Page 76 of Secrets

"You can always come back."

"We'll see," she lies, and she sighs when he moves to help a group of college coeds.

Nelson winks at her. "Didn't love good ol' Jed?"

"He did this thing..."

"What kind of thing? Wrong hole kind of thing?"

Laughing, she shoves him but has to catch him as he falls backwards. "No, not that."

"Good, because nine times out of ten, it's not an accident. What'd he do?"

She lowers her voice and gets closer to his ear so Jed doesn't overhear. "He... he talked. A lot."

"You don't like dirty talk?"

"I'm not a prude. In the right situation, sure, I'm good with it. But it wasn't dirty talk. It was... it was like a conversation you'd have with someone while having dinner. Not when you're balls deep inside them."

Nelson bursts out laughing, catching himself on the bar with his hand to stop from falling backwards. "Conversation Carl."

"Need another water?" Jed asks, his eyes on Sutton.

Nodding, she points to Nelson. "For him."

"Put it on your tab?" he asks, chuckling at his lame attempt at a joke.

"Sure," she says and glances at Nelson.

Jed taps the counter in acknowledgement and walks away to grab it. Nelson stares with wide eyes. "Wow, he has no game. How'd he manage to get you into bed?"

The water gets set in front of him, but all conversation with the bartender ends when a fight near the door breaks out. Relieved, Sutton lets out a sigh. "Looks-wise, he's a solid seven."

"But once he opens his mouth, he falls to a four? At best?"

Her lips purse as she nods. "Something like that."

"You know the real problem, don't you?"

"What's that?"

"He's a solid seven, but you're a nine point five."

She leans back in surprise. "I'm not sure if I should be flattered or insulted because I'm half a point away from being a ten."

"I haven't seen you naked, so I reserve that last half a point until that happens," he says and leans back. "But seeing you naked, I'm willing to guess you'll earn it back. If not more."

"If you weren't shit-faced, I'd maybe consider it to be the truth, but you're wearing a hell of a pair of beer goggles, Nelson."

"Gin goggles," he says and places his hands over his eyes and mimics glasses. "But I'm sobering up."

She laughs again and signals to Jed to cash them out.

"Put hers on my tab, Jeddy Boy," Nelson calls out. Turning to Sutton, he says, "You've been the best wingman I've ever had. Even though you're a chick. And you're a hell of a caretaker."

"You've paid for my drinks every night we've been out. I'm not even the one you take home some nights."

"Not yet," he says and winks as he slaps down two large bills on the counter. "I shouldn't drive the bike. Care to give me a ride again?"

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