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“Oh my God, Miranda. Leave my journal out of whatever it is that you’re concocting in your brain.”
“Concocting?!”
“Yes! Con-coc-ting!” Myla animatedly pronounced every syllable in the word. She knew she was behaving dramatically, but she didn’t want there to be any doubt about her feelings.
“It’s almost as if you’re mad that you took me to a sex club and instead of me getting fucked or fucked up, I formed a decent friendship that could blossom into something meaningful. Dante was a complete gentleman.”
“Gentleman?” Miranda raised her eyebrows and prepared to defend her point even more. “You do not know that man, Myla. The contact information he gave you is bullshit!” Miranda laughed.
She was not taken aback or offended by Myla’s words. She expected the argument. For as long as she and Myla had been friends, men were the only things that they ever argued about.
Myla rolled her eyes.
“I’ve heard you say many times that when a woman likes a man, she’ll lie to herself about him. I’m just saying that I can notice the signs of deceit because I’ve been with men just like him. I’m willing to bet that he only allowed you to wear that jacket as a way to…”
RING! RING!
The classic iPhone tone filled the car, silencing Miranda. Miranda shook her head because even though she was not looking at Myla’s screen, she knew exactly who was calling. Myla was grateful for the interruption. She answered the call quickly, ready to end her friend’s pointless argument.
“This is Dr. Pleasant,” Myla answered as if she was unaware of who was calling. Only three people called her outside working hours, and she was positive two of them were still enjoying the New Year festivities.
“Dr. Pleasant, this is Dante.”
His voice was deep and sensual. Not a hint of lust or desire could be detected in his tone. Yet the five words were the sexiest thing she’d heard.
“Mr. Helgard, I was not expecting to hear from you so soon. Is everything ok?”
Miranda rolled her eyes at the mock sincerity in Myla’s voice. Gone were the loud banshee-like wails that Myla was just unleashing on her. Myla had always been well-versed in code-switching. Miranda shook her head as she listened to the conversation.
“I apologize for calling. I didn’t mean to interrupt yours and your friend’s night. But I was hoping you could do me a favor?”
“A favor?” Myla asked hesitantly. “I normally don’t do favors on the first night of meeting someone. Why should I make an exception for you? Asking for things too quickly is a red flag that I always inform my clients of.”
“You’d be right to teach them that. However, this favor doesn’t require anything salacious. There is a pocket on the inside of my suit jacket. Can you check inside of it and see if my house key is there?”
“House key?” Myla repeated the word as if it was foreign.
“Yes. My house key. I can’t seem to find it. I just want to make sure I didn’t lose it. I don’t know where else to look. Standing in the cold is not how I planned to bring in the new year,” Dante chuckled.
Embarrassment was the only word that could explain how Myla felt. She wanted to crawl in a hole and die.
“I am so sorry,” Myla croaked out, her voice tinged with embarrassment as she reached into the inside pocket of Dante’s suit jacket. Her fingers brushed against something unexpected. “I didn’t grab a key, but I found what seems to be a manicure kit. I think you may have lost it.”
“Thank God. The key and my business cards are inside the manicure kit.”
The relief in his voice was evident.
“Dante, I sincerely apologize for thinking the favor was anything other than something genuine. Look, Miranda and I are turning in early tonight. Since I’m the cause of you being stuck in the cold, I don’t mind bringing you the key and returning your jacket. That’s if you feel safe with providing your address to a stranger.”
“Thank you, Dr. Pleasant. You can bring the key. But keep the jacket. I’ll be sitting in my car until I see you. I’m at 725 Windsor Wellington Estate Drive. The gate code is *307625#.”
Myla’s eyebrows nearly touched the roof of the car. She had never met anyone, in her entire life, who lived in or near Windsor Wellington Estate.
“Wow. I guess tonight is full of first-time situations for me. First time in Château Noir and first time ever meeting someone who lives in Windsor Wellington Estate. I had no idea that being a commercial realtor was so lucrative. But I’m also a novice when it comes to the inner workings of real estate professionals. I’m about forty minutes away from Windsor. I’ll see you soon.”
“Thank you so much, Dr. Pleasant. I’ll—”
“It’s Myla. Mr. Helgard. Dr. Pleasant is too formal.”
