Page 2 of Earl

He merely grinned at her. He was the only one afforded the privilege of speaking to her like that and she was the only one he allowed past the barricade he had placed over his heart.

“I really think you should start getting back out there. I know you had some unfortunate turns with members of the opposite sex…,” he tutted. “We can be such bastards. But that does not mean you should close yourself off from all of them. What about online dating?”

“What about it?” Putting away the design she had been working on, she realized he was never going to allow her to have any peace until he said what he had to.

Abandoning the really awful tasting wine, he left his position on the sofa and risking ruining his expensive tan slacks, he joined her on the floor. “You should try it.”

“How profound.” Pushing away the papers strewn around her, she scooted next to him and settled her head on his shoulder.

Kissing the top of her head, he wrapped a hand around her shoulders. “I am serious, darling. You need a long hard penis to jar you out of your solitude.” He winced when she poked him in the ribs.

“There is this new online dating app, called ‘Hook Up’ and it is taking the dating world by storm. You send in your profile, without any photo whatsoever, you hook with someone or a few some ones, explore likes and dislikes, see what you have in common and just talk.”

“Talk?”

“Yes!” He twirled a fat strand of hair around his finger absently. “Chat, have a conversation. No meeting, no asking what the other person looks like. Just honest to goodness conversation. Complete anonymity. No last names, nothing like that. No telling each other what the other does for a living, no such thing”

“In other words, the person could be a serial rapist or worse.”

Tilting her chin up, he brushed his lips on hers. “The candidates are carefully vetted.”

“I am not interested.”

“Darling, you need a man.”

“Why?” She demanded, moving her head to stare at him. “I have decided that I don’t need anyone to validate me. I am successful and my designs…”

“Are phenomenal.” He finished, rolling his eyes at her. “But what about someone in your life? A warm body to take to bed? Sex? Just chilling out and taking a walk. What about companionship?”

“You make it sound like I am a doddering old woman on the verge of checking into a nursing home.” Reaching for her glass of wine, she took a sip and privately agreed that it was awful. “And you are starting to sound like Teresa.”

“God forbid!” Justin shuddered, causing her to laugh.

They were her two best friends, but they could not stand each other, and she suspected that it was jealousy over her that caused most of the friction. Whenever they were in the same room together, the spite would spill over, and they would start calling each other names.

“Now you are just being a bitch. How is the dried-up old prune these days?”

“Dating a lawyer.”

“That poor bastard. I hope he doesn’t get frostbite when he takes her to bed.”

“He already has, and she says he is a hunk.”

Justin’s lips curled in disdain.

“She is just lying to make you feel bad.”

“Stop it.” She ordered mildly. “How was your trip?”

He gave her a knowing look but decided to indulge her need to get off the topic of Teresa. “Fabulous. Madrid was a wonder and even though I have been there several times, it always takes my breath away.”

“How long are you here for?”

“Several months. You are going to be sick of me.”

“I am already sick of you.”

“No, you adore me.” Tunneling his fingers through her hair, he wrapped them around the strands and kissed her full on the mouth. “Nothing?”

---