Page 58 of From Wink to Kink

Then I take a deep breath and approach. "Hey, Brooks. Found your secret hideout, huh?"

She looks up, startled. For a second, I swear I see a flash of... something in her eyes. Hurt? Anger? But it's gone so quickly, I might have imagined it.

"Chuck," she says, her voice carefully neutral. "I didn't expect to see you here."

I sit down on the edge of her lounge chair, trying to ignore the way my heart races at being so close to her. "I've been looking everywhere for you. Where have you been?"

She shrugs, not meeting my eyes. "Around. Exploring."

Something's off. This woman’s usually full of snarky comments and eye rolls, but now she seems... distant. Closed off. Which is especially strange after last night. I decide to try and lighten the mood.

"Well, you missed out on a riveting morning of finger painting," I say, wiggling my still-colorful fingers at her. "But that's not even the best part. There’s a storytelling workshop in an hour. And I think I have a great story to share."

Ruby raises an eyebrow, a hint of her usual self peeking through. "Oh?"

I grin, warming to my tale. "Yeah, I think you’re supposed to tell stories on the spot, but I’m cheating a little thinking about it in advance. Mine is about a hot little librarian?—"

I'm expecting a laugh, maybe a playful swat on the arm. What I'm not expecting is for Ruby to stand up abruptly, her face flushing with anger.

"Wow," she says, her voice cold. "I didn't realize I was such a joke to you, Newcomb."

I blink, completely thrown. "What? Ruby, no, that's not?—"

"Save it," she snaps. "I get it. The mousy librarian, what a laugh, right? I bet you and your new friends will have a great time making fun of me."

I stand up too, utterly confused. "Ruby, I have no idea what you're talking about. I wasn't making fun of you. I was trying to?—"

"To what?" she interrupts. "To rub it in? To let me know that while you're off having the time of your life with your new... playmates, I'm just the punchline to your jokes?"

"Playmates? Ruby, what the hell are you talking about?"

She lets out a bitter laugh. "Oh, please. Don't act innocent. I know about the 'partner swapping' and the 'sensual journey' this retreat is for. I saw you at breakfast, surrounded by all those women. I heard them talking about their plans for you."

I feel like I've stepped into some bizarre alternate universe. "Ruby, I swear I have no idea what you're talking about. What women? What plans?"

She stares at me for a long moment, full of suspicion, like she's trying to decide if I'm lying. Then, slowly, she says, "You... you really don't know?"

I shake my head, completely lost. "Know what?"

She sinks back onto the lounge chair, suddenly looking exhausted. "Well, I’m sure you know, Chuck, that the couples here are not looking to just ‘stick with the one that brung them’,” I explain, using air quotes.

Yup. She’s right.

“So… when that couple invited us to 'join' them, they didn't mean for drinks, now did they? You know that right?" I ask, laughing.

Is she really only just now putting all this together?

Despite herself, she lets out a small laugh. "No, they weren’t talking about just drinks."

We sit in silence for a moment, processing it all. Then I remember something.

"Wait, you said you saw me at breakfast? With women?"

Ruby nods, not meeting my eyes. "Yeah. You were surrounded by them. They were all over you, and you seemed to be enjoying it. And what about the women I overheard talking about you? They said you expressed interest in meeting up."

I groan, running a hand through my hair. "Ruby, no. God, no. I never said any such thing. I was trying to get away from them. I've been looking for you."

She looks at me then, a mix of hope and wariness in her eyes. "Really?"

---