“You got it, girl. We love to gossip, but you get to tell your own story.”
I played around with my napkin for a bit, then . . . fuck it. I went in.
“You remember that thing you and I were talking about intheory?” I asked Sam.
“I do.”
“It met reality.”
Sam squealed and banged his fist on the table, attracting the other diners. “I knew it!” He then held up a hand. “Wait. When did this happen?”
“About twenty minutes after I gave Trip that cortisone shot.”
He threw his head back, laughing. “Damn, Kit works fast.”
“He surprised the hell out of me. Kissed me like some old Hollywood movie star right in front of, like, all the animals.” I paused. “Obviously, I’m sharing this in pretty strict confidence.”
Desi and Sam, almost as if they’d coordinated ahead of time, zipped their mouths shut.
I laughed and continued. “We fooled around.”
I stopped to remember the fooling around in question.God, his hands were so . . .
“Girl,” Sam said with a giant smile, “that look on your face. Can I assume he was as talented as he appears?”
“In more ways than one,” I said, my voice dropping off.
Desi laughed and clapped his hands. “I love to hear it.”
I held up my hands to stave off their excitement, and they grimaced in unison.
“Did it not go well?” Sam ventured.
“Oh, it was fantastic . . . all the way until he had an anxiety attack.”
Sam tilted his head, confused. “Kithad an anxiety attack?”
I bit at my upper lip. “We’d fallen asleep, and I think waking up with me sprawled out across his chest sorta unraveled him.”
Desi cursed sympathetically, then drew back. “Wait. Was he shitty to you?”
I shook my head. “He admitted that his head went to some shitty places, but that had more to do with my history,” I said casually.
Though nothing about admitting it felt casual at all.
“Your history?” Desi asked, leaning forward.
I darted a look over at Sam, who dipped his chin.He’s safe, he mouthed.
Refocusing on Desi, I explained, “Sam and I were in related fields.”
“Sex worker?” he whispered, blessedly aware of our surroundings.
I nodded. “A very high-priced, very well-keptsugar baby,” I responded, mouthing the last two words.
Desi whistled under his breath. “Get your bag, sweetie.”
“Oh, I did. Grew myself a nice little nest egg but got my heart broken by the last one. So, I took everything he’d given me, sold it, then moved out here and started a new business.”
