for dinner tomorrow, so I’ll have to pop over to England for that. And then I’ve got squash with the Obamas on Tuesday, though I might have to cancel because Beyoncé wants to see me as well, and no one turns her down.”
He laughs like he can’t quite help it, and then he says my name.
It’s so bloody lovely to hear him say it that I go limp on the couch, staring up at the ceiling, wishing we were together.
“Truthfully, I’ve been wondering why you haven’t called or texted me all day,” he admits. “Especially when you didn’t answer my call last night. I didn’t like how we left things at the gala.”
“Right. That’s my fault. It had all gotten to be a bit much, you know? The whole conniving woman cornering me in the loo bit…I’m not quite used to all that.”
“Yeah. Sadly, I think it comes with the territory.”
He sounds hopeless, and I hum, feeling sorry for him all of a sudden. I haven’t stopped long enough to look at the situation from his perspective, but it’s been a bloody awful turn of events for him. He was probably excited to have me attend the gala with him and I was excited too…until Melody ruined it. Instead of piecing myself together and staying there at his side, I ran off and have been MIA for the better part of twenty-four hours.
“I’ve behaved like a total idiot, I think,” I blurt. “Please don’t be mad at me.”
“I’m not. I’m frustrated. This isn’t anything new. The things you’re feeling are the same things I’ve dealt with for almost a decade, and I feel bad dragging you into it.”
“Don’t feel bad,” I rush out. “I can’t stand it. You’re too handsome to be moping about.”
“I’m not moping.”
His voice doesn’t convince me. I know we still have a lot to discuss, logistics and all that boring nonsense, but I want to lift his spirits and have a pretty good idea of how to do it.
“Tell me, are you really over there scheduling your week? La-de-da. You can do that any time. Why don’t we have a bit of fun? Something to put you in a better mood.”
“Fun?”
I suppose I’ll have to spell it out for him then. P-H-O-N-E S-E-X.
“Yes, well seeing as it’s already late and we’ve both got early mornings…” My voice is heavy with suggestion. No subtlety here. “I can’t come round to you, but maybe we could do a bit of…y’know…”
“Aren’t your roommates there?”
“They’ve gone, finally. I’m all alone, and I’m wearing…” I look down. “Right. Well, not exactly lingerie, unfortunately. I do like to be comfy when I’m home.”
He laughs. “Tell me. I want to know anyway.”
“It’s a huge ‘I heart NYC’ t-shirt with a chocolate stain near the middle, and underneath I’ve got my shorts on. They’ve got little sheep jumping about. Oh, maybe I shouldn’t have said that. Could you forget it and I’ll start again with something a little more sexy?”
“No. You’re always sexy.”
His voice has gone all raspy, and I have to bite my bottom lip to keep myself from losing it.
“Well, thank you…now tell me, what have you got on?”
“Black sweatpants.”
“And?”
“And boxer briefs.”
“Hmm…is this how people do it? They describe what they’re wearing and then they sort of just lead into it? I’m not so good at this.” He laughs, and I toss my head on the back of the sofa like I’m utterly hopeless. “Right, how ’bout this? Let’s start over, and I’ll make it really good.” I drop my voice an octave to sound all phone-sex-operator-y. “Oh, Logan, hello. You’ve just caught me at a bad time. I’m totally nude, you see.”
“Candace—”
His voice sounds amused, and that is not what I’m going for. He can laugh at me any time. This is serious sex business.
“Oh, no. I’m so cold. I haven’t got anything to put on. What will I do?”
I can barely make out his laughter, as if he’s trying to stifle it with his hand. I double down on my efforts.
“Oh myyyy. My legs are so smooth and silky!”
“I can’t take you seriously when you’re like this.”
“Like what? Naked and oh so sexy? I know, it’s hard to handle. Now stop messing about and put your hand down your trousers. I’ll do the same.”
I lie back on the sofa and hoist my t-shirt up so it’s just covering my breasts.
“Are you touching yourself?” he asks, more than a little curious.
“Well not yet. I’m trying to loosen the waistband on my