Page 1 of Instant Heat
1
RAELYN
"Shots. We need shots."
"Yes!"
My gaze flitted between my two best friends. "And why exactly do we need shots?"
"How else are you going to work up the nerve to pick up a guy tonight?" Lacy flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder and gave me a look that said 'well, duh.' Next to her, Briana nodded furiously, clearly agreeing.
I looked down at my t-shirt and jeans. Not only was I not in the mood to bat my eyelashes at a man, I wasn't dressed for it either. And to be completely honest, the situation with my ex-boyfriend had put me off men for a while.
A long, long while.
Sensing exactly where my mind had gone, Lacy reached over and squeezed my hand. "Come on, Rae, it's been months."
Nine months to be exact. But who was counting? A half-smile I knew looked as forced as it felt tugged at my lips. "I know, it's just—"
Before the words had time to form, Briana cut in, "No, Rae!" She waved her index finger from side to side. "No more excuses. We know this thing with Rob messed you up, but it's time to take control of your life."
Chewing on the inside of my cheek to keep my smile from spreading, I tried to keep my face straight when I asked, "And I need a man to do that?"
My friend's brows drew together, and she looked a bit annoyed. "No, silly. You need a man to give you a few toe-curling orgasms until you say:Rob who?"
"Yes! What she said," Lacy exclaimed.
"Of course." I nodded slowly. "And this obsession you guys have with my sex life is totally normal, right?"
It all started three months ago when the two of them decided—without even talking to me about it—that I needed to get laid. They've made it their sole mission in life to set me up on as many blind dates as they possibly could.
Not that I actually went on any.
I caught on to their shenanigans pretty early on, and would go along with whatever excuse they cooked up to get me to the bar or restaurant, only to leave almost immediately.
Still, they didn't stop.
"Rae." Briana's voice drew my attention. "We are worried about you." She leaned forward, her face deadly serious. "You know," she said with her lips pressed together as if she was about to divulge some secret. "Use it or lose it."
Laughter bubbled from the pit of my stomach and didn't stop coming until tears slid down my cheeks and my ribs ached. "Are you serious right now?" I managed while I tried to catch my breath.
"She has a point," Lacy added, her face solemn. "What if you forget how to do it."
"Oh my goodness." I shook my head in disbelief. "How much have the two of you had to drink?" My narrowed gaze flicked from one to the other. "I'm positive that I will not forget how to have sex."
Briana's slender shoulder rose and fell in a small shrug. "Only one way to find out." The competitive side of me stood up and took notice of the hint of challenge in her voice. "I'll bet you fifty bucks that you can't pick up a guy and leave with him."
"Oooooh, I want in on this." Lacy smacked her palm against the surface of the table.
"You have lost your damn minds."
Sitting up a bit straighter, Brie smiled sweetly before she said, "Okay, what about this: if you manage to leave with a guy tonight, we'll stop setting you up."
The smug look on both their faces had me saying,"You're on,"before my brain had time to comprehend this was probably a bad idea.
"Let's make this interesting." Lacy tapped a perfectly manicured finger against her chin. "Brie and I choose the guy." When I tilted my head and eyed her suspiciously, she added, "Oh come on, you know we actually want you to get laid. Besides, our douche-meter is a little more accurate than yours."
Ouch, that stung. She wasn't wrong, though. Brie and Lacy had hated Rob from the get-go. They'd said he'd been too smooth, but I'd been too smitten to listen.
