“You have a column?” Tyla crossed her legs, and I noted that her legs were long and encased in tight jeans. She was quite the yee. If I had to guess, I’d estimate that she was probably a little older than me, but then again, that was all right. Maybe older women were my vibe. Younger ones didn’t seem to be a good fit, that was for sure.
“Yeah.” I treated her to what I hoped was a confident, self-assured smile. “I write for an online publication. I have a weekly column on dating and relationships from a man’s point of view.”
“Well, that’s fascinating.” She angled herself so that I got a good eyeful of her body, and I wasn’t going to pretend I didn’t like what I saw. She had curves that made my mouth water and sent my mind to happy places.
“And what is it that you do?” I inquired. “Sophia told me she was doing pictures for your new business.”
“Yes, that’s true.” Tyla played with the long gold chain that she wore around her neck. “I’m getting ready to open an adult leisure park. We had our investors-only debut this past weekend, which was why I had Sophia there.” She paused. “You’ve heard of adult leisure parks, right?
I had not. “Sure, of course. Huh. Sounds like fun.” I spread out my hands. “I’d love to see yours sometimes. Could I get an advanced viewing?”
Across the counter, Sophia gave a strangled cough. I ignored her.
“I think that could be arranged.” Tyla smiled, and I had a sudden vision of a predatory cat. She reached into her bag and pulled out a card. “Here’s my email, and the address of the park. Are you free next Friday? If you could come at three or so, I could show you around, and then we could have dinner afterward.”
I picked up the card and tapped it on my knee. “Oh, yeah. I can do that.”
“It’ll be fun. I think you’re going to love our facilities.” She stood, and the neckline of her shirt gaped slightly, giving me an amazing view of breasts spilling out of a black lace bra. I was suddenly glad that I was sitting down.
“That’s great. Oh, uh, Tyla.” I cleared my throat. “I know this sounds kind of weird, but how do you feel about Christmas?”
Her brows drew together, but there was curious humor in her eyes. “I’m a big fan, actually. I already have my tree ready to decorate, and the Christmas station is set on my car radio. Why?”
I waved one hand. “No reason, just asking.” I raised her card. “I’ll email you to confirm for Friday.”
“Perfect.” She hitched her bag over her shoulder. “Sophia, thanks for everything. Send me the invoice. I look forward to working again with you soon.”
Both Sophia and I were silent, watching Tyla leave. Once she was safely beyond the door, I swiveled back to face my friend. “Holy shit, Soph. She’s amazing. Why didn’t you tell me she’s such a total yee? You seemed like you didn’t want to introduce us. Why are you holding out on me?”
Sophia growled. “Harry, you don’t know what you’re getting into here. Tyla’s not really your type.”
“Is she into guys?” I demanded.
With a grudging nod, Sophia assented. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure she is.”
“Is she married? In a committed relationship? A drug runner? A hired hitwoman? A vampire? On the run from the mob? Or is she like that bug lady from Buffy, who ate the guy after they mated?”
“Okay, no. I don’tthinkshe’s any of those things.” Sophia cast her eyes upward. “But can’t you just trust me that I don’t think she’s right for you?”
I frowned. “Is this because she’s older than me? Or because she’s so hot that you’d feel threatened if I start dating her, and she’s hanging around with us all the time?”
Sophia’s eyes narrowed to slits. “That is the shittiest thing you’ve ever said to me, Harry. You know what? Fine. Screw you. Go for it. Do whatever the hell you want. Have a blast with her.” She began to stomp away from me, pausing only to toss one more barb my way. “Just remember that I warned you, and don’t blame me for what happens next.”
That sounded vaguely ominous, but seriously, what could be wrong with this Tyla chick? She was hot, flirty, confident and available. And she didn’t hate Christmas. That was all I needed to know at the moment.
I was sure I could roll with whatever it was that made Sophia want to warn me away from her. Although . . . she’d sounded serious about it, and not in a petty girl-feud way.
As I stood up and left the coffee shop, I mused that Sophia had been acting weird lately. I didn’t know what her issue was, but she needed to get over it. I decided I should confer with Preston and see if the two of us could figure it out together.
4
The gym where Preston, Sophia and I climbed was only about fifteen minutes from the mall, ten minutes from the juice bar where Preston worked and twenty minutes from Espresso Wishes, so it was convenient for all three of us. That was why we often met there to do a little bouldering before we hung out or caught a movie together.
Tonight, our plan was to boulder for an hour and then walk over to our favorite deli to eat and catch up. We hadn’t all been together since Halloween, and that night, I’d been so dejected after the whole Faith mess that I hadn’t been much fun. But tonight, I was in a better place. Tonight, I was looking forward to my date on Friday with the lovely Tyla.
We’d exchanged some emails since we’d met last week, and each one was a little more flirtatious, a little naughtier than the one before it. If I’d been interested in Faith because we had so much in common—I’d thought—my reasons for liking Tyla were entirely different. My feelings for her were less intellectual and more primal.
Just thinking about her set me on edge and made me grin. I was whistling as I strutted toward the entrance to the gym, so totally involved in my own thoughts that I nearly missed the girl who was throwing a hissy fit and banging on the hood of her car.
