“Enough. You have less than an hour to pack a bag for the weekend and shower. Pack light, darling. Clothing is usually optional in these places.”
Then the call abruptly ends.
Did she just say clothing is optional?
I run into my living room and pound on the wall. “Julia!” I shout. She doesn’t answer. I run out of my apartment and into the hallway toward her door and start hammering my fists against it.
She swings open her front door, dressed in sweats, her hair mangled to the side of her face. “What. The. Fuck?”
I shove myself through her door and spin around to face her. “Gail is sending me to some singles’ sex retreat where clothing is optional and breakfast is champagne!”
She groggily shuffles to her couch and sits down. “Can I come with you? Why do you get all the best stories to cover?” She blinks up at me and yawns.
Holy hell, she’s absolutely serious right now. What is wrong with her? “I CAN’T GO TO A PLACE WHERE CLOTHING IS OPTIONAL, JULIA!”
She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms across over the front of her shirt. “Oh really? Why not?”
“Because it’s…I just don’t…” Okay, so there really is no other reason than me being terrified. I collapse onto the couch next to her. “I’m fucking scared.”
She grabs my hand and gives it a soft squeeze. “Scared of what?”
I shrug.
“Aren’t you the Jane Nash that had a one-night stand live on social media? Jane, you even went to one of those secret sex parties and wrote about it. That was a fabulous piece. It was funny and entertaining. You’re not a plain Jane anymore, are you? You can do this, and you can have fun. Just don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with, that’s all.”
“What if Dex is there?” I ask.
“So?” she asks, rolling her eyes.
“So, I get insanely jealous when I see him with someone else. I go back and forth between wanting to be with him and wanting to never see him again.”
“Maybe this weekend you can finally decide which choice is the better one for the both of you.” She leans back and smiles. “But, come on! It’s a weekend getaway. No one says you have to do anything but order lobster and steak in bed and make Gail pay for it.”
Julia stands and pulls me to my feet. She drags me back to my apartment and helps me pack a bag full of seductive clothing. For every skimpy fabric she puts in, I add a full-covering prudish one.
The driver Gail promised me calls my cell at exactly seven o’clock to tell me he’s arrived. Julia comes outside with me, and when we step out of the building, our mouths drop open. It’s an actual limousine, with a fully stocked bar and a freshly made pitcher of mimosas.
“Damn it,” Julia says as I slide inside and take a sip of my breakfast cocktail. “Maybe I should go instead of you. We can keep it a secret. I’ll even try to write a funny article in your voice.”
I caress my hand over the plush leather seats and savor the fruity flavor of the drink on my tongue. “Nah. You were right before. I got this. This will be a great weekend. Bye now.”
She laughs as she steps away to let the driver close the door. I roll down the window and wave to her.
“Just have fun, Jane. Don’t think so much, and enjoy yourself,” she says.
“I’ll try.”
I watch her walk back into the building and lean back into the plush interior of the car.
“Is there anything I can get for you, Ms. Nash, before we begin our journey?” the driver asks as the window dividing the front and back seats rolls down.
“Um, no thank you. I don’t think so.” I squirm in my seat a little uncomfortably. “Where exactly are we going? I mean, well, how long is the ride?”
“We are approximately three hours from your destination,” he answers.
“Okay, great,” I say downing the rest of the mimosa. “I’m going to sleep the entire way there then.”
“Wonderful idea, Ms. Nash.”
