About Last Night (About Last Night #1)(41)

I wanted to call Quinn. I felt like chatting. But I wasn’t dumb. It was a Saturday night and he was an escort. There was no doubt in my mind that he would be quote entertaining unquote this evening.

That kind of sucked. I wanted to tell him about my night’s escapades. I had a whole lot of firsts going on. My first dress. My first Long Island iced tea. My first drunken experience. And I was sure tomorrow would see my first hangover if I didn’t switch to water soon.

Suddenly, the entrance opened and a cacophony of hooting, whooping, and laughing passed through with the men who entered. Ella smiled up at Mike then turned to the door. Her smile fell. And so did my gut when I caught Mike watching Ella look at another man.

Ella muttered softly, “Oh, my God, that’s him, Mia. The guy in the white shirt and blue jeans. That’s Rick.”

I focused on the group as best I could. Five men piled into a booth and a rather dashing man with a gleaming smile laughed along with his friends. They all looked to be in their thirties, and were clearly having a great time. From first glance, I could see that he was a good-looking man, but something about him gave me the shivers. His eyes held no warmth.

Without a moment to think, Ella stood, straightened her dress, downed the rest of her drink, and walked over to the men. They stopped talking as she approached, but Rick looked her up and down, a sly smile crossing his lips. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Rick slid out of the booth, took Ella’s hand, and led her to a small booth by the restrooms. As they walked, she turned to me, smiled hard, and gave me a thumbs-up.

I smiled back in support and turned to a now sulking Mike. “Sorry about Ella.”

He smiled back. “Don’t apologize. She’s sweet.”

While Ella better acquainted herself with Rick, I played games on my phone and sipped at the water Mike had brought me. I raised my head to look for Ella, but she wasn’t at her booth.

Mike must’ve seen me searching for her, because he wiped down the bar, uttering a rough, “Lover boy took her into the restrooms.” My mouth gaped. He smiled sadly. “She looked eager.”

What on earth is going on?

I sat at the bar, fully conscious of the fact that Ella had been gone for more than ten minutes. When she returned, I breathed a sigh of relief. But when she came over to me, she couldn’t look me in the eye. “Can we go? Please?” The tone of her voice had changed. It was flat. Empty.

Rick entered the room and mimed pumping his thrusting pelvis into a chair. His crowd of friends burst into fits of laughter.

Oh no.

“Yeah. Let’s go.” I placed some cash on the bar for Mike and when he returned, he handed me a folded note.

He looked over at Ella. “Will you make sure she gets that?”

I liked Mike. He seemed like a decent guy. “Sure.”

In the cab home, Ella cried. She cried all the way to my apartment, where she told me she had sex with Rick in a dirty toilet cubicle that smelled like piss. Once they were done, he told he she was all right…for a piglet.

I cursed Rick to hell as I held and comforted my new friend. I had a mind to go back there and show him what I really thought about him…by shoving my shoe up his ass. Not wanting to talk about Rick anymore, Ella cried some more.

We got back to my apartment where she cried until she fell asleep.





Chapter TwentyOne



Quinn




I woke up smiling.

Today was the day.

I’d made sure that my previous night’s appointment didn’t run too late, because I wanted to be positive I would be in my best form for the night to come.

Maya.

I was meeting her for the first time. To say I was excited was a complete understatement. I mean, sure, I was going to take her virginity, but I would also be meeting my friend. The person who had made the last two weeks run easier for me. The person I would call to talk smack with. The one person who made me forget about what I did for a living and just treated me as I was.

I was appreciative of Maya, and tonight I would give her an experience she would never forget. She deserved that much.

As soon as I could see properly, I slid off my bed and stood nude, stretching. Once I felt able to function, I made my way into the kitchen and downed a protein shake then slipped on some gym shorts and running shoes. I walked out of my apartment building and onto the beach sans shirt.

It was a decent morning. The sun was shining, spreading warmth, and the breeze was slight. The perfect day to be outdoors.

I needed to run, and I’d do it for a while, because it was important that I burn some energy before the night ahead. I didn’t want to scare Maya off. Truth was that I could be a little over-eager. The last thing I wanted to do was come across as pushy. She’d already told me that wasn’t something that excited her.

Candy had done me a favor when she booked Maya in at six. Being my night off, it meant I could hang around for as long as I wanted. I wouldn’t restrict myself to just one hour. I wanted to get to know her better.

My plan was to order room service and eat together. Eating together was usually an icebreaker. Then we’d talk about what she wanted to get from our night together. After that, I’d play it by ear.

Who knew? Maybe Maya just wanted a quick screw and be done with it. Or perhaps she wanted it to last. I’d pay special attention to her, the noises she made and the areas that were sensitive. I needed to make this good. This appointment was as important for me as it was for her. Taking a woman’s virginity was a big deal.