Now she thought they’d screwed each other.
“Umm, Charles and I didn’t have sex.”
Kate blinked. Studied her hard. “Wait a minute. I know you’re hiding evidence under that scarf. You’ve been walking funny all day, but I thought it was the shoes. Even your lips have that pouty look that says you’ve been sucking on something for a long time. I know you had sex, I feel it!”
Why did Kate have to be so damn perceptive? Should she lie? She played the privacy card as a last resort. “Kate, please don’t ask me any questions. I’m not ready to discuss my personal business, and I’d appreciate it if you give me some time and space and I’ll give you more information when I’m ready.”
Perfect. Textbook. Even Kate couldn’t deny her.
Her friend picked up the phone and punched out numbers. “Kennedy? Get in here pronto. And get Arilyn. I’m with Gen and she had sex and she won’t tell me details. Yes, of course we need the Baileys!”
Kate crossed her arms in front of her chest, leaned back in the leather chair, and glared. “Why don’t you try repeating that bullshit again?”
Gen closed her eyes in defeat.
The door flew open. Kennedy held four bottles of miniature Baileys in her manicured hands. Her high heels clicked confidently over the floor, and her Donna Karan chocolate-colored suit screamed professional elegance. Arilyn trailed behind her in yoga pants, a soft cream tunic, and her long strawberry hair pulled back in a braid. She looked about twelve.
Robert claimed his affection by both women, then slid back over to his bed to nap.
Kennedy handed everyone a bottle, slid into the purple cushioned chair to Kate’s right, crossed her legs, and twisted open the cap.
“Who’d you have sex with, Gen?”
Arilyn shook her head and sighed. “Kennedy, give her some time to feel comfortable and open up. You’re scaring her.”
Kennedy snorted. “She’s a doctor. She doesn’t scare easy. She’s also lying to us, which is a big no-no.”
“You lied to us,” Arilyn pointed out. “Remember when you were dating Nate and refused to admit your feelings for him?”
Kennedy waved her hand in the air. “Doesn’t count. I was lying to myself, not you guys. Who’d you have sex with, Gen?”
It was over. Might as well admit defeat.
Gen opened the bottle, took a long drink of Baileys, and embraced the stinging heat as it hit her belly.
“I slept with Wolfe.”
Kate sputtered into a coughing fit. Kennedy’s eyes widened with admiration. Arilyn gasped.
Silence settled over the room. The three of them took big slugs from their bottles, then settled.
“I didn’t see that coming,” Kate admitted. “I mean, I suspected you guys were hot for each other for a while, but I thought you were doing the friend thing.”
“Is that why you’re wearing the scarf?” Kennedy asked. “To hide the evidence?”
“Yep.”
“Damn, girl. Was it amazing?”
Gen collapsed into the last empty chair and slumped down. “Yes. More amazing then you can ever imagine.”
“I always knew you two would burn up the bedroom,” Kennedy commented. “My main problem is your face. Why do you look miserable?”
Arilyn reached out and took her hand. “Honey, what happened? You should be giddy and over the moon.”
“It was a night I’ll never forget,” she murmured. “I felt as if we were one. Completely bonded, and so deep inside each other we’d never be whole without the other.”
Kate sighed. “I know that feeling.”
“Best feeling in the world,” Kennedy agreed.
Arilyn remained silent.
“But then morning came.”
“Fucking dawn screws up everything,” Kennedy growled, taking another sip of liquor. “Did he get spooked?”
“Majorly. Explained he didn’t want to ruin our friendship and that he could never be in a committed relationship. Said he was broken and he’d end up hurting me.”
Kate shook her head. “Sounds like Kennedy when she fell for Nate.”
“Shut up, Kate. I came to my senses. Sounds to me like Slade and all his crap about divorce and oxytocin.”
Kate stuck out her tongue.
Gen laughed, loving the way serious talk was always mixed with the wretched humor life threw at them. “He’ll never tell me about his past. I know it’s bad. How can I force him into a relationship he doesn’t want? And what about our friendship? I don’t want to lose him either. The whole thing is a mess. Stupid sex. Stupid fifteen orgasms.”
Arilyn gasped. “Fifteen?”
“Holy shit,” Kennedy whispered.