Page 43 of Man Cuffed
Even I feel a twinge in my gut at this moment. I don’t even have a name for the way this whole scene makes me feel.
Above me, Meg looks absolutely triumphant. And the applause is deafening. She climbs down a moment later, beaming. “Did you see the whole thing?” she squeals. “It was magic!”
“Saw some,” I tell her. And the security guard has finally wised up and moved on. That fool is probably looking for someone else to bother.
Meg leaps to the ground and grabs me into a hug.
Goddammit, her hugs are gonna kill me. Today she smells like strawberries, roses, and every lustful thought I’ve ever had in my whole life. I step back, trying to keep my hunger off my face. “The music sounded great,” I say, just to keep things normal.
“I know!” She claps her hands. “But it was more than just a performance. It was a big moment in somebody’s life. And I made that. I’mhooked, Copper. I’m going to see if Aubrey wants to do more of these.”
“Lookout, world,” I say with an uneasy laugh. If she does more of these, we’re going to have to have a chat about warning the security personnel. “I’d better get back to work.”
“What are you doing here, anyway?” she thinks to ask.
“Just in the neighborhood.”
“Great to see you.” She gives me a flirty smile and darts away.
Just in the neighborhood. That’s my general issue with Meg. She is literally my closest neighbor. I can’t get away from her.
And I really don’t want to.
12The Erotic Version of the Star Wars Trash Compactor Scene
Meg
“Oh, can’t you stay just a bit longer?” I whine. I’m drinking wine and whining at the same time, so everything is sorta rhyming and in perfect balance.
“I have to go,” Cassidy sighs. “My Lyft is one minute away, and I have a plan to surprise Greg by dropping by tonight.”
“But what about my needs?”
For the past hour, we’ve been celebrating on my little deck. By celebrating, I mean drinking cheap champagne and watching the moon rise. The moon is perfect tonight—full and golden. And although champagne gives me a headache, it tastes celebratory.Here’s to making a hefty sack of change! Here’s to flash mobs! Here’s to my new business ideas!
“We’ve toasted everything but world peace, and it’s barely eight o’clock,” she says. “And this is my last chance to see Greg before he goes out of town.”
“Wait.” I grab Cassidy’s knee. “Is tonight The Night?”
“I dunno.” She stands up and shakes off my hand, which I was basically using to hold her down. “Maybe.”
“Did you wear sexy underwear?” I pry.
She bites her lip. “So what if I did?”
“Oh, honey. Don’t sleep with him just because you’re wearing lingerie that has to be hand-washed. Make sure he’s worth it.”
“Get out of my brain,” she complains. “I hate hand-washing silk. And we’ve already been on three dates.”
I laugh out loud. “But you seem about as physically drawn to him as you are in fucking your tax return.”
“Well, that’s apropos because heisan accountant,” she says. “I mean on paper he’s perfect. Handsome. Educated. Good family. Rich…”
“And…?” I wait for her to admit the truth.
“Fine—incredibly boring. There’s no passion there. We’ve kissed and his lips were cold. Actually cold! Like a pickled fish.”
“See?” I bellow, maybe a little loudly.Hello, champagne. “Do not sleep with him! Tonight is not the night to say,make dirty love to me. Because I don’t think he’s capable of it. Tonight is the night you sayta ta for now, pickle.”
