Page 31 of The Hot Shot

“You saw the horror of the last one.”

“Yeah, that was painful.” Snickering, he bites into a fry. “How is Edward, by the way?”

“His name isn’t Edward. It’s...”Fucking hell.

He grins.

“Evan,” I announce with a near shout as I remember. “His name is Evan. And I haven’t talked to him since. Thank God. He told me he lived for skin.”

“That’s kind of creepy, Chess.”

“I thought so, too.” I take a bite of fish, then swallow it down with cold beer. Heaven. “Sad thing is that wasn’t even my worst date.”

Finn grabs the Tabasco and dashes some on an oyster. “All right, then. Give me your worst.”

“Only if you tell me yours.”

“I don’t have dates. Only hookups.”

“The lazy man’s date.” I munch on another bite.

“True,” he says with a laugh. “But if you want to hear about them, I’ll tell you.”

“We’re really going to do this?” I ask. “Go full girlfriend mode?”

Finn shrugs lightly. “Hey, if Kevin Costner can paint a woman’s toes inBull Durham, then you and I can gossip like girlfriends.”

I try not to picture Finn painting my toes. I bet he’d be thorough.

“Worst date I’ve been on...” I close my eyes and lift my face to the warm sunlight before looking back at Finn. “It started out fine. Guy was attractive, witty—”

Finn makes a dubious noise. I ignore it.

“The conversation was flowing, but he kept looking over at the bar. Finally, I glance that way and notice a woman watching us.”

“He was checking out another woman while on a date with you?” Finn snorts and shakes his head. “Dick move.”

“Yeah, if only.” I can laugh about it.Now. “I assumed the same. But dude is horrified at the assumption. No, no, he tells me. It’s totally okay. The woman is his wife.”

“What, like his ex?”

“No, hiswife. They liked to watch each other be with other people. Was I into the idea of coming back to their house and letting her watch us have sex? Because I looked like the type who would be.”

I smile at Finn’s shocked expression.

“Well, that’s...” He huffs out a laugh. “Fucked.”

I shrug and sip my beer. “It’s not my kink, but whatever floats their boat. I’d have appreciated a little upfront honesty, though.”

“You’re not really selling this whole dating thing, Chess.”

“I haven’t even mentioned the guy who came back to my place, locked himself in my bathroom for an hour, and tried to have a conversation with me through the bathroom door while he was... indisposed.”

“Are you sure he wasn’t one of my teammates?” he asks, snickering.

“You’re not really selling hooking up with football players.”

“Not if they play defense,” he says blandly, but then winks. “Those guys are freaky.”