AllFreeNovel
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I considered telling him about the noise we’d heard in the catwalks before rehearsal, but then something else struck me. “Where are you going? The Q-train is back that way.”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“I’ve got a shift at the bar tonight.”
Braden smiled down at me. God, he had a great smile. “You looked shaken up, so I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Condensation puffed in front of my face. “Yeah, I’m okay. At least, I think so. I might be in shock.”
He stopped, and I stopped with him. He put a reassuring hand on my arm. “If that changes, let me know. See you back at home.” He turned and went back the other way.
Home. The place where we would all be later tonight. The word felt different on his tongue. There was actual meaning behind it. Safety, and welcomeness. Home.
I walked into the bar and frowned. Robbie was pouring drinks behind the bar. His face lit up when he saw me.
“I thought Claire was working tonight,” I said.
Robbie placed a beer in front of Jack, who gave me a friendly wave. “Girl, I called her and took her shift because I wanted to hear about your date with Braden!”
“Oh,” I said as I hung my coat and purse on the peg behind the bar. A sudden bout of embarrassment filled me at the thought of explaining my new situation. Agreeing to be a whole bunch of different things to four different guys in exchange for room and board sounded a lot sluttier out loud than it did in my head. Hell, it practically made me a prostitute.
Not to mention that Braden and I had fucked our brains out in the subway.
“It’s a boring story,” I said.
Robbie was having none of that. “Nadia, I canceled plans to go clubbing tonight so I could hear about your happily ever after. I’m not going to stop nagging you until I hear it.”
“You canceled plans because you’re broke and need the extra shifts,” I pointed out.
“She’s got you there!” Jack barked from his bar stool. I gave him a look of thanks.
Robbie narrowed his eyes at me. “If it’s a boring story, then make some embellishments for my benefit. But start talking!”
I ignored him and turned to Jack. “How’re you doing, Jack? Are things better with your son?”
“Same as before. Not good—still won’t return my calls. Now, I don’t want to pry, but I feel awfully invested in your story too,” Jack said. “No pressure if you’re embarrassed, but…”
I sighed. I could tell them we had a drink, laughed about getting matched up on Tinder, and then went home. But I was a terrible liar. Besides, I only now realized I hadn’t told anyone about their intriguing proposition. And I wanted to tell someone.
So I did.
Robbie’s mouth opened wider and wider with each word. When I was done, he closed his mouth with a click. “Okay, honey? I wanted some embellishment, not a full-blown fictional story.”
I held up my hand. “Swear to God. BRAD was short for Braden, Ryan, Andy, and Dorian. One profile for four guys.”
“They want to share you?” Robbie said. “Like a freaking Netflix account?”
Jack waved a hand. “There’s nothing to feel strange about. My wife and I used to attend key parties in Brooklyn when we were younger. You know what a key party is?” He leaned forward on the bar. “All the men put their car keys in a bowl. At the end of the night, the women drew keys, and that’s who they went home with.”
“Creepy 70s swinger parties are one thing,” Robbie said. “This is four times the number of dicks.”
Jack perked up. “Oh, we had parties where we dabbled in—”
Robbie made a hissing noise and stuck his palm out like he was halting traffic. “This is Nadia’s storytime. We can do you another night.”
Jack shrugged and gestured for me to continue.
“I stayed there last night,” I said. “You should see this place! It’s a brownstone on the upper east side. Four floors and a rooftop deck.”
