Grayson glared at her from between his fingers.
“What? The sexual tension between you guys is basically visible to the naked eye. Under a blacklight, at least.”
Grayson groaned. “That is so not what I need to hear right now.”
“Why?” Tara asked. “Was it bad?”
Grayson’s forehead hit the bartop. “No.”
“Good?” Tara probed. “Amazing? Incredible? Life-altering?”
“Based on how fast he was tying those knots, I’d go with option four,” Jenna said. “Hey, Kir, you said Ke—Tuiket was pretty popular around here, right?”
Of course she’d already befriended the bartender.
“He is in high demand,” Kir responded. “That’s for sure.”
Grayson could hear the suppressed laughter in the Mer’s tone.
“Your friend here might have annoyed some of our Omega clientele by monopolizing Tuiket.”
“He even uses a fake name when he comes here?” Grayson mumbled. “That sure says something.”
“Apparently most people use a fake name here,” Jenna said. She sounded like an overeager anthropology student. “Tara and I were just talking with Kir about it. We’re going to come up with names for each other! You want in?”
Grayson sighed and sat up straight, just as Kir placed a purple cocktail in front of him. “Keld already knows my name. I think it’s a little late for that.”
Kir smirked. “So that’s his real name, huh?”
Oops.
“Are you implying that you’ll be coming back here forTuiket?” Jenna asked. “Very interesting, considering you look like you’ve gotten into my great grandma’s rouge.”
“No! I—well—I don’t even know if I’m coming back after today,” Grayson lied.
Both women looked crestfallen. “But there are so many fun workshops.” Tara pushed out her bottom lip. “And you enjoyed this one so much…”
“Oh my god.” Grayson turned his attention to his drink. Minty sweetness flooded across his tongue without a hint of alcohol. Dangerous.
“Come on, you’re not going to give us anything?” Jenna complained. “We’dtellyouif things were the other way around.”
“Yeah, I know you would.” He glanced over at Kir, who’d walked off to chat with the enormous Alpha from the shibari demonstration. “Fine.” Grayson stared hard at the muddled contents of his glass. “We went back to a private room. He tied me to the bed. He only used his mouth and hands. We didn’t have actual sex, and it was still probably the best sex of my life. Happy?”
Jenna and Tara wore identical expressions of delight.
“Holy shit, that sounds so hot.” Jenna fanned herself. “But are you okay? I mean you don’t usually do that kind of thing.”
“He was nice to me, if that’s what you’re asking,” Grayson said. “Kept reassuring me we could stop if I was uncomfortable.”
“Wow.” Tara propped her head up on her hand. “So why exactly do you look so unhappy about it?”
“I don’t know!” Grayson threw his hands in the air. “I’m just used to keeping my sex life a secret, and I’ve been so mad at him for the way he acted on our date, and now I feel like… like…”
“A slut?” Jenna suggested.
“Gee, thanks.”
“I’m not saying you’re a slut, just that you mightfeellike one.”
