“Argh!” I bury my hot face in Champ’s fur. I shouldn’t have said anything. Now I’ve ruined it. I can’t possibly face Wyatt now.
My phone rings in my purse, and I pull it out, in case Salazar needs me. I hope he does, even though it’s the weekend, so I can keep myself occupied.
But it’s Jo.
“Hey, I’m really sorry, but I don’t think I can go shopping today,” she says, her voice low and raspy.
“Uh…are we supposed to?”
“Aren’t we? It
’s the thirteenth.”
“Jo. It’s the sixth.”
There’s a pause. “Really? Shit. Okay, sorry. Brain fart.”
Yeah, no kidding. Jo doesn’t usually get her dates mixed up like this. Her reputation depends on being organized and punctual. High-end clients hate anything else. “Are you okay? You don’t sound so good.”
“Um. I’m fine. Just tired. I’m still in bed.”
“You are?” Jo isn’t the type to laze around in bed all day, even on weekends. “You sure you aren’t sick?”
“Just worn out.” She clears her throat. “I had a bunch of sex.”
I have to laugh. “So that’s why I couldn’t find you last night at the party. Good for you!” She’s been somewhat deprived after dumping her last boyfriend. He was rich and nice, but too clingy, and she said he wasn’t good enough to have around long-term. “So. Who was it?” I ask, needing to distract myself. “Somebody from the party? Was he good?”
“Ooh yeah.” The way she says it reminds me of a lioness stretching. “That man’s like sex crack. We did once at the mansion, but I had to have more. Like, a lot more. Like, I’m gonna start breaking into people’s houses and stealing their TVs to support my habit more.”
“Wow. You’ve never said anything like this about a guy. Who was it?”
“Edgar.”
“Edgar Blackwood?” He’s reputed to be so incredibly stiff that I just can’t imagine him as the type to go much beyond missionary.
“Yeah. I usually think men sound like lobotomized monkeys when they’re doing it, all that huffing and groaning. But not him. The sounds he makes are hot.” She laughs. “First time I’ve had aural sex.”
Thankfully, she stops there. I don’t know if I’m ever going to run into the man, but I don’t need to have “aural sex” popping into my head when I do. “So are you going to see him again?”
“Doubt it.”
“What? Why not? He sounds like a winner, unless he belches when he comes.”
She laughs. “No. It’s just… He can’t leave Louisiana. His company’s there. And I’m not leaving L.A., not even for crackgasms. All my friends and family are here.”
And Jo’s really close to her family. I’ve seen them squabble and fight at times, but when one of them is down, they all come together, no questions asked. The first priority is that everyone in the family is happy and protected. I wish I had that. Maybe I thought I could have it with Wyatt. How pathetic. Maybe, like Jo’s ex, I’m being clingy and unworthy.
Jo yawns noisily. “Anyway, I gotta go. I need to sleep.”
“It’s two in the afternoon.”
“Yeah, but he kept me up until the crack of dawn. I need my beauty sleep. Bye!” She hangs up. She must be really exhausted not to have noticed anything wrong with me. That, or I’m a better actress than I thought. Either way, I’m glad she didn’t probe, because I don’t know what to say.
I toss the phone on the couch with a sigh. At least Jo’s happy, no longer dickpressed, as she sometimes says when she’s not getting any. And that should make me happy too. She deserves good orgasms—crackgasms. But I still feel flatter than a glass of Coke left out overnight. And that, weirdly, makes me feel like a bad friend.
The door opens, and Yuna walks in. She looks fresh. Her makeup is perfect, and even the Walmart disguise somehow seems crisp and expensive on her.
“Hey, Kim!” she says.