I smile, just thinking about it. “Amazing. Seriously, Jess, it’s better than I imagined. When I’m designing these spaces, the hours just fly by. I don’t want to stop. I’m still in awe of the fact that I get to design such amazing interiors in the world’s most popular cities.”
“I’m not. You werebornto do this. Do you remember in high school, when you were always rearranging my room? It’s something that has been a part of you.”
“Thanks, Jess.”
Her words mean a lot to me. Sometimes, I feel like an imposter, pretending to be someone I’m not, like a fraud dressed in a designer pantsuit.
“How is it, working for Roman?” she asks with a mischievous smile.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I take a big sip of my wine as I brace for her response.
“Oh, come on. You two disappeared on the dance floor then you came back all sweaty and irritable.”
“Nothing gets past you, does it?”
“I didn’t bother you about it when we left, but there’s only so long I can keep my mouth shut. So, tell me, is there something going on between you two?”
My body shivers slightly when I think about him. I don’t know how I can miss him. It’s not like we spent that much time together. But he really did become a friend. A friend who seriously knows his way around a woman’s body.
“It’s complicated,” I start.
“I’ve got time. And I would expect nothing less. He’s your boss and brother’s friend. Plus, complicated was written all over both your faces at the club.”
I start to think about how much I want to tell her. But I’ve been holding it in for weeks, and I’m tired. I need someone to talk to.
My chest rises and falls with my deep breath, and then I let it all out. “It started with him acting like a complete asshole. One day, he admitted it was his defense mechanism. That he was really attracted to me.”
She rolls her eyes. “Why do men become assholes when they can’t handle their feelings?”
“Tell me about it. But it was great for a while. We agreed to be friends, despite the attraction.”
Her eyebrow rises. “Are you saying the attraction went both ways?”
“Come on, Jess. Look at the man.”
She laughs. “Fair point. Continue.”
“So, we started hanging out. He offered to build bookshelves in my office. We’d watch a movie or show here. We’d laugh and talk. It was nice. Then, one night, I admitted something to him.”
“What did you admit?” she asks curiously.
I bite down on my bottom lip, embarrassed to tell her. “I told him I’d never had an orgasm with a man before.”
Her eyes open wide. “You mean, like … only a woman has given you an orgasm?”
My head drops back as a loud laugh falls from me. “What?”
“Hey, I’m not judging. Woman on woman is hot.”
“No, Jess. I’ve only had an orgasm alone. Well, I guess only a woman has given me an orgasm. But that woman is me.”
“Wow,” she replies. Sitting in silence.
You know you’ve shocked Jess when she lets silence fill the room.
“Yep,” I say, popping the ‘p’ at the end.
“So, you just, like, fake it or something?” she whispers, as if someone else might hear her.