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“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Beth grinned, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Oh, dear God”—Suzy groaned—“must everything lead back to images of you and my brother-in-law? Please don’t traumatize my nephew by doing kinky sex stuff.”

“Duh, that’s why there’s a lock on the bedroom door,” Claire added. “Just because you have children doesn’t mean you don’t still . . . do things. Right, Ella?”

Ella’s face went up in flames, but the twinkle in her eyes said that she knew exactly what the other women were talking about. “Um—sure.”

“I don’t know Mark,” Mia began, “but don’t you think he’d be a little surprised if Crystal suddenly showed up at his house wearing leather and carrying a whip?” Winking, she added, “Even Seth would do a double take if I did that, and trust me, the man likes his kink.”

Emma reached over and put her hands over Ava’s ears. “Brant is on the dominant side and likes to be in control of the bedroom action.”

“I know you’re talking about sex with my brother,” Ava snapped but didn’t try to remove Emma’s hands.

“Anyway, as I was saying, Brant has those tendencies, but he also likes to be surprised. I don’t think you need to go as far as going all Fifty Shades on his ass, but a few assertive things to throw him off his game would probably be good. If he considers you a good girl, then he won’t be expecting you to make any moves on him. So I would do that. Even something small would get his attention.”

“I agree.” Suzy nodded. “Girl, grab that ass if he gets within arm’s reach. I mean really get in there and get yourself a handful of that fine piece.”

Emma, who had been in the middle of taking a drink of water, sprayed Ava as she began choking. Ava wore a disgusted expression as she took a napkin and began mopping herself up before doing the same to her future sister-in-law. When Emma had recovered, she blotted her lips and said, “Well, that would be one way to get his attention, for sure. I was thinking something a bit more subtle to begin with, like being all touchy-feely when he’s around.”

“But I rarely ever see him, unless I’m trying to. . . .”

“You mean stalking.” Mia giggled. “Now that you’ve spent a weekend with him, you’re a step ahead. You can actually speak when you see him.”

“Whoa! Hold the phone,” Suzy interrupted. “You’ve slept with DeStudo and you’re trying to get advice from us? Honey, it seems like you’ve left some key parts out here, and I, for one, need an explanation.”

Mia whispered a quick “I’m sorry” for spilling the beans.

Crystal figured at this point that she didn’t have anything to lose by telling everyone about her time with Mark. If she wanted their help, then she owed them the full story. So she quickly filled them in on what had transpired after she’d gotten sick and how Mark had taken care of her. She left out their Twitter flirtation, still wanting to keep that to herself.

When she was finished, Ava murmured, “Wow, that’s unbelievable. While I would haven’t called him an uncaring bastard, I’m shocked he didn’t hand you off at the first opportunity.”

“Sometimes a man can surprise you,” Emma pointed out. “Brant and I are still complete opposites, but it works. Oh, baby, does it ever. . . .”

Ava made a gagging sound, causing Emma to laugh.

“Well, you have an opportunity coming up with the barbecue,” Ella said. “And trust me: even if I have to go drag the man myself, he’s going to be there.”

The rest of the lunch was filled with funny dating or sex stories, making Crystal that much more aware of what was missing from her life. Even if she’d stayed married to her ex, she’d have nothing to share now—which she found completely depressing and unacceptable.

Chapter Seven

Crystal checked Mark’s Twitter page yet again. He’d gone silent after her last tweet, and it was driving her crazy. She’d broken down on Friday and taken the elevator to his floor, hoping to run into him, but no such luck. Ella’s barbecue was only hours away, and she had no idea if he’d be there. Ella promised that she’d done everything short of threatening Declan to make sure that his friend showed up.

Updating the page one last time, she almost dropped her iPad when she saw a tweet from only seconds earlier on his page. “Too much of a good thing can be taxing.” Mae West. #Angel.

“What the hell?” she whispered as she reread the quote. Was he telling her that he didn’t have any interest in her? He’d never even given her a chance, so why would he assume that she was too good? She tossed her iPad down on her sofa in disgust. Screw the bastard. She didn’t have to prove anything to him.

Then she stalked around her apartment, raging over what assholes men were. Suddenly, she grabbed her tablet, and began frantically searching quotes, hoping to find one that would make him eat his words. She’d almost given up when she found it. The perfect way to let him know how wrong he was about her. She typed out, “I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.” Mae West. #Angel. She thought it sounded so much better than #kissmyassMark!

Crystal ran to her closet, more determined than ever to look her best for the barbecue. She wanted Mark to swallow his damn tongue when he saw her today. She needed to strike the right balance between casual and sexy without appearing to have dressed up for the occasion.

After ten minutes of frantic digging through her closet, she found something that she’d bought on clearance last year but never had anywhere to wear it. It was a white strapless sundress. She paired it with a jean jacket and a brown leather belt. She was reaching for sandals when a pair of cowboy boots that she’d worn only a few times caught her eye. She’d seen similar outfits in magazines and always thought they looked fun and flirty.