Page 38 of The Daughters of Nyx

Call him, Horny Ivy whispered, dredging up silly dreams meant to make me fold.Take the plunge and do it.

My finger hovered over his name, hesitant. What if Iwasreading into the situation with him wrong? What if I called him and he was busy because he had more to do than wait for me?

I closed my eyes, and with a sigh, I pulled up Adrian’s number and hit call.

“Good evening, sweetheart,” he greeted. I could hear the smile in his voice. “What can I do for you?”

I tried not to blush over the use ofsweetheart, but my cheeks flamed anyway. “Remember when you saidtext if you need anything?”

“This is a phone call, but yes, I do.”

I rolled my eyes, smiling. “Great. I need some help with a scene, and usually I can play it out myself, or find reference…elsewhere, but then I remembered your comment from our date, and figured I’d ask if you’d be willing to come by the hotel and help?” His comment had been a sly, dirty joke when I’d explained further whatkindof romance I wrote, and I had the feeling he hadn’tmeantto say it aloud.

Adrian hummed to himself, and I could hear him tapping his fingers against a table. “Is this what I think it is?”he asked. “Are youpropositioningme?” He said the last part like it was a dirty secret; I couldn’t help but laugh. And yet, something tingled between my thighs in response.

“Get your mind out of the gutter,” I replied, shaking my head. “I just need someassistancewith a particular scene.”

“I thought you’d at least take me to dinner first.” He sighed dramatically. “Alright, when and where?”

I gave him the information, and after a few more ridiculous comments from him, the phone went silent.

Leaning back in my chair, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had maybe jumped into that a little too quickly. We were one date and a couple of days of texting into our…relationship? Friendship? I couldn’t be certain. Not when there were moments when I thought things could escalate, and others where I expected him to drop off the face of the Earth and never contact me again.

I rubbed a hand over my eyes. I had twenty minutes before he was due to appear, and anxiety had me unable to return to my work.

Instead, I texted Thea. It was nearing six, and she was due for a break soon.Camilla’s restaurant was decent, but it wasn’t people’s first choice when dining. So, unless the rooms were full, the dining room was usually a twenty people kind of affair.

A couple of minutes passed before Thea’s name and awful selfie appeared on the screen of my phone.

“So, I did a thing,” I started, running a hand through my messy hair. I recounted my call with Adrian, grimacing with each detail.

“You called blondie for a booty call?”

Cringing, I sighed. “Technically, no, but—”

“Close enough to it!”Thea paused, and I could hear her shuffling down the alley. “Why?”

“I don’t know! I’m stuck on this scene, and—”

“Porn! I mean, don’t get me wrong, he iscute, but seriously, inviting him to a hotel? Ivy, that could end badly. At least at home, we can control the situation. I guess it’s not ideal that he lives across the hall, but—”

“Look, I don’t intend on it getting far. I just…I don’t know. There’s somethingabouthim that is like…pulling me closer. I really don’t know how to explain it.”

“I do. He’s hot. He’s interested. And you haven’t had sex in, like, a year.”

“This isn’t about having sex!” I hissed, though the ideawasn’ta bad one. The dreams, which had once involved Rowan andhismouth on every part of my body, now included Adrian and his hand around my throat while his lips kissed down my body…

I groaned, flopping back in my chair. “He’s going to be here in ten.”

“You better text me as soon as he leaves, you hear me?”

With a shake of my head, I hung up and twisted my fingers nervously. I’d changed into comfortable pants and a loose t-shirt, but I quickly threw the shirt off and pulled on a tank-top with cute flowers printed along the bust, tucking it into my pants. It had gotten colder, so I grabbed a cardigan and wrapped it around myself.

Stop worrying,I chided myself. We’re just two adults hanging out. That’s it.

As I shook my head at my own lies, my phone buzzed.

BLUEY:here, I’m in the lobby.

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