Page 29 of The Sadist and the Brat

“Sorry, sorry,” Nikki said, and made a valiant attempt to stop giggling. “I meant, did you lose? And if you did, when are you playing?”

“If I decide to go through with it, you mean?”

“If you decide?” Nikki asked. “Isn’t it kind of a done deal?”

“Not exactly,” Rebecca put in.

“What does that mean?”

“It’s complicated. I mean yeah, she lost a bet—”

“This has not yet been established,” Sadie mumbled around a mouth full of noodles.

“—but it’s not enforceable. Exactly.”

“I’m lost.”

“Bets can be fun,” Olivia put in. “Especially for scenes. Playing with the power dynamic, you know?”

Nikki’s expression went dreamy. “Yeah.”

“But it’s really easy to go too far. Ego,” Olivia explained with a pointed look at Sadie—which she roundly ignored—“can get in the way, and consent gets fuzzy.”

“So while technically Sadie lost the bet,” Rebecca chimed in, “Jack can’tmake herpay up. She has to do it willingly.”

Nikki nodded. “Consensually.”

“Exactly.”

Sadie paused with her wine glass halfway to her lips when all three of them turned to stare at her. “What?”

“Are you going to pay up?” Nikki wanted to know.

Sadie set her wine down. “I haven’t decided yet.”

“Because he tricked you?”

“He didn’t—” Sadie scowled at Nikki’s grin. “Fine, he tricked me, and no, that’s not why.”

“Is it because you don’t like him?”

Sadie leaned forward to put her bowl on the table. “I don’t not like him, exactly. He just always struck me as…well, an asshole.”

“He can come off that way,” Rebecca agreed. “But he’s just, I don’t know, reserved. Once you get to know him, he’s a good guy—warm, funny, generous.”

“And hot,” Olivia put in. “Don’t forget hot.”

“She said from experience,” Sadie drawled and snatched the piece of calamari Olivia threw before it hit her in the face. She popped it in her mouth with a grin. “You’re right, that is good.”

“Bitch,” Olivia said with a laugh.

“Hold on.” Nikki raised her hand again. “Did you hook up with Jack?”

“It wasn’t exactly a hookup,” Olivia hedged.

“Cade asked Jack and Nick to help him out with an interrogation scene,” Rebecca explained.

Nikki’s eyes widened. “Oh. That sounds…”

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