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“What do I call him?”
“He’s requested that you call him ‘X.’”
“X,” I repeat. Mysterious. I like it. “Thank you, Desiree.”
“My pleasure. Talk soon.”
The call disconnects, and I toss my phone on the table before picking up my wineglass. I take a hefty sip, then tell Heather, “My mystery man has invited me to Veil.”
“Sounds like you weren’t the only one left reeling.” She smirks behind her wineglass. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Makayla.”
What I always do.
I’m diving into the deep end.
TWELVE
MAKAYLA
“Knock, knock,” Heather calls as she walks through the front door, carrying a large gift basket wrapped in cellophane.
“What is that?”
“Housewarming gift.” She grins as she sets it on the breakfast bar.
“You didn’t have to do that.” I gesture wildly. “This apartment is more than enough.”
I spent the early part of the day getting settled into my new place. I’ve never lived alone, and I’m excited about having my own space.
“We’ve been over this.” She waves me off. “You needed a place to live, and I needed a tenant. We both needed a friend. It couldn’t have worked out more perfectly for either of us.”
“Speaking of tenants….” I grin. “Who’s the hottie who just moved in downstairs?”
She blushes. “His name is Jesse Carver. He’s a firefighter and a part-time tattoo artist at Inkubus over in The Village.”
“And did Jesse get one of these fabulous housewarming gifts?” I tease, fighting back a smile.
“Shut up and open your gift.”
Grabbing the scissors from the drawer, I cut the top of the cellophane and rip it away. Inside the basket is a bottle of champagne with two flutes, all six seasons ofSex and the Cityon DVD, and a card.
“I wasn’t sure if you could use those, because who watches DVDs anymore?”
“I do,” I admit with a snicker as I peel open the envelope and slip out the card.
In a world full of Charlottes, be a Samantha. ~ Heather
“Aww, Heather.”I wrap her in a hug. “You’ve been such a good friend to me. Thank you for everything.”
She purses her lips and says, “You know I love you, girl.” She plucks the bottle of champagne from the basket. “We need to get this nice and chilled so we can celebrate later,” she adds as she sets the bottle in the refrigerator.
“Oh? What are we celebrating?”
Reaching behind her, she pulls out a FedEx envelope. “I bumped into the delivery guy outside.”
Taking the envelope from her, I tear it open and pull out a shiny black envelope not much bigger than the one holding the card in the basket. Lifting the flap, I find a black plastic card with “Veil” written in red in the center and a small note with next Friday’s date.
Shortly after I spoke with Desiree, I got an email. The application process consisted of a background check, plus a drug, STD, and pregnancy test. There was also a contract that included a checklist of sexual acts I was comfortable with. A hot flush spread over my chest, neck, and cheeks as I read through the list, and by the time I finished, my whole body was on fire.