Page 21 of My So-Called Perfect Life

Mercy’s jaw drops while Amelia’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Holy shit,” Mercy gasps. “You went home with the bartender?”

Amelia is still frozen in place.

“I didn’ttechnicallygo home with him. But I left the bar with him, and he took me to the loft above it. He took my mind off Scott and the tragedy that is my life for a little while.”

“You,” Amelia says in shock, “went and had a one-night stand hours after kicking your ex-fiancé’s ass?”

Her surprise is genuine. This is one hundred percent out of character for me.

I nod in response.

“How the hell did that happen?” Mercy asks.

I proceed to tell them about the night leading up to me leaving with Ryan. Mercy looks like she’s watching a soap opera with all the various sounds of shock and surprise leaving her mouth and her variety of facial expressions, ranging from fanning herself to anger when I get to the end.

“He just left you there?” Amelia asks, outraged. “What kind of an asshole does that? Any of those employees could’ve walked in.”

“I know,” I agree. “I thought the same thing.”

“Why are all the hot ones always assholes?” Mercy questions before switching gears to the sex. “Was the piercing all it’s cracked up to be? I’ve never had one before, and I’ve always been curious.”

I answer, “Sure is.”

She looks like a kid on Christmas. “Details. Now. Please.”

“I don’t know whether it’s like that with everyone who has their dick pierced, but this man knew his way around a female body. He knew exactly what to do and where to do it. With his hand, tongue, and barbelled dick. I passed out; it was so good.”

And then he disappeared.Jerk.

“I don’t know if I should high-five you or slap you,” Amelia says.

“You go out and have one-night stands all the time.”

“But I tell someone about it first. So, you know, I don’t wind up on the six o’clock news because my body was found in the dumpster behind the Korean restaurant downtown.”

“That’s oddly specific,” I comment.

My sister crosses her arms over her chest. “So? Doesn’t make it any less of a possibility.”

“She has a point,” Mercy chimes in. “You want to go and sleep with all the pierced dicks in the city? Have at it, but at least let us know, so next time you wake up alone in a strange place, it isn’t in the back of a van with no windows or a warehouse, waiting for a buyer to come pick up his purchase, okay?”

I see their point, but I still roll my eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Okay.”

“He made you come how many times?” Mercy asks as the serious talk goes out the window, and we focus back on the great sex.

“I lost the ability to count after three.”

“Sweet Jesus!” she cries while Amelia says, “I’m so fucking jealous.”

Chapter Six

Danielle

It took me a littlewhile, but I finally got Mercy and Amelia out the damn door. There’s still so much to process from this weekend from hell, and I wanted—no needed—a bit more time to myself to do that.

My body feels less like sludge and more human thanks to my scalding hot shower. Wiping the condensation from the mirror, I stare at myself and give me a pep talk.