“No,” I said, somewhat regretfully. He’d snuck out after I’d fallen asleep. I’d woken up a little bummed about it, and I’d spent the night dreaming of morning sex, but I understood. Was it even a one-night stand if someone wasn’t sneaking out before dawn? “That felt like it’d be crossing a boundary, especially since he didn’t offer or ask for mine.”
“What a dick.” My sister frowned, displeased.
“Yes,whata dick,” I repeated, only whimsically. I harboured no ill feelings toward the incredibly sexy man who’d made me come repeatedly. In fact, I hoped I would run into him again.
“Jesus Gwen, we’re in public!” She slapped my shoulder, gesturing to the technicians at our feet, who were both laughing a little.
“Oh, it’s all right. This is tame compared to some of the stuff we overhear,” my nail girl said, grinning.
“See, she loves it. Every girl loves a good dick story,” I remarked airily. “And besides, he’s not a dick for not giving me his number or asking for mine. He told me straight up he wasn’t looking for a relationship, and as much as I’d like to lock down that cock, I’m not looking for one either.”
“You shouldn’t let Erik ruin men for you.” Kelsey frowned.
“I’m not. I’m just not interested in signing up for heartbreak right now. I’ll sign up for multiple orgasms, but I’ll pass on the whole fusing-my-life-with-someone-else thing. That only leads to disappointment. I’ve decided I like my life.”
“Musthave been a magic cock,” Kelsey muttered to her nail girl. “She’s been sulking about her breakup for eight months now.”
“Hey!” I protested, glaring at her. “It was kind of a shocker, don’t you think?”
“Not really, no.” She shook her head. Apparently, everyone saw Erik’s betrayal coming but me. Lovely. Another reason why I needed to stay away from relationships. It seemed that I didn’t know how to tell if I was in a decent one or not.
“Anyway,” I sighed dramatically, an attempt at steering the conversation back into my court. “Last night’s escapades inspired an idea for a novel.”
“Another one?” Kelsey arched her brow, turning her head to stare at me.
“Yup, and this time, I’m actually going to finish it. I’ve decided that I can’t be in a relationship until I’m happy in every aspect of my life, and that won’t happen until I start following my own dreams. Putting myself first, you know?”
“How will you find time for that?” she asked, not unkindly, just curiously. Kelsey operated similarly to our mother. She thought my writing was a cute hobby but an impractical career choice. She was likely worried that I’d up and quit my job at the shop and leave Dad hanging.
I shrugged, unconcerned. “What else do I have to do with my spare time?”
“Well, I’m happy for you,” Kelsey declared, sending me a relieved grin. “Now can we talk about the bachelorette party?”
“Yes.” I grinned. “Absolutely. I’ll need you to email me a guest list, and I’ll get everything sorted. I know your tastes, so don’t worry—I won’t hire any strippers.”
“Why don’t I believe you?” she asked dryly.
I smirked, tapping the side of my nose with my finger, and winked. “Because you know me.”
“Ugh, please don’t spend my money on strippers,” she pleaded.
“Fine, I won’t use your money on strippers,” I replied.
“Or your money.” Kelsey frowned.
“What about Montreal?” I suggested, arching a brow.
“Oh, I hear Montreal istheplace to go for bachelorette weekends!” my nail girl piped up.
“See? We’ll do Montreal. It’ll be fun,” I remarked, trying to not think about how much a weekend in Montreal and a stripper would cost me. But your sister only gets married once—hopefully, anyway—and I still had a few months to save.
4
Just My Luck
Gwen
“Morning, Gwen, how was your weekend?” Dad asked, pausing by my desk. He smiled affectionately at me, and I almost winced.
