the magazine around, she made a dubious face. “He’s,” she stabbed a finger on his forehead, almost poking a hole through the page, “not your type? Tell me another one, you bullshit faker. He’s anyone’s type, even Marnie’s.”
“I highly doubt that.” Marnie was their gay friend who enjoyed being the man in the relationship.
“Swear, she told me she wouldn’t kick him out of bed for eating crackers.”
Colin closed the suitcase with a snap and laughed. “Now I know you’re lying, because Marnie’s OCD is worse than mine. She’d never allow food in the bedroom.”
Jo flipped the magazine back around to look at it. With a deep sigh she said, “I would. A crunchy night’s sleep after the best lay of my life would be worth the sacrifice. Maybe I should go with you.”
“Not a chance. Besides, I thought you were still boycotting the opposite sex.”
“Seriously.” She sat up. “Tell me you’ve at least thought this through.”
“Every which way,” she lied and patted her friend on the shoulder. “No worries. It’s a simple exchange. I give him what he needs and he gives me what I want.”
She didn’t want to think about how intimate that sounded. How close to an actual power exchange the concept was or how little she had thought this all through. Because there was no way she was going to tell Jo that her normal, control-freak friend was working on pure instinct now.
“All right,” she grumbled. “On to problem number two. Why do I get stuck with Casper? With Doc still in Europe until the twenty seventh, I thought it was Marnie’s turn to babysit him.”
“No. Don’t you remember she and Lil did it when I went to New York?”
“That was only for two days.”
“Luck of the draw, sorry. Gee, all you have to do is check in on him. He’ll be staying with his sister.”
“I know, the poor bastard, she’s a crotchety old bitch. Maybe he’ll get lucky and suffer another bout of angina. It would be a good time for another hospital stay.”
“Jo.”
“It’s true. He’d be better off even if he had to camp out in the ER. The guy might bug the shit out of me with his caterwauling about how times have changed, but I hate it when he gets hen-pecked by that shriveled-up male-slayer.”
Colin yanked the suitcase off the bed and dropped it to the floor with a thud . “Wow, why don’t you tell me how you really feel?”
“Collie?”
“Yeah?”
“Besides the post series, there isn’t another reason you’ve chosen to go through with this, is there?”
She didn’t dare look at her when she replied, “No.”
“I won’t think less of you.”
Now she looked at her. “Meaning?”
Jo beamed. “Meaning if you return from this adventure a little kinky, I won’t mind, but I will expect you to teach me everything you’ve learned, okay?”
Colin attempted a smooth nod, but it came off curt and stilted because Jo had hit on the exact reason Colin suspected she’d agreed to this craziness. To learn and not for her readers…
* * * * *
Later that night just as Colin got into bed, her phone beeped. She settled between the cool sheets and debated on whether to check the text. She knew it was Jo, probably razzing her with one more excuse not to go tomorrow. Then her eyes snapped open.
What if it were Casper? Despite the fact that she’d delivered him to his sister’s this afternoon, technically she was still on duty and the man-slayer stayed up late.
“Dammit.”
She snatched up the phone and pressed enter.
Are you in bed?
Her reply was automatic. Yes. The minute she pressed send she realized who she was texting. It was Ethan White.
Do you always answer your phone when you’re in bed?
Ha! So what if she did. Yes.
Great, I’ll have to remember that…
Her heart hammered and those muscles low in her belly and between her legs jerked and ached. Before she could think of a reply to that he sent another one.
Tomorrow, I want you to go to the boathouse behind the
“I highly doubt that.” Marnie was their gay friend who enjoyed being the man in the relationship.
“Swear, she told me she wouldn’t kick him out of bed for eating crackers.”
Colin closed the suitcase with a snap and laughed. “Now I know you’re lying, because Marnie’s OCD is worse than mine. She’d never allow food in the bedroom.”
Jo flipped the magazine back around to look at it. With a deep sigh she said, “I would. A crunchy night’s sleep after the best lay of my life would be worth the sacrifice. Maybe I should go with you.”
“Not a chance. Besides, I thought you were still boycotting the opposite sex.”
“Seriously.” She sat up. “Tell me you’ve at least thought this through.”
“Every which way,” she lied and patted her friend on the shoulder. “No worries. It’s a simple exchange. I give him what he needs and he gives me what I want.”
She didn’t want to think about how intimate that sounded. How close to an actual power exchange the concept was or how little she had thought this all through. Because there was no way she was going to tell Jo that her normal, control-freak friend was working on pure instinct now.
“All right,” she grumbled. “On to problem number two. Why do I get stuck with Casper? With Doc still in Europe until the twenty seventh, I thought it was Marnie’s turn to babysit him.”
“No. Don’t you remember she and Lil did it when I went to New York?”
“That was only for two days.”
“Luck of the draw, sorry. Gee, all you have to do is check in on him. He’ll be staying with his sister.”
“I know, the poor bastard, she’s a crotchety old bitch. Maybe he’ll get lucky and suffer another bout of angina. It would be a good time for another hospital stay.”
“Jo.”
“It’s true. He’d be better off even if he had to camp out in the ER. The guy might bug the shit out of me with his caterwauling about how times have changed, but I hate it when he gets hen-pecked by that shriveled-up male-slayer.”
Colin yanked the suitcase off the bed and dropped it to the floor with a thud . “Wow, why don’t you tell me how you really feel?”
“Collie?”
“Yeah?”
“Besides the post series, there isn’t another reason you’ve chosen to go through with this, is there?”
She didn’t dare look at her when she replied, “No.”
“I won’t think less of you.”
Now she looked at her. “Meaning?”
Jo beamed. “Meaning if you return from this adventure a little kinky, I won’t mind, but I will expect you to teach me everything you’ve learned, okay?”
Colin attempted a smooth nod, but it came off curt and stilted because Jo had hit on the exact reason Colin suspected she’d agreed to this craziness. To learn and not for her readers…
* * * * *
Later that night just as Colin got into bed, her phone beeped. She settled between the cool sheets and debated on whether to check the text. She knew it was Jo, probably razzing her with one more excuse not to go tomorrow. Then her eyes snapped open.
What if it were Casper? Despite the fact that she’d delivered him to his sister’s this afternoon, technically she was still on duty and the man-slayer stayed up late.
“Dammit.”
She snatched up the phone and pressed enter.
Are you in bed?
Her reply was automatic. Yes. The minute she pressed send she realized who she was texting. It was Ethan White.
Do you always answer your phone when you’re in bed?
Ha! So what if she did. Yes.
Great, I’ll have to remember that…
Her heart hammered and those muscles low in her belly and between her legs jerked and ached. Before she could think of a reply to that he sent another one.
Tomorrow, I want you to go to the boathouse behind the
Similar Books
