MasukLAYLAI set my jaw, looking Josh straight in the face. âYes,â I say.I expect him to look shocked or awkward; instead, he just shoots back: âWhat configuration?ââWhat?ââYou want all guys? A guy and a girl?â His eyes bore into mine. âHow many partners? Two? Three? Four?âI feel like Iâm getting drilled at an interview. âJesus, does it matter? Itâs not like itâs ever going to happen. Itâs just a fantasy.âHis brow furrows. âOf course it matters,â he insists. âWhat you want matters. Own it. Itâs not embarrassing.âChrist. âJust guys,â I say. âTwo or⊠three, maybe? I think I might struggle with four. Iâd probably end up getting tangled in all the limbs.ââYou want the guys to get off with each other?â Josh presses, all business.âOr just be focused on you?ââWhat?ââJust answer the question.ââDude, this is the funniest shit,â Zack whispers. âYouâve done it now, L. Heâs in full saviour mode. He doesnât have an off-switch.ââDo you want the guys to be together?â Josh repeats impatiently.
JOSHZack whistles, stroking Laylaâs arm. âYouâre spicy tonight.âShe stares at Lukeâs closed door, a sad look in her eyes. âBitchy, you mean.ââHeâll get over it,â I assure her. âYou didnât say anything that isnât true.âShe kicks the leg of the coffee table. âIâm just sick of him treating me like Iâm a sixteen-year-old kid he needs to hold at armâs length. Weâre supposed to be friends, and he wonât even talk to me like an equal. Heâd probably turn himself in to the police if I tried to hug him.ââAw.â Zack tugs a strand of her hair. âYou wanna hug Luke? Listen, he gets cuddly when heâs drunk, so I can tell you itâs nothing worth getting upset over. Now, where were we?ââYou were asking if I read smutty books,â Layla says drily.âRight.â He casts around, picking up a notepad off the coffee table. âHey, why donât we make your list together? You clearly need extra help in this area. Tell me your top ten turn-ons, and why you think theyâre hot.â He flips to a new page and looks at her e
JOSHLayla is silent for a moment. âWhy is there a dick in here?â She asks eventually.I rub my temples. âSinsters is an adult toy company,â I explain. âAnd Zack is an idiot.ââNo I ainât!â Zack says enthusiastically. âThis shit is important.â He takes the box off her. âI didnât know what toys youâve already got, so I figured I should order you the full range. It never hurts to double up. Look.â He starts rummaging around in the box. âYou got clamps. Cuffs. A bullet vibe. This one has a little rabbit head, apparently that feels really nice. A blindfold. A plug. Look, ainât it pretty?â He pulls out a plug with a little jewelled heart on the end.Layla stares at it. âWhat is it meant to plug into?â She asks, her voice hoarse.Zack looks shocked. âYour butt, honey. Oh my God. You never used one of these before?ââIâve never used any of this stuff before,â Layla says slowly. Her cheeks are pink. Gingerly, she reaches into the box and pulls out a string of silver metal balls, around the si
LAYLAJosh nods. âHe has informed me on multiple occasions that having a son who runs an âagony auntâ column is deeply embarrassing. But I donât exactly care about his opinion. Heâs a terrible person.âCrap. âAnd your mum?â I follow up, almost scared to ask. Josh doesnât say anything, spinning his water glass between his fingers. I may be socially stunted, but I know how to take a hint, so I turn to Zack.âWhat about your parents?ââThey donât mind me doinâ the podcast,â he says happily. âI think theyâre still kinda sad Iâm not playing rugby, though. It was my dream ever since I was a kid. They were as cut up as me when I injured my knee.ââDid you have to get surgery?ââOh, aye.â He yanks up the ankle of his dress trousers, showing me the long scar striping down the front of his knee.I trace my finger over the raised skin. âI wish I couldâve seen you play rugby.ââIâm glad you didnât, love. I was a prick back then.ââYouâre a prick now,â I say kindly. âDoes it still hurt?âHe smiles
JOSHLayla gives him a soft look, tugging on his bun. âIâm enjoying that aspect, too.âI watch them, my lungs aching. She thinks the podcast is all that matters to me, doesnât she? Everyone does. They think all I care about is engagement and numbers.Of course, I care about the podcast. I created it. Iâve worked for years to make it what it is. Iâll always want more listeners. But if Iâm honest, thatâs not why I suggested the segment.What matters to me is helping her. The image of her, teary-eyed and red-faced in our lounge, flashes into my head again. It makes my chest hurt.âWhy donât you want to be seen with us both in public?â I blurt out.She looks taken aback. âWhat?âZack frowns. âLeave her alone, man. If she doesnât want to, she doesnât want to.âI close my eyes. Iâve been told a lot that when I get too intense, I come across as harsh. I never mean to.âOf course,â I say, softening my voice. âAnd weâd never make you. I just want to know why. You were fine with us both taking
JOSHâI know,â Zack says, as Layla steps inside the flat, wide-eyed. âHe went overboard. I tried to tell him, but he wouldnât listen.âI roll my eyes, lighting the last candle on the table and setting the matchbox down. My hands are sweating with nerves, and I slip them into my trouser pockets.Tonight, itâs my turn to pick a date. I figured, since weâve already done a bar, a dinner date would be the next best thing. Ideally, I wouldâve taken Layla to an actual restaurant, but when I asked her, she said she didnât want to go out. So I did my best to set up a dinner date at our flat. The dining room table we never use has been covered with a white cloth. Iâve lit tapered candles and put some classical music on the record player. Thereâs salad in the fridge and a dish of homemade lasagne in the oven. The bouquet of roses I picked out this morning is sitting on the breakfast bar.I thought I was fully prepared, but now that Layla is standing in front of us, Iâm ridiculously nervous. S







