Page 24 of A Cock and Bull Story

“It’s Jude. They’re on their way back—he says, ‘don't leave Oxford’.”

I breathe a sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness that they're ok.” I stand up from the couch. “I guess I’d better get the rooms ready. I have some spare bedding and an extra blanket or two that I can bring out here for the guys. Sian, Elise, are you ok to share my single bed?”

I dial back my secret enthusiasm at my words and hope they came out a question as opposed to an eager suggestion.

“Actually,” Sian says, “I have a cousin that lives right off campus. Elise and I can stay the night with her so we don’t put you out.”

Disappointment blooms within me, but it's probably for the best if we're all to remaininnocent.

“Ok, that works,” I respond with a fake smile on my face. “I'll just go get that bedding for the boys, then.”

I step into my room and grimace. It's set up like a sexual predator’s dungeon. On second thought, it's probably best that Elise and Sian are not spending the night. I kick my X-cross out of the way and kneel down in front of my dresser. I got that beauty from whipsandchainsonwheels.com—they make dominance mobile.

I root around in my drawer and have to throw out some feathered handcuffs, a cat-o-nine tail, and a pair of nipple clamps before I finally reach the extra sheets. I plan to use them to cover the couch—and my couch is probably the one you definitely want to have a sheet on.

Hopefully, none of the boys carries a blacklight in their pocket or my living room will look like Sex Crime Central.

When I finally find and gather everything, I scoop it all into my arms and go back out to the living room. The window is open wide and a nice breeze is blowing through. Theo is sitting by himself on the couch.

“Where did the girls go?” I wonder.

I notice that the bathroom door is wide open and the tub is running.

“They went over to Elise’s cousin's already,” Theo explains.

“Oh, I didn't get to say goodbye,” I whisper with genuine disappointment.

“They didn't want to worry you. I think Elise is a little scared,” Theo whispers back.

“Well, I can understand that—I'm petrified, considering the circumstances. Why is my window open? Are you hot?” I ask him.

“Oh, I completely forgot that the birds asked me to shut it.”

“Birds?”

“Oh, it’s slang for ‘girls’, but ironic considering, eh?”

“Oh, I see!” I say, finally understanding that Elise and Sian opened it.

“Yeah, they flew out it.”

I turn to stare at Theo—the British sure do take their slang to a different level.

“What? They went out the window?!”

Theo just shrugs.

“Yeah, it's easier than the door, don't you think?”

“The door would have been less inconspicuous,” I retort dryly.

“Than two birds flying out of it?” Theo laughs.

There’s some more British idioms to confuse me.

“Right,” I laugh, not wanting to seem like an American dolt.