“What are you talking about? What’s wrong with enjoying a little aggression in bed?” Bailey shot back.
“You have to be kidding me right now,” Janel said.
“There are plenty of guys who can’t seem to understand that a woman likes a little spanking or biting every now and then. Neil seems to have a handle on what his lovers like and don’t like.” Bailey shrugged, twining a lock of red hair around her index finger.
“You’ve never even met this man, and you’re stanning him. You’re like some screaming girl at a Shawn Mendes concert,” Janel grumped, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling. “The point is that this is a violent guy. What happened to protecting women?”
I made a face; Janel always thought she knew best, and she could get overly dramatic.
“You’re seriously making this a gender thing? We’re talking specifically about men taking a position of powerin the sexual sphere.It’s okay to let a man take the lead in bed sometimes!” Bailey grumped, and I nodded in complete agreement.
“You are truly ridiculous!” Janel snapped, increasingly certain in her convictions.
“Selene shouldn’t have to be afraid to cop to the things she enjoys. She hasn’t had any other sexual experiences, and she’s figuring out her likes and dislikes. She shouldn’t have to worry about us judging her. People can do whatever they want in bed, so long as everyone consents.” Bailey had begun to lose her patience, her face taking on a severe cast. I followed their discussion closely, my eyes bouncing from one to the other as I got increasingly annoyed.
“Neil is very experienced; he understands my boundaries, and he’d never do anything I didn’t want,” I said in an impatient rush, and both ofthem fell silent immediately. “He watches me for a long time, trying to figure out what I’m thinking, what turns me on, and what my body is trying to tell him. The intensity creeps up, little by little. He intuits what I want. He can sense it. I don’t know how he does it, but it’s like he can feel everything, and I can never hide what I really want from him. It’s…it’s unnerving,” I finished, looking down.
Neil took free rein in bed. He was fully in command, and he knew just what to do, how to make me give in to his every whim.
“There, see? If the sex was so awful, would she be talking about Neil like that? Try to lighten up a bit. Our little Selene is growing up,” Bailey said stoutly, and I gave her a smile. Janel raised her eyebrows and gave us both a doubtful look before rolling her eyes.
“Okay, fine. Whatever you want.” She surrendered at last, flopping down on the couch as though drained. She was never going to change her mind; I knew perfectly well how stubborn she could be. And if she did meet Neil someday, she’d probably only be more concerned.
I was about to say something more to her when the doorbell distracted me.
“I’ll get it,” I said, getting up off the sofa. I opened the door curiously, and my eyes went wide when I found Alyssa standing before me with a small overnight bag. For a moment, I just stood there, perplexed. I was happy to see her but also pretty surprised.
“Alyssa,” I said, my voice barely audible, and she managed a shaky smile as she met my gaze.
I wasn’t imagining it: Her face really was a portrait of sadness. She had dark circles under her eyes and no makeup on. She was dressed down in just a pair of jeans, a basic sweater, and a sandy-colored coat. Rarely had I seen my friend without her colorful clothes, bold lipstick, and perfectly done hair.
“Hi, Selene. I hope I’m not bothering you.” Her voice shook, and I immediately stepped to the side, gesturing for her to come in.
“Of course not. What are you doing here? Not that I’m not happy to see you,” I answered enthusiastically. I took her coat after she slowly shrugged it off and hung it up on the coatrack. Looking spacey and worried, Alyssa glanced around the living room blankly.
“Alyssa, this is Janel and Bailey.” I motioned at the two of them, and they turned to face me.
“Girls, this is Alyssa. Neil’s brother Logan is her boyfriend,” I informed them as welcoming smiles appeared on my friends’ faces.
“It’s nice to meet you, Alyssa,” Janel began.
Bailey, by contrast, was focused on her appearance: “Wow, you’re gorgeous,” she added. Alyssa gave a small, embarrassed laugh, and I silently thanked Bailey for putting her at ease so quickly.
“Get used to that, Alyssa. That’s Bailey’s whole deal. She showers people with compliments and is constantly on the lookout for Prince Charming when she isn’t listening to Ed Sheeran all day long.” Janel jerked her thumb at the redhead, her face taking on a wearied expression.
“What are you talking about?” Bailey shot back before turning to Alyssa, who was still standing next to me. “Don’t pay her any mind. Janel is really a nice girl underneath it all. But she has been demonstrating a weird amount of negativity toward life and human beings generally lately. I think it’s some kind of developmental phase she’s going through. Selene and I are both truly hoping she realizes just how wonderful the world is someday,” Bailey said with a dreamy sigh, and I cocked an eyebrow. Alyssa glanced at me in total confusion, undoubtedly wondering what was up with these two crazy girls in my living room, and I could do nothing but shrug.
“I think you all will get along very well,” I told her dryly, and she smiled at me.
After that round of introductions, I decided to make hot chocolate for everyone. Alyssa chatted pleasantly with my friends while I did so. She found she had a lot in common with them and sounded cheerful, but I could tell from her subdued affect that something wasn’t right. I wanted to figure out why she’d come all the way to Detroit to see me, unannounced. Various theories swirled around in my head, including a fight with Logan or her parents, but I felt like it would be impolite to ask about that kind of thing in front of the other girls.
“Here, hot chocolate for everyone,” I proclaimed as I came back into the living room. I set down a tray with four steaming mugs on the coffee tableand then took a seat next to Janel. Alyssa had picked a spot next to Bailey, who was grilling her for tips on how to make her hair shiny.
“She is a hopeless case,” Janel muttered into my ear, gesturing to Bailey, who just continued talking without pausing for breath.
“Leave her alone; she’s socializing,” I answered. The two of them had a very odd rapport. People who didn’t know them as well as I did might assume they disliked or even hated each other, but they were actually very close despite being total opposites.
“She’s going to give that poor girl a headache,” Janel insisted, watching the two of them. Bailey was gesticulating excitedly while Alyssa nodded along, trying to follow her speech.
