“Guys… guys…” He eyes flew open. “Oh my God, you’re with two guys?”
I nodded, wincing.
“And they know about each other?”
“Yes.”
Bella read my face again, and she knew immediately. “Oh my God… you’ve been with them together haven’t you?” she went on. “Two guys at once?”
My silence was all the answer she needed. Her face broke into a grin of almost childlike wonder.
“Oh my God Lauren,” she said incredulously. “That’s incredible! I—I can’t believe it! I—”
She stopped, noticing that I’d winced again. My mouth tightened defensively, causing her brows to cross.
“What? What more could I possibly be missing?”
I couldn’t talk. Could barely breathe.
“Two guys, Lauren! Wow. No wonder you stayed an extra week! Two guys! Two—”
She stopped mid-sentence as I slowly swung my arm forward. Her eyes shifted to count the number of fingers I was holding up.
“Three.”
Fifty-Six
LAUREN
It took a good half-minute to bring Bella back from her state of shock. She stood there motionless, not even flinching as a bicycle courier sped by and splashed part of a leftover puddle all over her new boots.
Then I took her back to my apartment… and told her everything.
God, it felt so good to get it all out! So amazingly cathartic to finally have someone to talk to, and not have to keep up the lie. We went through a whole pot of coffee as I told her the entire sordid tale, starting with the drunken loneliness that led to me pulling down the flyer, and how nervous I was to meet the guys for the first time.
Bella listened intently as I told her about the sex. How I’d become addicted to it; two hot, amazingly-built men — college age guys, no less — lavishing all of their attention on me. I told her about Mason, and our time in the desert. I told her about LA, and Hollywood, and the things I’d done there. I finished by describing our last night together, high upon some far-flung desert ridge. The four of us camping and fucking, beneath the stars.
I showed her pictures too. Photos of all three of them, even a few of the more risque shots the boys had sent me from time to time, to get me juiced up. Nothing too graphic of course, but enough so she got the idea. And I told her about Rob. About his feeble attempt to get back into my pants, and how incredible it felt to see him slinking away with his tail between his legs.
“So they were here?” Bella asked at the end. “Corey and Brody? In your apartment?”
“For the past few days, yeah,” I admitted. “They went back yesterday. And I’m flying out tomorrow, just after lunch.”
“Holy shit,” my friend breathed. “You don’t waste time, do you?”
I kept laughing nervously, hoping she wouldn’t judge. In my heart of hearts I knew she wouldn’t, but I’d been wrong about people before.
Not about Bella, though. With her… I was pretty sure we were sisters in another life.
“So you’re not mad?” I said at last. “I mean… I’ve been lying to all of you.”
“Mad?” Bella yelled, pounding a fist on my kitchen table. “I’m jealous!”
A wave of relief flooded through me. I leaned closer and gave her a huge hug.
“You could’ve told me all this,” she said. “Way b
efore now.”