Lucille and Noah were drunk, and they were two of the happiest drunks Perdie had ever seen in her life. The trio was seated in a corner booth of one of Perdie’s favorite brunch spots on the main strip of Sullivan’s Island, the Smokewood Café.
Perdie was packing away her stacks of color-coded notes from her discussion with Noah as a server came out with tin trays of burnt ends, barbecued chicken thighs, smoked pork shoulder, homemade sweet pickles, fried okra, cheesy grits, and deep-fried mac-and-cheese balls. On a crisp, chilly afternoon, Charleston comfort food simply could not be beat.
As was custom for Perdie and Lucille, they’d started with many rounds of drinks well before ordering food. This gave Perdie and Noah ample time to discuss the case. Although only Lucille and Noah were partaking in the drinks, since Perdie was acting as designated driver. Oh, and hired legal counsel, of course.
Noah was a surprisingly easy client in terms of communicating complicated material, and this was a huge asset in Perdie’s eyes. He had a serious yet concise way of describing the most esoteric concepts, even while he was sucking down the Smokewood Café’s famous frozen pineapple and bourbon drink, the Mind Melder. Perdie was lucky she got what she needed before he and Lucille were both inevitably too drunk for coherence.
She’d also been furtively checking her phone the entire time, but Carter hadn’t texted since they’d hung up. It was probably for the best as she’d needed to concentrate on Noah anyway. But they were done with business stuff. Now they were onto barbecue stuff.
“So, Noah.” Lucille stabbed a fist-sized chicken thigh with her fork. “How’d you get into neurogenetics anyway? You always dream of being a neurogenitician when you were a little kid?”
Noah’s eyes were heavy, his long, dark lashes lowered from so much alcohol, and his lips were curled faintly upwards. He gazed up at Lucille. “No, I don’t believe I knew what neurogenetics were as a child. I never was allowed a wide scope of exploration when I was young.”
“No? That’s so depressing.” Lucille twirled the little hairs sticking out of one of her space buns. With her shiny jet-black hair, the spray of freckles across her nose, and the bright red wool crewneck sweater fitted on her petite body, Noah didn’t stand a chance.
Then Noah’s voice surprised her. “I grew up in...well, something similar to a cult.”
Perdie choked on her sweet tea.
Lucille’s eyes went wide. “Oh my god. Was it a weird sex cult?”
Perdie rested a hand on Noah’s forearm. “As your acting counsel, you don’t have to answer that. Lucille, shut up.”
Noah shook his head and waved a hand. “No, it’s fine, I don’t mind talking about it. It was very rural. There wasn’t a lot of opportunity for conducting scientific research, which is why I only discovered my life’s passion later on in life. After breaking away.”
Lucille frowned. “Breaking away? What about your family?”
Noah methodically sliced through a fried mac-and-cheese ball before answering. “We don’t speak anymore. It’s unfortunate but inevitable. I pursued my education, which I wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise. Sacrifice is a part of life, and we don’t get to choose into which family we are born.” He forked a chunk of mac and cheese into his mouth before continuing. “I have a very skilled therapist.”
Lucille hiccupped. “I sell flowers,” she blurted out.
Perdie’s head was ping-ponging between them, interested in what might happen next.
A slow smile spread across Noah’s face. “A florist? Why did you choose that profession?”
Lucille leaned in close with a somber air. “Because I hate everything else,” she whispered. They both stared at each other before breaking into laughter.
Perdie laughed as well. It was cute, but it was like she was in the middle of weirdo mating season. She took the distraction to check her phone.
P: Waiting on you, Pretty Boy...
C: Heading home from golf now. How’s three o’clock at Palmetto Coffee?
P: You know my price of admission. One dick pic, please.
C: You owe me some answers first.
P: I know your full set of terms and as discussed, I have agreed. Proceed with your questions and I shall provide you with answers. Then you’re gonna send me a you-know-what of your you-know-who.
