Chapter 18
Willa had been dodging Charlie’s calls.
She knew that made her a shitty friend, but she didn’t want to call her back until she’d nailed down a therapist like she promised. And she hadn’t yet.
But there was no putting it off anymore. Willa desperately wanted to call Charlie and tell her about the friends-with-benefits situation she’d gotten herself into with Shawn. She wanted to tell Charlie about the not one, not two, but three orgasms he’d given her in the past twenty-four hours.
Which was why she’d furiously researched therapists in her area before deciding to use one of the apps that had hundreds of licensed therapists available. She’d scrolled through a few profiles before deciding to schedule an appointment with a woman who had experience working with women and couples. It was scheduled for the end of the week.
And now she had her phone on speaker on the kitchen counter as she thumbed through the mail, impatiently waiting for Charlie to pick up the phone.
“Well, well, well,” she said by way of greeting. “Glad you aren’t dead or something. I was beginning to worry.”
“I suck, I know. I’m sorry,” Willa said.
“What gives?”
“Honestly, I was dragging my feet on therapy,” she said. “But I did it! Scheduled for Thursday.”
“Getting started is hard,” Charlie responded, voice full of concern. “I get it. And I’m really proud of you for making it happen.”
“Thanks,” Willa’s eyes burned with gratitude for her friend who was unafraid to say the hard things and still more compassionate than anyone knew.
“So I’m assuming there’s another reason you called?” Charlie asked.
Willa sighed.
“That bad, huh?”
“My hot neighbor gave me three orgasms.”
Charlie cackled. She didn’t giggle, didn’t chuckle, didn’t laugh. Cackled. If Willa were with her, she was certain she would’ve seen Charlie tip her head back and grab her belly in mirth.
“Well no wonder you haven’t answered my calls!” Charlie shrieked. “You’ve been busy!”
Willa rolled her eyes.
“I took your advice, and?—”
“Uh, my advice was to hook up with a rando,” Charlie cut in. “Remember? Go to a bar? Dance with a guy? Bring him back to your place and kick him out before you go to bed?”
“Okay, well I tried that,” Willa said. “But I found a friends-with-benefits situation instead.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Charlie said. “Back up. You tried?”
Willa sighed. “I have these work friends and they took me to this place called Flora-Bama?—”
“Dude, everyone knows what Flora-Bama is. I spent an entire spring break there when I was 20.”
“Okay, well, my friend Amanda told me to stare at this guy until he noticed me?—”
“Smart woman. I like her already.”
“And we danced for a while. But then I called Shawn in the bathroom?—”
“Sexy neighbor?”
“Yes, and then, like, forty-five minutes later he prowled onto the dance floor and pulled the rando off me?—”
“Holy shit, you’ve really been holding out on me.”
“And Shawn also happened to walk in right as the rando I was dancing with started to kiss me, so?—”
“So you did kiss a rando! I’m proud of you.”
“But then, Shawn started dancing with me. And he said all these things…” Willa bit her lip as she remembered the way he whispered into her ear. “Let’s just say, the man has a filthy mouth.”
“Love a man who knows how to talk dirty. So when do the orgasms come in?”
“We left the bar and I basically begged him to fuck me in the parking lot. So he fingered me in the front seat of his truck like we were a couple of teenagers?—”
“Nothing wrong with some car sex.”
“—and then I gave him road head on the way home.”
Silence passed between them.
“You there?” Willa asked.
“Holy fuck, what is in the water down there?” Charlie asked, choking back a laugh.
“Salt, mostly. And fish poop.”
“Since when do you even like giving head?”
Willa laughed. “I’ve always felt… neutral about it? But I don’t know. He made me come so hard with his fingers?—”
“Respect.”
“—and I just looked at his rock hard dick bulging against his pants, and I didn’t really think about it.”
“Damn girl.”
