“Really?” I smiled. “He never told me that. That was sweet of him.”

She gave me a blank stare.

“I mean, I can’t believe he did that. What an awful human being.”

She laughed and picked up her purse. “Brunch tomorrow, if you’re not screwing Hayden again?”

“Sure.” I nodded and waited for her to leave.

I reread the letter from the skating committee a few more times, wishing that they’d written me sooner.

As I was weighing the pros and cons, Hayden stepped into my office again.

“I thought I asked you to leave, sir.” I placed the letter into the drawer as he walked over to me. “I’m busy at work.”

“You were busy discussing us fucking.” He smiled, pulling me up by my hands. “Very interesting recap.”

“You eavesdropped?”

“I briefly took notes on the second half.” He pushed me against the wall. “If you wanted more, you shouldn’t have left.”

“I have a job, Hayden.”

“You’re self-employed.” He pressed a kiss against my lips. “And your only client for the day left over an hour ago.”

“I have tons of other things to do.”

“I know,” he said, covering my mouth with his. “I’m one of them.”

“Did you overhear the part when I said I wanted to have sex on the ice with you someday?”

“I did.” He slid a hand under my shirt. “We’ll get to that next.”

Thirty-One (B)

Present Day

Hayden

Hayden Hunter’s Gala Raises $10M for Charity

* * *

 

Tinder Sues Cinder, Again: Why They Might Win The Case This Time Around

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Chicago Woman Crafts Line of Vibrators Inspired by Hayden Hunter’s “Member”

* * *

 

Fifteen Reasons Why We Think Hayden Hunter Is Currently Celibate

Thirty-Two

Present Day

Penelope

In my office. On the ice. In his office. On the roof. All over every surface in his condo.

Not a day had gone by that Hayden and I hadn’t had sex. On the one hand, I felt like we were making up for years of repressed attraction and unrequited yearning.

On the other, we’d lost our late-night phone conversations, all-day texts, and meet-ups in Central Park; I didn’t want to lose those things over sex, no matter how phenomenal it was.

I swiped my key at his penthouse suite Friday afternoon—hoping to catch him when he arrived home from work.

When I pushed the door open, I found him reading a newspaper near his windows.

“Yes, Penelope?” He smiled at me. “Breaking and entering is a crime, you know.”

“Not when you have a key.” I blushed. “I didn’t think you would be home yet.”

He set down the paper and walked over to me. “What’s wrong?”

“I need to talk shit about my new boyfriend,” I said. “But the guy I usually talk about this kind of thing with is my boyfriend.”

“Hmmm.” He smiled. “Would you like to call Tatiana instead?”

“She’s still in-flight from L.A. She won’t land for another two hours.”

“I see. What’s the problem with your boyfriend?”

“We haven’t done much of anything except have sex.”

“Oh?” He looked amused.

“I know he’s supposed to be laying low with his scandals and all, but I feel like he knows me well enough to take me out somewhere. Don’t get me wrong, I mean, the sex is beyond phenomenal, and it’s the best I’ve ever had, but I loved our friendship.”

He didn’t say anything.

“This is the part when you join me in talking shit about him.”

Laughing, he took out his wallet and pulled out two tickets. “Your boyfriend was planning to take you to a private premiere tonight. This was after he took you to dinner atop the Empire State Building, and after his security team cleared a path for a private walk through Central Park.”

My cheeks heated as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

“I think your boyfriend knows you very well and you should try to be patient with him since you’re his first,” he said. “He’s trying to be the best boyfriend you’ve ever had.”

He already is. “When were you planning to start tonight’s date?”

“Around ten.”

“If I said that I wanted to have sex first, would that make me a hypocrite?”

“Only if I granted your request.” He clasped my hand and led me out of his condo and onto the elevator. “Let’s do something else first.”

As the car moved down, I stared up at him. “Tell me something that I don’t already know about you.”

“I DVR your brother’s press conferences and watch them later,” he said. “Even though I tell him that I watch them live.”

“I’m usually there when you do that.” I laughed. “Tell me something else.”

“I sent an apology letter to my father today,” I said.

“What on earth are you sorry to him for?”

“Not feeling the need to reconnect or fix anything between us,” he said, looking at me. “I have everyone I want in my life already, and I have no desire to reconnect with strangers. Your turn.”

The doors glided open, and I thought long and hard about something I hadn’t already shared with him.

When we made it into his car, I let out a sigh.

“I used to have the biggest crush on you. No, I actually liked you.”

“What? When was this?”

“A long time ago.”

“Before or after our Cold War?”

“Definitely not after.” I rolled my eyes. “It was fleeting, though. I think it lasted a week or so.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“Because you would’ve turned me down and said that you were too old for me.”

“Hmmm,” he said. “Probably.”

“Did you ever like me?”

“No, Penelope.” He laughed. “You were just a friend, then.”

“Well, thank goodness I never told you.”

“Exactly.” He leaned over and kissed me. “The walk from the elevator to my car counts as doing ‘something else’ before sex, right?”

“Absolutely.”

Break Up #15

The One That Never Existed

Hayden

There’s a park bench hidden under an oak tree canopy on Covington Avenue, and it’s become my go-to meet-up spot with Penelope on Sunday nights. It’s close enough to her rink and my rented office space that we can both walk there within ten minutes.