Page 28 of Taming You

“Why?” Liz asks.

I stick a fry in my mouth, hoping to buy myself some time because I’m not sure how to say it with other people around. Unfortunately, Liv beats me to the punch. “He wasn’t into her… tastes.”

I kick her under the table, thankful Josh is holding Cate now.

“Owww.”

I glare at her, eyes flicking to Josh and the rest of the guys.

“Tastes?” Grayson asks. I see the mischievous look in his eye and know he’s stirring shit. Hannah covers her mouth as she holds back a laugh, because she knows exactly what Liv means. The girls know I enjoy certain things when it comes to the bedroom, and one of those things is I like to take control and maybe dish out some praise. I learned real quick that’s not something Dean would be into.

“It’s nothing,” I say.

“Oh, Zoey, are you into some kinky shit?” he asks, and the girls burst into laughter.

I’m not going to back down, because he should know his wife talks. We’re her best friends, so of course we know some of the shit they’ve done. I lean forward on the table and stare him directly in the eye. “Grayson, Grayson, Grayson.”

He leans in as he stares me down, too, not backing down.

“I wouldn’t say kinky, unless you think your wife calling you a good boy is kinky.”

He immediately leans back in his chair, mouth open a tad.

“I’d be careful about poking fun at me, because I won’t back down. I’m not ashamed, but I also know little things about you guys from your wives. See, girls talk. We have all shared things with each other.”

“There’s no way she’s shared that much,” he says, skeptical.

“How should I prove it? How about the spot by the pond at your parents, or Caleb and Bailey’s wedding?”

“Those were good, I stand by those,” Hannah says.

“What the fuck don’t you share with them?” he asks.

She shrugs. “Not much. Honestly, we have a great sex life. Would you rather me be complaining”—she leans into him—“or sharing that my husband keeps me satisfied?”

He leans in and whispers something in her ear, and she blushes. “Okay, so if you’re not ashamed, what tastes was he not into?”

I ponder how to word it delicately. “He’s very… I don’t know, old school in his thinking. Very much someone who would not be willing to relinquish control.”

Matt starts coughing as he puts his drink on the table.

“You okay there?” I ask, humour filling my voice.

“Yeah. Yup. Just went down the wrong pipe.”

I shake my head before taking a bite of my burger. “He just ended up not being my type.”

“Well, why don’t you let me set you up with this guy I met at this teacher development seminar I just went to. He teaches high school math here in the city and seemed nice. I can send him an email and see if he’d be interested in something,” Liv offers.

“Is he anything like the last guy you set me up with?”

About a month ago, Liv tried to set me up with one of the new teachers at her school and that did not end well either. The guy ended up trying to mansplain everything to me. I ended up excusing myself to the washroom during one of our dates, sneaking out of the restaurant, and texting him that I had an emergency to attend to.

“I had no idea he was like that, and no, from the conversation we had at the seminar, he did not seem like a mansplainer.”

“There’s a new doctor at the hospital I can set you up with, too. He’s cute,” Hannah says.

“Dr. Bardot is cute?” Grayson asks, sounding offended.

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