Vance froze as he half pulled me up.
“I’m a virgin,” I whispered.
Vance looked as if I had sprouted horns. “I—I don’t know if I’m ready for this.”
“Seriously?” I started crying. “I just—”
“Oh crap!” Vance looked around.
“Let go of her!” That voice—gravelly, deep, and so, so angry.
“Parker?”
15
Parker
As soon as I saw Sadie stumble out from the alley by the bar, I knew something was up. She had started crying by the time I cut diagonally across the street to her. I grabbed the man she was with by the jacket and spun him around.
“Hey, hey!” he said, waving his hands. He was holding a strand of condoms.
“Stay away from her!” I roared. “That is my assistant. I’m calling the police.”
“Whoa, there’s a serious misunderstanding. We were going to hook up.”
I looked between them. “She can revoke consent at any time.”
“That’s not—” Sadie cried harder.
I was furious. All the instances in the compound when my father had gone after my mother and I couldn’t do anything came back. Now I was bigger. I was going to beat this guy to a pulp.
“Vance didn’t—” Sadie choked out. She took a deep breath. “I’m just…I’m frazzled.” She grabbed my arm. “Please, Parker.”
“She came on to me,” Vance insisted, talking rapidly. “She said she wanted to go somewhere private! I thought it was, you know, my lucky night. I didn’t even have to open up Tinder.”
I glared at him. Sadie had calmed down, so I let Vance go.
“Look, man,” Vance said, placing the strand of condoms in my hand. “I don’t know if this is some sort of weird kink thing between the two of you, but I don’t do virgins. It’s a hard-and-fast rule. They bleed and get attached.”
“I won’t get attached, promise!” Sadie wailed and started crying again.
“Good luck,” Vance said, giving me a half salute and shaking his head as he walked back into the bar.
I reeled. “You’re a virgin?” I blurted. That just caused Sadie to sob harder. I looked around. Did she have friends or family I could pawn her off to?
“Are these yours?” I asked, gingerly handing her the condoms.
“I just—” Sadie sobbed.
I patted her on the back awkwardly.
“I’m going to die a virgin. And I won’t even turn into a wizard.”
“Why do you want to be a wizard?”
“I’m a failure. You’re going to fire me.”
She leaned her head against my chest, and I petted her hair.
