Page 47 of Sweet Escape

Memphis grins at me. “What is this? Yelp?” he says with a laugh, before his tone grows serious. “Impressed by the individualized attention to detail, even if I had to receive service after hours. Decent orgasm with a side of laughter. Four stars. I mean, what is that?”

I roll to my side as I cackle at his interpretation, wrapping my arms around my middle and turning my face into the bedding to muffle my laughter.

Thankfully, he’s laughing, too. When I finally snag his gaze again, I see something there that’s soft and friendly. So at odds with the normally obstinate, argumentative Memphis that I’ve interacted with so far.

“You are ... unlike anyone I’ve ever met,” he tells me, a bemused look on his face.

“I’m choosing to take that as a compliment,” I reply.

Then I kiss him, thinking it’ll be a prelude to a quick goodbye. But when I pull back, his hand cupping the back of my neck stops me. He tugs me back in for a kiss that is much deeper than I expected.

Eventually, it slows, and when I pull back this time I see something else on his face.

Surprise.

Then he’s pushing out of the bed and standing, grabbing his jeans off the floor.

“I’m gonna head out.”

I smile, knowing exactly where his head has gone. “Drive safe,” I tell him, also standing from the bed. “I’m gonna hop in the shower, so ... you can let yourself out, right?”

Memphis pauses as he’s tugging his pants on, but then he nods. “Yeah.”

“All right, well ... Thanks. And if you want my honest review, it was a five-star night,” I say, winking and then slipping into thebathroom. I quickly shut the door and turn on the water, giving it a chance to heat up.

I don’t know what that was, at the end—how our casual banter became something more tender and sweet—but I can tell it unnerved Memphis. I figured the best thing I could do in that moment was make sure he knew I wasn’t expecting anything from him.

He doesn’t need to stay or give excuses for wanting to leave. We both know exactly what this is. A booty call. A no-strings fling. A chance for us to slake the lust that we seem to boil over with every time we’re within a hundred yards of each other.

I’m not going to lie to myself and pretend like I don’t feel really deep things when we’re together.

I absolutely do.

I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t feel the very big, very powerful emotions that come along with being physically intimate. It’s in our nature.

But those emotions belong in one place—on paper, translated into musical notes and lyrics, ultimately becoming songs that people can relate to. Once purged from my soul, my writing has helped me work through some of the biggest, craziest emotional ups and downs in my life.

I’m not interested in allowing any of the emotions that sex with Memphis inspires to take over my life. Or my mind. Or—god forbid—my heart.

I spend the next two days with my guitar glued to my hip, music sheets spread out in front of me, covered in notes and scribbles and arrows indicating changes and moved words or stanzas.

The creative muse is still speaking, and I have kept my mind open, ready to receive whatever comes my way.

But every creative process requires breaks, and I take one of those on Friday evening when I join Errol for some gelato and cinema at the last Summer Movie in the Park.

I had originally planned to ask Murphy, but she’s still out of town. So when my sweet new friend asked if I was still planning to go, I knew immediately that Errol would be the perfect date.

“Thanks so much for coming with me,” I tell him as we take a seat at one of the picnic benches next to two teenagers who look like they’re on a first date. “I really wanted to come, but I was worried that it might be just for locals.”

Errol swats at the air between us. “Nothing is only for locals. It’s for the people who care enough to attend. But if you want to, you can consider me your ticket in.”

I grin, then scoop another bite of raspberry gelato into my mouth. “Do you know what movie they’re showing?”

He shakes his head. “No idea. I always assume it’s something for kids.”

I take in the children that are everywhere, then laugh. “I think you might be right.”

“So tell me ... What’s a beautiful young woman like you doing traveling to wine country alone? I would have thought you’d have a hunky guy with you.”

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