that worked out in my favor.” He gave a slight smile. “I’m man enough for you, and I know most men are boys, so that’s not surprising.” He grabbed his plate and carried it to the sink so he could rinse it off and leave it for his housekeeper.
It was nice to be in a relationship with someone who admired me so openly, who was excited for my accomplishments, who could handle my fire with his own inferno. I suddenly felt a jolt of fear, because I realized I had something really amazing…and I wouldn’t know what to do if I ever lost it.
When I walked in the door to my apartment on Monday morning, Charlie was sitting at the dining table with a cup of coffee next to his laptop. After he sipped his coffee, he raised his eyes and looked at me for a few seconds. “Wow, you look totally different.”
I hadn’t worn makeup in several days because I didn’t bring any in my overnight bag, and I was wearing the exact outfit I’d been wearing on Friday night. It was the ultimate walk of shame. I threw my purse on the table and kicked off my heels. “That’s what a fuck-a-thon does to you.”
He chuckled. “Way to rub it in, man.”
I made myself a cup of coffee and sat across from him. “It’ll happen for you, Charlie.”
He didn’t look at his computer. Instead, he just stared at me. “It’s nice to see you happy.” The statement came out of nowhere, containing a noticeable level of affection that showed his sincerity.
I gave a smile. “Thanks…”
“Now I need you to move in with him or marry him so you’ll get out of my hair.” He turned back to his work and looked at his computer.
“Like you could afford this place without me.”
His eyes were back on me instantly. “I probably could if you didn’t eat half my lunch every day. That shit adds up.”
I rolled my eyes and took a drink from my mug. “I pay for all the groceries, alright? And I throw in free condoms too. You basically got your own Instacart worker over here.” I snapped my fingers and pointed at myself.
He chuckled. “Fuck, I hate condoms. I want to be in a real relationship again so I don’t have to wear them anymore…” He gave me a serious look, like he expected me to do something about that.
It was too early in the morning to talk about Kat. “Yeah, it is pretty great.” It was so sexy not to be separated by latex, to feel each other so intimately, to feel his seed every time he gave it to me.
He gave an irritated sigh. “Jealous.”
I smiled and brought my mug to my lips. “You should be.”
2
Carson
“So, you’ve been doing the nasty-nasty, then?” Matt asked from across the booth in the bar, his beer sitting in front of him.
“Might be…” I gave a shrug before I took a sip of my wine.
Charlie drank from his glass and scanned the bar as if he expected Denise to appear out of nowhere.
“Come on,” Matt said. “You tell us more details than we want to know about everything, and now all of a sudden, you’re closed like a clam?”
“Why do you want to know?” I countered.
“Because he’s hot.” Matt raised his arms like he couldn’t believe I didn’t understand his interest. “I want the 4-1-1. So, size, skill level, all that good stuff.” He snapped his fingers a couple times. “Chop-chop.”
I tried to suppress a grin because I couldn’t believe I was the only one who got to know those details. Women had come before me, but I suspected it wasn’t as good for them as it was for me. I knew how Dax felt about me, so when we were together, it was special. “What about Jeremy?”
“Yeah,” Charlie said. “Do you think he’d appreciate you wanting the details of some other hot guy?”
“Are you kidding me?” Matt said. “He thinks Dax’s hot too. He’s always thought he was hot. He’s gotten to see him in the locker room a few times, but I haven’t had the pleasure.”
I swirled my glass of wine before I set it down. “He’s very good in bed. I’ll tell you that much.” I gave a thumbs-up.
“Obviously,” Matt said, rolling his eyes. “I already knew that.”
Charlie glanced at the entryway before he nudged Matt in the side. “Look, your boyfriend’s here.”
“No.” I pointed my index finger at my chest. “My boyfriend is here. Your