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I nudged my spoon up to better line up with the knife centered on the napkin as I thought about how to answer. Reed had been my best friend since college, but he didn’t know everything there was to know about me. He didn’t know my secrets, and I wanted to keep it that way.
“She was nice. Just because we went on a date doesn’t mean we need to have sex.”
“How long has it been, Cal? A year? More?”
“Reed,” I said, my tone warning him to drop it. I didn’t want to answer that question because it had been a lot longer.
“It’s been more than a year since you broke up with what’s-her-face. I know you’ve dated, but when have you gotten laid?”
I took another drink of my beer, looking around at the other patrons of the restaurant avoiding meeting Reed’s eyes.
“You. Need. To. Get. Laid,” he said again.
“I get plenty of action.” I didn’t need to explain what kind of action I was referring to.
“No, you see plenty of action.”
“We all have our kinks,” I said avoiding that topic. “I’m sure you let Karen tie you up all the time.”
He didn’t take the bait and pushed on, letting out a growl, throwing his hands up. “You frustrate me, man. Look at you.” Reed gestured to me across the table. “Women flock to you. They dig all those muscles you go to the gym for. Karen raves to me about your eyes.” He fluttered his lashes and put on a woman’s breathy voice. “Callum’s eyes are so blue. They’re so bright.”
I laughed. “Jealous?”
“Yeah right. I satisfy my wife plenty. You’re just an enigma.” His eyes flicked to his left before leaning back. “I bet you don’t even realize the girl approaching our table has been watching you the whole time. She’s probably just coming over to be disappointed when she asks you out and you say no.”
I may not have been eager to be intimate with women, but that didn’t mean I didn’t date and appreciate a woman’s company. It didn’t mean I wasn’t attracted to them. I’d noticed the blonde across the room almost as soon as she walked in. My lips twitched when I thought about how I was going to make Reed eat his words.
I took one last swallow of my beer and then set it down, exactly back on the wet ring it had left on the center of the napkin. Satisfied with the fit, I leaned back and mimicked his position.
“Hi,” the woman said once she reached our table. “Excuse me, but I noticed you across the restaurant, and I just couldn’t leave without coming over to introduce myself.”
Her voice was soft and feminine, and I could imagine sharing conversations with her. I rotated my body toward her to get a better look. She was beautiful. Tall and slim in her black pants and flowy cream shirt. She looked professional—organized.
I shifted my lips into my most charming smile and extended my hand. “Hello. I’m Callum.”
“Shannon.” Her slim fingers slipped in my palm, feeling soft and fragile.
“Nice to meet you, Callum.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat. “Well, I don’t want to keep you, but I wanted to see if you’d like to get coffee sometime.”
I glanced quickly to Reed, making sure he was watching, satisfied by the smirk that was going to crumble.
“I’d love to have coffee with you, if you want to give me your phone number.”
“Yes. Yes, of course. I left my phone at the table but let me write it down and you can message me with yours.”
When she bent over and scribbled her number with the pen the waiter left behind, I smirked at Reed. I had to fight letting a laugh slip out when he mouthed, Fuck you.
I cocked an eyebrow and turned my attention back to Shannon.
Maybe she’d be different than the others. Maybe she’d be the one to help me move past my nightmares.
3
Oaklyn
After stripping down to the most minuscule pair of undergarments I’d ever known, Agnes gave me the approval I needed. Afterward, I went to the doctor they told me to use, and I got my STD test done. Lying on the table, a young female doctor between my legs, I wondered if she knew I was there because I needed to be clean for my performances. I wondered if she cared or judged the work I was going to do? Either way, she didn’t let on and I left the office, called only a few days later to let me know everything came back clean. No shocker there since I always practiced safe sex.
After finding out I was good to go, I’d headed to the Bursar’s Office armed with a whole new plan and plea to get me through the semester. To say I was lucky was an understatement. The man who listened and saw me almost break down in tears had helped me immensely.
