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“Nadia…”
“Oh! And a garden! Did I mention the garden? Because it has a garden. That’s important.”
“Nadia!” Robbie snapped. “You actually accepted it? You…” He trailed off, dumbfounded.
“It’s just a trial run,” I quickly added. “They said I can give it a try, and only do what I’m comfortable with. It’s all up to me. So far all we’ve shared is Chinese food.”
Robbie was still giving me a skeptical look. “And you’re willing to lead the others along for a chance at something with Braden?”
Lead the others along. I thought about the other men. Dorian, with his dancing and dramatic flair. Andy’s thoughtful eyes and calm demeanor. I hadn’t gotten to know Ryan yet, but based solely on how he looked I was intrigued by his part of the proposition as well. Better him than a rando from the bar. And having him right across the hall from my bedroom expedited the entire thing.
“I’m curious,” I said carefully. “About all of it. I want to hear them out and see where it goes.”
“Hashtag feminism,” Jack said, raising his drink. “If you were a man doing that with women they’d call you Hugh Heffner. Do whatever you want.”
I cocked my head. “That’s really nice of you to say, Jack.”
“Don’t judge a creepy old man by his looks.”
Robbie was still giving me that concerned look. “Nadia. Honey. A gorgeous brownstone with four hunks is literally my dream scenario. But I worry you’re in over your head. Individual relationships are tricky. Four at the same time…”
“Well then it’s a good thing it’s all out on the table,” I said. “Ryan just wants a fuck buddy. Andy wants a deeper relationship…”
“Right,” Robbie said, rolling his eyes. “Because relationships always stay as simple as you expect.”
“There is the concern of sleeping with your cast mates,” Jack suddenly said. “Work relationships are a lot of risk. Trust me.”
“You sound like you’re speaking from personal experience.”
Jack sipped his drink and shrugged. “Well, I dated a woman in my office once upon a time.”
“What happened?”
“I ended up marrying her,” he replied.
I pointed at Jack and glared at Robbie. “See? Look at Jack!”
But Jack was still talking. “Let’s see. That was my first marriage. Lasted two years. No, three, since we split up over Thanksgiving of ‘79. Then I married my second wife—also a colleague!—which lasted about four years…”
Jack went on with his story, but Robbie only looked at me with concern, both then and for the rest of the night while we served drinks behind the bar.
17
Nadia
One of the problems with being an overworked, underpaid resident of New York City was that I never had a consistent sleep cycle. Working two jobs plus my show rehearsals left me bone-tired all day, every day. I drank one cup of coffee in the morning and two in the afternoon to help stave off that exhaustion, but then I was too wired at night to go right to sleep. Alcohol at night, either during my shift at the bar or when I got home, helped me wind-down.
Stimulants during the day. Depressants at night. It was a vicious cycle that was difficult to break out of.
I was hoping that by staying at the townhouse, and getting extra sleep by not needing to commute into the city, I could get the extra rest I needed and fall into a normal sleep rhythm.
My new roommates had other ideas.
I walked into the brownstone with my key—I had my own key!—and heard laughter and groans from the dining room. I found them all gathered around the table, playing a drinking game.
“There she is!” Dorian said, jumping up and rushing to the kitchen counter. A huge bottle of rum and various mixers filled the entire counter. “What can I get you to drink, darling?”
Andy smiled sheepishly at me from behind his glasses, while Braden beamed openly. Ryan gave me a curious look behind the wavy red hair that covered half his face, but then returned to studying the glass of alcohol in front of him.
