Page 130 of Let’s Be Real

Ben: Dude, it hadn’t been 24 hours. That still counts.

Roman: Don’t think so.

Adrian: Good thing I went ahead and chartered the jet.

Me: Am I that predictable?

Roman: Yes.

Ben: Yes!

Adrian: YES.

Roman: But in a good way.

Ben: Yep. Makes me all tingly you’re excited to see your girl.

Adrian: We don’t need to know about your tingly spots, Benny.

Ben: Mazzy likes my tingly spots!

Adrian: As she should.

Me: Before you get further off track, when does the plane leave?

Adrian: Thank you for saving us from Ben’s tingly spots. You leave in 3 hours. Get your ass in gear.

Roman: Good luck. Tell her hi from us.

Adrian: But not while you’re naked.

Me: I’ll try to remember that. No promises.

Ben: A man after my own heart. When it comes to your girl, all rules are out the window.

I made it the whole flight and car ride before I got nervous. And by nervous, I was two seconds from throwing up.

Standing outside the building that would soon be a high-end sex club, I wondered why I thought surprising Samantha would be a good idea. She was working. I should have asked her if she was ready to see me.

My hands opened and closed at my sides as I worked up the guts to walk inside. It’d been a long time since I’d been nervous. I didn’t care for the feeling.

And the only way to get rid of it was to step through that door.

I forced my feet to move, loose gravel crunching under my shoes as I crossed the parking lot. Before I made it to the entrance, it swung open, and a man in jeans, a grubby T-shirt, and a hard hat stepped out. Right behind him was Samantha in a sleek black suit, a hard hat tucked under one arm.

My heart stopped as I drank her in. It’d been weeks since I’d seen more than her face, and that had been through a screen.

This was nothing like before. It was like I was seeing her true form for the first time. Like I’d finally gotten the right prescription after wearing the same old glasses for too long.

She was sharp and clear. Her hair swung around her face in vivid hues of buttery yellow and creamy wheat. Her mouth moved with confidence as she gave directions to the man beside her. Pink lips formed each word precisely, her hands swanning through the air to emphasize her meaning.

She was different but the same. My hands twitched with the need to run my fingers through her hair, to know for myself if it still felt like silk or something softer I couldn’t name.

Her name was on the tip of my tongue, but she turned her head before I could say it. Her eyes rounded, and she stared at me for a long time, like she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing.

I smiled. God, I couldn’t help myself. Seeing her was exactly what I’d needed.

“Turns out, the plan sucked.”