Page 151 of The Reason I Married Him
“We’re here to exchange goods. Meaning, my hand for your land, like you said.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be each other’s number-one hype man or woman.”
“Uh-huh, and what exactly do you mean by that?” I ask.
“Meaning, if you look good, I’m going to tell you. If you like the way my ass looks in these jeans, feel free to say something. It’s not bad to compliment each other. We’re at this for a year, so we might as well be each other’s number-one fans when we split. Don’t you want that?”
“I mean, I don’t need the ego boost as much as you clearly do.”
“I don’t think it’ll hurt,” he says. “So if I say you look insanely hot tonight, take it as a compliment from a friend.”
“Okay,” I say.
“And you know, if you want to return the compliment, that won’t hurt you either.”
“Yeah, sure, when I think the compliment should be returned.”
His expression falls, and I laugh.
“I’ll have you know, these are my hot pants. I wore them just for you.”
“Hot pants, huh? What makes them so hot?” I ask.
“Every time I wear them, I orgasm.”
“Dear God,” I reply, making his head fall back as he laughs. “Do you really think that’s something I want to know?”
“Possibly. Could be a newlywed question that’s asked of us.”
“Who is asking what pants do you constantly orgasm in?”
“People . . .” he drags out.
“You’re an idiot.”
He chuckles some more just as our server drops off our drinks. We thank her, and I suck down a large gulp, not even bothering to taste-test it.
Wyatt, on the other hand, swirls the amber liquid in his glass and then takes a sip.
“You going to guzzle that whole thing down?” he asks me.
“Possibly,” I say. “Have you ever been to one of these clubs? They make you interact. And I’m going to need alcohol to interact.”
“What kind of interaction are we talking about?” He picks up a piece of my hair again. “Are you going to get dressed up like one of the waitstaff and start strutting around? Because that’s something I have to see.”
“No.” I scoff at him. “But sometimes they call the audience for help and don’t take no for an answer. You know when you pay the cover fee and sign the release? That’s part of it. When you come here, you have to be prepared in case they call on you.”
“In that case, I don’t think I’ll drink at all. I want to be completely sober to soak in every last moment if they call on you.”
I lift the bottom of his glass to his lips and say, “Oh, you’ll be drinking.” And then together, we take a few large gulps.
“Okay,these are some of the best potato skins I’ve ever had. Holy shit,” Wyatt says as he stares down at the potato in his hand.
“It’s one of the reasons I said yes to coming, knowing I’d be able to order some.”
“We might need more,” he says before taking another bite. “Fuck, they’re good. The crunch they get on the outside is impeccable.”
“Didn’t know you were a food critic.”
