"Sounds pretty normal, so far."
"I call the number, and this guy says, ‘Congratulations, come down to the office.’ So, I go down to the office, and it’s this really hot guy that looks like Jason Momoa, and he’s from Hawaii," I say, thinking back to the first time I saw Walker.
"Ooh, so you like Jason Momoa?" Ethan says. "He looks very different than me."
"I mean, I wouldn’t say no if…" I pause, and he lifts an eyebrow.
"If he what?"
"Nothing," I say. I’m not going to tell my boss, the man I just hooked up with, that Jason Momoa would be my hall pass if I had one. "Anyway, the guy, Walker, starts trying to sell me some hotel vacation in the British Virgin Islands, and I’m just like, ‘No, I just came for my free cruise for the ninety-nine dollars for the taxes.’ Long story short, he takes me out to lunch, or at least I thought he was taking me out to lunch, but it was basically a sales pitch."
"Please, tell me you didn’t date him, too."
"Let’s just say that we went on a couple of dates, and it didn’t work out."
"And are you going to tell me why it didn’t work out?"
"Let’s just say that we were in bed for the first time, and he says to me, ‘So can I get your contract on the paperwork before we bang?’"
"No, he didn’t." Ethan is laughing now. "Please tell me you didn’t bang him."
"No, I didn’t bang him. I grabbed my jacket, pulled it on, and left." I frown. "And no, I didn’t see him again. I’m not that stupid, even though he did try calling me multiple times from several different phone numbers."
"Sounds like that dude really wanted the commission."
"Yeah, he did. So, you can see now why I’m kind of not interested in dating broke-ass men." When I look at him to see if he understands where I’m coming from, he nods. I think to myself that I’ve just messed up because I don’t want him to think I’m trying to date him or that I only want rich men. "I don’t want you to think because of my past that it means I’m trying to get a billionaire. That was just a joke. The next guy I date will be…"
"Will be what?" he asks, staring at me with an interested expression on his face.
"I mean, he’ll have enough money that he doesn’t need to try and use me for the pittance that I make."
"I pay you a pittance. Do I really?" he asks, smirking.
"Well, you don’t exactly pay me a lot."
"Okay. Is that something you would like me to speak to HR about?"
"No," I say quickly. "Are you out of your mind?"
"Why would I be out of my mind, speaking to HR about paying you more?"
"Because we just…" I pause. I can’t say made love. We didn’t make love. I don’t want to say had sex. It sounds so crude. I didn’t want to say fuck because that was dirty. "We just banged?" I regret it as soon as the words come out of my mouth.
"Isn’t postcoital time the best time to ask for something?"
"I don’t want you to think that I slept with you because I want something from you."
"Why did you sleep with me?"
"Why did you sleep with me?" I retort back at him.
"Ah, a question answered with another question." He grins and cocks his head to the side. "I slept with you because I find you to be very attractive, very sexy, and," he licks his lips, "you seemed to be into it. You were into it, right?"
"Yes." I nod. "Obviously."
"Good," he says, and then makes a face. "I forgot to ask you…"
"I’m on birth control," I say quickly. "You’re clean, right?"