Emery
Am I a bootycall?
What?
Emery
“You up” is something you ask when you want to fuck.
Really?
Emery
It doesn’t matter. Let’s preserve your innocence. I’m calling.
The phone rings in my hand, and I answer. “Hey.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I didn’t say anything was wrong,” I reply, but she knows me too well.
“But you were about to. So come on, spill.”
“London is stunning, but…”
“But?”
“I told the boss he could stay in the apartment with me.”
“What boss?”
“The big boss, Logan Valeur.”
“Logan Valeur? Are you serious? What’s he doing in London with you? Don’t tell me you invited him or something.”
“No. Yes. Well, not exactly.” I summarize the chain of events and hear Emery snicker.
“Let me get this straight. He showed up at the same apartment, offered to leave and let you stay even though it’s hisapartment, and you said, ‘No, stay here, I’m practically begging you to fire me. Please terrify me into quitting’?”
“Yeah, more or less.” Hearing it put that way, I realize how absurd it sounds. “But at the moment, it seemed like the right thing to do.”
“Even if you don’t lay eyes on him, won’t be there when he is, and everything appears to be working out fine, how do you plan to invite a hot British guy over with Logan around? What if he shows up just as you begin to…you know?”
“Shit, that didn’t cross my mind. But the handsome Brit must have his own place, right? We could go to his.”
“Are you serious? What if he’s some kind of Jeffrey Dahmer, and he chops you up and keeps you in a jar in his room?”
“Emery…” I chuckle.
“What? It’s a valid concern. I wouldn’t even know how to call the London police if something happened to you.” She pauses and gasps. “Hold on. What if Logan is secretly a murderer himself? He might dismember you and dissolve you in the bathtub, just like in that TV show, then it’ll all seep down into the apartment below, and that’s how they’ll discover?—”
“Emery!”
“What?”
“I don’t need nightmares. I won’t be able to sleep at all.”
“You’re not supposed to sleep at night. Remember? We agreed you were going to find yourself a fling in London. A one-night stand, something wild and satisfying. You need it. It’s been too long since you’ve dated anyone. I’m worried that Johnny’s betrayal has been lingering in your mind.”