Page 53 of Peasants and Kings
“Can we talk? I need someone to—”
“Give me five minutes, I’ll come to your suite. Order coffee, I’m dying.”
I let out a laugh. “Rough night, Tiff?”
“Rougher than yours, no doubt,” she quipped.
Tiffany knocked a few minutes after I hung up with room service. I hadn’t bothered to change out of my robe.
Even though Tiffany was gorgeous, she wasn’t spared from looking like she’d been up all night after being with a client.
She was dressed in a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, her damp blonde hair braided down her back. “Is it okay if I lay on your couch until the coffee arrives? I’m barely able to stand upright.”
“Have at it,” I said. “Is that why you didn’t bother heading back to your condo?”
“Yup. Besides, I don’t know what the hotel mattresses are made of, but there’s something magical about them.” She dropped onto the couch and spread out like she owned it.
“How was it?” she asked softly. “Really?”
“I thought we weren’t allowed to talk about it,” I evaded, despite wanting to tell her everything.
“You’re allowed to talk about your feelings. No one has to know any details. Whatever you say stays between us.”
“I know.” I smiled. “That’s why I called you.”
“Talk fast,” she commanded. “I’m exhausted. I doubt I’ll even make it until they bring coffee. After I nap, I plan on taking a steam and getting a massage.”
“That sounds like heaven,” I admitted. I paused and then confessed, “I enjoyed myself.”
Her aquamarine eyes turned bright with interest. “That’s great. Really.”
I nodded. “Yeah. It wasn’t—he wasn’t—what I was expecting. In a good way.”
“Clearly. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you look like you got good and fucked.”
“Tiffany.” I laughed.
She giggled. “Well, it’s true. You look relaxed.”
“Is it weird that I don’t feel ashamed?” I asked her. “I mean, aren’t I supposed to feel that way?”
“Says who? Society? Prudes?”
“Yeah.” I frowned. “I guess I’m just trying to rationalize not feeling how I thought I was going to feel.”
“Odd, isn’t it?”
“Very,” I agreed.
We fell into silence for a moment and then she asked, “Anything else you’re trying to wrap your mind around?”
“I liked him.”
“And you wouldn’t mind seeing him again?” she guessed.
I nodded eagerly.
“Let me give you a piece of advice.Don’tsee him again. Even if he asks for you, say no. He was your first client. And I’m guessing he was good in bed based on how slow you’re walking. You like him. You enjoyed him. Let it be that and nothing more. If you see him again, it will get complicated. Trust me.”
