“Are you kidding me? You want to hire someone to have sex with you?” Tori burst out laughing. “You are a completely fuckable woman, Kristen. Don’t even try to pay someone to break your hypothetical hymen.”
“I was kidding. Sort of. Fine, let’s go tonight.”
“Good. A word of advice, though?” Tori cast her a sharp look. “And don’t take this the wrong way. But try and dress a little sexier tonight.”
“What was wrong with the way I looked last night?”
“Nothing, you were cute. Like, going camping cute. Or, like, sitting in a coffee shop and studying for your final cute.”
“Okay, so I was cute. Got it.”
“Go for slutty.”
Kristen bristled. “That’s a degrading—”
“Do you or do you not want to get laid?”
“I do. I really, really do.”
“Show some skin. Glam up the makeup. Wear sexy panties. And put on some heels. You’ve got this.”
“You’re right. I’ve got this.” Kristen nodded, mentally searching her suitcase for something sexy.
Damn. There wasn’t a lot. And there definitely weren’t heels. Hiking boots, yes. Heels? Nope.
“Maybe we could do some quick shopping before I head to the barbecue?”
“Yeah. I like this idea. I can blow off yoga.”
“So, you’ll come with me?”
“I may drop by near the end. We’ll see.”
A half hour later, as they settled their bills and signed their checks, Kristen glanced back at the women who’d done their pedicures. The technicians’ eyes had gone wide more than once during the process.
Kristen nudged her friend in the ribs. “Leave a big tip. I think we scarred those poor ladies for life with our conversation.”
Tori grimaced. “Without a doubt.”
*
Now this wasmuch more his scene.
Blake took another swig of soda before flipping the burgers laid out on the grill. Alternative music drifted from the speakers set in the window of the house he’d lived in up until a few months ago.
He glanced at the handful of people spread around the backyard. There were no unfamiliar faces, only people he considered friends and who he’d known for years.
“Thanks for manning the grill.”
Blake glanced over as his friend James came to stand beside him.
“Anytime. You know I was born for grill duty.”
“Yeah, you were.” James nodded. “We miss having you live here, man.”
Blake let his gaze drift around again. “I miss it at times, I won’t lie. I just needed a place of my own. It was time.”
“And you make pretty good money doing that firefighter thing, huh?”