Chapter Seventeen

Meg had managed to spend the rest of the weekend occupied, one way or another. Despite a stern talking to herself that she needed to cut back, she’d fallen into bed with Sam more times than she cared to think about. And not just the bed, she had serious doubts her ‘fuck me sandals’ as Sam had named them, would ever recover from the half hour they spent in the shower. Sam said he would buy her another pair; it was a small price to pay to live out a fantasy. She loved the idea of being his fantasy shower fuck. He had said she was also his fantasy face fuck—just how many fantasies did he have left to play out with her?

The ringing doorbell brought her musings to a halt. She checked her watch. Two already, Laura was right on time. Opening the front door, she let her in. “Coffee?’

Laura dumped her bag and a folder on the kitchen table. “Sure. Where’s Sam?”

“He’s at work.”

“Shame, I hoped he give us a repeat performance.”

“He hasn’t wanked lately.”

Laura put her hands on her hips and raised any eyebrow. “Since when? Don’t tell me I missed the boat and he found someone to screw around with.” Laura smiled at her. “Is she someone I know?”

“I am not discussing Sam’s private life with you.” She could feel heat rising to her cheeks and turned her attention to coffee making.

Laura sighed. “Shame, but it’s probably for the best. We need to concentrate on getting this business up and running before we’re both eating out of garbage bins at the back of restaurants.”

Meg hesitated; she didn’t want to quash Laura’s enthusiasm. She hadn’t spent Sunday just reevaluating her relationship with Sam and deciding she could live with things the way they were. She’d also reconsidered the business idea. The whole venture was stupid. Knowing their luck, it would all go pear shaped. “I’ve been thinking about that. I’m not sure we’re cut out for the corporate world. Maybe we should try another pitch for Wonder Bites.”

Laura grinned at her. “Too late. Bob hated your latest effort. He said you couldn’t sell condoms to hookers.”

“What effort? I never made another pitch.”

“Sure you did. ‘Wonder Bites, like cardboard, only crunchy.’”

Meg could feel her blood pressure rising. How dare Laura take away the only option for work still open to her? She would never come up with anything so stupid. “That was your crappy jingle.”

“I know that and you know that, but Bob doesn’t. I knew you’d get cold feet so I made sure you wouldn’t have an out. Now hurry up, our first candidate will be here at three, and we need to get organized.”

She fisted her hands and ground her teeth. Laura didn’t have the right to make choices on her behalf. “How dare you, Laura. I’m a grown woman and I make my own choices.”

“Sure you do.” Laura smiled sweetly at her. “And going into business with me is the best choice you ever made.”

No matter what she did or said, Laura would never understand she had overstepped the mark. This had better work out or their friendship would be over. Meg couldn’t afford to be out of a job.

Meg poured two cups of coffee from the percolator, added milk and sugar, and carried them to the table. “What candidate were you talking about? We don’t even have a business plan, or a name.”

“Male Order.”

“What?”

“Our business name. Male Order. Men who can help you sort your life out, you know like get things in order, and men you can order.”

“Prostitutes, you mean? We agreed no sex.”

Laura glared at her. “You agreed no sex, but sex is integral to the niche market we’re targeting, and they’re called lifestyle advisors.”

Meg sighed. Apparently Laura planned to go ahead with or without her. Now she had no job what else did she have to do? She would play along until she got a new position and pray to God no one hired anyone for sex. “I still don’t like the sex thing.”

Laura patted her hand. “Girlfriend, this is not some sleazy business where we pimp women on street corners or pay men to make out in bus shelters. Besides, not every woman will want sex. We’re just offering them the option.”

Meg tried to convince herself the idea wasn’t so bad. The occasional sexual encounter that made someone happy was hardly armed robbery. Was what she and Sam did so different? Okay, she wasn’t paying Sam, but they didn’t have a lasting monogamous relationship. They were having a mutually beneficial fuck. Was paying someone worse? “So, where do we go from here?”

Laura grinned at her. “That’s my girl.” She glanced at the hard timber kitchen chair. “Have you got a cushion I can sit on?”

“Sure. Why?” Meg passed her a pillow from the sofa.

“Don’t ask. Okay, well if you insist. When I got home on Saturday I found Gerard had turned up.”

“Did you get caught in a fight between your men?”

“Not exactly. I thought the flat was empty. Then I heard noises from the bedroom. I figured Dean was in there waiting for me.”

“And?”

“He was in there but he had found a way to amuse himself.”

“Oh, Laura, I’m so sorry. He had another woman in your bed?”

“Not a woman. Gerard.”

Meg stared at her, lost for words. She couldn’t even imagine how she would react if she walked in and found her boyfriends going for it in her bed, not that she had any boyfriends. Laura must be devastated. Floods of tears were probably imminent. “Did you kick them to the curb?”

Laura took a seat, opened her bag and pulled out a cigarette. “Not on your life, hun. They invited me to join in and now I am aching all over. I never tried two at once before, but now I’m not sure I can ever go back to one at a time. There is nothing like getting fucked both ends at once.”

Meg sat in stunned silence. She was worried about Sam dumping her for another woman when he got bored with screwing her, and Laura sat there telling her she had been bonking two men at once all weekend. A vision of Sam and Michael Monaghan in bed with her came to mind and she groaned. No way would she ever go there. Maybe she was more of a prude than she knew. Her mother would be so proud.

Comfortably settled, Laura opened the folder and ran through her ideas. She had done more work than Meg had expected. A pile of flyers sat on the table, along with business cards and a pricing policy. Laura seemed to think they could charge a thousand dollars for a night of sex. Their cut could be as high as two hundred and fifty each but she couldn’t sway Meg. The flyers emphasized the sex more than she liked. Laura agreed to take the semi-naked men off the front and tone down the service description. When a knock rang out they both jumped.

Laura got to her feet. “I’ll get it. I expect it’s our first candidate.”

“Who is he?”

Without answering, Laura crossed the lounge and threw the door open.

Dressed in figure hugging black jeans and skin tight white t-shirt, he wandered into her flat like he lived there. He grinned as he sauntered through to the kitchen. “Maggie Riley, as I live and breathe. Imagine seeing you again. So, is this your little love nest?”

Could life get any worse? Michael Monaghan. What was Laura thinking?