Page 39 of Savage Beauty

“That’s not where I was going.” Her bottom lip pushes out, and I want to pull her across the seat and claim that pout. Maybe ask to cash my rain check on that BJ offer.

A silver Lexus pulls into the parking lot and, instead of grabbing Sloane, I reach for the camera.

“Didn’t you learn plenty about me yesterday?” A person in slacks, a pink button down and a navy tie gets out of the sedan, and I snap a few shots. We’re across the street from the parking lot. Far enough away that someone would have to have excellent vision to see inside today’s decrepit Town Car. The lens on the camera gives top notch distance vision.

The image in the viewfinder piques my curiosity only because the guy is wearing a tie, which stands out here. I show it to Sloane.

“That’s Parker.”

“Does he always wear a tie?”

“I think so. He works in billing.”

“What’s his story?”

She sighs like I’m causing her pain. “I’m not sure. I met him one day when we had a fire drill.”

“What’s his last name?”

“I never asked.” Her elegant nose juts out a little farther as she strikes a defensive pose. “AP News shared survey data that showed two out of ten people have a close friend at work. That’s only twenty percent of people. Eighty percent of people do not have a close friend at work.”

“Got it. You don’t know his last name. That’s all you had to say.”

“How old were you when you first had sex?”

“It’s a good thing I drank all my coffee.” I can’t stop the smirk that I can feel twisting the corners of my lips. “You like to talk about sex, don’t you?”

“No.” She twists in the seat, looking out the window in the opposite direction of the parking lot we’re staking out.

She’s an odd bird with a specialty in off-the-wall commentary. But she’s also right. We’ve got time to fill. “Fifteen. She was seventeen. What about you?”

“Nineteen.”

“College?”

“Yep. He was sixty-two.”

My mouth drops and now I’m not watching the parking lot either.

The corners of her lips turn up in amusement. She expected my reaction.

“He was my chemistry professor. I noticed he had an erection.”

“And let me guess. You pointed it out to him and asked if he wanted you to do something about it?”

“Something like that.”

Jesus, her professor must have thought he walked into an old-school porno set. “How long did this torrid affair with your professor last?”

“It wasn’t an affair. He wasn’t married. I told you I would never be with a married man.”

“Right. So, how long did it last?”

“Not long. He was afraid we’d get caught. But he would come over to my apartment sometimes.”

“He didn’t mind your roommates knowing?”

“I didn’t have roommates.”

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