Lina slaps a hand over her mouth. “YOU HAD SEX WITH COHEN BECKER WHILE DRESSED AS CUPID?!”
Two older women at the next table turn.
I glare daggers at Lina.
I donotneed more local attention, thanks.
“It was a mistake,” I mumble into my cup.
“No, darling,” Lina counters, “mistakes are bangs cut too short or dating your ex from sophomore year. THIS IS HISTORY.”
I inhale sharply, trying to reel the conversation back into sanity—not happening.
“It was the best night of my life,” I admit. “But I didn’t recognize him. I only saw his name after, when his wallet fell open. Everything connected in one second. He was Dad’s acquisition. The player Dad had invested millions in. I ran like the devil himself was after me. Literally.”
Lina cracks up, wiping a tear.
“You ran?”
“I thought it was over! I thought I’d never see him again!”
“And then your father brought him into the office,” Ivy realizes, jaw dropping. “That’s why you were so weird that day! You said you felt nauseous…”
“I was nauseous because the man I rode at The Aureum had just become my client.”
“Holy shit, this is the best story I’ve ever heard,” Lina cackles. “So all the hate these past months… all the fights… it’s because you wanted to jump him again?”
“No! Yes! I don’t know! I mean… Ididjump him again. Multiple times,” I whisper, miserable.
Both pairs of eyes widen.
I pointedly do not mention to Lina that she and Sebastian are one unresolved-tension breath away from combusting.
Ivy nearly chokes.
I press on. Might as well confess everything.
“He’s irritating, arrogant… but then the other night…”
My voice drops. This part is humiliating for… other reasons.
“I was drunk. He drove me away from the… well, you know. You two were there. And he took me to his place because apparently I refused to get out of the car.”
Ivy’s eyebrows shoot toward her hairline. Lina already knows this bit, so she’s not shocked.
“He hooked up with you while you were drunk?” Ivy asks carefully.
“No! That’s the point!” I rake a hand through my hair. “He… removed my makeup. Took off my shoes. Tucked me into bed. Left water and aspirin on the nightstand.”
Ivy lets out a noise halfway between a sigh and a moan.
“But it gets worse!” I continue, rapidly unraveling. “When I woke up I was furious. I went to the bathroom. He was in the shower. I walked in. And… well.”
Lina slams both hands on the table, rattling every cup.
She leans forward, eyes gleaming with obscene curiosity.
“Details. Now. Was Mrs. Gable right? Do the soccer shorts lie?”