C: Unlimited questions?
P: I’ll give you three.
C: Deal. But you have to be honest. I’m almost back.
Perdie rubbed her hands together in anticipation, and looked up to see both Lucille and Noah staring at her. “What?”
Lucille nodded. “This is about Carter. She’s got it bad.”
Perdie’s jaw dropped. “Lucille.”
Noah was unperturbed. “He’s assigned to my case as well, correct?”
Lucille slapped him on the arm. “That’s right. It’s like one of those legal dramas where everyone is super sexy.”
Noah nodded sagely. “He does indeed look like a movie star.”
On a reflex, Perdie snapped, “Oh fuck off.” Then her eyes went wide. Noah was her friend, but she would be wise not to push the boundaries of civility directly after he had signed on as her client.
But Noah wasn’t offended. In fact, he laughed, shaking his head. “Can I confess something to you both?” The color in his cheeks was high from the liquor, and merriment danced in his eyes.
Perdie shrugged. “Of course. Just nothing illegal, okay? I can’t know about that stuff. I’m not that kind of lawyer.”
Noah leaned back in his chair, setting down his utensils. “You’re the first friends I’ve made since I moved here two years ago.”
Perdie’s face softened. Noah was kind of a teddy bear deep down.
Lucille reached out to rub his arm. “Aww, sweetie, that’s so nice. But sad. But nice.” Her hand went from rubbing to squeezing in a matter of seconds. “Wow, do you work out?”
Perdie shook her head at her friend’s shamelessness. “You don’t have roommates or anything, huh? Why’d you buy such an enormous house?”
Noah glanced down, blushing, as he rubbed his eyebrows. “Call it optimism. I’ve always wanted a big family.”
Perdie raised a brow. “In like a culty way?”
“No, in an I’ve always wanted to be a dad kind of way.”
Lucille was staring at Noah with an inscrutable expression now, but she quickly turned her gaze, grabbing a drink menu. “Another round?” she asked, her voice high.
Perdie’s phone lit up. She pushed out her chair, grabbing the phone. “If you don’t mind, I have to check something for work. Going to run to my car for a few. Order as much as you want...on me. Get the banana pudding, you won’t regret it.”
Perdie shuffled off through the gravel parking lot to wait on Carter. Ridiculous to sneak away but also she was grateful she’d parked in a lonely corner facing a wall, so no one could see her.
Why are you so concerned about being seen, P?
She blushed as she seated herself in the driver’s seat. What kind of salacious things would he ask her? He had a penchant and, let’s be honest, talent for dirty talk. Her stomach flipped in anticipation, and she retrieved her phone from her bag to text him.
C: You there?
P: Waiting...
Her phone lit up. A video call. Again she panicked. A regular phone call she had come to terms with, but now a video call?
Something new every damn time.
She checked herself in the rearview mirror first. Her hair had dried in natural dark waves and she’d donned a tight, thin turtleneck tucked into a pair of black skinny jeans.
With a big inhale, she accepted the call and had to blink twice when the sight of a live action Carter appeared on her screen.
“Are you in a parking lot?” he asked as he made his way through a modern apartment, opening the door to an enormous white bathroom.
“Are you in a bathroom?”
“I’m all sweaty.” He reached behind his head and pulled off his long-sleeve shirt, his broad but sculpted chest completely bare. She could see him working off his out-of-picture pants as well.
“Oh my god, we’re getting right down to business aren’t we?”
He flashed a smile, speaking casually. “So, I used to surf a lot...”
He stepped into the shower, and suddenly her view of him expanded so she could see his entire naked torso. He had set the phone on a shelf in the shower.
“What are you doing?” she mumbled.
He turned the silver faucet handle, sending a stream of water over his head. “Which is why I have a waterproof phone case.”
“You’re joking. You can’t shower right now.” She bit her lip and craned her head in a futile effort to see past the dip of his hips cut off by the black frame of her phone screen. “That is so rude.”
