Kris laughed at the girls' expressions. "I'm going ahead with it, but not with Trey, Ari. He's just going to take me to decent places where I could meet decent men so my cousin here won't get so worried about me."
"As long as you're after casual sex with a stranger, I will continue worrying about you," Sam said to Kris with a pointed look. "How do you know that the guys you meet are … healthy?"
"Condom, Sam. Condom. Plus, I'll ask Trey to help me suss them out. He might even introduce me to friends of his that none of us have met before."
"Why don't you just do it with Trey?" Sam asked. "You two looked liked you got along like a house on fire at the reception last night. With him being Dylan and Kane's friend, he's likely to be, you know, safe."
"Ari thinks it's not a good idea."
"Why not? You think he might not be healthy, after all?" Sam asked Ari in wonder.
Ari laughed. "Oh, Sam. That's not it. I'm sure Trey's safe—physically, I mean. But he's a playboy."
"Oh," Sam said in understanding. "You're right, Ari. Bad idea."
"Come on, girls. You think I'm going to let myself fall in love with another playboy?" Kris asked with a laugh. Sam and Ari were well aware of her past relationships. Twice in her life, she'd fallen in love. Twice, it was with a gorgeous, hunky man who was a self-confessed playboy. Twice, she'd been rather elated that she had managed to get a smooth operator to commit to a relationship with her. Twice, she realised true playboys didn't change their spots.
She shook her head, not wanting to relive painful memories.
"By now I'm pretty sure I've learned my lesson," she said lightly.
Sam reached out and squeezed her hand. "I hope so, Kris. I'd hate for you to get hurt again."
She smiled and squeezed her cousin's hand back. Samantha Lane was as close to her as a sister could be. Both of them were twenty-seven, with Sam only two months older than her. But even so, sometimes Sam acted like a mother hen.
They had been close since they were kids. When Kris' mother had died in a car accident two and a half years ago, Sam had been the person who most helped her cope with that devastating loss.
They understood each other and embraced the fact that they had different personalities.
Even with men, their attitudes and behaviours were in stark contrast. Kris was an extrovert who took risks, while Sam was the ultra-cautious introvert.
She shook her head, unable to understand how Sam could handle not being with a man for more than a year and not be crazy with need like she was.
"What?" Sam asked, noticing her head-shake.
"I was just wondering why you're not missing having sex with a man," she responded.
"Who told you I'm not missing it?"
"Oooh!" both Kris and Ari exclaimed.
"But unlike you, I will continue to wait until I find myself a new boyfriend," Sam declared. "Casual sex just doesn't interest me."
"You mean you're too scared of it," Kris said teasingly.
Sam shrugged. "Yeah, that's probably true. But to be completely honest, I don't see what the fuss is about. None of my past boyfriends set me on fire, so it's not like I feel I'm missing out on much."
"Oh, Sammy, really? You never told me that," Kris said. "But now that you've mentioned it, I'm not surprised. Your exes looked like they were all virgins before they met you—even your last one who was thirty-five. You need someone who knows his way around a woman's body."
Sam blushed even as she giggled. "Fine. I'll be more selective the next time around."
"Great! So do you want to go hunting with me?" Kris asked.
"No! I still don't want casual. I'll find a real boyfriend when we get back home," Sam said.
"Okay. Suit yourself," Kris responded. "I'm looking forward to going hunting—with Trey."
"How did you get Trey to agree to that?" Ari asked.
"You know me—direct as ever. I told Trey I had considered approaching him for a fling but changed my mind after I spoke with you."
"Oh. What did he say about that?"
"He said you were right to warn me off him, so we agreed it wasn't a good idea to sleep together. But he's a fun guy who knows his way around Sydney's nightspots so he'd know the better places I could hang out in—and get picked up from."
"It was considerate of him to admit you shouldn't consider him," Sam observed. "He sounds like a nice playboy."
"Trey is a nice guy, once you get to know him," Ari confirmed. "He's very loyal to his friends—incredibly so. Maybe that's why he doesn't have any loyalty left to give to a woman so he chooses not to be with one."