Playing to Win

“So maybe I’m not jealous of you all anymore,” Tara said, biting into a slice of cheese pizza. “The baby makes my back hurt enough.”


Jenna stretched her back and let out a loud groan. “Between this and the work we’re doing over at the new club, I’m ready to throw the white flag. I’ll end up in great shape when we’re done, though.”

Liz rolled her eyes. “Bitch, please. You’re a stick.”

Jenna flexed her biceps. “Yeah, but I’m a stick with hard-core muscles now.”

Savannah laughed.

“Isn’t it fun being around us, Savannah?” Alicia asked. “All the bickering and bitch-slapping?”

“Yeah, but she doesn’t mind, because she’s having hot sex with your brother.”

Savannah gaped at Liz. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

Alicia’s lips quivered as she fought a smile.

“She can’t believe it, but she’s not denying it, is she?” Tara asked.

“I noticed that,” Jenna said. “So, come on. Spill. But not in too much detail. Cole is my cousin. I get enough of that from Liz who likes to go on and on about her sex life with my brother.”

“Hey,” Liz said. “I have to talk to someone about Gavin.”

Tara let out a soft snicker. “You can talk to me, you know.”

“And I do. But I like to annoy Jenna.”

“Bitch.”

“Jenna does have a point, though. We’re all curious, but since Cole is my brother, hold the sex detail to a minimum,” Alicia said, leaning forward in her chair. “How long has this been going on?”

Four sets of eyes were focused intently on her.

She hadn’t planned to say anything at all about her and Cole. Until Liz had to blab.

“So, come on, Savannah, spill,” Tara said. “I want to know the details about Cole putting that dreamy, I’m-getting-a-lot-of-sex look on your face.”

Alicia laid her head in her hands. “Oh, crap. I do not want to think about my brother having sex.”

“Exactly what I always say to Liz. She ignores me and goes right on with the gory details,” Jenna complained. “At least Tara tones it down and just sticks to the mushy love stuff.”

“I save the intense sex details for my conversations with Liz,” Tara said.

“Yeah, like how she got knocked up. That one was good. They were alone in the house one night. Nathan had spent the night with a friend and Mick suggested they get naked. They didn’t even make it upstairs, so—”

“Oh. My. God. I don’t want to know about how my future niece or nephew was conceived.” Jenna closed her eyes and shook her head.

Savannah burst out laughing as Jenna plugged her fingers in her ears and started singing.

“You all crack me up.”

“And we’re keeping you from giving us your own juicy details,” Tara reminded her. “So spill.”

“Oh. Well, nothing to tell, really. We’re…seeing each other.”

Liz gave her a look. “That’s a broad concept.”

Alicia cocked a brow. “Which means what, exactly?”

“I don’t know, exactly. Other than we’re seeing each other. For now.”

“Does that mean it’s only temporary?”

She shifted her gaze to Tara. “I can’t answer that, because I don’t know. He has his career and I have mine.”

“Well, honey, we all have careers,” Liz said, giving her the kind of patient look one would give a child who didn’t understand the topic of conversation. “What does that have to do with you screwing his brains out or falling eyeballs-deep in love?”

“Love? Who said anything about love? We’re just having sex.”

Tara snickered. “And how is the sex?”

Alicia pushed back her chair and stood. “That’s my cue to get back to work.”

“Right behind you,” Jenna said.

“Cowards,” Liz called after them.

Jenna flipped her off.

Liz laughed, then turned back to Savannah. “So, about that sex…”

“I’m not telling you about my sex life with Cole.”

“Why not? We all talk about ours.”

She looked to Tara, who said, “It’s true. We’re like sisters, and when we’re troubled or need advice about our men, we go to each other.”

“I’m not troubled. Nor do I need advice. Not at the moment. But thank you very much for the offer.”

Liz looked over at Tara. “I don’t think she’s going to give us the gory sex details.”

Tara sighed, leaned back in her chair, and laid her hands over her stomach. “It doesn’t look that way. I’m very disappointed.”

Savannah gave them a blank look. But then Tara laughed, and so did Liz. Liz swatted her on the leg.

“We’re kidding.”

“Oh.”

“Really, woman, you need to lighten up.”

She blew out a breath. “I do, don’t I?”

Tara stood and stretched. “You’d think all that sex you’re having would ease some of the tension.”

Savannah let out a snort, cupped her hand over her mouth, then broke out in a full laugh. “Oh, god. It does. It really does.”

“Obviously you need a lot more of it, then. Maybe more public sex, like the kind you had behind the bar the other night?”

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