Page 46 of Best Laid Plans

Trevor leaned forward, his expression earnest. "Hey, you know I'm joking, right? Fuck him, don't fuck him, no judgment."

"I only kissed him, and now you've taken it all the way to fuckin'?" I groaned.

"How is it to work with him?" Katya leaned her head on Trevor's shoulder, and he immediately slid his arm around her.

They were one of the best couples I knew. They were best friends and at ease with each other. They didn't fight but rather had heated discussions. They did their own thing but also spent quality time with one another. They were each other's most vocal and supportive champions.

I'd had that with Anson for a short time, and I wanted it again. That was the painful truth. I traced the rim of my glass with a finger. "It's been...complicated. When I left Sentinel, I thought I was leaving all that drama behind. Now, with Anson back in my life, everything feels cloudy. My simple life isn't so simple anymore."

Katya gave me a reassuring look. "It's understandable. The past has a way of sneaking up on us, especially when it's unresolved."

I was grateful for her empathy. "Anson’s presence stirs up so many old feelings—anger, betrayal, emotions I thought I’d moved past. But now I realize they were just buried, waiting to resurface."

Trevor took a thoughtful sip of his drink. "The situation is no doubt a clusterfuck. But it sounds like you're handling things well."

"I think so." I managed a small smile. "It's not easy to navigate. One minute, I'm presenting a proposal, the next, I'm dealing with memories I'd rather forget, and next, I want him to kiss me."

Katya's eyes sparkled with understanding. "Sometimes, confronting the past is the only way to truly move forward. Maybe this is your chance to finally put those old ghosts to rest. And enjoy a few orgasms in the process."

I sighed, feeling like the weight of the world was settled over me. "I wouldn't know how to even go about doing that. In some ways, I thought talking to him would bring me closure. It just ripped opened old wounds and I feel like I'm on the way to gettin' hurt again. He didn't believe me when I told him about Carre."

It was humiliating that I'd revealed to him the worst moments of my life, and he'd chosen to trust his friend. It surprised me a little. Knowing Anson, who was always morally grounded—believed in equal rights, called out racism and misogyny—I wondered how he could imagine I'd lie about sexual assault. Weren't we living in the #MeToo age where we believed a woman?

Before Katya could respond, our friend Mike Ross called out her name.

Katya jumped up to hug Mike. She'd introduced me to him months ago, and we'd gone on a single date. There were no fireworks, but it had been pleasant enough. Since then, we'd been trying to find time for a second date, but it hadn't happened. Mike was a journalist who worked for The Savannah Morning News, the largest newspaper in our fair city. His beat was politics, and these days, he was busy going back and forth to Atlanta, and sometimes even DC for his job.

He sat next to me, and leaned in to brush his lips against my cheek.

"How are things?" he asked.

"You tell us. What is this I hear about you being a member of a sex club?" Katya demanded.

Mike's eyes went wide, and he looked at me as if wanting to shield me from all the salaciousness. "Uh…."

I raised my glass. "Hey, no judgment here; only rampant curiosity."

He shook his head, laughing. "No…it's not…I'm not a member. I was doing my job."

I quirked an eyebrow. "We have a politician who's a member?"

He laughed. "You know I can't talk about that. Y'all can read it in the papers like everybody else. Who told you about this?"

"I think it might've been my brother," Trev drawled.

"And he probably does have a membership," Katya grinned. She adored her future brother-in-law, but let's face it, Beau liked the ladies, preferably naked and in groups.

"Asshole! Since he helped me get into the club, I think it's a bit disingenuous of him to falsely present me as a member." He waved a hand to get the attention of a server.

"It's Beau. Did you expect anything else?" Katya asked.

Mike laughed. "Right!"

"So, tell us about the sex club. What's it like?" I asked.

"Well, there's this one room they called Fire and Ice," Mike dropped his voice. "The ice comes from drinks, and the fire…from floggers."

We all gasped dramatically. Katya fanned herself with her napkin. "I'm all hot and bothered now."

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