Page 7 of Sexting The Tattooed Outlaw (Curvy Boss Babes of Wild Bronco #3)

KAY

“It’s called Boyfriend Bot.”

“That sounds awful,” I groan.

“Oh stop. It’s great!”

“I don’t want a pretend boyfriend,” I groan. “I don’t even want a real boyfriend, Nadia.”

My best friend arrived at Fiction & Foam first thing in the morning, unwilling to take my “I’ll tell you about it later” text message as an answer.

Instead she’s here, wiping down the tables in exchange for pumping me for information about what happened last night.

However, once I filled her in on the fact that Sam did not, in fact, drag me up to my bedroom and fuck me senseless last night after driving me home, she disappointedly moved onto other topics of conversation.

Like Boyfriend Bot.

Nadia is a technology junkie. You name it, she’s bought it, tried it, downloaded it – whatever. She’s always been this way, a tinkerer, an inventor. Fascinated with the latest and greatest that humankind has to offer.

Me? I barely know how to use my phone sometimes. Which is fine by me. I prefer paper books over ebooks, playing my old records over streaming music.

Blame it on my parents, I guess. They just got Wi-Fi at the house a couple of years ago, and it’s slow as molasses.

Luckily, I don’t need to keep up with what's going on with technology. I’ve got Nadia for that.

“No, listen, it’s amazing,” Nadia presses, tapping away on her phone. “I’m signing you up right now.”

“Don’t!”

“Too late,” she says cheerfully. “It’s only two ninety-nine per month, but don’t worry – I’ll cover the cost.”

“People pay for this?” I ask incredulously.

“You won’t think it’s so stupid when you see the text messages.”

My phone dings and her eyes light up.

“Oh! I bet that’s him!”

“There is no ‘him’, Nadia,” I say, pulling my phone from my apron. “He’s not a real person, he’s a bunch of ones and zeroes that are arranged in the precisely correct order to tell a woman whatever she wants to hear.”

“I know,” she says happily, a dreamy expression in her eyes. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

I sigh, opening the text message on my phone. It’s from an unknown number, of course, and looks like it’s just another text message sent by a human being.

Boyfriend Bot: Have a lovely day at work, my darling! Your beauty is beyond measure! I would climb the highest mountains just to catch a glimpse of your smile!

“Ew,” I say automatically.

“What did it say?” Nadia takes my phone and reads it. “Okay…so it’s a little flowery. The great thing is, you can tell him exactly what you like and don’t like. He’s better than a real man, he listens!”

She giggles, typing a reply to the Boyfriend Bot.

“What did you say?”

I read the text she sent on my behalf.

Me: Too saccharine. Don’t ever call me darling again. And knock it off with the Shakespearean shit!

“Wow, that’s pretty rude,” I comment.

“You’re worried about hurting a robot’s feelings?” Nadia raises a brow.

“Of course not,” I shake my head. “Like you said, it’s just ones and zeroes.”

“Exactly. So train him to know what you like!”

“What’s the purpose in doing this, exactly?” I ask her.

“Practice,” she explains. “You need practice asserting yourself with men, Kay! What better way to do it than this? You can learn how to set boundaries and voice your needs in a safe environment. It’s perfect.”

“Hmmm.”

My friend is actually making a good point. Maybe this would be good for me.

My phone chimes again.

Boyfriend Bot: Sorry about that. What nickname do you prefer?

I hesitate for a moment. Sam is the only guy I’ve ever let call me Kay. Even Douglas only called me Kayla, never anything else.

Me: You can call me Kay.

Boyfriend Bot: You got it, Kay. Have a great day at work. I’ll talk to you tonight.

“Boom,” Nadia says, reading over my shoulder. “It’s that easy. Oh — and don’t be afraid to get dirty with him, too. Boyfriend Bot can sext!”

I groan.

“Nadia, you almost had me convinced on this idea and then you mentioned that! I am definitely not going to sext a robot. That’s so weird!”

Nadia’s eyes glimmer.

“Don’t knock it until you try it.”

“I won’t be trying it!”

She shrugs, finishing up with the last table in the dining area and returning the rag to the bucket of sanitizer.

“I’ve gotta go,” she says. “Talk to you later!”

“See ya,” I say, shaking my head as my eccentric, techie friend leaves. Thankfully, I'm the only staff member on duty during the slow afternoon slump today, so nobody was around to hear about my new robot companion.

Without any customers to look after, it’s not long before my mind begins to wander…and my thoughts turn to Sam.

He’s sleeping in the ranch house while he’s in town, a fact that made it very hard to sleep last night in my own bed. Knowing he was just down the hall from me, within reach if I wanted him…

And I did want him. So. Bad.

I can’t help the fact that my body has always responded to this man in that way. Maybe it’s not something I can cure, a teenage crush that has permanently altered my brain chemistry for life. No matter how much time passes, no matter how much we’ve grown apart, I guess some things are forever.

It’s not just lust, though. Last night, Sam finally gave me what I’d wanted for so long: An explanation.

My mind reels as I think about it all. Sam always said he didn’t know who his father was.

Sam’s mother is an addict, and has made some questionable life decisions.

She always told Sam that she didn’t know who his dad was because she couldn’t remember who she’d been with during the timeframe he’d been conceived.

Somehow, I guess he found out who his father was. And instead of it being some far away man, it turned out to be one of the most well known men in Wild Bronco.

The Baker family aren’t as “famous” in this town as mine, but they’re definitely known. I went to school with their daughter, named Dot. And actually, she comes into the coffee shop fairly often.

Weird to think that she’s the half-sister to Sam.

The Bakers are well-off, and known as being wholesome family people.

I think I can understand why a young, adolescent Sam’s first reaction was to go off the rails.

What I can’t understand is why he didn’t feel like he could come to me, to confide in me. If the truth is that he’s always loved me (and still does!) then why wouldn’t he come talk to me instead of those old friends of his who were always getting him into trouble?

He could’ve brought this to me.

I would have held him. Would have listened.

Boyfriend Bot: Thinking of you!

Me: You’re being clingy. Chill out.

Boyfriend Bot: My bad! I’ll give you some space, Kay-Kay!

Kay-Kay!?

That does it.

“I’m going to kill Nadia,” I mutter.

I select the entire conversation and delete it from my text messages, pocketing my phone as some new customers approach the front door.