, and I could already see silent plotting going on.
I was so screwed.
Or at least, I would be soon.
Maybe.
CHAPTER TWO
Will
“Did you complete those reports we discussed?” my boss asked, stepping out of his office.