Cassandra had arched her eyebrow in the way Taryn was coming to understand meant she wasn’t impressed. She didn’t know how many of those Cassandra allowed before bailing on a conversation, so she didn’t tell her that there were few things she cared about enough to rouse to action. And she had a feeling that Cassandra was talking about deep and meaningful things, rather than motorbikes and good food. “Fine. If I could only save one thing, it would be the Bellagio Fountains. I’m not one for staying in one place too long in case I grow roots, but I can watch those fountains all night.”
Cassie nodded as if she approved, but it wasn’t clear which bit she appreciated.
“Do you not have a place you call home?” Cassandra asked.
Taryn shifted on her chair, and she felt the hot bore of Andi’s eyes on her. The amusing conversation had shifted to more serious lines, and that had never been part of Andi’s teachings. She might’ve been tempted to go off-book if Andi hadn’t been there, but she didn’t miss the slight clench of Andi’s jaw. Taryn smiled and emptied her glass in one gulp. “Another drink?” Now seemed the right time to figure out whether this might go any further.
Cassandra looked between Taryn and Andi, clearly seriously considering her answer. Rachel leaned close to Cassandra’s ear and whispered something impossible to catch. As if in league with the two of them, the DJ cranked the music to ten decibels the wrong side ofperfect for conversation, and Taryn had a sinking feeling that she’d blown her chance with one of the most fascinating women she’d ever met.
“No.”
Cassandra’s answer hit like a fall to earth from a failed jump, and Taryn diverted her eyes to the throng of semi-naked bodies on the dance floor. There were plenty of women here who would go back to a hotel room for a few hours of nameless, guiltless sex. Or maybe she would go back alone and service herself while thinking about Cassandra’s voice, the way she moved, and the way she expressed herself without words.
“But you could take me out to that dinner date,” Cassandra said.
Taryn grinned and snapped her gaze back to Cassandra, whose expression was amused once again. Clearly, she loved to play games with her women. “What kind of place would a woman like you expect to dine at?”
“Certainly nowhere with plastic cutlery if that’s what you were hoping to get away with,” Cassandra said.
Taryn laughed. “What has given you the impression that I’m cheap?”
Cassandra gestured toward Taryn’s legs. “I think you might spend all your money on those jeans Erin loved so much.”
Taryn had zero idea what the best restaurant in Las Vegas was right now—everything changed so fast—but she’d find out, and she would get their best table. To hell with what it might cost.They don’t put pockets in shrouds, her grandmother used to say, and with Taryn’s occupation, she could have less time to spend her earnings than she would ever know.
She unlocked her phone and slid it toward Cassandra, who tapped in her digits. Their fingers touched when Cassandra returned Taryn’s cell, and she stood. “I’ll text you to arrange something for Taco Bell—no cutlery needed at all there.”
Taryn got up and dragged Andi away with her, though she was desperate to stay and continue their conversation. She checked her display and smiled at the name with her number.
Cassie. Taryn hadn’t blown it after all.
Chapter Four
“Why?” Rachel put her hands on her hips. “That’s my burning question. That’s all I want to know. Why would you not just drag that hot piece of butch home and ride her all night long? Did you see her arms and chest? She looks like she bench presses cars. How long has it been? Have you lost your confidence? Is that what stopped you? Have you forgotten how you to get on your back? Or your knees?”
“Whoa!” Cassie held up her hand. “I don’t think this is the appropriate location for a conversation of this nature. Especially at that volume. Do you?” She gestured to the numerous patrons in the Starbucks, some of whom had blatantly turned to wait for Cassie’s answer while others pretended not to listen but were clearly eavesdropping.
“You’d rather I wait until we’re in the on-call room? Or on the ER floor?”
“I think I’d rather wait until never, thanks.” Cassie avoided the mixed looks of intrigue (from the men), disgust (from the parent with the three young kids), and amusement (from a cute queer person of indeterminable presentation in the corner). Why didn’t one of those sinkholes appear when she needed one? “You’ve adopted an accusatory tone that isn’t like you at all.”
“My tone is exactly this accusatory whenever you blow a perfectly fine opportunity to get laid,” Rachel said, quieter but no less judgmentally. “It’s just that you haven’t heard it before because you have never acted so inexplicably.”
“Bench presses cars? Do you think? I thought she was athletic, not bulky.”
“I don’t care what label you put on her; her chest looked like it was made of concrete.” Rachel nudged her shoulder. “And stop avoiding my question. You know I won’t stop until I get a satisfactory answer.”
Cassie wasn’t sure shehada satisfactory answer, other than having work the next morning wasn’t conducive to an all-night session with a stud like Taryn, who was very much her type and had seemed on precisely the same page as Cassie regarding the short-term nature of any possible hook-up. She’d been perfect in every way. But Cassie had found herself wanting…to play. “I wanted to make her work for me. She’s the kind of person who only has to look at a woman, and she’d come running. I wanted to see if she’d rise to a challenge.”
Rachel blew out an exasperated breath. “What if she’s only here for the weekend? You’ve ended up with that ridiculous double shift for Fischer, so you won’t be able to go out for dinner. That means you won’t be able to come back to workpost-dinner, barely able to walk, to tell me all about it.”
Cassie wrinkled her nose. Damn. She hadn’t thought about her lack of weekend when she’d been caught up in the game.
“You didn’t think about that, did you?” Rachel rolled her eyes. “You’ve gone way too long between doses, and that’s affected your cognition.”
“Then we weren’t meant to have sex. Anyway, that kind of flirtation can sometime be more stimulating and satisfying than actually getting down to it.”
“If that’s what you really think, you’ve been doing it wrong. Or women have been doing you wrong. Whatever. You better hope she’s on a longer vacation, or you’re going to have missed out on what was bound to have beenthemost sensational sex you’ve ever had.”
