Cade: I’m not all that noble. I keep thinking about kissing you again. How your lips felt against mine. How the . . . rest of you felt against me. I’m obsessing.
Kylie: You shouldn’t.
Cade: Why not? You’re an adult and I’m an adult. Do you want me to leave you alone?
Kylie: Not really . . . but the whole Daphne thing. It makes it awkward. You know she wants you. And I want my job.
Cade: But I don’t want her.
Kylie: Really? Didn’t seem that way the other night when she was sitting in your lap.
Cade: First of all, she dropped herself there, and second of all, is that jealousy I hear in your sweet voice?
Kylie: Text. The correct term you are looking for is “sweet text.”
Cade: Don’t avoid the question.
Kylie: I’m not.
Cade: You just did again. And as for Daphne, I’m just trying to be a friend to her. She desperately needs a few that aren’t ready to push drugs her way.
Kylie: . . . which is why we shouldn’t get together. It’s hard for me to be her friend when I want to pull her hair out for sitting in your lap.
Cade: So it was jealousy.
Kylie: I shall plead the fifth.
Cade: I miss you. I wish you were here in Botswana with me.
Kylie: Why, do you know someone there in need of a makeup artist?
Cade: Me! But not for obvious reasons. I just need to make a certain one scream with pleasure again.
Kylie: Oh my lord, why are you texting me dirty things??
Cade: Because it makes me smile and I’ve been stuck traveling for the last eighteen hours. And because I’m picturing how pink your cheeks are right now. When did you say I could see you again?
Kylie: I didn’t. Busy busy busy.
Cade: I’m looking at Daphne’s schedule online and she doesn’t have a concert scheduled for this upcoming Wednesday. Tuesday in Vegas but Wednesday is free. I can fly in and see you.
Kylie: Cade, we shouldn’t.
Cade: Just a meeting between friends. She doesn’t have to know.
Kylie: I’ll . . . think about it.
Sunday
Daphne: U coming 2 visit me tonight?
Cade: Overseas on business, sorry.
Daphne: Fine. Fuck u. I thought we were friends.
Cade: You know I have to work, Daph. You work, too. Doesn’t have anything to do with our friendship.
Cade: Hello?
Cade: Sigh. Daph, I hope you’re staying clean. Not for my sake, but for yours.
Monday
Cade: Still thinking about it?
Kylie: It’s a long, involved thought process. Truly.
Cade: What can I do to persuade you?
Kylie: Promise me that Daphne will not lose her shit if she finds out about it? Actually, just promise me she won’t find out at all?
Cade: She won’t find out.
Kylie: Uh-huh.
Cade: But we’re still discussing it, which must mean that you want to go with me after all.
Kylie: It’s not a question of want. It’s a question of practicality. Like, is it practical for me to date the man that my rich and famous boss wants? Risk my job? I consulted my Magic 8 Ball this morning and all signs point to no.
Cade: Those things are liars. Mine told me that you would say yes.
Kylie: They ARE full of lies!
Cade: What if I offered to buy an orphanage in some third world country?
Kylie: Now you’re not playing fair.
Cade: I don’t have to. I have money.
Kylie: Fine, fine, we’ll go out. If we must.
Cade: Excellent. I will see you Wednesday night.
Kylie: Just . . . I’ll send you my hotel info, okay? Let’s keep this out of Daphne’s eye. I don’t want her to even know you’re in town.
Cade: That makes two of us. I won’t say a thing. Looking forward to seeing you, then.
Kylie: Just FYI we’re not sleeping together.
Cade: I’m fine with that. I just want to see you. Maybe kiss you.
Kylie: Maybe?
Cade: Well, I thought it might frighten you if I said that I intend to kiss every inch of you at least twice.
Kylie: Not frightened here.
Tuesday
Daphne: U coming 2 the show tonight?
Cade: Can’t. Busy schedule. How goes keeping clean?
Cade: Hello?
Kylie was humming to herself as she mixed the foundation colors for Daphne’s skin. It was ridiculous to be in such a good mood, but she was. She was going to see Cade tomorrow night, and they were going to talk for hours and have a wonderful time.
She wasn’t even going to sleep with him. Just to prove to herself that she didn’t have to. But she was definitely looking forward to those kisses.
And she might wear some sexy lingerie because, well, just because.
She checked her phone for the millionth time that day, but Cade must have been busy. He’d only sent her a few small texts, like the occasional smiley face or ‘thinking of you.’ They’d been text flirting for the last week. While it was just as easy to pick up the phone and have a phone call, there was something fun and relaxed about texting. She found herself having to hold back on responding, just in case he thought she was sitting by her phone for hours on end, waiting for him to text back.