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“Um…okay. Great!” she replies with her adorable bare shoulders lifted in excitement.
“But being seen at the gala isn’t enough. We need more. I want there to be nothing left of my reputation when we’re done.”
Her lips part as she stares up at me in surprise. “Are you sure?”
“One hundred percent. I want nothing to do with him for the rest of my life, and I’m tired of being so fucking good. So tell me your plan.”
“Okay…” She opens the door wider to let me in. I step into the small space as Roscoe bounces around my feet. Reaching down, I pet him softly on his tiny head. To my surprise, he doesn’t try to bite my hand off this time, which I take as a small victory.
“So, what did you have in mind?” I ask, turning toward Sage.
“We’re going to need drinks for this.”
“Can it be coffee?” I reply. “This isn’t about being impulsive to me. I want to take this seriously.”
Her brows crease together as she moves toward her tiny kitchenette. “Sure. Can I ask what changed since I saw you…like an hour ago?”
“My father was at my apartment when I got home. Told me to stay quiet about it. Threatened me. It just…set me on edge.”
She watches me as she prepares a pot of coffee in her tiny drip machine. “Threatened you? Jesus. Has your dad always been such an asshole?”
I lean against the counter with my arms crossed. “Yeah, he has. But he hid behind his ministry. I always knew he had it in him, and honestly, there was this look in his eyes today… It made me think he wanted me to push his buttons. Like he wanted to prove just how fucking tough and powerful he is.”
“Stupid toxic masculinity,” she mutters as she pours the water in the machine.
I laugh silently to myself. “Everything about him is toxic.”
“Well, if it makes you feel better, I can tell you’re a much better person than he is.”
Her nimble fingers hypnotize me through each step of the process, finally pushing the button that lights up red. A moment later, it starts spurting and bubbling to life. When she finally glances up at me, I work up the courage to say the exact words hanging on my tongue.
“That’s the thing, Sage. I don’t want to be a good person anymore.”
Confusion morphs her features as she stares at me. “What do you mean?”
“I mean… My entire life, I have behaved. I’ve been righteous, virtuous, holy, God-fearing, and loyal. Look what it got me. He’s been none of those things, and he has enough power to manipulate everyone in his life.”
“But that’s not—” she starts, but her words stop there.
“That is what I want, Sage. He didn’t follow any of the rules, and God blessed him anyway. I want to be done with all of it. And I need you to help me.”
We’re bathed in silence, and I’m so enamored with staring at her that I don’t even realize how much time has passed. The coffee maker beeps, and she turns to pour us each a cup.
When we take our mugs and sit down on opposite sides of the couch, she just blurts out two words that have me instantly choking on my coffee.
“Sex tapes.”
I sputter and cough, feeling the burn of the hot liquid down my windpipe as I try to recover and understand what she’s implying at the same time.
I mean, of course I know what she’s implying. What’s one step further than fake dating? Fake sex tapes. It makes perfect sense.
Except she didn’t sayfakesex tapes. She just saidsex tapes.
“Sorry,” she says, handing me a paper towel to clean up the coffee now staining my shirt. “I guess I shouldn’t have sprung that on you.”
“It’s fine,” I reply. “To be honest…we were on the same page. Or at least…I think we were.”
As I glance up at her with desperation in my eyes, she seems to catch my implication and holds up her free hand in surrender. “Oh, I didn’t mean that you and I would sleep together again… I mean, notreally. In fact, I think for this to work, we should keep our…hands—and other parts—to ourselves.”
