“Stop what?” I feign innocence.
“You know what.”
“I can’t help it when you use that voice. It’s sexy.”
“I’m coming over.” There’s a rustling, followed by the scrape of a chair.
“You can’t leave in the middle of the afternoon.”
“Watch me.”
“Won’t people wonder where you are?”
“Seeing as Nina announced you get laid frequently, I’m sure they’ll figure it out.”
My stomach flips at the fact that I can affect him the same as he does me. Then I remember Maren.
“Wait, you can’t. I mean, you can, but we can’t have sex. Maren’s on her way here.”
He exhales loudly, muttering something under his breath about being a tease.
“Hey, buddy, I’m not a tease. You started it with your low, gravelly, husky voice.”
“Jesus, one little moan and I’m hard as steel.”
“I’ll make it up to you. Promise.” I make a kissing sound into the phone before I disconnect, wanting to get the last word.
Let him think about that for the next few hours.
“Too much of a mama’s boy,” Rachel tells Maren, finishing the rest of her drink.
“How could you possibly know that by looking at him?” Maren questions her.
“Because I know his mama, literally. She comes into the salon all the time talking about him. She still holds the strings,” Rachel explains.
“Shit, are there any good ones?” Maren deflates next to me, loudly slurping the rest of her cocktail. “So far, we’ve eliminated every cute one tonight.”
“The night is still young, Mare. We’ll find you someone.” I pat her knee reassuringly.
“You’re a horrible wing-woman.”
“Me? What did I do?”
“You glimmer, that’s what you do. You sit here rocking that jumpsuit like a million dollars. Your hair and make-up are perfect, and men watch you like a hawk. But do you notice? No, because you glow like a woman who’s taken.”
“I’m not glowing,” I defend, but don’t deny.
“Yes, you do,” they all three say in unison.
“Okay.” I sit up straighter, tossing my hair over my shoulder, and point at each of them. “Last time we had girls’ night out, you all made fun of me for having a non-existent dating life. You cackled and ridiculed me. You don’t get to make fun of me now.”
“We’re not making fun of you. We’re jealous,” Maren points out. “You went from a bare maiden to a sexpot. It’s not fair.”
“Hey! I wasn’t a bare maiden.”
“Bullshit, I was convinced your vagina had cobwebs and weeds.”
“I take offense to that.”