Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 100661 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100661 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Placing my hands behind my head, I spread my legs a little wider and closed my eyes.
Life was fucking great.
I wouldn’t change a thing.
THREE
mabel
“You said what to a total stranger?” My best friend and sister-in-law, Ari, glanced over at me from behind the wheel of her car. We were on our way to her cousin’s wedding—I was her date, since my brother Dashiel was out of town.
“I told him I’d never had good sex,” I repeated, cringing in the passenger seat.
She burst out laughing. “You didn’t!”
“Oh, it gets worse. I also told him I’d never had an orgasm with a guy, and I’d been faking it for years.”
“What?” Ari shrieked.
“Seriously, I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life. Then I told him—”
“Wait a minute, back up. Is that really true? Have you been faking it for years?”
I squirmed a little. “Yes.”
“Why didn’t you ever tell me that?”
“Because it’s embarrassing, okay? And I don’t like talking to you that much about sex because you’re married to my brother. I love that my best friend is now my sister, but there are just some details I don’t need.”
“But we can still talk about sex in a general way,” she countered. “I was your best friend way before I married Dash. You’ve really never had good sex?” She sounded both surprised and sad for me.
“It’s not like it’s been terrible,” I said, a little defensively. “I don’t have any trauma about it or anything. I just haven’t been with anyone who knew how to . . .” Put the puck in the net, I heard Joe Lupo say in my head. “To get the job done on my end.”
“It’s not a job, Mabel.”
“You know what I mean. And maybe it’s partly my fault.” I pulled down the visor in the passenger seat and used the mirror to apply my lip gloss. “I’m not good at saying what I want. I’m a talker in every other situation in life except that one. I get shy.”
“Well, in the future, I encourage you to speak up.” She laughed. “Just maybe not to strangers on a plane.”
“I thought I was gonna die, okay?” I flipped the visor back up and stuck my gloss back in my clutch. “All these things were running through my head that I wasn’t going to live to do. I was too distraught to think straight. I practically propositioned him!”
“Like you asked him to join the mile high club?”
“I’m guessing he’s already a member, but no. I just told him I’d never had a one-night stand with a hot stranger, and he made a joke about how it wasn’t off the table.”
“Are you sure it was a joke?”
“Definitely. Trust me, this guy was way out of my league. He just felt sorry for me.”
“Well, I’m sorry too. I know how much you hate to fly.” Ari turned into the parking lot next to the Chapel by the Sea. “What did he look like anyway?”
“Brown hair. Blue eyes. Great smile.” I’d been thinking about his face nonstop. “His nose was kind of crooked, and he had a scar on his lip, but he was gorgeous. The most gorgeous guy I’ve ever met.”
Pulling into an empty spot, she put the car in park. “Did you get his name?”
“Joe Lupo.”
“Hold on. Joe Lupo?” She grabbed my arm. “The hockey player?”
Surprised, I looked over at her. “He did mention being a hockey player. Do you know him?”
“Well, I’ve never met him, but I know who he is. He plays for Chicago, right? He’s a forward?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“It’s gotta be him. He’s from around here, and Dash knows his older brother Gianni. They were housemates at some point in L.A.” She started to laugh again. “You blurted those things out to Joe Lupo?”
“Don’t make it worse, Ari.” We got out of the car into the humid July heat and started walking toward the chapel steps, avoiding the puddles. It had rained off and on here today, and there was supposed to be another storm coming. “It was the most mortified I’ve ever been. I could not even look him in the eye afterward.”
“I’m sorry. But can I please tell Dash about this?”
“No! You can’t tell anybody! I just want to forget it ever happened. And I hope I never run into Joe Lupo again.” I lowered my voice as we entered the sanctuary, which was blissfully cool. “Now remind me whose wedding we’re at.”
“My cousin Lisa. She’s kind of annoying,” Ari whispered, “but she’s family, and my parents said I had to come and represent the DeLucas, since they’re on vacation. Thanks again for coming with me.”
“I don’t mind. Dressing up, cake, champagne . . . what’s not to love?” I picked up a program from a basket resting on a table just as an usher wearing a dark suit approached us.