Page 47 of The Upgrade

“Better than good. We’re great.” I start for the exit again. “But if you’re wanting a threesome in any configuration, I’m game.”

She laughs and tosses a handful of bubbles. “I will carefully review your sex resumé for consideration.”

I chuckle and back away from the door. “Good night, Eve.”

I’m still smiling on the walk back to my room. Consorts all live in a big, stucco building set a little bit back from the beach. It’s called The Chateau, and it’s a few hundred yards from The Villa where guests stay.

Most consorts’ rooms have views of the sea, plus we have something better. A location tucked into a rainforest, with nightbirds and monkeys weaving a musical tapestry. It lends an air of magic to the place, especially on nights like this.

As I’m sticking my key in the lock, there’s a familiar chime on the other side of the door. I left my phone here for the night, not wanting to be bothered on a date. But that’s my sister’s ringtone I hear as I push into the apartment.

“Hey.” Tucking the phone to my ear, I kick the door shut. “Everything okay?”

“Kit!” A ripple of laughter in the background says Camille’s not alone. “You have to settle a bet for us.”

“Okay.” Grabbing a beer from the fridge, I sling myself onto the sofa. “Go.”

“Hang on, I’m putting you on speaker.” There’s a click and some static, then a whole lot of laughter. “I’m here with Caitlynn and Clara.”

That’s three out of six sisters on the call. “Hello, ladies.”

“Hey!” Caitlynn sounds like she’s tipsy, and maybe Clara is as well. “Kit, where are you?”

“Just got home from a date.” It slips out before I think it through.

But it’s true what I just did with Eve felt more like a date than a work thing. Technically, I wasn’t even on the job.

“Wait,” Camille says, sounding more sober. “Who are you dating?”

Stifling a sigh, I sip on my beer. “Notdatinglike consistently seeing a woman multiple times.” As the words leave my mouth, I know that’s not true. “Not like a girlfriend.”

“What’s she like?” That’s Clara, the youngest, and she sounds tipsy as hell. “Remember that time we met Miranda in Palm Springs?”

It’s a challenge to follow her thought pattern. “When she spoke at that conference? Yeah.” I had another commitment, so they made it a girls’ trip. “Why’d you bring that up?”

“She told us you’d talked about getting a pet.” Clara takes a big slurp of something. “That you wanted a dog, and she wanted a cat, and you couldn’t agree.”

That’s more or less true. “I would have been happy with either, but yeah.”

“But then Miranda decided she didn’t wantanypets.” Caitlynn hiccups. “Shoulda been a sign she was no good.”

It’s probably not worth arguing when they’re like this. “Not her fault we wanted different things. And a pet would have made the breakup harder.”

“Eve has a cat!” blurts Clara. She sounds drunker than Caitlynn. “He’s here on my lap ‘cuz Camille’s taking care of Bratwurst while Eve is at a s?—”

“She’s busy,” Camille interrupts to a flutter of giggles from the others.

“I see.” A thin rope of guilt wraps itself around my chest. “Give her my regards.”

“Bratwurst is ahe,” insists Caitlynn. “But he’s missing his balls. Just has these little fuzzy nuts that are empty, I guess. Eve says he’s neutered.”

We need to move on from the subject of Eve. From anything forcing me to fib to my sisters. “Why did you ask about me getting a pet with Miranda?”

“You like dogs and catsboth,” insists Clara.

“I do.” Is there a point to this line of questioning?

“We were just wondering.” That’s Camille, the sober one in the bunch. “Why you wouldn’t just agree to the cat. If you like them and all?—”

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