Page 124 of Thoroughly Pucked

That Friday night, Briar and I head into An Open Book for Trina’s Page Turners club. “Finally,” I chide playfully as I push open the door. “Took you long enough to come with me.”

She shoots me a look with those crystal blue eyes. “You act like I’ve been avoiding book club.”

“You have,” I tease.

“You only invited me a month ago,” she points out.

“Details,” I say airily. Then I narrow my eyes at her as we wander past the new release shelves. “And it turns out you were secretly reading romance without telling me.”

“Well, I needed some…tips,” she says, lowering her voice.

“Tips? Like on how to date?”

She leans in and whispers even more quietly, “Toy tips.”

Ah, I’ve got this one. “I love books with toys. I’ll rec some.” We head to the back, where Trina’s setting up with Ivy. The regulars are here, like Prana and Kimora, who’s petting the paperback in her hand.

The book has a red cover with a brown cartoon couple kissing swoonily under the titleOvernight Shag. In the story, the heroine meets a hot Brit named Naveen who stays at her B and B in a small town. Prana suggested it because the heroine is Desi, like her.

Kimora’s loving on the paperback so hard. “This book. This freaking book. Yes. Finally. When I said I’m over bad communication, I am over it. Like forever. And I am so glad it’s not in this story.”

Prana taps her chin, ever the diplomat. “Me too. I’m not into it when something can be worked out with a simple convo. But miscommunication is a thing. It happens in real life.”

“It does, but so do periods and UTIs. I don’t needany of that stuff in a book,” Kimora says, no ifs, ands, or buts.

“In real life I don’t reallyO,” Briar blurts out.

Whoa.

We all whip our gazes to the blonde by my side. “You don’t?” I ask.

“By myself I do. Not really with…a partner.” Briar winces like it pains her. Well, it pains me on her behalf.

Kimora’s voice softens as she turns to Trina. “Give her the mug. I don’t care who got the bang prediction right. This girl needs the mug.”

“You really do,” Trina says with sympathy, reaching for the gift for the bang prediction winner. It’s a “We Are Well and Truly Fucked” mug.

Briar clutches it like it’s a precious gift. “It’s theI have no Os mug.”

I consider the slogan, then turn it around in my head. “Or maybe it’s a promise for the future. Like, you’re going to be well and truly fucked.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’ll just start with theO.”

“I’m rooting for you to be well and truly fucked, B,” Kimora says, then flicks her black braids off her shoulders.

“I’ll bring the pom-poms,” Prana seconds.

As we sit and debate the banter and the tension in the story, my mind drifts to my own bang prediction.

To Dev reading me a scene fromThe UnGentleman.

To Ledger’s sex math.

To the guys coming over and declaring they’ll wait for me.

Then, Kimora’s saying to Briar, “Just ask for help with theO. Life is too short.”

And you know what? It really is.

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