“I had a nap. I’m good. But thanks for checking.” She taps my thigh again, now a thank-you in my imaginary Morse code.
Part of me wants to peel her hand away before Calliesees it. The rest of me wants to hold still. Self-preservation roars louder than want, and I shift just enough to make her hand slip away. I regret it immediately and blame Calista, eyeing her with daggers in turn.
“I just need to use the loo, and we can go, Callie.”
“Sure, go ahead, babes.”
Oh, great, some Callie-and-me time. Just what I need to wrap this night.
“I know Mama Jett taught you some great manners, but I’ll check anyway. Did you thank April?” she asks before I find a way out.
Fully aware I’m walking into an ambush, I ask anyway, “Thank April for what, Calista?” My voice drops into that stern dad-tone.
“Honestly, Jett. Just look at how you say my name. You chastise me so much, I’ll end up with a daddy complex, and you’ll have no one else to blame but yourself.”
I stare at her, confused and severely distraught. Where the fuck does she get those things from? The dark depths of her soul? The last three minutes of her therapy sessions?
“Calista, I don’t have the time or the mental bandwidth to unpack that right now.”
“Don’t change the subject.” I didn’t; she did. Women are out to get me. I don’t stand a chance. “Did you thank April or not?” she asks again.
I’m not even fully listening to her anymore. “Thank A for what, Calista?” I soften my tone on purpose, and she smiles, catching on.
“For that hot as fuck souvenir she brought you from London. She deserves a raise, at the very least. Little ol’ meover here?” She slumps back in her chair, dabbing at the corner of her eye with the cloth napkin. No tears, just pure performance. “All I got was some duty-free Toblerone.”
CHAPTER TEN
mia
Callie introducesme to three of her favorite bars, and we have a cocktail in each. What a turnaround. This is so fun. Why haven’t I done a pub crawl back home? Oh, right. I was either too broke or too busy studying or working.
I trip my way to the fourth bar when the alcohol turns into a truth serum.
“Cal, Cal, Cal,” I yell. Then I shush her when she turns her attention from the map on her phone to me. She smiles showing off her big white teeth, and I stumble back. I shush her teeth now. “I got a secret. I can’t tell you. And you can’t tell anyone.”
She laughs, and I pinch her lips together since she clearly doesn't understand the meaning of “shush”.
Callie pulls my hand away from her face, loops her arm with mine and nudges me into walking again. “Turn left here, then start talking. I won’t tell a soul. Promise.”
“It’s more like a plan, really. But it’s a secret too. Oh.Oooh. It’s asecret plan!”
She’s doing something funny with her lips, twisting them together. I can’t quite figure it out; she’s a bit blurry in the dark. But I bet she’s amazed.I’mamazed.
It’s. A. Secret. Plan.Wow.
“Hm-hum. Go on,” she prompts.
I look around to make sure no curious pedestrians can overhear, then I lean harder onto her. Oh, good. I’m not the only one tripping. New York pavement could use some work.
I whisper into her hair. “In the next few months, I’m going to turn into…” I pause and stumble in front of her for added effect, then accidentally scream the next words, nose to nose: “A SEX GODDESS.” What are my arms doing in the air?
The world around us stops. Or the people do. I’m not a hundred percent sure. My throat feels too dry, and suddenly I’m gagging, the passion fruit from that Pornstar Martini trying to make a comeback.
“Okay, babes,” Callie says, dismissing my mega reveal. I’d be taking more offense if I wasn’t too busy keeping my booze down. “Can you make another 400 ft, or do you need a pit stop?”
“What? I’mfine.” I wave a hand in the air and strut—hopefully—in the direction of the bar we were heading. Callie hurries to follow and links her arm through mine again. I silently celebrate being right, but mostly, the steadiness her arm gives me.
We arrive at a rooftop bar, and the breathtaking view of the Empire State Building sobers me up. That and the slice of bread soaked in olive oil she force-feeds me. Next, the sexy as hell bartender sets a jug of iced water in front of meas per Callie’s orders, and I sip it slowly while I welcome my sanity finding its way back into my body.
