‘Please.’ I snort. ‘You and Keir can barely keep your clothes on in public.’ Tactile doesn’t even cover it, as seen in their display earlier today. ‘I’m sure Flynn is already privy to, if not the details of your sex life, then the frequency.’
‘Breadth, if not depth!’ Ella giggles. Maybe someone really ought to stop her drinking.
‘Are you attempting to sexually shame me?’
‘I’m just saying, if the ball gag fits.’
‘No dice, ladies, because Keir likes me loud.’ She cackles, bringing her glass to her mouth.
‘What man doesn’t,’ titters Ella.
‘A common theme, maybe, but men all have theirthing.The thing that tickles their pickle, so to speak, big time. I think it’s only fair we know something of Flynn’s secrets, wouldn’t you say?’ I frown. Is she talking to me? How would I know his thing? He might like being pegged by aubergines for all I know. Our kind of acquaintance doesn’t extend to those kinds of details.
‘Come on, babe, pick a side. You have to restore the balance—tell us a little of Flynn’s peccadilloes.’
‘No, no, no, no,no!’ Ella slaps the surface of the table with her palm before draining her drink. ‘Flynn can’t have a little pecker or a little dildo because life is too short to deal with mean penises and little men. Wait!’ she adds, almost visibly playing her words back. ‘Life is too short to deal with mean men and little penises. Because mean penises aren’t really a thing.’
‘I dunno,’ begins Paisley. ‘I’ve known a few mean dicks in my time. Mean dicks with small dicks. Robin,’ she fake-coughs her ex’s name into her hand.
‘I thought you said you were a virgin pre-Mac?’
‘Closeted gay boyfriends also have dicks,’ Ella says with a one-shouldered shrug. ‘They’re just a little mean with it. Still, I suppose I have him to thank for my awesome blow job technique.’
I begin to laugh, doubly so as she makes a lewd gesture involving her hand, cheek, and tongue, right at the moment Tate choses to approach the table again. My first thought is that we’re being a little rowdy, that maybe his other customers are sending our table a lot of dirty looks, but his open, smiling expression seems to say otherwise.
‘Enjoying yourselves, ladies?’
‘Very much so,’ Ella says, her head moving like a nodding dog. ‘Brunch was delicious. A visit to this beautiful and very respectable establishment has made for a perfect Sunday.’
‘Respectable,’ Tate repeats, cocking a teasing brow in my direction, a strange sort of gleam in his eye. ‘Maybe Miss Landry would care to visit after closing hours. We’re not so respectable then.’
He doesn’t wait for me to reply, which is just as well given that my jaw is on the table.
‘He surnamed you,’ Paisley crows, ‘I thought you didn’t know him?’ I don’t, but he does look familiar.From where, though?
‘And delivered an invitation to a disreputable experience.’ Ella giggles, all comic wide-eyed.
‘That’s not what I heard,’ I reply, the tips of my ears fiery again.
‘Then you want your hearing tested,’ Paisley retorts.
‘Not interested in men, huh? Good for you it doesn’t work the other way around.’
