“Some women don’t take rejection well, love. Nikki and I hooked up a while back, and she was looking for a repeat. I wasn’t.” He shrugged and leaned between the front seats to prop his chin on the passenger seat where Lennon sat scrolling on her phone.
“Why didn’t you take her up on her offer, Cricket? I don’t remember you being particularly picky. It’s not like you to turn down a good time,” Lennon snarked.
Cricket flicked Lennon’s earlobe. “I’ll have you know I’m a connoisseur. You can’t judge fine wine if you haven’t sampled a variety. Why should women be any different?”
“Ew, while I may support the sentiment in theory that was such a douchey analogy.”
Cricket grinned and wagged his eyebrows at Lennon who was giving Cricket her “ick” face.
“Why didn’t you want a repeat, though?” I asked. I flicked on Sheila’s blinker and turned out of Sagebrush and toward home. “Did she do it wrong or was she bad at it?” I suddenly felt kind of irritated on this Nikki girl's behalf. Maybe she just wasn’t as experienced as Cricket was used to. If she was bad at it, maybe he should have taken the time to teach her how to do it better! Men!
“She wasn’tbadper se, it was more like…artistic differences caused it to be less of a success for me. Nikki is lovely, I’m sure, just not someone I’d like to shag again.” I deflated a bit. If someone normal like Nikki couldn’t get sex right, what chance did I have?
“Artistic differences?” Lennon snorted. She was full-on giggling at Cricket now.
“I wastryingto be a gentleman! ‘Artistic differences’ is a vague term that covers a range of issues such as inability to hold a position, appropriate vocal decibel levels, quality of dirty talk, and willingness to do anal. Obviously.” Cricket shrugged like these were all common things to critique so I made mental notes that I’d need to transcribe into a notebook or something later.
Lennon turned in her seat. “Now it’s getting good, give me the hot goz. I can’t stand Nikki, she’s in two of my classes and the bitch gets on my last nerve.”
“She nearly blew my eardrum out with her screaming. I don’t mind kink, but permanent hearing loss doesn’t do it for me. The other issues, well… I’m a gentleman, so I feel honor bound not to kiss and tell.”
Lennon huffed in annoyance, I guess the goz wasn’t as steaming hot as she had hoped. I was concerned for Nikki for a different reason now, though.
“Cricket, why was she screaming? Did you hurt her?” I prayed to Bob he’d sayno. I’d have to reconsider my relationship with him if he replied in any other way than a completely honest and emphaticno.
Lennon giggled even more, and Cricket smiled, smugly. When he noticed my concerned expression in the rearview mirror, the smug look on Cricket’s face dimmed a bit.
“No, love. Trust me, her screams were of theecstaticvariety. I gave Nikki many, many O’s, and she wobbled home on baby deer legs completely unharmed.” I didn’t understand a word of Cricket’s explanation and turned to my bestie, hoping she could clarify.
Lennon blushed a bit. “He’s saying she screamed because she orgasmed. It was a good scream, Indi.” Now I wasreallyconfused.
“Wait… women can orgasm?” A choked sound came from behind me, and the next thing I knew, Cricket’s face was thrust between the gap in the front captain seats.
“Excuse me? Indigo Bernice Evans, are you implying that you have never had an orgasm?” Now Lennon and I were both blushing, her face a pretty scarlet, while I was sure mine resembled a neon-red supernova at this point. Lennon threw her elbow back, catching Cricket in the forehead and knocking him back into his seat.
“Thanks, bestie,” I mumbled.
The last few minutes of our commute were spent in awkward silence. I parked Sheila and turned to face Cricket. “I’m…” I took a deep breath and blew it out through pursed lips. “I’m not a virgin, and I’m not completely ignorant. I know the basics about how sex works.” I chewed on my bottom lip, embarrassed but feeling compelled to finally understand what I hadn’t seemed to be able to grasp on my own. “I’ve never had consensual sex.” Cricket’s eyebrows drew down, and a savage look flitted across his eyes, but he didn’t interrupt my labored explanation. “I’ve never been able to understand why sex is such an important thing… why people enjoy it. Well, I mean I guess I could tell men enjoyed it. But for me…maybe I’m just broken or something. I’ve never liked it. It never felt comfortable, let alone good enough to give me happy screams.” I looked down at my lap, embarrassed to be admitting such a thing out loud.
Lennon’s hand crept into my field of vision as she took my hand in hers. Her voice came out tight, like she was having feelings. “You’ve never had sex, Indi. You’ve been raped. There’s a difference.”
Cricket’s large hand enveloped my free one. “Lennon’s right. When a partner takes the time and effort to make it good for you, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Just know that no one here would ever force you.”
Trying to salvage the good mood we’d left Sagebrush with, Lennon let go of my hand and reapplied her lipstick in the tiny mirror in Sheila’s visor. “Until you’re ready to experiment with a real-life dick, we can get you one of the battery-operated varieties.” She snapped the visor shut and gave me a wink.
“Aannnddd that’s my cue to bugger off. I’ve had enough bloody girl talk for one day.” Cricket beat a hasty retreat from Sheila and grumbled under his breath about “hens clucking,” which made no sense to me because Crows don’t cluck, they caw. Right?
I made to leave as well, but Lennon’s hand on my arm caused me to pause. Lennon’s blush was back in full force. “Seriously, though. There’s nothing wrong with exploring what you like and what works for you by yourself before you try involving another person. I don’t have a lot of experience with men, but I do know my way around thePersonal Pleasurecatalog if you know what I mean. If you need any recommendations, I’m your girl.”
“Oh, so you and Bones have never…?” I quirked my eyebrow up in question.
Lennon’s face turned a violent shade of magenta and she spluttered, “WH-WHAT? Me and BONES?” She nervously shifted in her seat. “No, definitely not. He’s… I mean, I had a huge crush on him when I was a kid, but he’s never seen me that way.” She slid out of the passenger door, and I scrambled out of my seat to walk with her into the clubhouse.
“Sorry if I was off base. It just seems like there’s tension between the two of you sometimes.” We walked into the clubhouse and turned to see Cricket at a booth with Priest and Bones. Bones hit us with a smoldering look that I assumed was mostly directed at Lennon, and I could only guess that Cricket was airing his grievances at being included in “girl talk.” Lennon let out a shrill wolf whistle, catching the attention of everyone in the clubhouse. “Hey, Cricket, snitches get stitches.” Lennon mimed slitting her throat, and my rascally conscience gave her a cheeky wink.
Priest and Bones didn’t join in the chuckles that spread throughout the club at Lennon’s antics, though. No, not at all. Lennon flipped her hair over her shoulder and strode through the saloon doors and deeper into the clubhouse, hips swaying. Bones immediately left the booth and stalked after her. Cricket was still talking Priest’s ear off, but Priest’s gaze was locked onto me. Why, I wasn’t quite sure, but his attention made me feel squirmy and hot. I turned on my heel but made sure to walk casually so it didn’t look like I was running away to my room. Even though I kind of was. I didn’t look back to see if Priest’s icy-blue eyes followed my escape, but I could feel them on me all the same.
Chapter 26
