“Well that’s too bad, because I had a similar night myself.” She confessed with a cheeky grin.

My eyebrows shot up. “Yeah? You did?”

She nodded. “And the guy I hooked up with just so happens to be a regular there. I’ve got two more tickets to go tonight, if you want to see him again…”

“No, no, I can’t,” I told her, shaking my head. “Besides, I’m sure he doesn’t want to see me again. Like I said, this was a one-off. I shouldn’t go back.”

She rolled her eyes. “Is that really how you feel? Or are you just nervous?”

“It’s… really how I feel.” I lied. Well, mostly lied. I really didn’t think I should go back. That part was the truth. Going back would be tempting fate, setting myself up for disappointment.

After all, he didn’t seem like the kind of man who dated seriously. Or, rather, who would date me seriously. He felt almost… out of my league.

Not that I had low self-esteem or anything because I definitely didn’t, but he was rich. He owned one of the most popular clubs around. He drove a Maserati.

I was sipping homemade coffee out of a generic mug while I rushed to finish my romance novel.

“Come on, Harlow,” she gave me a hopeful, knowing look. “They’re guaranteed entry. We absolutely have to go.”

“I don’t think so. Sorry, Liza, but I mean… it just doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

“Really?” She raised an eyebrow and looked over at my laptop, which was sitting next to her on the couch. “So, how many words did you get done this morning?”

“Not… many,” I half-shrugged, trying to lie.

Again, she read me like a book. “Oh yeah?” She reached over and grabbed the laptop. I went to get it from her, but she jerked it back too quickly and opened it up.

She gave me a cheeky grin. “This looks like kind of a lot, Harlow… a lot of sex, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Okay, fine.” I blushed and grabbed it out of her hands. “Maybe I did get a lot done this morning. I was feeling productive. Inspired. So what?”

“So this is good for you,” she argued. “Harlow, seriously, think about it. You told me you’ve been struggling lately, that words haven’t been flowing like they used to. Don’t you think that might be because you spend every damn night here at home… alone?”

“I don’t think that necessarily means anything.” I didn’t meet her gaze this time, though. Because maybe she did have a point, regardless of how reluctant I might be to admit it.

“Let’s just be real about it,” she said. “Where do you think that inspiration you were feeling this morning came from? Not from just sitting here, I can promise you that. This sex scene,” she nodded toward the screen, “was because of that guy you met. It was because of last night. That’s pretty obvious, right? I mean… surely you can admit that.”

“I guess,” I muttered. “Maybe it was because of last night.”

“Perfect. Then it’s settled. We are both going again tonight. And if you run into hot-ass Axel, so be it.”

I wanted to protest, to tell her I definitely was staying in and writing tonight. After all, it was clear I already had enough inspiration to last me a while. But her words resonated with me.

She was right.

Going out had done me some good. Maybe—just maybe—I should follow her advice on this one, just to see where it might lead.

Probably nowhere, if I was being honest with myself. Maybe it would be fun to find out.

And if it so happened to work out in my favor, I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing Axel again.

I’d go out tonight because she was insisting. She had two tickets, after all. It would be rude to let one go to waste…

Seeing Axel again would just be a bonus. Definitely not something I was planning for. Just a bonus.

A nice, hot, sexy bonus.

Chapter 7 - Diesel