Page 75 of False God

Chloe shoots her sister a sweet smile. “Your makeup looks amazing!”

The three of them refocus on me, and now, I’m pretty sure Gwen and the makeup artist are listening as well.

“Yeah,” I answer Fran. Charlie’s not here to have his massive ego inflated even more. Not that he’s under any illusions that I didn’t enjoy it. My throat is as raw as my vagina. “It was that good.”

“So, the date must have gone well too,” Chloe says.

I nod. “It did.”

Best date I’ve ever been on.That, I don’t say aloud. Praising his bedroom skills was one thing, but I’m not going to admit how much I enjoyed the entire evening. I’m self-conscious, recalling how much I confided in him at the restaurant.

“Where did he take you?” Bridget asks, stealing a grape off my plate.

“To dinner. It was a restaurant called The Beach House.”

Fran glances at Chloe. “Have you heard of it?”

“Yeah, I have,” she replies. “It’s supposed to be really nice.”

I nod in agreement. “It was. You and Theo should go sometime. Make sure you get the pistachio tiramisu for dessert.”

“Are you going out with him again?” Fran asks.

I shake my head. “Doubt it. We’re leaving for Saint-Tropez first thing tomorrow, remember?”

Bridget smirks. “But we still have one more night here …”

I pop a piece of fruit in my mouth so I don’t have to reply. Do I want to have sex with Charlie again? One thousand percent. But I’m rapidly realizing it’s a dangerous idea. Not only will it further recalibrate my body to some impossible standards, but the sex wasn’t just physical. There was some layer of trust and understanding that amplified everything. A connection I’d never experienced before, which appeared before any clothes came off.

I’d thought Chloe was being overprotective, cautioning me about getting attached. Turned out, she might have been right on the money. I’m best off preserving last night as a special, sexy memory.

“We’ll see,” I say. “I want to find out what the other options are first.”

Fran groans. “You donotget to snap up another guy. You already got the duke who turned me down. My fragile ego is still recovering from that.”

Bridget snorts. “Your fragile ego recovered when you met that wannabe actor at Proof. Is he still texting you?”

“Yes.” Fran pouts. “But he’s notBritish.”

Chloe laughs. “You’re welcome for getting married here.”

There’s a knock on the door.

“Fran? You in there?”

It sounds like Cal.

“Yeah,” she calls back. “What’s up?”

“You said you’d pick out my tie.”

Fran rolls her eyes. “Did you bring options, Cal?”

“Four.”

She stands and strides over to the door.

Cal’s standing in the hallway, wearing navy slacks and a white button-down, four ties draped over one arm and a sheepish smile on his face.

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