Page 31 of Bound By My Father's Best Friend

“Black coffee,”Mom said, standing beside me at Carnegie Coffee Company.

I glanced over at Sierra, Athena, and Sun, who sat in our usual seat in the corner of the café. We had been people-watching all afternoon while I impatiently waited for Hector to text me when to meet him at Radiant.

While I believed that he wasn’t sleeping with Evelyn, I didn’t want to walk in and see her there again. My insecurities would run rampant, and I might even run right out of the club and go back home to masturbate my troubles away.

Especially since Hector hadn’t touched me last night, and now, I was cranky.

“What do you want, honey?” she asked.

“I’m good. I already have a cookie back at my seat.” I nervously looked back over at my friends again, wishing that I could just grow up and give Mom the contract to look over. I was twenty-four and still felt so awkward around my parents while talking about sex. “So … thanks for coming.”

“Of course,” she said, waving at the others. “What’s going on?”

With my lips pursed, I stared at her for a long, long time.

“Black coffee!” the barista yelled.

“Hmm?” Mom asked, grabbing it and taking a sip.

“If I had a contract that I needed reviewed, would you be okay looking through it?”

“What’s it for?”

“Um …” I rocked back on my heels. “You know what? Never mind.”

“Is it a work contract?”

“More like a personal one.”

“A personal one?”

“Okay, okay. You know how you told me that I could tell you anything?” I asked, chewing on the inside of my cheek. “Well, if I show you, then you have to promise not to say anything to anyone, especially Dad.”

“Lawyer-client confidentiality.”

“I might or might not have a … BDSM contract that I’ve been offered,” I squeaked.

While I expected Mom to shriek, she stared at me, wide-eyed, for a few moments, then suddenly, she curled one arm around my shoulders and pulled me toward her. “Taking after her mama. I’ve been waiting for this day. Did you finally lose your virgini?—”

My cheeks burned red. “Mom!”

She giggled. “What?”

I scrunched my nose at her. “Ew, was that how you and Dad …”

“Met? At a sex club?” She smirked. “And ten months later, you popped out.”

“Ew.”

“So, who’s the guy?”

“Nobody.”

“One of your friends?”

“No.”

“Someone at college?”

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