Page 37 of Kisses and Paperclips

It’s not gone, just on low.

“She didn’t,” Nia said, stirring her sauce, her face crinkled in disbelief.

“What a bitch,” Mika chimed in, popping the cork on a bottle of wine like it was a celebration instead of an intervention.

“Don’t call her that,” I muttered. Ms. Brooks was acting like it, sure, but no one else was allowed to call her names. That was my privilege.

“And yes, she did,” I added, sighed. “It didn’t even faze her, either. She just announced it like it was nothing. I wouldn’t be surprised if she hands him the entire company next week.”

Mika raised a brow, pouring herself a generous glass of red before cracking open a Sprite for me. She poured it into a wine glass, her version of solidarity. “Is her son fine, at least?”

“Mika!” Nia warned.

“What?” Mika said, shrugging and taking a sip. “I’d fuck her son right out of that position.”

“Mika!” she gasped, clutching her stirring spoon like it might shield her from Mika’s audacity. It set me off into a fit of laughter, snorts included. Mika always had a way of saying something outrageous just when I needed it.

“What? Give a man some good pussy, and he’ll hand you the keys to his destruction,” Mika said, completely unbothered.

“What if I already did?” My voice was calm but firm, enough to make them stop in their tracks.

A hush fell over the room, only broken by the sauce bubbling on the stove. Nia turned slowly, her arms crossing over her chest like she was about to ground me for sneaking out past curfew. Mika, on the other hand, clutched the wine bottle with both hands, looking like she might need a drink before I even started.

“You did what, exactly?” Nia asked, her tone so sharp it could cut through glass.

I hesitated for a beat, then dropped the bomb. “I may have already slept with her son.”

Mika gasped so dramatically that she nearly choked on her wine. “Girl, you should’ve led with that,” she said, sinking onto the couch beside me like she needed to hear this story sitting down. “Get to talking. I need details. Now.”

“Hold on!” Nia said, turning off the stove and setting her spoon down with the precision of a surgeon. “I need answers first. Did you have revenge sex,” she whispered the word sex like a schoolgirl said something scandalous, “in the office?”

“No!” I said, appalled she’d even suggested it. “I’m not that petty.”

“Hmm,” Mika hummed, skeptical.

“I’m not!” I insisted. “I don’t mix business with pleasure. You know my rule.”

“Then how was it?” Mika asked, her eyes gleaming. “Because if it wasn’t terrible, you wouldn’t have ruled out using it to your advantage.”

“It was the opposite,” I admitted, my cheeks heating just thinking about it. “The man had me ready to climb the walls and speak in tongues.”

“Oh my,” Nia whispered, fanning herself with a dish towel. She poured herself a glass of wine and sat across from us, her face a mix of shock and intrigue.

“Good. You needed your back blown out,” Mika said, her tone matter-of-fact.

“Well, damn,” I muttered, laughed despite myself.

“I’m serious,” Mika said, topping off her glass. “You’re always tense, always worrying about that damn company. All work and no play is a dangerous game. Leads nowhere but bitterness and regret.”

Her words lingered in the air, heavy with something unsaid. Nia and I exchanged a look, both of us knowing Mika was speaking from experience.

“If it wasn’t in the office, how and when did it happen?” Nia pressed, eager to steer us back to safer ground.

I sighed, the memory of that night still enough to throw me off balance. “I met him last night,” I began. “He saved me from some creep on the street, convinced me to let him take me to dinner, and… well… one thing led to another.”

“And next thing you know, he’s balls deep, and you’re calling his name like it’s your last prayer,” Mika finished for me, smirking.

“Mika!” Nia shouted, her face turning bright red.

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