Page 67 of Emergence and Ascendance

She was right.

"Fine, but when this blows up in my face?—"

"I'll be there with wine and a shoulder to cry on, but it might not blow up. This might be exactly what you need."

"So now you’re an optimist?"

"My best friend is living out my fantasy. I'm experiencing this vicariously, so yes, I’m an optimist. Make it good."

"I'll try."

"Good. Now, let’s talk about this playroom. Are we talking kinky, freaky, nasty, or?—"

"Freaky yes, but classy too, if that even makes sense. Like modern freak meets contemporary home makeover, with restraints and butt plugs."

She laughed, hard.

"Of course it is. The man has taste but has he shown you what he can do with all those toys yet?"

"Tez!"

"Valid question."

"No, not yet." I lowered my voice even though I was alone. "But after what happened at Erogenous..."

"Girl, you are going to be turned the fuck out."

Already am…

"And he's lending me a car worth over a million dollars to drive while I’m here."

"Well shit, now I'm jealous. What kind of car?"

"Aston Martin. Custom. Limited edition."

"Damn, girl. You sure you only agreed to thirty days? Maybe he secretly negotiated sixty. Nah, never mind. He knows that pussy is all that.”

"Oh my God, please stop."

"I'm just saying, if the benefits package is this good..."

“Power of the pussy, friend,” I joked and we both fell out laughing. It felt good, and more importantly, normal, and right now I needed normal.

"Seriously though," Tezni said after we calmed down. "Are you okay?"

"I think so. Just processing."

"That's fair. It's a lot but don’t overthink this. Let yourself enjoy it because when was the last time you did something just because it felt good?"

Probably never…

But I didn’t say that. I just kept quiet but she knew me.

"Exactly," she said, translating my silence. "Live a little. Worst case scenario, you have mind-blowing sex with a gorgeous man for a month, drive his fancy car, and get help with your project."

"When you put it that way..."

"I'm a genius, I know. Call me anytime. Day or night. If it gets weird or you need an exit strategy, I'm here."

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