“A rinse. No big deal. I have to look pretty tonight for our date.”
“Don’t call it a date. Date sounds so...” Her words trailed off as she caught sight of him wetting his hair, his biceps flexed, and the length of his happy trail bobbed lower on the screen. He turned his head to the side under the stream of water and chuckled at her entranced face.
“See? I have to use all the tools in my arsenal to keep you honest during our impending interrogation.”
“If you show me your tool I’ll be as honest as you want.” She stared unabashedly, but shook her head, snapping herself out of it. She waved her hand. “I only have a few minutes, so hit me with it.”
She struggled to keep her eyes on his face when he grabbed an expensive bar of soap and began rubbing it over his forearm, then moving up the length of his biceps and over his left pec muscle.
“My first question is a tough one, so it’s okay if you crack under the pressure. I’m an extremely skilled litigator.” He scraped a hand through his hair, letting the water rinse out the shampoo. They weren’t even physically together, but the experience was acutely intimate. Even through the screen she could see the playful glint in his eye.
She cocked her head. “I can take it, Counsellor.”
“What is...” he paused, rolling his neck so a stream of water could run down his shoulder “...your favorite color?”
Perdie let out a laugh. “That’s what you want to ask me?” She looked up at the ceiling of her car, then back to Carter. “Okay, I actually do have one.”
“And?”
She lifted a shoulder. “It’s fuchsia.”
“Fuchsia?”
“You know, like a saturated, bright pink?”
He stretched an arm behind his neck. “Like the color of your toenails the first night we met?”
Perdie’s jaw dropped. “You absolute freak. How do you remember that?”
“I’m smart. I went to Harvard.”
“Oh fuck off. Next question.”
“And Yale,” he muttered, wiping water from his eyes. “Fine, the first one was too easy. But I’ve lulled you into a false sense of security. Next one is really tough. Ready?”
“Carter.”
He smiled. “If you were an animal, what animal would you be?”
Perdie giggled again. “Wow. So easy. Bananas, my pug, of course.”
“Learning something new. I didn’t even know you had a pug. Does he snore?”
“Is that your third question?”
“No, it’s an addendum. Question 2b.”
She bit back a smile as she let her eyes trail over the hard lines of his body, the carved vee of his lower abdomen. “Yes, he snores like a buzz saw. I share joint custody with my roommate, Lucille.”
“And you have a roommate.” He caught sight of her gaze and scraped the soap down his happy trail, rubbing the washboard of his abs with his hand.
She let out a huff of air. “We can’t all buy four-thousand-square-foot colonials on our own. Lucille...she’s my best friend. Sister, really. Soul mate. Love of my life. I’d live with her no matter how much money I make. And I’d gruesomely murder anyone who hurt her. Seriously. Decapitation.”
He nodded gravely. “Now I know who I have to impress. And who not to piss off.”
Carter reached to turn off the water, and then suddenly came into close view as he retrieved his phone and stepped out of the shower, toweling his shoulder and neck before tucking the towel low on his hips.
Perdie bit her lip, only getting a partial view of his actions, her brain filling in the blanks.
He hopped up onto the expansive white marble counter in his bathroom, the image of his torso obscured by the steamed-up mirror behind him. She wished it would clear up so she could admire the 360-degree view. And also those tattoos...
His voice brought her back to the task at hand. “Last question.”
“Last question, and then you drop the fucking towel.” Her words came out terser than intended.
A smile played on his lips. “And then we go on a date.”
“Ugh, leave it to two lawyers to construct such complicated rules of engagement.”
“Last question.” He ran his fingers through his hair, then shook it into place. He leveled his gaze. “Why won’t you admit you have feelings for me?”
Perdie’s eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Then, thinking fast, she gave him a sultry look. “I do admit to having feelings towards you. Sexy ones. And steamy ones. And naked ones.”
“Objection, your honor. Illegal wordplay.”
