“So far so good,” I answered. “Just getting my bearings and getting everything sorted. I think I have the commute down pat, and I’m trying to find a decent grocery. I’m used to Price Chopper.”
She stopped and looked up at me. “Excuse me what?”
Chuckling, I nodded. “Price Chopper. Great name, isn’t it. I don’t know what dingbat branded that, but we’re all used to it up there.”
“Well, there you go.” She turned back to the soundboard. “I would recommend D’Agostinos, but honestly, if you can find the fruit and veggie bodega and a bakery, you really only need them for things like meat and cheese.”
“A man does not need more than meat and cheese!”
Sorcha busted out laughing. “Okay, Captain Caveman, chill with the testosterone.”
I chuckled. “Actually, I love fruit and vegetables. So thank you for reminding me about the markets. I’m not a vegetarian, but I don’t go to Delmonico’s and eat a thirty-two ounce steak as a habit.”
“Look at you, learning the city’s fancy restaurants off the bat.” She grinned.
“Gotta know where I can’t afford to eat right now.”
She nodded, then studied me. “Are you paying attention to what I’m doing at all?”
“Well…” I drew out the word and coughed at the end.
“You already know how to do all this, don’t you?”
“I do…”
She was suspicious, and I had the feeling I was about to be outed. “Why do I think it’s not just something you picked up in school?”
“It wasn’t. I have a working set up in my place.”
Her jaw dropped. “For audio?”
“Yes.”
It was quiet a moment, then she cocked her head. “Why?”
“I do independent audiobook narration.”
This time, she rotated the whole chair around to look at me. “Holy. Shit. You’rethatMarcus? Chastain?”
“Well, my real last nameisRomano, but I ask to be published and distributed by Chastain. Simply because I didn’t want to take the chance that someone would know my name and recognize my voice.”
“Dude. I listen to your books all the time,” Sorcha gasped. She flushed bright red, and I knew what was going to come out of her mouth. “You have the most amazing bedroom voice ever…”
I shook my head and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Yeah. I’ve been told. At least you were discreet about it.”
“People aren’t discreet?”
I laughed. Hard. “Are you kidding? I’ve had more women come up to me and ask me to talk to them just so they could—uh…Jill off in the bathroom.”
“Jill off?!” She couldn’t stop laughing. “Oh, my God, you’re precious. None of them offered more?”
“They all offer more,” I said. “But I’m gay, so it doesn’t do shit for me.”
She gasped and put a hand to her chest. “Oh, no! Did you hear that? It was the sound of millions of hearts breaking!” The grin never left her face and she dropped her hand back to the board. “Actually, I kind of figured you were.”
“How?” I asked.
“Gaydar, my friend. Gaydar.”
