Page 57 of Mid-Thirties Slightly Hot Mess Female Seeking Billionaire

“Oof, someone sounds pissed. I take it that nerdy Sarah has gone and now you’re wondering where you went wrong.”

“Really?”

“I’m guessing the sex wasn’t good? Did you not make her orgasm?”

“I made her orgasm plenty,” I growl, annoyed by his words. “She’s still screaming my name in her head.” I tense slightly as I think of the sound of her sweet voice moaning my name. “She’ll most probably be dreaming about me and my good loving tonight.” I cringe inside. When had I turned into such a douchebag? I’m grateful Sarah can’t hear me talking.

“Yet, she was able to make her way away from you and be by herself for the evening.”

“I don’t think she could handle any more of me today.”

“Cos you’rethatgood.” He chortles, and I squeeze the phone tightly as he starts humming the tune to Baby Got Back.

“I can give you lessons if you want.” I pause. “Show you on a diagram how it’s done.”

“No thanks.” He chuckles. “I don’t think I need any lessons; they don’t call me Jackson, the Sex God of Manhattan, for nothing.”

“In your dreams, buddy. No one calls you that, aside from the blowup dolls in your spare bedroom.”

“You mean your exes?”

“Funny, not. Do you want to grab a drink or not, Jackson?”

“I can meet you at Used Dishes in 20 minutes.” He chuckles, and I hear a beeping in my ear. “I text you the address. It’s a new speakeasy. You enter through the kitchen of a Turkish restaurant. Super cool.”

“How do you know about all these new bars?”

“Because I have my fingertip on the pulse of the city.”

“A model told you?”

“Maybe.” He laughs. “Maybe she mentioned something about the place when she offered to have a threesome with me.”

“A threesome?”

“I declined.” He sounds bored. “How many threesomes can a man have in his life?”

“How many have you had?”

“Enough.” He pauses. “So, are we going to talk about what motivated you to call me for a drink tonight, or are we sweeping it under the rug?”

“Sweeping what under the rug?”

“The fact that you’re sleeping with an employee?” His voice is lighthearted, but I know he’s serious. “Is this an ongoing thing or…”

“It happened once, and it won’t happen again. Sarah and I both know that it was a one-off. Neither one of us is looking for anything more.” I know I’m being abrupt, but I’m starting to feel pissed off by his questioning. “Please stop bringing this up, Jackson. It’s a non-starter of a conversation.”

“If you say so. So Sarah knows it was a one-and-done, and y’all are not starting a relationship?”

“A relationship?” I laugh out loud. “After one day of lovemaking? She’s not stupid.” I’m not 100% sure she realizes this was a one-off, and I’m not sure that I even want that, but I’m not going to let him know that. I mean, it’s not like I want anything else from her. That would be a stupid thought. Just because she intrigues me and makes me laugh doesn’t mean anything. Even though she’s different from most women, she’s not going to make me change my philosophy on love.No way and no how.

“All relationships aren’t like your parents, Ethan,” Jackson says softly, and I cringe at his words. “Some of them are healthy.”

“Like your parents?” I ask him and there is silence on the phone. I’m not sure what game Jackson is playing, but I know he’s not one to believe in love, either. He knows, as I do, that relationships only make you lose a part of yourself. And often lead to failure or depression. I didn’t want to be a statistic. I didn’t want to be like my mom, unable to let go of something that made me feel like shit.

“My parents aren’t the healthy example I’m talking of no.” He says dryly. “But that doesn’t mean that all relationships have to be like our parents. We’re not the poster children of children born to emotionally healthy human beings. Maybe we don’t know how to handle relationships.” He sounds thoughtful. “Maybe there’s a way to—.”

“Jackson, I don’t know what you’re about to say and frankly, I don’t have the mental brainpower to process it. Tonight I just wanna get drunk.”

---