“Stop exaggerating. Continue to play dumb, and I’ll do the rest.”
“You want me to leave this up to you? A woman incapable of being subtle?”
“I can be subtle.”
“Jessica, listen to me. Really listen. For the foreseeable future, every interaction we have will be scrutinized and dissected. How we look at each other. How close we’re standing. What we say. How we talk.”
Some of my lust dims. He’s right. Because of my actions, I went from the source of one town’s gossip to another. But there’s nothing I can do about it now. The damage is done, and the only thing left to do is focus on cleanup. “So what?”
“Don’t be coy.”
“I’m not. Let them. They’re going to think what they want to think, and we’re going to play it cool. It’s not that hard. Look at tonight.”
“You think that was a success?” His voice rises.
“Does anyone know we slept together?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“You asked me if I thought it was a success. Using the criteria that our unfortunate chance meeting on Friday night remains a secret, I do.”
“Do you honestly think everyone in that bar didn’t know we want to fuck?”
“It doesn’t matter what they think. What matters is what they can prove.”
“Wow, that is the most lawyer response I’ve ever heard.”
“That makes sense since I am, in fact, a lawyer.” I’m actually kind of impressed with myself. I couldn’t be playing this phone call any more perfectly. I sound so breezy. “Glad to see you’re big enough to admit you still want to fuck me.”
He laughs. “You’re so transparent.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t think you can bait me into talking dirty to you.”
“Just because you’re obsessed with me doesn’t mean I’m obsessed back.” I cluck my tongue. “I warned you not to fall in love with me.”
“You’re impossible. Stop thinking with your pussy.”
“Like my pussy has thought of you at all.”
Three beats of silence pass before he says, “Do you want to come up with a game plan or not?”
The disappointment at his change of subject is like a splash of cold water. “What game plan? We agreed to a one-night. Now we’re going to see each other. We didn’t choose it, but it is what it is. It doesn’t change what we want, right?”
“Right.” There’s not even a second of hesitation.
My body takes the rejection as a hit, even though I’m not interested in being tied down with relationships.
I return to my reasonable, logical argument as to why, in the scheme of things, this is totally insignificant. “We had sex. It’s not that big of a deal. I’m sure you’ve had sex with other women in town and don’t talk about it every time you see them. Why would this be any different?”
“Right.” This time, the word is slower, more careful.
Like he senses a trap.
I can’t blame him. I laugh, all casual. Like he has no effect on me at all. “Who knows? Maybe we’ll be friends.”
“I guess you have it all figured out then, don’t you?”