Page 57 of Christmas in Coconut Creek

“He made me quit the bank the next day," she said. “Everything has always been so easy with Mateo. I knew right then it was him or nothing. That’s my lifer.”

My heart swelled. “Now you’re gonna make me cry.” I sighed, swiping under my eyes. “You and your money-making titties are making me cry.”

We used to lay in bed and manifest having the kind of relationship Nat was in now. Through hook-ups, break-ups, dating a different guy every semester of college, planning our weddings on corkboards when we got snowed into our dorms that one freak October at CSU.

I was so happy for her.

Guilt twinged in my gut, however. Because no matter how elated and excited I was, a piece of me still burned with jealousy. Wondering if I would ever feel that all-encompassing, ride-or-die kind of love.

“Mateo was just the cameraman at first, but then he got a little possessive.” She laughed. “People really responded to the two of us together, and that little bit of wild in our relationship keeps it fun. Plus, now we’re swimming in it.”

“So the boys don’t actually do cyber security?”

“Oh, no, that’s legit. Matty has our network so wired that if anyone tried to find us they’d be looking in a rainforest in Southeast Asia.”

“You two are like the dream team.”

Natalia winked. “God, I would kill to be a fly on the wall for his conversation with Frankie.”

There was no coming back from walking in on our friends engaged in Christmas-themed coitus. We might have been able to recover after the cookie debacle, but I was fairly positive Frankie’s blue balls had turned to snowballs, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the type of person who would pay to watch the Clauses do it doggy style.

“What I can tell you for sure is that seeing his roommate half-naked in a Santa suit sucked every last ounce of libido from his body.”

“Were you fucking?” Her eyes widened.

“Notyet.”

“You fucking slut.”

“Hey!” I tossed a polenta fry at her. “You know what he asked me? To befriends with benefitswhile I’m here.”

“You’re saying this like it was Frankie’s bright idea, when,hello!” She pointed at her face. “I was the first person to tell you to take advantage of the hassle-free dick.”

Natalia was about the furthest thing from coy, and her voice carried through the dining area like an echo. I glanced around and met the shocked glances in our direction with a shy, apologetic smile.

“I was worried it would get too messy,” I reminded her. “I don’t have the emotional bandwidth to be let down in both Colorado and Coconut Creek. This is a vacation.”

“But you’re gonna do it.”

I hid my embarrassment. “Yeah.”

“Youfuckingslut,” she repeated with a jovial smile.

How Frankie managed to convince me so quickly probably had something to do with the fact that I couldn’t look him in the eyes without wanting to melt into them. I was crazy to think I’d make it three weeks without crumbling.

Less than one.

I wasnotthe face of unwavering stances. Trying to convince myself not to sleep with him after he got me off in the Atlantic was like convincing myself not to color code all my lesson plans. AKA, not happening.

I wanted Frankie to make me come again. Kill me for it.

“We laid some ground rules. No confusion, no questions, andnoattachment.”

Natalia bit down on the edge of her straw and regarded me across the table. I’d seen that look before. Her “sounds like trouble” look. One I didn’t entirely disagree with, but was choosing to ignore for purely selfish reasons.

“Listen, I don’t know too many details,” Nat said somberly. “But I know his ex screwed him up, and he hasn’t dated anyone since. I don’t think the guy’s so much as gotten ablowjobsince.”

“Well that’s part of the whole agreement.”

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