Page 43 of Not Just a Trick Play

“A girl’s gotta do what she’s gotta do. Now, go put your celebrity powers to good use and get us a table.” She waves to the front of the line.

“What makes you think they’ll work?” Jake retorts, but he pulls off his glasses and tucks them into his pocket.

“You’ll never know until you try. If you land us a spot, I’ll even let you join us.” Yvonne offers magnanimously.

Jake steals a glance at me, and there’s a mischievous gleam in his eye as he nods.

A sparkling, soda-pop fizz offsets the nervous churning in my gut as I watch as he signs autographs and poses with a few eager fans on his way to the front.

Please don’t get us a table. Please don’t get us a table.

Of course, no one’s listening because moments later, Jake returns with the hostess, a woman in her early twenties, dressed in a pristine white button-down and black pants.

She smiles at us, though I suspect it’s more for him. Unexpected jealousy hits me like a rogue wave, and I tamp it down as she says, “A spot for three’s just opened up. Follow me.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

JAKE

“You’re shameless,”I tell my sister after the hostess seats us at a prime spot in the cozy back garden. A server appears with menus and a pitcher of water and leaves.

“Why, thank you.” Yvonne’s not at all fazed as she flips through pages. “Hmm, I think champagne is in order.” She turns the menu to Amelia, who gawks at the prices.

Yvonne must see her shock because points at me with her thumb. “He’s paying.”

Amelia spares a glance at me, as if gauging how I’ll respond to this bit of audacity. I shrug. “Have at it. Maybe they even have a magnum.” I had a great night. Why not celebrate?

“Magnums,” Yvonne echoes before whipping her head to Amelia. “Last night—you used protection, right?”

My stomach lurches and my casual amusement evaporates.Amelia told her she had sex?

My gaze crashes into her, but she’s suddenly fixated on the mystery of the napkin folds. Then again, Yvonne’s not casting evil eyes in my direction, either. Okay, so she doesn’t know Amelia had sex with me. Instead, she’s blabbing on. “Or did he not need magnums? Did you see the packaging? Not that it should matter. Sometimes men can level up if they have theright equipment to start with. Of course, I’m not saying size is everything, but…size is kind of everything.”

My attention flits between the two women, and bit by bit, I relax. And they were extra-large magnums. Just saying.

Amelia hides behind the menu as she emits a noise that could be anything from a prayer for invisibility to a coded “send help.”

Yvonne chooses to interpret it as an affirmative and launches into her next question as the server returns. “Speaking of equipment, I hear British men have a little extra going on down there—what’s it like having sex with uncut dick?”

Amelia’s head snaps up right as her jaw drops. Nothing emerges from her for a long second, but then she turns wild eyes to the waiting man. “Champagne! We need some champagne. Please. Now. Yes?”

Taken aback, he peers at her then slides an uncertain glance at me. I nod, and he backs away.

Yvonne taps her chin. “That good? Perhaps I should try it.”

Cringing, I hold my hands up. “Oh no, I do not need to hear about your sex life.”

She doesn’t answer, her attention fixed on Amelia. “What if that was the problem? The lack of the extra appendage? It’s something that you expect but isn’t actually essential. Like cling wrap on a cucumber. You’re just used to it.”

This time, it’s my mouth that drops. Amelia said the sex wasbad? And all of a sudden, I’m torn between wanting to proclaim my proficiency and shutting up since I also wanna know what’s so great about uncut dick.

“It’s possible the guy just needs a bit of help? If verbal instruction isn’t your thing, you could take him here. It’s a French restaurant. Aren’t escargots aphrodisiacs?” Yvonne’s gaze slides to a neighboring table where a platter of escargotsslathered in garlic and parsley butter might as well be a grim scene from a garden horror movie.

“I think you mean oysters?” I supply helpfully.

“Nah. It’s all mollusks.” She examines the greasy dish with intensity. I fear for snails everywhere.

The server reappears with our champagne.

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