QuarterLifeFling Read Online Free

our out-of-the-box approach to life.”
    “I wasn’t making fun of you,” I said quickly. “I’m just
surprised. And I know how it feels to constantly be told how well you’re doing,
how you’ve got such a good head on your shoulders and all that.”
    “Makes you want to do something really crazy, doesn’t it?”
    Whoa, he got me. I’d wanted to do something wild for
ages, but setting foot off the straight-and-narrow wasn’t all that easy no
matter how I yearned to let loose. First it had been grades and parental
approval, now it was all about making a good impression at the job. When did it
end?
    “I can’t even think what crazy thing I can get away with,” I
admitted.
    “Moonlight motorcycle ride?” Jude flashed me a quick grin,
hazel eyes dancing. “Naked?”
    “That might be good for a start.” I smiled back, knowing
full well he was joking. “But I don’t think I’m old enough to rent a
motorcycle.”
    “I have a Harley.”
    I sat up. “No fucking way. You have a Harley and you were
all jealous of my car? I’m jealous of you .”
    “No need for jealousy.” He sat up too, stretching his arms
over his head. “You can ride it any time you like. You wanna go tonight?”
    “Hell yes.” The words came straight from my heart, and it
was worth a lot to see his face light up. “Um, I don’t know about naked
though.”
    “We can play it by ear.” He grinned and stood up. “I’d
better get back to work, babe. I’ll see you tonight.”
    * * * * *
    Dinner couldn’t be over fast enough. I sat at a table near
the window with the other “young people” the receptionist had so kindly rounded
up. The girl sitting next to me was a trust-fund baby pre-detoxing before a
stint in a harsher rehab facility down in Southern California. The brunette
across the table had recently experienced a family death and was taking some
time off college to recover some emotional equilibrium.
    Fortunately, food arrived before we had to make much
conversation. The meal was just a little bit too skimpy for my liking—chicken
in some sort of tangy-sweet sauce, a handful of skinny fries, way too much
salad with cucumbers. I ate, listening to conversations flow around me. The
blonde trust-fund baby complained up a storm about the accommodations.
    Halfway through her diatribe, the brunette—her name was
Zara—rolled me a helpless look, and we both had to hide our grins behind our
forks. When the blonde got up halfway through the meal to use the bathroom,
Zara shook her head.
    “Finally, a break. I didn’t think the cabins were so bad.
There’s a rainforest shower and a Jacuzzi.”
    “Yeah, seems fine to me. Especially since a cleaner comes
during breakfast.” I ate the last bite of chicken, keeping my eyes peeled for
the trust-fund baby’s return. “You know, I don’t think she’s doing much detox
if she’s spending that long in the bathroom.”
    Zara giggled, mimicking the blonde’s accent. “Like, it’s pre -detox
so it’s totally okay. Anyhow, forget her. What’s your cabin number?”
    “Seven. You?
    “I’m in Two. Hey, you’re near that new pond that’s slated to
go in. Have you seen the landscaping guys? Dreamy.”
    I took a quick gulp of water. Seen them? I’ve had sex
with one of them! “Uh, yeah. Cute guys.”
    “Especially that one dude. I think his name is Salvador—I
overheard his friend talking to him.” Zara sighed, and I sat back in relief.
Not that I had any right to be jealous over what was effectively going to be a
four-night stand, but I couldn’t help my sudden possessive feelings. He was all mine for those four nights, dammit.
    “Why don’t you go and talk to him?” I suggested.
    “Me? Talk to him? I don’t know…” Zara shut her mouth as the
blonde returned, and we smirked at each other as the other girl began talking a
mile a minute again.
    Dessert consisted of melon slices. It was over mercifully
quickly. I walked Zara out before someone could rope me into guided