Page 4 of Dirty Laundry (Down and Dirty)

“Have you forgotten that you were the person who arranged the appointments in the first place?”

“I haven’t forgotten. At the time, I assumed it’d end up being a one-off thing. She didn’t know what she wanted, and you like a little more structure. Plus, that mouth on her’s enough to make anyone knock their head into a wall.”

“If you made that assumption, why’d you keep calling me to come back?”

“Why’d you keepcomingback?”

“You’re trying to catch me in an a-ha, Clay, and you know I’m not the type to fall for it.”

He snorted and settled back into his seat. “I mean, it’s all right if you like her a little. I won’t mock you too much. She has her own sort of allure, I’m sure.”

Heidi wasn’t going to justify the statement with a response. He was probing, and she had nothing to share with him.

“Are you fucking anyone else?” he asked.

“Why do you assume I’m fuckingher?”

“Are you not?”

“No.”

“Bullshit.”

Heidi let a grin stretch her lips. “If you mean has my body penetrated or otherwise collided with any part of hers? No.” She lifted a hand a spread her fingers. “I’m a dainty lady, and I think she’d be able to tell. Weighted gloves and toys have been doing all the touching. Makes everything nice and anonymous.”

“Makes everything nice and boring.” Clay leaned his forearms onto the desk’s edge and huffed. “A few weeks, yeah, I could see that. You’re that kind of dominatrix, but ayear, Heidi? At what point do you tell yourself it’s time to move on?”

“That’s a good question. But soon, I imagine. After all, she’s thirty-four. She’s going to get bored and want something meaningful sooner or later, especially now that her best friend has a newborn and isn’t so available for spur-of-the-moment shenanigans. She’s going to want someone to go home to every night and…” Heidi shrugged lazily. “You and I both know that won’t be me.”

Clay rolled his lips inward introspectively and meditated on the tip of Heidi’s nose for a minute. “Well, let me know if you want a palate cleanser or something.”

“A quickie with some bi-curious twit who’ll giddily text me the day after and let me know how hard she let her boyfriend fuck her after she was with me?” She broadened her smile. “No, but thank you.”

“Shit, don’t tell me I sent you one of those.”

She gave him a dismissive wave as she stood. “Oh, I found plenty on my own. Hang out at the right sorts of bars, and you can’t swing a purse without hitting one. Of course, they’re just there because the bartenders pour strong drinks and the prices are right, hmm?”

“I guess that’s what they always say. I hope you’re not paying for them.”

“No. They pay for my drinks and then crowd me at the bathroom sink when I’m trying to wash my hands. They tell me how much they like my lipstick and ask how I’d gotten so confident to go to a place like that all by myself.”

Heidi helped herself to a less dusty bottle of wine and grabbed her jacket from the chair back.

“You know, you could just find yourself a nice cat lady to settle down with. She’d be a little erratic, and probably, you’ll get fur in your eyes a lot, but at least she won’t ditch you for the first available wealthy dick.”

“Your problem is assuming that I want nice. I want someone who’ll tell me I’m a Satan-spawned bitch when I smack her ass. And someone who likes cupcakes and can pretend she doesn’t know I get cosmetic Botox.”

“Cupcakes?” Clay asked in a deadpan tone.

“Mm. That’s my new thing. I always buy cupcakes because they look less pathetic on my counter than a whole cake I’m eating alone.”

“Of all places for you to pick to be a lesbian, why’d you pick this one? The talent pool isn’t remarkable, and you know I know that better than anyone.”

“I didn’t pick it. It picked me.” She opened the door. “Besides, I’m rooted too deeply here to leave. I’ve already scandalized the entire county, and I’d hate to start over somewhere else.”

Clay huffed and rocked back in his chair. “Yeah, I could see where that’d be a problem for you.”

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