Katy stood up again. ‘Look, let’s not do this. I have to get ready. We can work together without needing to interact. I’m not going to tell anyone your dirty little secret, so if that’s why you’re here, don’t worry.’
He paused, looking sombre.
‘OK. If that’s what you want.’ Travis stood up and headed back towards the elevator. Katy sat back down on the sofa, her body swaying from side to side in agitation.
Just before Travis entered the elevator, he turned to Katy. ‘For what it’s worth, I had a wonderful evening. The best.’ His words echoed through the apartment.
I gasped, covering my mouth, knowing this was the sort of sentimental bullshit Katy fell for. I watched her shoulders drop.Please don’t run to him, I thought.Don’t fall for his crap.
‘I’ll see you around,’ he added.
‘Yip. See you, Travis.’
Katy remained still. I heard the elevator door open, then close, and I rushed over to her.
‘What the fuck was that!’ I laughed nervously at the drama. ‘I wasn’t sure if you were going to run into his arms all over again at one point at the end there.’
‘I wanted to .?.?.’ She was quiet, and I watched her eyes fill with tears. ‘But I couldn’t.’ She took in a sharp inhale.
‘You couldn’t, Katy, not after .?.?.’
‘No, I, like, physically couldn’t, Ella. Look.’ Katy peered down at the floor, opened her legs and relaxed. There was a slight thud on the floor, and I watched as a small silver object dropped into a pile of fluid.
‘What the fuck is that?’ I asked Katy, who was crouching a little to examine it.
‘A butt plug.’ She shrugged. ‘Bill shoved it up me last night and I must have fallen asleep with it in. I didn’t realise until I sat on the couch there and felt like I had a poker up my arse.’ Katy sighed, her eyes staring at the metallic object as the light hit it, casting a colourful rainbow across the room.
‘Jesus!’ I said, feeling my arse clench at the thought. ‘Was it fun? Like enjoyable?’
‘Yeah, I suppose.’ Katy shrugged again. ‘I don’t even know,’ she sighed, standing to her feet. ‘I’m such a mess just now, Ella.’ Her bottom lip was trembling, with what I imagined was regret over her mad shagging antics the past few days.
‘Katy McIntyre, you are crazy, but never a mess.’ I hugged my friend. ‘Maybe you needed an intervention, a wake-up call. This is it.’
‘I really like him, Ella. We had such a gorgeous time together; it felt different, genuine. I was so embarrassed walking into that meeting yesterday.’ She began to sob, covering her face.
I nodded, pulling my friend in for a hug, careful of my foot placement. ‘I know.’ I allowed a few quiet moments to pass, holding her. ‘But right now, we have to get to work and prove to every man who ever hurt us that we are badasses who are capable of anything. We – and that includes Zola and me, by the way – can’t keep letting men affect our lives like this. Look at the opportunity we have, Katy. Let’s use the anger and the hurt to really show them. I promise you that we are going to let Travis Mason know he’s messed with the wrong girl, OK?’
Katy sighed. I could feel her pulse race against my skin.
‘First, can you help me get rid of the speed dater?’ she asked. ‘Butt Plug Billy has to go.’
I laughed. ‘Yes! Gladly!’
‘And Ella?’
‘Hmm?’ I replied, still patting my friend’s back.
‘What about this? Do I give it back to him?’ Katy asked. ‘I’m unsure about the single-to-multiple-use policy on a butt plug.’
‘Zola!’ I called out.
‘Yeah!’ she shouted back, still guarding Katy’s bedroom like a rottweiler.
‘Before we totally bottom out here, we need your expert opinion on something!’
Chapter Sixteen
Ella
