so sorry. No wonder you were so freakin’ depressed you bought my cherry. I mean, only a person so in-the-pits depressed would bid an amount like that.”
He looked at her. She smiled at him teasingly.
“Are you always like this?”
“What?”
“So quick-witted.”
“Yeah? Thanks. It’s one of my quirks that always gets me in trouble with the press.”
“I can imagine. Your publicist must be having a nightmare every time. Like mine.”
She giggled. “But come to think of it. Had you not lost, you wouldn’t have made that bid. And we wouldn’t be lying here under the most beautiful starlit skies drinking wine blended by you.”
“What do you Americans call it?”
“A blessing in disguise.”
He nodded, then he extended his hand toward her. “Come here.” He patted his lap.
She transferred to his lap, finding the position quite familiar now. How easy it was to get used to these things with him. He was so big she could use him as a bed. He was all firm muscles but their limbs could intertwine in positions as if they were just one body, their warmth seeping into each other’s skin. Just heavenly. He felt like a sanctuary.
God, she couldn’t stop waxing poetic.
She could probably write an entire album after this experience. Nope, no heartbreak lyrics this time but smoking sexy lines and chill tunes that could be used by couples as background music while making love. That would be something new from her.
“My publicist called me. We’re in the cover of the rags,” he said.
“Yes. Nusha called me, too.”
Silence.
“I’m sorry, cara ,” he said quietly.
“For what?”
“For crashing your presscon.”
“Are you kidding me? If you hadn’t, I won’t be having the most awesome time of my life right now. No regrets.”
“Really?”
“Really. After I auctioned my cherry, I’ve been the toast of the rags ten times over. Naturally, they’d follow the outcome of my insanity to the last bit. I expected it.”
“Insanity.”
“Yes. Double insanity. Like who would bid 50 million dollars for an overripe cherry? Only you.”
“Overripe.” He chuckled.
“Overripe, overdue, overrated.”
“Definitely not overrated.”
“It was. When I first wore the purity ring, I was heralded as a role model for the youth. When I went past 18 without losing my cherry, they lauded my sense of morality and I even represented a republican senator in his campaign and he won. But when I had my first boyfriend at age 18—”
“Eighteen? What did you do in high school?”
“I was a really late bloomer, and I was in home school. Blame my overprotective parents and my demanding career. It was hard to have a relationship when you were being chased by the paparazzi everywhere. I was terrified I’d end up in the tabs in a compromising situation and I’d look ugly in it and it would be archived on the net forever.”
He laughed. “I doubt if you have any ugly pictures out there. There’s no ugly part of you.”
“You’re such a great liar, you know that?”
“I speak the truth.”
“I have ugly toes. They’re a bit webbed.”
“They are not.”
She raised her foot. “Look. The second and middle toes.”
“Where?”
She wiggled her toes. “See that? They’re stuck together almost halfway.”
He grunted and pulled her foot toward his face and sucked her big toe.
She yelped, giggling. “That is so gross!”
He let go of her foot. “You’re beautiful from head to toe.”
Oh God, please, make him shut up on those compliments. No ex of hers had ever complimented her toes before. They were always trying to grab her ass and breasts.
“Go on,” he prodded.
“Oh, as I was saying, when I turned eighteen, they began a countdown.”
“What countdown?”
“On who will pluck my cherry. Every guy I dated was expected to be the one to… you know.”
“But no one of them did.”
“That was when people started ridiculing my cherry.”
“Why?”
“My second ex gave an interview to