Page 20 of Hot Summer's Prey

Taara is absent—likely in bed, considering it’s almost three in the morning. That Anelisa is still awake at this hour is a surprise. Zephyr’s a gremlin, their internal clock ruined after years of streaming and staring into computer screens. I’m assuming whatever is laid out across the table is fascinating enough to have kept Dawn up to this hour.

I wish something else had been up at this hour, I think to myself.

“You won’t believe what we found in the attic!” Dawn says with excitement, which trails off as she sees my face.

With a sigh, I lie down on the floor next to the coffee table. I don’t really care what they found. I’m so confused.

“What happened?” Dawn asks. “Did you go off with the hot dog guy?”

“Hot dog guy,” Anelisa giggles.

“Oh, so you did see me with him. Did no one think to stop me?” I grumble.

“He didn’t do anything to you, did he?” Zephyr pipes up, finally breaking their attention away from the coffee table.

“You ever have a guy give you the most mind-blowing oral of your life and then decide he’s all done? What do you do with that?”

“He what?”

“Men,” Anelisa huffs. “I tell you what, masquerading as one for years still didn’t give me much insight into how they think. They’re just dumb.”

“At least you got out with an orgasm, I take it?” Zephyr offers.

“Ugh, yes. It’s insane, but I can still feel it,” I groan.

“What did he say? Where did you go? Did you come back here alone?” Dawn asks.

Queen of the mystery, Dawn always has a million questions. I don’t usually mind it, but right now I don’t want to solve the problem, I want to mope.

“He took me to this cave—”

“You followed a dude to a cave to have sex?!” Zephyr screeches.

“Shh, you’ll wake Taara,” Anelisa scolds.

“Yeah, and if I do, Taara will momma bear in a split second. Let me be dad for a second, because what the heck, Teresa?!”

“Why did you follow a strange man to his sex cave?” Dawn asks. “I know I don’t really get how normal people want sex but surely no one gets that horny.”

Everyone gets quiet for a moment when I don’t respond.

“You know,” I start. “I really didn’t even think too much about it until just now. I mean, yeah, it’s fucking insane to follow a guy to a cave in the middle of the night for sex. But… this guy…”

“Oh man, you’ve got it bad,” Dawn says.

I cover my face with my hands. “He’s so hot! And everything was going so nice until I came and then he just got all sad or something or—I don’t know!”

“Maybe he’s getting over an ex,” Anelisa offers.

“Or he realized he doesn’t deserve you,” Dawn grumbles.

“Maybe he’s grieving. I dunno, it does weird stuff to you,” Zephyr says.

I hear movement and I know Dawn & Anelisa went in for a Zephyr hug.

“Did he give you his number?” Anelisa asks.

“Nope!” I shout. “Just an orgasm and a little wave goodbye.”

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