Page 136 of Unexpected Hero

“Well, you don’t have to take my word for it. You could experience it for yourself. Jesse or a dozen other Doms would happily take you on as their sub.”

The woodland creature in my head just smashed the panic button, shooting adrenaline through my veins.

A nervous squeak erupts from the back of my throat. “No, I really couldn’t.”

“Why not?”

I shake my head, drawing my thumb and index finger across my lips like a zipper.

She scantly swats my shoulder. “Come on. Is this about him?”

“Him who?”

She tsks at me, lips in a pout and head shaking to sell her skepticism. “Am I supposed to believe you because I’d have to be dumber than Patrick Star to fall for that shit.”

Her reference to SpongeBob’s idiot best friend cracks my facade, sparking a grin at the corners of my mouth. “Fine. Whatever. So maybe it is about him, but it’s also about me. I’m not part of the... you know.”

Playing dumb, her expression goes blank. “The what?”

“The BDSM lifestyle thing. I’ve never done any of that.”

“You don’t say?” She pops her mouth open wide, feigning shock. “I never would have guessed you were vanilla.”

After glancing over my shoulder to ensure the lobby is clear of guests, I flip her off playfully.

I’m not vanilla; I’m flavorless. Frigid like an ice cube.

Before the other night with James, I’d done nothing spicier than making out. And said making out was always in an upright position with all hands kept above the waist. If they drifted lower, I swiftly pulled them back to the green zone. According to my ex, that’s called — how did he phrase it — giving him blue balls and being a prick tease. To hear him tell it, I’m excellent at the prick-tease lifestyle, which is the furthest thing from kink.

Freya removes a lollipop from her stash in the top drawer and unwraps it. “Did you give any thought to renting my room?”

Oh! There’s another positive thing I can focus on instead of my negativity stew. Hooray for me.

“Yes, it just so happens I did think it over. I’d love to take you up on your offer. But that’s only if you don’t mind holding the room for a few weeks.”

She pops the candy in her mouth and claps. “Yay!” But her face falls as fast as it brightened. “Why in a few weeks? Let’s move you in this weekend.”

“I paid in advance for my current rental. It doesn’t make sense to leave early and lose out on that money.”

From around the lollipop stick, she mumbles, “So I won’t charge you until next month.”

“Oh no. I can’t let you do that. I’ll pay my own way, fair and square.”

She rolls the candy around in her mouth, licking and twirling it like it’s the most delicious thing. “I honestly don’t care about the money. I’m lonely. I’m not built to be on my own.My last roommate moved out to live with her boyfriend, andshe already paid through the end of the month. So it’s not like I’d be out the rent or anything.”

She makes a compelling case, but it feels like a handout. And I’ve taken enough of those recently.

“I don’t know, Freya. It doesn’t seem right. And I need to save up for a deposit.”

“Deposit?” she screeches. One hand goes to her hip, and the other waves the candy at me like a weapon. “We are coworkers and friends. There will be no deposits. And you don’t need to pay me anything until the end of next month. Unless your current place is so luxurious you can’t bear to leave early, I don’t know why you’d wait to move in.”

Temptation, thy name is a few free weeks in a clean apartment with my new friend.

“But I also need to save up to buy furniture before I can move in. My place came furnished.” Because it’s a disgusting pay-by-the-week hotel from hell. “I’ll go shopping this weekend to see what I find.”

Mental note: look up local thrift shops and secondhand stores.

“Well, what do you need, furniture-wise? I have another friend who was looking to give some stuff away. Better to you than the curb.”

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