asks.
“Not much. I have laundry to do, a paper to edit, and I need to iron my gown for graduation. I need things I left at Damon’s house, and I want to read the next few chapters of Bound.”
“Oh, I love that book,” Mom says. “I tried to get your dad to read it, but he wasn’t interested. What about you, Damon? Are you interested?”
“Katarina and I are reading it together. We have our own private book club. We meet on Wednesdays to discuss the week’s chapters, and I find the story interesting and the characters familiar,” he says to my mother as he looks at me.
“I bet you two have some interesting conversations. How is Emma? I haven’t heard from her in a few weeks. I hope she’s okay?”
“She’s seeing a man named Anthony. You’ll meet him at our graduation.”
“Is she still selling her time, or has she given that up now that she’s graduating? How does one put ‘professional escort’ on a résumé?”
“I don’t know. Maybe ‘excellent interpersonal skills’ or ‘flexible scheduling’?” I could sell anything. “She closed up shop as soon as she and Anthony became an item. Damon has been friends with him for a while, and says he’s a good guy, so I trust that he is.”
“That’s good to know. She’s like a daughter to me,” Mom says.
I hate to leave, but there’s so much to do.
“We have to head out, Mom, but I’ll see you next Monday.”
We say our goodbyes and head home. Damon looks relaxed and carefree.
“What did you think of my family?”
“I love your family. I can see why you are you. They lay it out there. Your brother is funny, and I’m happy to invite him to the grand opening. Is he dating anyone? I only ask for invitation purposes.”
“Thanks for clarifying. I’d hate to be tossed aside for my brother,” I tease. “He’s not a dating kind of guy. He’s still in his trying-everyone-out phase. One day he’ll find the right guy and settle down, but until then, I think we can all agree he’s a man-whore.”
“How did you get to twenty-three unscathed?”
“My mom said to take care of myself, and if I give myself to a man, I should make sure he’s worthy of me. I wish I could say the first two were, but I don’t lie. I had nothing to compare their worth to until I met you.”
“Let’s go by your place and get some of your things so you can stay with me. The last two nights have been amazing, and I don’t want to be without you. What do you say? Bring your laundry and your gown. My housekeeper can take care of all that for you.”
“You have a housekeeper?”
“Yes, she comes in Monday through Friday. If you stay tonight, you can meet her in the morning. She’ll be thrilled to have something else to do.”
“How many of your sleepovers has she met?”
“I don’t have sleepovers. You’re the first and only woman who’s been in my house besides my mom and Claire, the housekeeper. It’s like my tree house. Entrance is by personal invite only.”
That comes as quite a surprise. I’m the only woman who’s slept in his bed, showered in his shower, and sat at his breakfast bar. I smile, knowing that for whatever reason, I made it on Damon’s VIP list.
“Where did you have sex before me?” I hope he doesn’t say in the booth at a restaurant. I want those moments we shared to be something special, not something he does with all the girls.
“Mostly hotels, sometimes their places. Back then, it was purely physical. Now it’s for survival. What do you say? Will you stay?”
“I’ll stay if we can revisit the scarf and heels?”
“Deal. I have a few ideas for those.” He waggles his brows in a comedic gesture.
“I was thinking about the book. What would you say if I wanted to try some things from it?” Experimenting with Damon doesn’t scare me.
“I told you earlier I’m always open to experimentation. Just don’t ask me to abuse you.”
“There’s no risk of that, but I thought we could write the things interesting to us down on a piece of paper and put them in a bag. Each time we meet, we pick one and try it. What do you think?”
“I’m in. We have about one hundred and fifty pages left in the book, so let’s agree to do fifty pages a week so we can finish in three weeks.”
“Are you in a