Page 107 of Love is a Game

Penelope

My big reveal. That wasn’t.

I press my forehead against the cool shower tiles, letting the hot water drum against my back, reliving the events of yesterday’s bachelorette party.

I can barely believe it. All of us in the spa, our big bonding moment. And it was my turn.

And I said it. I’ve been seeing someone on the side for years. In a very different capacity than anyone knows. Did I sayseeing? I meant fucking. Insatiably. Anytime, anywhere.

Mile high club? More times than I can count. Under a blanket in a first-class lounge? Check. Public bathrooms? Against the door, feet braced on cheap tile. In the back of a limo? Windows fogged up, limbs spreadeagled across leather seats. Beside a dumpster? Okay, not my classiest moment, but still, 10/10, I would do it again.

Before stepping onstage at a speaking event? Absolutely. During a mutual friend’s housewarming? Yep. In their brand-new entertainment room, while everyone else admired the open-plan kitchen. After a memorial service? Wrong? Maybe. Regrets? Not a damn one.

Then I sucked in a breath, making room for the responses.

Gasps. Shock. Maybe even a round of applause for my unhinged, no-holds-barred sexual escapades.

Instead, nothing. Barely a ripple.

Vivian skimmed the condensation off her glass. Susan coughed—a few times. Raquel took in everyone’s expressions and tapped her scarlet nails against her thigh like an agitated cat denied a treat.

Then Violet, bless her, looked around, frowned, and asked, “Do I have to be the one to say it?”

Susan got very busy studying her nails.

“Say what?” I asked, uneasy.

Did I break a secret code? Surely they weren’t going to slut shame me or something? Sharing sexual exploits was the whole point. What did I do wrong?

Then I found out just how completely delusional I’ve been.

“You’re talking about Tuck?” Violet said—barely even a question. “Because, gosh, Penelope, the sexual tension between you two bounces around like a pro game of ping-pong.”

I blinked. My mouth opened, but nothing came out.

Vivian nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “It was the first thing I asked Brady when I saw them together. I said: ‘You never told me they were a couple!’”

Mia chimed in, confusion knitting her brows. “Mason often mentions how close you two are…”

“Since childhood,” Nora added.

Mia gave me a long look, like I was some peculiar specimen under a microscope. “So if everyone kind of already knows…why all the secrecy?”

“Is he off-limits somehow?” Jess wondered. “Is that why it’s a secret?”

And then Susan. Calm, collected, and somehow always a step ahead, she tilted her head and delivered the final blow.

“Penelope, I think the only person you’re concealing things from…might be yourself.”

I groan as I relive the embarrassment, dragging my hands down my face, water cascading through my hair.

So much for my grand reveal.

I barely managed to look Susan in the eye after that. Because geezus, she didn’t need to hear about her son’s sex life in excruciating detail.

And then, as if things weren’t already bad enough, Raquel launched into a rapid-fire interrogation.

“Is the sex only hot because of the secrecy?”

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