“Oooff,” she grunts and squeezes back. “That’s a great hug.” We release each other and she gives her cousin a hug next. “Sorry we’re late. Carmen took forever to get ready, then Pen didn’t like her outfit and had to change. It’s been an event getting here. How are you?” she beams at Jay.
“I’m great.” I know he’s faking it, but I’m not about to call him out. Maybe this distraction is what he needs.
Two other beautiful women walk up to us, and the one with long brunette hair and a low-cut red top to match her lipstick smiles at him and strokes his arm, her long manicured nails trailing. “Hi, Jay. It’s been a minute.” She’s curvy—very curvy. A siren if I ever saw one.
He visibly swallows but collects himself and shifts his demeanor into something else.
Hm. interesting.
His eyes narrow and he gives her a devilish smirk. “Well, well, Miss Penelope I-leave-guys-on-read-for-weeks-at-a-time VanHorn. How are you?”
Oooookay,so there’s some history here.
“I’m much better now. Good company, you know?”
He hums his response, keeping his eyes focused on her and my palms get itchy for some reason.
Isabelle then chimes in, “Marco, that’s Pen, obviously, and this is Carmen.” I redirect my eyes. Carmen is just as beautiful and a little bigger than Penelope, but with dark tan skin and silky black hair. My dick gives a little jump.
Carmen is dressed more like Isabelle, with a bohemian element. I clear my throat and realize I’ve been staring at her for too long. I extend my hand to squeeze hers. “Marco. Pleasure to meet you, Carmen. What brings you three out tonight?”
“I just became a small business owner, so we’re celebrating my first week.”
“Oh? What’s your business?”
“I’m a massage therapist. Finally successful enough to branch out on my own,” she boasts. As she should. She should feel pride in that.
“Congratulations. You’re not buying a single drink tonight. I’ll make sure of it.”
She smiles, “You don’t have to do that.”
“Nonsense,” Isabelle says, pushing through our little group with three cocktails and heading for an open table. “Everyone come over, we need more room.”
We obey, Jay and I both leading each woman to the table. I give him a raised eyebrow and he nods his smirk back at me, wordlessly agreeing: we’re hunting. Not that Jay has to try very hard because Pen is matching his flirtatious remarks tit-for-tat.
A round of drinks later, Isabelle asks Jay, “Are you still planning on coming tomorrow?” He looks confused for a moment, so she supplies, “To my yoga class? Remember? I need a full class to teach or the studio won’t let me get out of this trial period.”
“Oh yeah! Shit, I’m sorry I forgot.”
Isabelle shuts her eyes in defeat, but I interject, “We can come. Can I join?”
“Of course! That would be super helpful.”
I’ve never done yoga, but I don’t tell her that. How hard can it be?
We spend the next hour or so talking, laughing, and I cozy up next to Carmen. She tells me all about massage therapy and why she loves it so much. It sounds peaceful and rewarding—the complete opposite of my career.
Isabelle announces she needs to take off so she can be rested and ready for tomorrow’s class. We say goodnight but stay back with Pen and Carmen a little longer. When the girls head to the bathroom together, I lean over to Jay as I watch the door shut behind them. “You got a plan?”
“You wanna seal this up and head back to my place with them? Pen is down.”
“I think Carmen is too. You sure, dude? Thought you didn’t do hookups like this.”
“Pen and I dated for like a month back in the day. There’s a familiarity there. I’m good.”
“Nice. How the fuck is this our luck tonight, man?”
“Don’t question it, dude.”
