Page 68 of By Invitation Only

I nodded. “Sounds good.”

We each ordered a burrito bowl, and before I could take a bite, the questioning started.

“So, what do you have to tell me about last night?”

“I swear to god, you’re like a dog with a bone.”

“You’re teasing me,” she whined.

I took a bite and then looked around. I didn’t see anyone that I knew, so I felt it was safe to tell her one little bit of the night. “So last night we heard Sam.”

Lore blinked. “Heard Sam?”

I nodded. “Yeah, as inheardhim.”

“Ohhh.” Her face lit up. “And?”

“Well, I guess when…” I looked around the restaurant again. “Whenhewent to knock on my door, Sam was leaving his condo or something. Sam proceeded to tellhimthat the walls were thin.” I took another bite of food.

Lorelei’s brown eyes widened. “Shut up!”

“So I don’t know if Sam called up one of his girls, but not long after, he was, you know.” I lifted a shoulder.

“What did…” She groaned in frustration. “You know what, we need a nickname forhim. How about BJ?”

“What?” I chuckled. “We’re not calling him BJ.”

“Those are his initials,” she clarified.

“I know that, but I’m not calling himthat.”

“Well, what do you want to call him? And not him or he or he’s or whatever else refers tohimin a non-specific way.”

I thought for a moment as we both ate a few bites. “How about Cuffs?”

“Cuffs?” She drew her head back a little, confused.

I smiled remembering Booker and my first night together. “Yeah.”

“Why Cuffs?” she inquired.

“Let’s just say he likes to use them.”

I swore her eyes were going to fall right out of her head. “Shut up!”

“Shhh,” I whispered.

“I swear to all things holy that I’m getting your ass drunk Friday at Rick’s and then making you tell meeverything.”

I laughed. “Whatever. So anyway, Cuffs heard Sam and whatever flavor of the week, and he got all superior or some shit because we both knew that Sam was only doing it so we would hear. I mean, it was Monday. He’s never had a thing on a Monday that I can remember.”

Lore nodded and took more bites of her chicken bowl.

“Anyhow, Cuffs turns to me and asks if I want to… you know, so Sam would hear.” Her mouth dropped open. “At first I was against it because it was like we were stooping to his level or being immature. Then Boo—Cuffs said that he wanted Sam to know who he was and that he wasn’t going anywhere.”

“So you did it—loud?”

I smiled. “Loud. Headboard banging, me screaming his name,loud.”