“You were so out of it,” she said. “Total mess.”
“I know. I was already drunk, and my mate Kyper gave me two caps—”
“Two!?”
“Yup. It’s a shame because I think it could have been fun, but it was just too much.” His expression became thoughtful. “Maybe I should try it again.”
“Maybe. Although I shudder to think how cuddly you’d be.”
He shot her his ‘aw shucks’ smile. “Would that be so bad?”
She smiled back. “No.”
“So… do you want to give it a go?”
“Tonight?”
“Why not? I mean we’ve got a big hotel room, and it would be just the two of us… it could be interesting?”
Cheryl’s heart gave a happy little hum. Whenever she did MDMA, it made her feel pure—more herself. She liked the thought of being that way with Patrick. “I’m not opposed. But there are technical issues.”
“Like?”
She gestured out the window. “We’re in another country.”
“Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. I don’t have any Wellington connections.”
“Me either. Except the chick from the bathroom, I guess.”
“I could call one of the guys, they’re bound to know someone. Or we could go on the dark web?”
Cheryl laughed, and then it hit her. The Henry Principle. “I might have a way. But it will require a, uh, certain sacrifice on your behalf?”
“I’m down. What’s the plan?”
She stood. “Let’s go back to the hotel. And you might need to do some push-ups.”
Making a Grindr profile took no time. Downloading the app was the longest part. Cheryl lay on the huge hotel bed, adding photos as Patrick paced, shirtless, in front of her. “This isn’t gonna work.”
“It will.” She activated the account. “We’re live. Now we start swiping.”
She hit right on everyone and anyone who didn’t look like a cop, barely registering faces and usernames. Instantly, guys began to match with her account. One, three, five, ten. She let out a laugh. “Oh, ye of little faith. You’re blowing up.”
Patrick scrubbed a hand through his hair. “That’s a good thing, I guess. You can’t see my face, right?”
“Nope, just your body.”
“And that’s enough to get guys to match with me?”
She looked up from her phone which was still buzzing with new matches. “Have you met gay men? Ever?”
He rolled his eyes. “So, what’s the plan? Just start hassling dudes for gear?”
“Don’t stress, baby boy. The Henry Principle never fails.”
She scrolled the matches and singled out the profiles Henry said were good prospects; bare-bones accounts with shirtless or penis pics. She sent each of them the blanket message she’d already composed in her notes.
Hey, in town for work. Know where to get MDMA in Wellington?
