“By which you mean…” Pippa prods.
My blush deepens. “I don’t want to give you TMI or anything.”
“No such thing,” she says. “I want all the tea. However much I you think I want, it’s more.”
“Pippa’s a journalist,” Cat says. “She wants the story. And I know I come off innocent, but it’s hard to shock me. You can share as much detail as you’re comfortable with.”
For a second, I imagine how their faces would look if I told them about James’s massive cock, and how hard he worked tohelp me take it. I can just see Cat’s eyes going wide and Pippa’s mouth falling open, and the idea of saying something that would manage to shock them appeals to me.
James deserves my discretion, though. I decide on sharing something in the middle.
“I’ve never come with another person before,” I whisper. “At least, I hadn’t before I got married.”
A smile spreads across Cat’s face. “Well, good for you guys!”
“And it happened more than once?” Pippa asks.
I nod, and they both squeal.
“Cheers to that!” Pippa says, thrusting her latte into the air. I toast her and Cat with my decaf coffee, giggling. Brinley doesn’t raise her glass.
“Sorry, Brinley, is it too much sex talk?” Cat asks.
“Doesn’t it feel a little weird, talking about this like it’s a normal marriage?” Brinley says in a low voice.
The mood shifts instantly. Cat and Pippa place their cups gently on the counter, like they might make Brinley combust if they move too quickly.
“Excuse me?” I say, letting ice drip from each word.
“Of course I’m glad he made it good for you,” Brinley says quickly. “It’s just—doesn’t it feel forced or rushed for you? Like, you barely knew him, and now you’re sharing a bed?”
“I have my own bedroom and my own space, thanks. Besides, it’s not like he’s some random one-night stand! He might not be my best friend, but he’s not a stranger.”
“Yeah, well, as your friend, the whole contracted child thing still freaks me out,” Brinley says.
“I want a baby, Brinley. That’s the only reason I agreed to this, so I could be a mother.”
“It’s not the baby. It’s the sex.”
“Kind of an essential steptothe baby,” Pippa points out before Cat elbows her in the side.
“Look, I have to ask. I promise, this will be the only time I say anything.” Brinley leans forward, her brown eyes penetrating mine. “Does the contract require you to have sex with him? Like, let’s say you’re ovulating, but you’re not in the mood. Or maybe he wants to, but you’re tired. Do you have any rights, or can he make you?”
I blink.That’swhat she’s worried about? The edge on my anger softens slightly—but only slightly.
“James would never force me to do anything.” There’s no doubt in my mind when I say it. James has never made me feel unsafe, has never so much as prodded at my boundaries. Through a week of sleeping with me, he didn’t say a word about me keeping my shirt on.
Brinley sighs. “That’s a lot of trust you’re putting in him.”
“He’s earned it!”
“By doing what?” she asks insistently. “What has he managed to do in the past month to earn your unquestioning trust?”
“He kept his word,” I say simply. “He promised me a studio, he built me one. He said he’d take care of that awful Toronto Tea article, and he did. Our relationship is new, but he hasn’t let me down yet, and I’ve got no reason not to trust him.”
“Except for the fact that he signed this whole chauvinistic contract!” she blurts. “The one your dad came up with, because he wouldn’t give his company to a woman. I can’t believe that doesn’t make you question him!”
I force myself to unclench my jaw. It seems like no matter what I say, Brinley just finds a problem with it. Well, I’m officially tired of explaining that I married James because I wanted to.