“So then, he came over this morning after I got back from yoga and basically said he’d do the friends-with-benefits thing. And then he carried me to my bedroom and fucked me so hard I thought I’d pass out.”
“And that’s where orgasms number two and three come in, I’m assuming?”
“Yes.”
Willa heard Charlie suck in a breath and knew she was in for a lecture.
“Look, I’m happy for you,” Charlie said. “And I’d love for you to please send me a shirtless photo of Sexy Neighbor the moment we hang up. But are you sure this is a good idea? I just don’t want you to catch feelings and then end up even more hurt.”
“We set up rules,” Willa responded.
Willa absentmindedly thumbed through her mail, trying to avoid thinking too hard about Charlie’s words. The truth was, she was a little worried about catching feelings. It was easier to think about doing a friends-with-benefits situation with Shawn a few weeks ago, when she thought he was a Grade A asshole. Now, she’d realized he was secretly a Golden Retriever behind all the grunting and frowning. He occasionally put his foot in his mouth, but he was kind and sweet, and so caring toward his grandmother.
Nothing like anyone she’d dated in the past, that’s for sure. And maybe that was part of the reason Willa was concerned. Because she’d made it clear to Shawn that, under no circumstances, could this turn into more. And even though he was uncertain at first, he ended up hopping on board with the ease of a shark eating a minnow. She knew he had a history, so maybe he was just as horny as she was.
“I appreciate the concern, I really do,” Willa said. “But I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself. And I know who to call if things go south.”
Charlie sighed. “Alright, Willa. If you say so. Consider the subject dropped. Onto more important matters: when can I come visit you?”
“Whenever you want,” Willa said as she opened an envelope. “You know I’d love to have you anytime.”
“Hmm, let me check my calendar and see when flights are cheap,” Charlie murmured.
Willa barely heard her as she stared, dumbfounded, at the invitation she’d just gotten in the mail.
“Holy shit.” She held the invitation up and reread it, then laughed so hard she had to put the phone on speaker and wipe tears from her eyes while Charlie demanded to know what was going on.
“You’ll never believe what I just got invited to,” Willa said through her laughter, then took a picture of it and texted it to Charlie.
A few moments later, she heard her phone buzz with the text message through the call, and Charlie gasped.
“What the fuck is a Bingo Ball?” she asked.
“The event of the year, apparently,” Willa responded, still chuckling. “Oh, my god.”
Willa started laughing hard again, then harder when Charlie joined in, reading more information off the invitation with increasing incredulity.
“It’s a Black tie event!” Charlie shrieked. “‘Join us as we crown the Bingo King and Queen.’ Holy fuck, you’re being pranked. There’s absolutely no way this is real. My God, a ticket is $100!”
“Bingo is serious business for the elderly here,” Willa said, wiping a tear. “This is definitely real. I’ll ask Shawn.”
Willa sent a picture of the invitation to Shawn along with a pressing question.
Please tell me this ridiculousness is real.
“I went to Bingo with Ida a couple of weeks ago and I’ve never seen anything so intense in my life,” Willa said. “And I was a fucking ballerina, for God’s sake.”
Her phone buzzed.
So real that you should definitely not let Grams hear you call it ridiculous.
Willa chuckled. “Shawn says it’s real. Holy shit. I can’t wait to go to this.”
“Well, this makes my decision of when to visit you a million times easier,” Charlie said. “I’m coming to the Bingo Ball.”
“Immediately, yes. I’m so into this plan. Sending our RSVP now.”
Willa quickly sent an email to the contact listed letting them know she’d be coming with a guest, then texted Shawn.
Just RSVP’d yes. Can’t wait for this nonsense.
He responded almost immediately.
Don’t let them hear you call it nonsense, either.
“Alright, I found perfect flights. Gonna book these and I’ll send you the details later. This means I get to see you in a month!”
“Can’t wait,” Willa said, then in an exaggerated British accent, she added, “Bring your finest gown.”
“But of course, darling,” Charlie responded in kind.