She paused and laughed a little to herself. “Fine. I can’t admit that I like you because...” She glanced out the window. “Because... I think no matter what, once you really get to know me, I’ll do nothing but disappoint you.” The words startled even her.
His eyebrows knitted together. “Why would you think something like that?”
Despite herself, she thought about the last few days ignoring Carter and the relief when he’d responded to her texts earlier. Her heart thumped. “Because it’s thrilling chasing someone. And it’s thrilling sneaking around in the office. And it’s thrilling playing these games. But at the end of the day, I’m a flawed person like anyone else. Except I’m not willing to change. People find it very frustrating about me.”
He rubbed his chin. “Nothing about what you’re saying scares me.”
She leaned back, pushing against the seat of the car. “Look, my mom wasn’t around very much when I was a kid, and when she was, she wasn’t about to waste her time on me. I was messy and disorganized and overly sensitive.”
“Sounds like a normal kid,” said Carter.
Perdie sat in contemplation. “You wanna know why my favorite color is fuchsia? When I was eight years old my mother trained as a personal color consultant. Do you know what that is?”
Carter shook his head.
“It was this popular thing in the eighties where a consultant would drape you with different colored fabrics to see which colors suited you best, and then the grouping of those fabrics determined your ‘season.’” She held up her free hand to make air quotes. “Well, my mom got into it late. And she did my colors.”
He laughed. “Don’t keep me in suspense. What’s your season?”
“Bright winter, but that’s not the point. The point is, it was one of the few things she did with me. I never forgot it. Afterwards she gave me a swatch of my best colors. And thirty years later, I still only wear the colors on that swatch. I have it in my purse right now.” She dug into her handbag and pulled out the tattered packet of colors. “This is how little I’m willing to change. Completely unadaptable. Stuck in my ways, and I didn’t have anyone to teach me how to be any better than that. So...”
“You think that’s going to scare me off?”
She sighed. “You said so yourself. You’re a rule follower, Carter. You followed the yellow brick road and it took you to Yale and Harvard and a white-glove defense firm. I barely graduated law school. Half the people at Joy and Schulz can’t even stand me. They think I’m a huge bitch. And you know what? They’re right. I’m fighting tooth and nail for a sliver of recognition that maybe I don’t even deserve. Everyone likes you a hundred times more than me already, and you barely even had to try. You naturally give people what they want. It’s like your secret talent or something. Your secret weapon. God knows it’s working on me.” She lowered her lashes at that last line. Her heart was beating fast after sharing so much about herself. She wasn’t used to doing that with anyone but Lucille.
His voice was quiet. “Is it? Is it working on you?”
She bit her lower lip, breathing in deep and silent for a long stretch. But the silence between them was loud. She lifted her gaze. “It’s time.”
He tilted his head, face innocent. “Time for what?”
She stretched her free hand over her head grabbing onto the headrest and smiled. “Time to fulfill the second clause of our oral agreement.”
The side of his mouth curled up. Then he gave a brief incline of his head. “Lift up your shirt first and give me a peek. I wanna put forth my best showing and I need some encouragement. Are you going to screenshot this?”
“Maybe.” She glanced out both side windows, ensuring privacy, before pulling up the hem of her shirt, revealing one side of her lacy fuchsia balconette.
His breathing grew more ragged. “Pull it down, a little bit...do it for me...show me a little bit more...”
Her finger climbed up the lacy top line, and then she hooked it into the bra and yanked down the material to expose her nipple. The crisp air in her car heightened the intense tingling of her skin.
Out of view of the camera, she could tell his hand was starting to move in his lap, his lids growing heavy. When she flicked the taut point of her nipple with her finger, he let out a groan, his hand moving faster.
“Carter...”
But he was staring at her too intently on the screen to respond.
“Carter.”
“What?”
She licked her lips. “Angle the camera down.”
“Oh...”
