Page 47 of Unleashed

"And any man who cares about you will understand that. If Slade loves you, he’ll open his arms to them too. It’s not like this man hasn’t already shared pieces of your life. He was your friend when you were at Abbott."

I closed my eyes. "Yeah, he was."

"You need to let go a little," Erika pressed, softer now. "It won’t hurt."

"I’ll think about it," I mumbled.

There was a pause, then Erika’s tone shifted again, lighter. "Now, tell me about the sex. Was it mind-blowing, or mediocre?"

I laughed, shaking my head. "Not mind-blowing, but definitely not mediocre. Slade’s very… attentive."

"Is he big?" Erika asked, her voice dripping with mischief.

"That’s personal!" I exclaimed, giggling despite myself.

"Oh, so he is," she teased. "Nothing like a nice big cock."

"Erika!" I protested, still laughing.

"Just saying," she shot back. "Now, tell me about the rest of the trip. What was the house like?"

I gave her the rundown of our vacation, though I kept the more intimate details to myself. There were some things I couldn’t even say aloud, like how Slade had spent one entire night with his mouth on me, bringing me to more orgasms than I could count. He was far from selfish, that much was clear.

"He’s a keeper," Erika said definitively when I was done. "I’d say you’re nuts if you let him go."

I sighed, feeling the weight of reality crash back in. "I haven’t decided yet. I start work tomorrow, and I called my mom earlier. Dad is in a lot of pain again. It might be time to change his meds."

"I’m sorry," Erika said softly. "You know I love your dad."

"I should’ve visited them during the trip," I admitted, guilt settling in.

"You always have the weekends," she reassured me.

"I’ll make plans for this weekend," I said, nodding to myself.

"We haven’t seen each other in two weeks," Erika pointed out. "Maybe we can grab a drink or dinner after work?"

"Definitely," I agreed. "Let me see how my week goes at Elliot."

"The perks always seem to land in your lap," Erika teased.

"What perks?" I asked, frowning.

"Another fine boss. Michael is hot," she said.

"And totally off-limits," I reminded her.

"I didn’t say fuck him," she laughed. "Just that he’s fun to look at. Geez, Kincaid, get a sense of humor."

"And on that note, I’m hanging up," I said, rolling my eyes. "I need to get ready for work."

"Good luck on your first day," Erika said warmly. "I hope it works out."

"It will. I feel good about this one," I told her, already imagining tomorrow.

"Call me during the week."

"Will do," I promised before hanging up.

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