Sweet As Sin

14

“You’ll thank me someday, Kat. These movie stars and rock stars and famous athletes, they’re not real people. They don’t function in the real world. They don’t have rules like we do. It’s just smarter to avoid them, that’s all. And you’re the one who said it: your dad. You know exactly what the story is with men like Nico. They can’t be trusted.”

To manage the uncomfortable silence, I took a swallow of my drink.

Chloe muttered, “Killjoy.”

“All right, ladies, enough of my sad story. Grace, any news on the man front?”

Grace made a face like she’d just been served a steaming pile of s**t. “After the story I heard today in session, I think I might swear off men forever. Honestly, it’s like they’re a different species entirely. A race of giant walking p*****s with peanut brains. Or small p*****s with giant peanut brains.”

I snorted. “You’re just now figuring that out?”

“What happened? Spill!” Chloe was excited. She loved to hear how depraved people were, even if Grace had to change the names and certain details to protect the innocent. She guarded her clients’ privacy ferociously, even with us.“Did you know that dressing up like animals is a thing?”

Chloe’s eyes grew wide. “What, like a s****l thing?”

Grace nodded. “Role play. Costumes. Even a whole unique language. I had a client today who walked in on her husband having s*x with his secretary at his office. They were both dressed like Bugs Bunny. The secretary was shouting, ‘Yiff! Yiff!’ Welcome to the world of furries, my friends.”

“That must involve some strategically placed holes in the bunny outfits.”

That was my contribution to the conversation. I had become distracted by my cell phone, buzzing in my purse. I dug into my handbag as Grace and Chloe continued to talk. It was a number I didn’t recognize.

“Hello?” As Grace did an impression of Bugs Bunny achieving orgasm, I put my finger into my other ear to muffle the cackling.

“Kat.”

One word, and the world fell out from under my feet.

“Are you there?”

Three more, and all the blood drained from my face. It was a moment before I composed myself enough to speak. “How did you get this number?”

Grace and Chloe stopped cackling to stare at me. Chloe mouthed, Is that him? Grace mouthed, That better not be him!

“Can you talk?”

Barely. But that wasn’t what Nico meant.

“Hang on a sec.” I put the phone to my chest and looked at the girls. “So. It’s Mr. Galactic Ego. He wants to know if I can talk.”

Simultaneously, Chloe said, “Of course!” and Grace said, “Absolutely not!”

I looked at them. “Guys. This isn’t helping.”

“Did you give him your number?” Grace demanded.

“No. He asked for it, though.”

“You see? That’s exactly what I’m talking about! The man can’t take ‘no’ for an answer! Hang up! And change your number! And, by the way, he has a girlfriend!”

Grace had an excellent point.

“Give him a chance! What if he and Avery really did break up? He’s obviously into you!”

Chloe’s enthusiasm was met with another death glare from Grace. I sat for a moment, nursing a minor nervous breakdown, trying to decide.

“Okay. I’ll be right back.”

“Kat!”

I slid from the booth and walked quickly to the restroom before Grace could tackle me and wrestle the phone from my hand. Once inside, I hid in a stall and sat on the toilet. I put the phone against my ear, waiting.

“I can hear you breathin’.”

“It’s something people normally do.”

“Yeah,” said Nico, “except you seem to be doin’ it pretty loud. Were you runnin’? Like you ran away from me earlier?”

“How did you get this number?”

The silence that followed was deafening. Then: “You’re not happy I called.”

“I had a stalker once. I didn’t like it.”

“Did you call the police?”

“I shot him.”

There was a longer, even more deafening pause.

“I’m kidding. I just had to move, and change my phone number.”

“Just? That’s more than a just.”

“Well, yeah. Which brings me back to my original question.”

There was some rustling on the other end of the phone. It sounded like he was sitting up, or lying down. I pictured him reclining in bed, and resisted asking him what he was wearing.

“Hungry Man.”

That was the production company that hired Chloe for the job, who in turn recommended me. This meant Nico had probably only had to make one or two calls to get my number. That wasn’t very stalkerish.Only it sort of was considering I’d told him I had a boyfriend when he asked for my number at the end of the shoot. Grace would have a field day with that little tidbit.

“You’re not sayin’ anything.”

“I’m trying to decide if this relationship is going to end with me calling the police on you.”I felt his grin through the phone. “So we’re in a relationship now.”

Rubbing my forehead, I closed my eyes. “Remember earlier today, when I said I had a boyfriend?”