I stared at her, open-mouthed. “Just to be clear, I don’t want a relationship,” I said. “I’m not ready for one now.”
“Everyone says that after being dumped.”
“I wasn’t dumped,” I protested.
“Sure.” Gina winked at me. “You know, there’s no shame in admitting it.”
“What Gina is trying to say is that we can help you to hook up with someone,” Thalia cut in, surprising me once again in her similarity to Sylvie. If it weren’t for her exotic looks, she could have been my roommate’s twin.
“We’ll be your wingmen,” Gina said. “Or wing women.”
“Is that even a word?” I shook my head; it was easier than arguing with them in their determined and inebriated state.
“We’ll find you a hookup,” Thalia said. “No relationships. Just a hot guy who’ll make you forget your ex.”
I cringed inwardly. Yeah, as if that would happen anytime soon.
“That’s the plan.” Gina pushed her red hair back over her shoulder and stood to scan the room with the eyes of someone who seemed to have done this before. Several heads turned toward us and for a moment I wished I could just shrink in my seat so no one would see me.
“Please don’t tell me you’re looking for prospective candidates.” I grabbed her arm and pulled, gently urging her to sit back down, but she wouldn’t budge.
“As a matter of fact, she is,” Thalia said, laughing. “Now sit back and let the professional do her job. Clearly, you need someone to help you move on, and when it comes to getting revenge, Gina’s the best.”
“No.” I shook my head again and took a gulp of my drink. “I’m not looking for revenge. More like a rescue plan really, something to keep me from running back to him.” The words tumbled out through my cranberry-tasting lips, and I realized my blunder too late.
Thalia’s eyebrows knitted together in a frown. “Why would you want to run back to someone? You call them an ex for a reason.”
I shrugged. Why would I want that indeed? “I don’t know. The sex was pretty good—amazing really.”
“Here’s what I usually recommend.” Gina finally sat down, turning her attention back to us and wearing a determined look on her face. “If a man hits five on the list, you sleep with him, if only to feel shitty afterward and replace your good memories with bad ones.”
My lips twitched as I tried hard to suppress the laughter bubbling at the back of my throat. Either they were making fun of me, or the alcohol was speaking and they wouldn’t remember a word the following day. “And what list would that be?”
“Clean, sexy, good-looking.” She started counting and paused. “That’s it. Everything else is a bonus.” I didn’t want to point out that she barely got to three points; maybe two since the term “clean” was debatable.
“She’s right,” Thalia said, her speech slurring more by the second. “It’s hard to find a man who’s caring and sexy, attentive and handsome. And don’t get me started on supportive.”
“Take it from me,” Gina continued, “most men ran if I so much as asked them to water my plants.”
Thalia nudged her. “You forgot to add hardworking but not completely obsessed with his career to the point of forgetting that you exist.”
“So you suggest settling for less?” I asked, amused.
“No.” Gina drew out the word and exchanged glances with Thalia. “What we’re saying is that if you want to move on, you first need to get laid. There’s no way around that.” She paused for effect. “I know the perfect singles bar, and it just so happens to be down the street. Let’s pay the place a visit.”
“I hope you’re not talking about that male strippers club again.” Thalia laughed. Gina shot her a dirty look, shutting her up.
Strippers? Oh, God.
It was exactly what I had tried to avoid—running around from one place to the next, because I couldn’t possibly leave them to their fate. They were too drunk for that, and someone had to make sure they got home safely. As much as I hated the idea, I couldn’t just abandon them.
“You said just one bar and one drink,” I muttered.
“I’ve changed my mind.” Gina grinned and finished her drink in one gulp. “We’ll help you, under one condition.”
For some reason, I had a bad feeling. All that talk about sleeping with a stranger made me feel uncomfortable. I narrowed my eyes at her. “Which is?”
“We make the decision.”
“What decision?” I asked, confused.