Page 44 of Unmasking Her Shadow

“Love you!” we say in unison, ending the call.

There’s no need to choose a meeting spot. We will meet at the same place we do every time for a day out. The Blackwater Club. Do I tell Shadow and Kioni where I’m going? I don’t owe either of them an explanation, but to be kind in case they drop by unannounced, I message them both the same thing-I’ll be out-of-order today.

I pack a quick overnight bag in case my sister gets us both shitfaced again and we have to stay the night. Nyx is going to have to stay at my parents’ house. I grab everything she would need in case she would also have to spend the night. Anxiety makes my stomach churn. I shouldn’t be leaving her yet, but I’m sure she’ll adore my parents.

“Am I already failing at being a dog mom?” I ask Nyx, and she cocks her head. I scratch her between the ears and give her a big smooch. “Let’s go, baby.” She runs to the front door, eager for me to open it. I don’t need to use a leash on her here. She doesn’t venture far away from me. I always wanted unconditional love that was felt on both sides. I guess I never specified it wasn’t supposed to be with a furry four-legged creature.

When we get to my parents’ house, she curls up in her dog bed after sniffing around and meeting mom and dad as if telling me she’ll be okay.

“Shoo,” my mom insists, waving me out of the house. “She may be a little spoiled when you pick her up, but she’ll be fine. Go have fun.”

“Love you, Mom.” I hug her and yell, “Bye, Dad.” To wherever he had disappeared.

“Bye, sweetie,” he yells from down the hall.

The club is only twenty minutes away from their house. I’m tempted to check my phone, but I can’t have me time if I’m talking to the people I need time away from. They will still be there when I get back. Along with the choice, I am hoping is easier once I clear my mind.

My sister is waiting for me in front of the building and starts jumping up and down when she spots me walking towards her. My built-in best friend. When her arms wrap around me, all my problems seem to melt away.

“I missed you, Tay.” I squeeze her back with just as much force. Taylor is only a year and a half older than me. Her hair is lighter than mine, more of a strawberry blonde, and her curves are more defined than mine. She loves to be in the spotlight and never needs calm days. She can go, go, go. Mom and Dad still haven’t discovered she was a stripper for a couple of years.

I waste no time stripping down to my swimsuit and putting my hair up. She lathers my back with sunscreen, and I do the same to hers. Taylor grabs the drinks while I secure us two inflatable pool chairs. I don’t drink often, but today is an exception. As long as I just drink one, I’ll be able to drive home in a few hours. She comes back with floppy sun hats and fishbowl-sized margaritas for our one drink. Yep, we are spending the night here.

The water is cool, but the sun beating down on us makes it refreshing. “These are amazing,” I tell her, sipping my drink under the shade of the enormous hat.

“I know! It’s like an umbrella we don’t have to hold. So tell me, Sam. What did you need to escape from?”

I know I can talk to her about this, but telling my sister that I have been letting a stranger fuck me for weeks without knowing their identity might finally cross the TMI threshold.

“I’m seeing two people, and it makes me feel like a horrible person.”

“Two?” she shrieks. “You barely keep one relationship going. How did you find two men capable of keeping you interested?”

“Well,” I start, taking a long drink of my margarita. “One of them is a woman.”

She spits out her mouth full of frozen fruitiness all over me. “Taylor!” I shriek, splashing water on myself to wash it off.

“Tell me everything. NOW,” she demands, staring at me like she’s watching an interesting documentary and drinking her margarita like she would scarf down popcorn.

I explain how I met one person on a dating app and we’ve been hooking up since. I recount how I met Kioni and every moment after.

“So, dating app guy has never taken you on an actual date?”

I can’t explain why he hasn’t. Walking around wearing a mask would be a little odd and draw too much attention. “Right.”

“Then the choice is obvious. Ki.”

“But the sex with the dating app guy is…there are no words to describe it.”

“Pshh,” she says dramatically. “You’ve never felt as good as you did with Ki. I bet sex with her would top anything the other one has done. Plus, she’s a police officer. I bet her restraining and chase game is on point, too.”

“You are definitely onto something there.”

Now all I want is Kioni. Great. “Don’t let me have my phone,” I tell Taylor, knowing already I’ll be drunk-calling her later asking if she can handcuff me because my buzzed brain is aligning with my hellcat.

She giggles and splashes me. “As long as you don’t let me fuck anyone tonight.”

“Are you dating someone?” I ask her.