Page 60 of Call You Mine

“Got it. One,” she says, “When I was sixteen I got caught shoplifting a pair of three-hundred-dollar sunnies from Saks. Two, I once walked out naked from a Swedish massage because I swear to God the woman tried to cop a feel. Three,” she looks back over her shoulder, her eyes finding mine as she speaks. “I haven’t had sex in over three years.”

I grit my teeth at the last one, unable to think straight after her admission. Hell, just hearing the word sex leave her lips again makes my breathing falter.

That one has to be a lie. There’s no fucking way she hasn’t had sex since…

No, she can’t possibly mean since we…

Wynter smirks when she notices the wheels in my head turning a million miles per second trying to make sense of what she’s said, but then she turns back to face the group without saying another word.

“No way you got caught shoplifting. I would have definitely heard about that,” Ace says, a little too sure of his answer.

Wyn simply shakes her head. “Drink up,” she murmurs, “Daddy Warren paid triple to make sure there were no loose lips.”

The group laughs, all except Ace who nods in understanding.

“Then it has to be the walking out of the massage,” Scar says, slightly unsure of her answer.

Wynter doesn’t immediately agree nor deny Scar’s answer, and I swear I hear someone gasp only I’m not sure who it is. “You only get one guess,” Wyn says, sliding her shot glass back toward Jade asking her to top it off. “So, who’s next?”

There’s just no fucking way.

Chapter Sixteen

WYNTER

Ineed to get laid.

Is it possible for someone to die from lack of orgasms?Because it definitely feels like I’m dying. I’m sure it’s been mentioned on an episode of1000 Ways To Dieor something. Leave it to me to go down from something so pathetic.

For an entire week, I’ve tried incredibly hard to get Damon to break the one rule he’s so adamant to keep from breaking—no sex—but I never knew it would be this hard.

I never expected hisruleto mean no kissing, no touching, hell, he barely even looks at me although I’ve taken to wearing nothing but skimpy lingerie around the house. Not since that night in his room when he made me come on his fingers and tongue. But even that felt more like pity than want.

Now it’s like I’ve caught some kind of disease and he flees the room any chance he gets. The man avoids me like I’m the fucking plague.

Just yesterday I was reading a book in the sunroom, sprawled out along the chaise lounge by the window in nothing but a blue babydoll dress. I know he saw me although he didn’tdare walk into the room. I heard his footsteps halt as they reached the doorway, but as fast as they came they went. Not before I heard his sharp intake of breath and husky growl.

It’s nearly the start of summer, the sun glimmering in the sky while the fresh air warms to a high of eighty degrees. It’s a rarity given the endless nights of rain we’ve been having lately so I’ve decided there’s no better weather for a swim.What’s the point of having this incredible pool at my disposal if I won’t enjoy it?

I need something to get my mind off of this mess I’m in—and that something is Damon.

Dressed in a white, triangle bikini top and matching thong bottoms, I threw on a pair of designer flip flops that matched my black Prada sunglasses and headed out to the expansive heated infinity pool. Feeling like myself for the first time is a remarkable thing.

After lathering myself in sunscreen, I went for a quick dip in the water, and headed over to lie out on a lounger, taking in the bright rays of the sun beaming down on me and warming my skin. God, I missed California. The fresh air, the gleaming sun, the smell of the ocean a mere miles away. Don’t get me wrong, New York is exhilarating. The scenery, the loud bustle and hustle of the city, used to be one of my favorite places in the world, but now, all it does is remind me of the horrors I lived in its city center—the absolute nightmare I dealt with when I lived there the past three years. Never again will I be able to look at the city that never sleeps the same way again.

Yet the sun has never shined this bright in the sky. Not the way it gleams and radiates an abundance of heat year-round here in California. Homesick, that’s the feeling coursing through me, so serene yet so foreign. Maybe because I’ve never had a home, never knew what it felt like to miss the mundane way of life. Home has always just been a place I’ve been a guest in.I’ve never cemented myself to a place because there’s never been somewhere that’s felt right. Until now.

It’s a little unorthodox how I’ve gone about it, but I wouldn’t be fooling myself into believing I have that now, here with Damon, but it’s the closest I’ve ever been to it.

Did I mention I have a job?Like a proper job, not some modeling gig that’ll get me a year's worth of salary in a matter of hours. No, this is legit employment as a bartender.Have I ever been a bartender before?No, but I can make an incredible dry, dirty martini—three and two-thirds shots of vodka not gin, a quarter ounce of vermouth, swished around the icy glass before being poured out, and half an ounce of olive brine. Once all ingredients are in, it’s stirred, not shaken, and garnished with three stuffed olives and a spiral of lemon zest.

My mouth waters at the thought of my favorite cocktail. Of course, when Jade mentioned how much fun it had been to be behind the bar the night of her Grand Opening, something about the way she moved around, effortlessly pouring drink after drink and even doing her own karaoke rendition of whatever song the band was playing, she seemed so carefree. I wanted that. I wanted to do something so out of my element where people would think I lost my mind.

So that's what I did. I accepted her offer to work three of her busiest nights a week. It was an easy distraction I was thankful for. Things back here with Damon were rocky. Willa’s texts were less and far between, so public dates with Damon were often unnecessary. I assume the fact I’d moved in with him was enough to prove this thing between us was legit. I mean living together, must mean we’re serious about this, right?

As for Damon, he’d gone back to burying himself in his work, whatever that now entailed. I didn’t ask and I’m not sure I even want to know.

Last we spoke about it he’d mentioned he was now a partner of his company but that doesn’t mean he’s no longer aworkingemployee. Especially since he’s technically working for me.

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