It startles Lila back a step, so Lucas quickly reassures her.
“Sorry, darling. Guacamole brings back bad memories. No, we’ll just take some nachos for now.”
“Actually, I’ll take an order of the carne asada tacos,” I interject, feeling my stomach rumble after a too-long workout.
“Make that three,” Alexander tacks on in a gruff voice.
Lucas’s brow furrows. “Since when do you order for me?”
Alexander only blinks at him. “Who said it was for you?”
I hide my chuckle in a sip of water.
Lucas sighs and hands Lila his menu. “Fine. Make it four orders of the carne asada tacos for these animals.” Once she’s gone, he takes the shot of tequila in hand and lifts it into the air. “A toast. To…figuring out the point.” He looks around our tablewith a thoughtful glance as we lift our own glasses. “For all of us,” he adds quietly.
Two hours later, I’m making my way outside for some fresh air. Lucas and Alexander are still inside throwing back shots. Lucas, because it’s his job to entertain, and Alexander, because he’s a gigantic human being.
Finally outside, I pull in a deep breath as I lean against the brick wall. As much as I hate to admit it, I did need this tonight. It didn’t solve my general restlessness, but it softened the edges.
I’m still leaning against the wall, my eyes closed, when the voices from inside get louder as the restaurant’s door opens beside me.
“Nico. Whoa, how you doing, man?”
I peel my eyelids open and turn my head to see who called my name.
It’s Tyler Hatchett, another MMA fighter in the Philly circuit. He fights out of another gym, and he’s a different level and weight class than me, so our interactions have been limited but amicable.
“Tyler.” I nod politely. “I’m good. You?”
He lets out a heavy sigh. “Better now that I’m out of there. I’ve got a date to get to.”
I huff a laugh and melt back into the wall. “Oh, yeah? Who’s the unlucky lady you have to pay for that?”
That earns me a laugh in return. “You have no idea how spot on you are.”
Head tilting, I train my full attention on him again. “What doesthatmean?”
He chuckles as he places a cigarette between his teeth. “Relax. More people do it than you think.” When I only stare at him, bewildered, he lights the cigarette and inhales before explaining, “It’s not that bad. The high-end ones are like a match-making service: they interview you, figure out what you want out of it, then match you with the right girl. It’s easy. And there’s no pressure, no games, no expectations. Way better than dating, if you ask me.” Taking another puff, he waves the cigarette around. “And you have that fight coming up, don’t you? So you don’t want the mind games that come with dating right now anyway.”
It takes me a second to find the words. I never even would’vethoughtof hiring a…a prostitute? Escort? What’s the difference?
“Isn’t that illegal?” is what I end up blurting out.
Tyler chuckles once more, clearly amused by how taken aback I am. “No. Not really. It’s an escort agency. They’re just setting up dates, that’s it. Doesn’t even have to include sex.” He digs around in his pocket for a moment before pulling out a business card and extending it to me. “Don’t believe me? Give them a call. They’ll explain everything. Put your sweet little mind at ease.”
I don’t know why I take the card, but I do. And I stare at it numbly as Tyler blows out a final puff of smoke.
“Alright, I’m out of here,” he says, putting his cigarette out on the sidewalk. Then he grins and claps me on the shoulder. “Don’t look so scandalized, Price. They already debunked the ‘no sex before a fight’ rule. Go get your glorified orgasm.”
I’m still staring at the business card when Lucas sticks his head out of the restaurant.
“Hey. You coming back? I think I finally got Alexander drunk. He’s two seconds from wearing the sombrero one waitress keeps trying to put on him.” He glances down at my hands. “What’s that?”
I hurriedly shove the card in my pocket. “Nothing. Just…ran into an old friend.”
Lucas nods thoughtfully. “Ah. That’s cool.” When I don’t move, he quirks an eyebrow. “So…you coming?”
I shake the bizarre thoughts from my mind and grab the door handle. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m coming.”
