Page 41 of Tarek

“How much of a prude are you?” I ask, hoping that she is a prude so I can break her. God there is something wrong with me.

“I think I am an open-minded individual. Why do you ask?”

I rub under my chin with the back of my fingers. “People who state they are opened minded, normally have the most close-minded minds.”

She shifts in her seat. “Not everyone. Why do you ask?”

“I never told you what kind of club you are going to, did I?”

“It’s not like it’s a sex club. I am good with anything,” she replies.

I can feel her gaze on me. I remain silent as we drive deeper into the forested area of Lakeshore.

“Oh my God, it is a sex club. Of course it is.” She begins to laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. “Because it’s so on brand for you.”

“On brand?”

“Yes, millionaire playboy chef. Of course you own a sex club. It’s only obvious, and it’s called Nowhere.”

Her laughter is contagious, but I am able to hold my laughter in. “You find the name to be dumb?”

“God, no. It’s brilliant. It reminds me of the story of Odysseus and the Cyclops.”

Giving her the side eye, I take pleasure in watching her laugh and talk.

“Tell me about Odysseus and the Cyclops and how it relates to Nowhere.”

She twists in her seat to me. “Well, Odysseus and his boys just got back from Troy, and they haven’t seen land, like, for days.”

“Troy as in Helen of Troy?”

Penelope stops and gives me a blank stare and blinks.

I chuckle to myself and clear my throat. “Continue. Sorry for the interruption.”

She exhales and continues, “Finally, they find an island. Odysseus and his twelve men begin to explore it.”

“Odysseus sounds like a colonizer,” I interject, keeping my eyes on the road.

“Interrupt me again, and you will see,” she threatens.

Her baby threat stirs my blood slowly. “What will I see, Penelope?”

“They find a cave in it, a pen of sheep. It was also filled with bread, cheese, and milk, and they begin to eat.”

There is nothing sexy about Greek mythology, but having a woman I find sexy tell me a story about it is.

“Fucking Ody has no manners,” I state.

She slaps the armrest in excitement. “None whatsoever. Anyway, Ody’s guys were like, ‘Listen, let’s take the food and some sheep and bounce.’”

I love the way she was regaling this story to me.

“Ody said, ‘Nah, let’s wait and see if the cyclops will give us a gift like a good neighbor.’”

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