Her chest went tight when the camera lowered to his leisurely stroking hand, a thick, heavy cock encased inside. Of course it was huge, she’d touched it before, but it was also so perfectly formed. Mostly straight but with a slight curve and well proportioned, pink but ruddy and swollen with blood, one vein trailing up the shaft, similar to the veins crawling up Carter’s muscular forearms. He stroked it slowly, patiently...in no rush at all... Her mouth began to water.
Could a dick be sexy? Like really sexy? Because somehow Carter’s dick managed it.
She swallowed, attention glued to the screen. “Okay, amendment to the second clause. Will accept the real thing in lieu of dick pic. Later today.” A thrill ran through her at the thought.
Carter lifted the screen, his hand still working below. She almost protested but kept her mouth shut. “I am...agreeable to this amendment.”
With the realization that her shirt was still up, and her hand was hooked into her bra, she slowly tugged the hem down, clearing her throat and straightening up. Jesus Christ she had really forgotten herself in the moment.
She almost jumped when a message popped up on her screen, pausing her view of Carter.
L: OMG P, HAVE YOU BEEN ABDUCTED BY ALIENS? PS WE ATE ALL THE BANANA PUDDING PPS I ORDERED MORE BANANA PUDDING
She closed out of the message, returning to Carter. “Shit, I lost track of time. I’ve got to get back to brunch.” She let her head fall against the headrest in pure frustration, but then she straightened again. “I will see you very soon.”
He gave her a nod. “See you soon.”
When Perdie returned to the inside corner booth to collect whatever was left of Noah and Lucille, her insides were thrumming. It was like she could feel the endorphins coursing through her veins. She might actually feel something for Carter. And he might actually feel something for her. Or at least, it certainly appeared that way. And they were going to do...something about it tonight.
She approached the table, where Lucille’s head was resting against Noah’s big shoulder. “Come on, kids. Mom’s going to drive your day-drunk asses home.” She helped Lucille up, and Lucille grabbed Noah by the hand, pulling him up as well. Even while drunk and with Lucille’s erratic yanking of his arm, Noah was completely steady on his feet.
“Here, Mom, take this.” Lucille pushed a brown paper to-go bag into Perdie’s chest. “It’s the second round of banana pudding. It defeated us.” Lucille’s words slurred.
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Perdie said soothingly, as they trampled their way out to the gravel parking lot and into Perdie’s vehicle.
Noah settled into the passenger seat, his long legs still cramped even though the seat had been moved all the way back.
“I’ll bring you to yours, Noah. You were great today.”
He rubbed his eyes a little, a drunken laugh escaping his mouth.
Lucille called out. “Noah’s not going to his place. He’s coming to ours to watch cult documentaries with me.”
Perdie lifted her brows, but Noah was nodding along. “S’true. I’ve got insider knowledge.”
Perdie shrugged. “Great, sounds like a plan.”
The drive home was quick, and Perdie’s adrenaline was pumping. She’d be happy to get the two drunks settled into the house so she could get ready for Carter. She found herself nibbling on the edge of her thumbnail as she pulled into her private parking spot next to Lucille’s thirteen-year-old Prius.
“Hurray. We made it,” Lucille cheered from the backseat. “Hey, I changed my mind about that banana pudding, can you pass it to me.”
Perdie laughed. “Yes, as soon as you get out of this vehicle and safely into the kitchen, consider the banana pudding all yours.”
“And Noah’s,” Lucille said.
“And mine” came Noah’s deep, serious voice.
Maybe Perdie was still riding high from her video call with Carter, but she laughed again, feeling giddy and excited.
But when they all tumbled out of the car, Perdie heard a familiar voice. It was a scream really. An annoying, desperate yell. The voice of the last person she ever wanted to hear from again.
“Lucille Renee Knox, I fucking love you so fucking much!”
Perdie’s heart dropped into her stomach as she spun around. Lucille’s mouth was agape. Noah’s eyes tracked the figure coming towards them in the distance.
Fuck.
Hampton had returned.