“You want a copy of their fucking passport?” Julian asks.
“Maybe,” I concede.
For a moment, we’re all quiet.
“You haven’t been out with us for a non-work-related event in far too long,” Henry says finally. “Just come with us. Please.”
“If this deal doesn’t come off,” I begin, pointing at the door Melanie just left through. “I will—”
“The working day is over.” Julian glances at his watch. “Relax. Melanie will come around. You’ll get your agency.” He pings the elastic of his mask, pulling it back like a catapult, aiming in my direction. “All work and no play makes Rafe a dull boy.”
Henry steps towards me. “He’s right. Come and let loose for once. You deserve it.”
I eye my best friend, his eager smile, the emotion on his face that looks like genuine desire to see me have a good time.
“What is this? An intervention?” I ask.
“Exactly,” Julian says. “Come and pick a woman with your dick, not your head.” He taps his temple and flashes a wicked grin. “Just this once.”
A tightness occurs in my chest. Lizzie’s mother, Evangeline, was the last woman I ‘picked with my dick’, and it didn’t end well. She was beautiful, wildly fun, and always up for a good time. A free spirit. Fantastic in bed.
I haven’t had sex like that for years. In fact, I’ve actively avoided it and women like her. After Lizzie was born, Evangeline vanished, leaving a note that said she couldn’t be tied down; thought the child would be better off without her. She wanted to explore the world.
I searched for her for two years. When I finally found her, she was high on a beach in Bali pretending she had no memory of me or our child.
The lesson: my dick has poor taste in women. Don’t trust it.
The only problem: my head is no better.
Julian scrapes a hand along the scruff on his jaw, eyes narrowing. “Have you been getting laid?”
“None of your fucking business,” I say, and when Julian raises an eyebrow, I blow out a sigh. “I’ve got the fund to focus on. I don’t want any distractions.”
Henry strides towards me and lays a firm hand on my shoulder. “You need a distraction more than any man I know.”
Does he have a point? I’m not morally averse to one night stands, but I don’t go looking for them. It’s easier to channel my energy into the business. Anything unexpected that occurs in that arena, I can handle.
“One night,” Henry says. “You can take one night off.”
“And Lizzie doesn’t have to like the woman you pick,” Julian says.
“Lizzie’s fine,” I confirm. “She’s got me. She’s always had me.”
Julian puffs his chest, his smile somehow both mocking and proud. “Rafe Bastion. Billionaire. Father. Mother. The unstoppable man who truly can be everything to everyone.” His deep voice booms like the voice-over at the cinema, introducing the next big blockbuster.
“Fuck off,” I say.
Julian pulls an expression of mock-offence and splays a hand over his heart with theatrical aplomb. “I don’t want to see you drop dead before you get a good lay, is all.”
I huff. “My cardiovascular health is in peak condition.”
“Of course it is,” Henry agrees. “But anonymous sex at Delirium is way more fun than punishing your body in that basement pool of yours.” He glances at Julian. “You seen this guy swim recently? He’s still a shark. Pure muscle.”
“Captain of the water polo team,” Julian says, miming throwing a ball over his head and making apopsound. “Give me a date, and I’ll come and watch.”
Before I can tell him he’s never getting that invitation, Henry grabs the mask I tossed aside and thrusts it back into my hand. “The car’s downstairs. Take the damn thing and come and find someone who can really satisfy you.”
I stare at the eager expressions on my best friends’ faces, considering their desire to help me address this aspect of my life. It comes from a good place; I know that much, even if they’ve been a pair of assholes about it.
