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“Yeah, I believe that,” I sigh. “If anything, it’s probably my guilt messing with my head, which is why I wanted us to spend tonight together. That, and I wanted to know if this kitchen is an actual place because of the flashbacks I have… Well, they almost seem too good.” I wink cheekily at her.
Mia opens the boxes of food with a smile and a nod. “How about we eat first and talk after?” I agree wholeheartedly; I need my meat and queso to grow big and strong.
The silence, only broken by our chewing, is neither uncomfortable nor comfortable. It just exists. It’s like breathing. Most of the time, we’re not associating any specific feeling with the action, not unless it’s constricted. Rather than fighting the lack of sound, I try to embrace it. Or at the very least, not fight it.
“Hey, I have a riddle for you,” Mia says.
I fucking love the way her face lights up and the grin that’s formed on her lips. It makes it impossible not to want to play along, so I say, “Let’s hear it.”
“What starts with E and ends with E but only has one letter in it?”
Hmm, I feel like this is one of those that will be obvious as soon as I hear the answer, but right now, it feels like the most obscure thing ever.
One letter… Since there are no words that are just E, there’s obviously more to it…
The post office is out, and so are express, overnight, box, postmaster, and mailbox. Should I be concerned that I can suddenly list many words relating to letters, yet not a single one that begins or ends with E?
“Come on, Kas. Take a guess,” Mia says, looking like a cat that didn’t just eat one canary, but an entire aria.
Playing for time, I ask, “What do I get if I solve your riddle?”
“What do you want?” She stiffens across from me, and my brows shoot up so high they’re practically touching my hairline.
I had to let go of her hand to eat, but we’re both done now, so I retake it. “I want you to promise you won’t lie to me tonight. Tell me if there are things you don’t want to talk about, but don’t lie to me.”
“That’s fair,” she whispers. “But what do I get if you can’t solve it?”
Without considering the offer, I say, “I’ll give you a pole dance.” This makes her laugh so hard she snorts, and I fucking love it. Gone is her guarded expression, and even though it’s at my expense, it makes me smile.
“But… You’ll have to wait to see my skills until another time because the answer is an envelope. An envelope begins and ends with E and only has one letter in it.” I don’t point out the inaccuracy. Who’s saying you can’t send two letters within the same envelope?
“Fine, you win.” She says with a dramatic sigh, making me laugh. “So, what do you want to know? Who starred in my first sex dream? How old I was when I learned about Santa?” The last part clearly references the first time I was here when I proudly displayed my foot-in-mouth syndrome.
I pretend to think about it before asking, “Who starred in your first sex dream?”
“You said I didn’t have to answer, and I don’t want to say.” Mia sticks her tongue out at me, and right now, I’m not sure why I gave her an out if she doesn’t want to answer. “Not that it matters, but it was Martin.”
I’m pretty sure my jaw just hit the floor.
Martin… Her client Martin? The Martin who’s gone above and beyond to help her out?
“Do you mean your Tuesday appointment, Martin?” I ask, needing the answer as much as I’m dreading it.
“The one and only,” she singsongs.
Ah, shit, now I have all these mental images that I definitely don’t want to be having, so I have to ask. “Did you two ever…” I waggle my eyebrows to make it impossible to misconstrue my meaning.
“Oh, jeez, no. Never. I’ve never wanted him that way, and it’s the same for him.”
She stops talking when I make a choking sound. “Mia, come on. The guy paid good money to have you in his lap. Of course, he wanted you.”
“It wasn’t like that.” She abruptly stands up and pushes her chair back. My hand is limply lying on the table, still held the same way as when I was cradling hers. “There was nothing cheap about whatever went on when I danced for him, and it wasn’t about wanting each other. I don’t know what he wanted, but he never acted on it, even if he wanted me.” Red and angry spots appear on her neck.
“I agree it wasn’t cheap. I know how much he paid per night, and it was definitely expensive.” Fucking shoot me now. Why the fuck can’t I let this go?
It’s not like I’m jealous of the guys she’s been grinding on for money, or maybe I am, but it wasn’t until she confessed to going above and beyond. I went into this knowing her job, and it never bothered me—which surprised me. But to learn that she had a sex dream about Martin is… Yeah, I’m not even going to pretend that I know why that’s bothering me.
“I think you should leave, Kas.” Mia won’t even look at me, and that’s pissing me off.
