Page 31 of Scout
My heart skips. My pulse jumps.
“The three of us?” I repeat, because surely I heard that wrong.
“Yeah.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal. “A triad. A throuple. Whatever you want to call it. Maybe it’s just sex. Maybe it’s obsession. Maybe we just like using him to get to each other.”
That stings. But I get it.
“Or maybe,” he says, looking at me now, really looking, “it’s something we should explore.”
I can’t breathe for a second. My chest feels tight. My head’s swimming.
This is more emotion than I’ve ever heard from Xavier that wasn’t tied to a trauma case or a protein deficiency. He’sthinkingabout us. About Scout. About something more.
And yeah, my heart does something weird.
“I want to know, too,” I say softly. “I’ve thought about it. About you. About him. About… what it could be.”
He nods. “Then let’s find out.”
I lick my lips. “How?”
“We book him,” he says simply. “Together. A weekend away. Just us. No distractions.”
“Foxy’s doesn’t do weekends.”
“Then we book him privately. Make it worth his while.”
I blink. “You’re serious?”
“Dead serious.”
I look down at my phone again. Xavier tilts his chin toward it.
“Text him.”
So I do.
Me: Hey. Xavier and I want to book you for a weekend trip. I know Foxy’s doesn’t do weekends, but you could on the side, right? Four grand. Half now, half when it’s over.
My hands are shaking when I hit send.
Scout replies less than ten seconds later.
Scout: When?
I look at Xavier. “This weekend?” I ask.
He nods once. “This weekend.”
Me: This weekend.
Scout: Pick me up Friday morning?
Me: See you then.
I put my phone down slowly, half-expecting it to bite me.
Xavier stands, grabs his water, and glances over his shoulder. “I’ll pay when he’s home. You cover the deposit.”
