Page 4 of Goner

“That’s a bummer, though. It’s supposed to be amazing. More taboo. More promiscuous.”

“How do you get more taboo than live porn?” Alex asked.

“Usually, the performances are behind closed doors, and any extra activity among members is held subtly or in the shadows. For that night, it’s whatever, wherever.”

“Oh, yeah,” Alex breathed.

“And the theme is Twelve Naughty Days of Christmas, so we get to dress up in slutty costumes,” Carina explained.

“I can’t wait,” I said. “I’ve had a French maid outfit I’ve been dying to wear. It will be perfect for three French hens.”

“So, you’re going?” Alex asked.

“Yeah. I volunteered to work that night.”

“Why do you work there again? Your day job pays you more than enough,” Carina said.

“Yeah, but it’s not as exciting or fun. Or sexy. And I get to do sexy things without the complication of a relationship. The real question is, why wouldn’t I want to work there part-time?”

“That’s a fair question—Oh.” Alex jumped with wide eyes before digging into her back pocket for her phone. “I should take this.”

She followed the same path as Abby and left me alone with Carina.

“Are you excited about the event?” I asked. “Anything special planned?”

“Actually…” she started.

“What? You can’t leave me hanging.”

“We don’t really have anything planned, per se. We were just talking about it, and one thing led to another. We got swept up into the idea and started talking about possibilities.”

“Ohhh,” I hummed. “Do tell.”

“I mean…” Carina blushed, and I scooted to the edge of the seat,needingto know now. “I don’t know. It’s just—I don’t know.”

“Don’t you dare back down now.”

“Ugh. Fine.” She huffed and rolled her eyes but kept going. “I don’t know. It’s just that Ian and I are both so possessive of each other, we said we would never share, but there’s something alluring about it. But when push comes to shove, we know that neither of us would be able to handle watching another man or woman touch the other.”

“Ian does go all caveman,” I agreed.

“And I would claw a girl’s eyes out if they even dared.”

“But…?”

“But we were talking, which is about all we can do with the kids sapping all our energy,” she deadpanned. “And we started creating this fantasy of him watching a…awomantouch me.”

“Oh.” The word slipped free, carrying my excitement and encouragement to tell me more.

“I don’t know.” She waved the thought away with a giggle. “The best part was when he very,veryhesitantly asked me if I wanted to see a man touch him. The fear in his eyes…” She broke off into a fit of laughter, and I could only imagine.

“The man would do anything for you. He was probably scared to even offer.”

“Exactly, but I’ve been there and done that. No, thank you. Man or woman doesn’t matter. Ian is mine and only mine.”

“So, what about you? Did he like the idea of a woman touching you?”

“Yeah, but it was just the heat of the moment,” she dismissed.

---