Elevator Pitch (Hapless In Love #1)

27. Draw Four

27

draw four

Selah

Manhattan, NY | January 2, 2024

“I know your ass didn’t just throw down a draw four and then change the subject. That’s low down and dirty,” I say with a head shake.

We’re gathered around my dining table playing Uno, and it’s been a bit of a stalemate. Daya has been getting a hold of draw cards and throwing multiples on us every chance she gets. Then Audrey, who’s our natural competitor, has been doing the same out of spite. We’re all sitting here with full decks and have been talking shit to each other so bad you’d think we weren’t best friends.

This is a regular game night for us, no matter what. However, this card game is my favorite. I haven’t lost yet with this group, but tonight, it looks like there’ll be no winner. I get up from my seat to refill my wine glass, tucking my cards in my pants pocket. I glance around the table at any empty glasses, and anyone who’d like more gives me a nod or a shake. I grab the bottle and head back over to fill their glasses. Audrey is expressing her frustration over not being able to get rid of all the red cards in her hand, and Daya is snickering about it .

Aud points at me. “Anyway, now, back to you. Start from the beginning.”

I explain how my morning went with Greyson, leading with the sex dream and the toy that I couldn’t shut off that he indeed heard through my doorbell microphone. When I mentioned I lied about the toothbrush and he called me out on it, they erupted into laughter. I know that I will never hear the end of this.

They were so surprised to hear that I let him in and didn’t make him sit in the hallway while I called one of them to freak out first. I keep blushing while telling them how easy he was to talk to and that it felt like whenever he could sense my anxiety rising, he would douse it in cold water and bring me back. They insist I explain the sex in vivid detail, so I try to summarize it since a lot happened that led to those three orgasms. Once I mention that, the looks on their faces are full of shock and amusement.

Daya raises her hand like a student, so I call on her like a teacher.

“Does he have a brother? I’m so serious.”

I chuckle. “He does, but he’s a bit young for you. Twenty, studying med at NYU.”

She looks impressed. “So, he knows the female anatomy. I could wait. Probably won’t meet a man before he graduates who knows where my clit is anyway.”

We’re screeching with laughter.

After I say goodbye to the girls, I’m packing for my upcoming trip to Portland and I’m not looking forward to it. I love my job, but my anxiety is put to the test whenever I work in person. While we're a solid team, as their leader, I am the face of this group, which means I do a great deal of public speaking in this role. At least when I work from home and get anxious or overstimulated, I can decompress easier than I can in the office. I’ve scheduled a session with Dr. Garnett tomorrow and will fly there Saturday to hang out with Skye before the summit on Monday. While I am excited to see her, I’m still anxious about my presentations this week, but Greyson helped, oddly enough.

When I suggested he help me with the list, I didn’t expect him to be so eager to please. No man has ever done anything like that to me and I’m still grappling with it. He was being truthful when he said he was the right man for the job, but I’m even more curious about him now. I’ve told myself not to text him, but visions of his eyes piercing me as he laps at my core flood my mind. I shudder at the thought and grab my vibrator to toy with myself. When my lids shut, our film reel plays on repeat. I imagine him unraveling as pleasure jolts through me. I cry his name into the dark and wonder if he’s doing the same.