About Last Night (About Last Night #1)(72)

I sharp bark of laughter shot out of me. “I’m not paying him for it.” Terry looked stunned but amused. I sipped my juice and added, “Not anymore, anyway.”

Terry beamed excitedly. “Are you telling me that you had this hooker dude take your V-card, and now he wants super fun sexy time with you all the time?” He chuckled. “Shit. Only you, Mia.”

I sputtered and a rant formed, “N-no. Not all the time. I mean…we’re not going at it like rabbits. Well, sometimes, but he’s really quite sweet, and we’re keeping it secret so my brother won’t find out, because, seriously, I think Harry would kick his ass. He’s so protective. Matt’s funny, and easy to talk to, and…” I gulped, my stomach ached violently and let out a strained, “and I’m pretty sure I’m in love with him.”

All the amusement on Terry’s face vanished. He looked as though he was thinking hard about what he was about to say, and something told me it wasn’t going to be something I wanted to hear. “Honey, he’s a prostitute. He sleeps with women for money. I don’t know about you, but he doesn’t seem like the type of person one should fall in love with. You get what I’m saying?”

I did. And he was right. I didn’t respond, so he added a hopeful, “Any chance he’s getting out of the biz?”

I shook my head, my heart in my throat. “No. He said he’s not looking for more.” Suddenly, I threw myself back on the sofa and groaned, “Jesus, Terry! What am I doing?” I was officially freaking out. “He made it clear, you know? We were just sleeping together. And then…” I felt sick, “then I fell in love with him.” I stared down at my hands and uttered a quiet, “I f*cked up.”

For the first time since I’d met Terry, he went silent on me. I faced him, and his eyes were full of sympathy. I shook off the bad feeling and forced a smile. “It’s okay though. I have a plan.”

Then he smiled softly. “And what’s the plan, pumpkin?”

I shrugged. “I’ll start dating and just hope I get over him.”

He clapped. “Oh, I can help there! The woman who does my hair, Sondra, was just telling me her brother was looking for a nice girl.” Terry shot me a look. “You’re a nice girl!” He stood, retrieving his phone. “I’m calling Sondra.”

Something was building in the pit of my stomach. I knew exactly what it was.

Guilt.

Because even though Quinn and I were little more than friends slash f*ck buddies, part of me still felt as though I was betraying him.

I shot to my feet. “No, wait! I don’t even know what this guy looks like!”

Terry paused, his face tilted in thought. “Okay, I’ll ask her to send a photo of him.”

Was I really going on a blind date with Terry’s hairdresser’s brother? Hell. Talk about hitting the bottom of the barrel. I sighed. “A recent photo, Terry.”

He lifted his hand in acknowledgement and added, “Recent photo. Got it.”

Within minutes, Sondra had responded with a photo of her brother, Christopher. Terry smirked and handed me the phone. I stared in shock, catching flies.

He was seriously hot. It looked as though he was mixed race. He had flawless skin the color of coffee, heavy on the milk. His eyes crinkled in the corners. His lips were full in a way that had my belly twisting. They were luscious. His soft brown eyes, outlined by long black lashes, made me jealous of him. His dark hair was buzzed close to his head, had a nice five-o’clock shadow, and strong shoulders. The photo had been taken at chest height, so I couldn’t exactly see how tall he was, but that wasn’t a big deal for me. In the photograph, he was mid-laugh, and his smile was contagious. Smiling back at the man in the photo, I turned to Terry. “Set it up.”

Terry raised his arms, fists high. “Yes!”

He texted as if his life depended on it, and when Sondra responded, he rushed over, pulling my hair out of my ponytail. “She wants a picture to show her brother.”

I supposed it was only fair. I smiled softly as Terry took the photo then sent it. His phone chimed and he smiled. “She wants your number to pass on.” He winked. “Seems he’s interested.”

I prattled off my number and Terry sent it. My gut churned as my thoughts wandered to Quinn. This was necessary. I needed to do this. For myself. For the sake of my heart.

My phone’s jingle went off in my bag and Terry rushed to grab it. “I’ll bet that’s him!” He handed it to me—well, threw it at me. “Read it!”

I chuckled at how excited he was.

The message was from an unknown number.

Unknown: Hi, Mia. My name is Christopher, but please call me Kit. My sister Sondra and your friend Terry seem to think we should meet. I’d love to take you out for dinner, if you’ll let me.

Terry hooted with laughter. “Oh my, he is sharp.” He nudged me hard. “What are you waiting for? Respond!”

I rubbed at my arm then answered.

Me: Hi, Kit. I’d love to have dinner with you sometime :) Looking forward to meeting you. Mia x

The response was immediate.

Kit: I don’t want to sound too eager, but is tonight good for you?

I smiled down at my phone. He was well-mannered. He actually sounded very nice.

Me: Tonight is actually good. Can I meet you somewhere?”