“Christ, Lucy! I can’t take it any longer. Who is Reed?!” she says excitedly.
I can’t help but let a big cheesy smile take over my guilty face as I tell her.
“He’s my dad’s best friend,” I finally tell her. “His name is Shane Reed, and he and my dad know each other from college.”
Her face drops.
“Oh no. I am so sorry! That explains the ridiculously high pay, doesn’t it? He must have felt bad. Ugh, is he going to rat on you? I seriously can’t apologize enough. I am in debt to you for the rest of time.” She looks like she is about to break into tears, but I shake my head no.
“No, no, it wasn’t like that at all! I was an escort in every manner last night. It was definitely not a pity date,” I say quickly. “And since he paid so much, I’ll definitely give you a cut. I know you can use it.”
Rose freezes like a deer in headlights. Even without words or movement, I can see confusion rising in her eyes. Multiple times she raises her hands and shapes her mouth to speak, only to fall dumbstruck and speechless all over again. I know what it is she really wants to know.
“Yes. We had sex,” I come clean. Her mouth opens and closes a few more times before she can speak.
“Whaaaat?! No way!” she breathes. “Are you serious?”
I nod.
“Yes, we definitely made love. He had a hotel room, or rather a suite,” I say carefully. “We went up there afterwards and he made love to me.”
“Holy sheee-it!” Rose breathes. “Good for you, girl!”
“You don’t think it’s weird, the age gap and all?” I ask timidly.
Rose thinks for a moment.
“I mean, it’s different, I’ll give you that. But who cares? And he’s your dad’s friend, right?” I nod in agreement.
“Yes, but doesn’t that make things even more weird?”
My friend smirks.
“Your dad is a total hunk. I’d bang him if I had the chance,” she replies with a wicked look.
“Rose!” I squeal, shaking my head in an attempt to rattle the image of my best friend and my father out of my mind. “Oh my god, that’s so gross!”
She just shrugs insouciantly.
“No, just saying,” she replies. But then my friend grows serious. “You know, that isn’t usually part of the job. You definitely did not have to go upstairs with him. The dates are just booked for drinks,” she says.
“I know. I didn’t do it because I thought I had to,” I reply. “I wanted to do it,” I admit in a low voice.
She gawks at me.
“Are you okay?” she asks. “Was it good?”
I bite my lip, thinking before answering.
“Yes,” I finally say. “More than yes. It was amazing, Rose. Shane made me feel so wanted, and so precious and … well, it was just amazing.”
My buddy holds up her hand in a high five.
“Way to go, Luce! You lost your virginity to your dad’s best friend, and it was fantastic too. Most times, it’s pretty bad,” she says with a funny face. She shoots a teasing glance my way. “It’s always the quiet ones that surprise you.” I roll my eyes, but we laugh together at this.
“All jokes aside,” she begins again, her expression suddenly solemn. “Are you going to see him again?”
I ponder it for a few moments. Grabbing for my cup of coffee, I simply shrug my shoulders in response. A few seconds of silence go by before I finally work up an answer.
“I don’t know,” I attempt to say in a nonchalant voice. “We didn’t really talk about it. But I want to because I think I could really like him. He was so caring, and I’ve had a bit of a puppy crush on him since I was a kid.”
Rose immediately knows.
“This is a fantasy come true for you, isn’t it?” she asks with a giggle. I laugh at this.
“It kind of is,” I admit. “I just hope it isn’t over already.”
She nods at me in agreement, and we begin talking about everything under the sun. But even as the conversation turns to school and homework, I can’t help but silently wonder if my fantasy relationship with Shane Reed will progress further than last night’s sexcapade. Will he call? Will he ask to see me again? Or was I nothing but a fun-filled fling that’s already over?
7
Shane
Damon and I are hanging out at my penthouse today. There’s a professional golf game airing on channel seven. As fun as it is to watch the game on TV, I love to get out on the course in real life from time to time as well. We may not have as much talent, thanks to the burdens of working a full-time job, but the shenanigans we get into when we do get out on the green are off the charts.