Page 11 of Paradise Pride

“Hey, I told you, nothing happened.” Florence had to up her pace, as more and more women were gathering in front of her. She lined up as many cups as she could fit on the bar and started making cocktails in batches so everyone could help themselves. “We slept in separate beds.”

“I believe you.” Manuel smirked. “But that doesn’t mean it will stay that way. Are you seeing her again?”

Florence decided it was better not to answer that. “She’s straight,” she said instead.

“Really?” Manuel’s smile widened. “I knew it. I got a straight vibe from her when she was checking me out earlier. I think she likes me.”

“Don’t you get any ideas. She probably just recognised you because you brought my stuff over.”She’s mine, Florence wanted to say, but that was ridiculous. Maybe Meghanwasattracted to Manuel. A lot of women were, and just because she was flirting with Florence, it didn’t mean she wanted anything more. Besides, there would be no such thing as fighting over guests when it could get them fired. Mixing Unicorn cocktails as fast as she could and throwing in decorative straws, she raised her voice and looked at the crowd. “Help yourself, ladies. Unless you want beer, then Manuel here is your man.”

11

Meghan

“So, Florence, the bartender…” Kim took a sip of her drink before she continued. “She seems to have a way with you.”

“What do you mean?” Meghan pulled her shades over her eyes so Kim couldn’t see she was watching Florence. She knew exactly what Kim meant, though; there had definitely been playful interaction between them.

“She was flirting with you. Didn’t you notice?”

“No,” Meghan lied. Her stomach did a flip when Florence looked up and glanced in her direction.She’s watching me too.“It’s just her extraverted personality. She’s like that with everyone.”

“Not with me.” Kim paused as she followed Meghan’s gaze. Florence was saying something to a group of women, which made them laugh loudly. They stood gathered around the bar, scrambling for her attention, and one of them had been there for a while now. “Is she gay?”

“She’s fluid.” Meghan attempted to sound indifferent, but the truth was, she constantly found herself staring at Florence. She’d watched her from the balcony before Kim came back, and now she was doing it again. Something about Florence attracted her, and that brought along a whole arsenal of questions she had no answers to.

“She’s definitely fluid for you, that’s for sure,” Kim said in a teasing tone. “Maybe by the end of this week, you’ll be fluid for her too.”

“Ha-ha, very funny.” Meghan slapped Kim’s thigh. “You can give up on the shipping. I barely know her and I’m not into women.”

“Hmm…” Kim rolled on her side to face Meghan and lowered her voice to a whisper. “But let’s say if youwereinto women, who would you go for?” She subtly pointed to the group of women at the bar. “Someone like them? The feminine type? Or someone like that woman in the pool? The butch one with the baseball cap.”

Meghan sipped her drink and shrugged. “I don’t know. What about you?”

“I think I’d go for the butch one,” Kim said. “There’s something cool about her, and I imagine her being gallant and protective. I love her tattoos, and I think she’d be great in bed too.”

Meghan turned to Kim and lowered her shades. “Really? You’ve thought about this?”

“Uh-huh. Well, just for the past hour,” Kim clarified. “It’s hard not to think about it, with all these women flirting and kissing.” She poked Meghan’s shoulder. “Okay, I’ve said it. If I were into women, I’d gladly spend a night with her. Your turn.”

“How can you ask me what my female type is when I don’t even know what my male type is?” Meghan hoped her argument would get her out of answering the question because it felt awkward. If she hadn’t met Florence, she’d probably have fun with it, but now she was paranoid Kim would see her gaze darting towards Florence. Not that she fancied her; she didn’t.Okay, maybe a little.

“At least you’re consistent,” she said, steering the attention away from herself. “You tend to go for the tough, dark types, and that woman you pointed out falls into the tough and dark category, but me? I’ve dated just about every type of man under the sun.”

“Fair point. They were all very different, but attraction is still attraction. So, if you had to…if you had to pick one of these women to sleep with or you would die…”

“I would die?” Meghan chuckled.

“Yes, you would die a horrible death if you didn’t pick one right now. Who would it be? Dark, curly hair, perhaps? The cute smile, big eyes, outgoing type?”

Meghan laughed when Kim pointed to the bar with a mischievous grin. “Fuck off, Kimbo. I know what you’re trying to do, and I’m not falling for it.”

“Bugger. I give up. Well, if you’re not going to misbehave in lesbian paradise, I’ll just have to set you up with one of Andres’ friends. One of his colleagues is super handsome. Tall, dark, rugged… I met him last year, and he had a girlfriend back then, but now he’s single. I’ll ask Andres to invite him on Tuesday.”

“Please don’t set me up. It’s awkward.” Meghan pleaded.

“It won’t be. We’ll just tell him we’re meeting up for casual drinks, nothing official. If you like him, take it from there.” Kim persevered when Meghan kept silent. “Come on. You need this more than you know. When was the last time you had sex?”

“That’s irrelevant, I’m not desperate for sex,” Meghan said. She really wasn’t. It had never been that great, and she was sure she was one of those people who could easily live without. What she liked was someone to fall asleep and wake up with; someone warm to hold her at night. “I’m just not interested when there’s pressure.” She sighed. “Look, I’m open to meeting someone, but I’m not in a rush. You just want me to date your boyfriend’s friend so we can move here and live happily ever after together. Isn’t that it?”

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