Wallbanger(41)

“I doubt that, but seriously, where did Katie go?”

He smiled quietly. “She met someone else and seems real y happy. So we ended our physical relationship, of course, but she’s stil a good

friend.”

“Wel , that’s good.” I nodded and was quiet a moment. “How does that work, actual y?”

“How does what work?”

“Wel , you have to admit, your relationships are unconventional at best. How do you do it? Keep everyone happy?” I prodded.

He laughed. “You’re not seriously asking how I satisfy these women, are you?” He grinned.

“Hel , no. I’ve heard how you do that! There doesn’t seem to be any question about that. I mean, how does no one get hurt?”

He thought for a moment. “I guess because we were honest going into this. It isn’t like anyone sets out to create this little world, it just happens.

Katie and I had always gotten along great, especial y in that way, so we just fel into that relationship.”

“I like Spanx—I mean Katie. So was she the first? In the harem?”

“Enough with the harem—you make it sound so sordid. Katie and I went to col ege together, tried dating for real, didn’t work out. She’s great

though, she’s…wait, are you sure you want to hear al this?”

“Oh, I am al ears. I’ve been waiting to peel this onion since you first knocked that picture off my wal and clocked me on the head.” I smiled,

settling back on the couch and curling my knees underneath me.

“I knocked a picture off your wal ?” he asked, looking amused and proud at the same time. What a guy.

“Focus up, Simon. Gimme the skinny on your ladies in waiting. And spare no details—this shit is better than HBO.”

He laughed and put on his storytel er face. “Wel , okay, I guess it started with Katie. We didn’t work out as a couple, but when we ran into each

other after col ege a few years ago, coffee turned into lunch, lunch turned into drinks, and drinks turned into…wel , bed. Neither of us was seeing

anyone, so we started getting together whenever I was in town. She’s great. She’s just…I don’t know how to explain it. She’s…soft.”

“Soft?”

“Yeah, she’s al rounded edges and warm and sweet. She’s just…soft. She’s the best.”

“And Purina?”

“Nadia. Her name is Nadia.”

“I have a cat that says otherwise.”

“Nadia I met in Prague. I was doing a shoot one winter. I usual y never do fashion photography, but I got asked to shoot for Vogue—very artsy,

very conceptual. She had a house outside the city. We spent a naked weekend together, and when she moved to the States she looked me up.

She’s getting her masters now in international relations. It’s crazy to me that at twenty-five she’s on the tail end of her career, in modeling, that is. So

she’s working hard to do something else. She’s very smart. She’s traveled the entire world, and she speaks five languages! She went to the

Sorbonne. Did you know that?”

“How would I know that?”

“Easy to make snap judgments when you don’t know someone, isn’t it?” he asked, eyeing me.

“Touché,” I nodded, nudging him with my foot to go on.

“And then Lizzie. Oh boy, that woman is insane! I met her in London, piss drunk in a pub. She walked up to me, grabbed my col ar, kissed me

stupid, and dragged me home with her. That girl knows exactly what she wants and isn’t afraid to ask for it.”

I remembered some of her louder moments in great detail. She real y was rather specific about what she wanted, provided you could get past

the giggling.

“She’s a solicitor—attorney—and one of her main clients lives here in San Francisco. Her business is based in London, but when we’re both in

the same city, we make sure to see each other. And that’s it. That’s al she wrote.”

“That’s it? Three women, and that’s it. How do they not get jealous? How are they al okay with this? And don’t you want more? Don’t they want

more?”

“For now, no. Everyone is getting exactly what they want, so it’s al good. And yes, they al know about each other, and since no one’s in love

here, no one has any real expectations beyond friendship—with the best possible benefits. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I adore each of them, and

love them in their own way. I’m a lucky guy. These women are amazing. But I’m too busy to date anyone for real, and most women don’t want to put

up with a boyfriend who’s across the globe more often than home.”