“What do you mean you made a mistake? What’d he do to you?” Bobbie Jo asked, looking like she was about to send out an all-girl mob to remove Cowboy’s testicles.
“He didn’t do anything. That’s the problem.” My cheeks grew hotter. “I tried to seduce him and…well, he rejected me.”
Both girls blinked, as if I’d just told them aliens had taken over the planet. “Really?” Bobbie Jo asked.
Emily shook her head adamantly. “I didn’t think he was capable of turning down sex. Are you sure he understood what you were offering?”
“Oh, he understood, all right. And he turned me down flat.”
“Well, then it’s his loss. Right, Bobbie Jo?” Emily paused, waiting for a response, but when none came, she elbowed her friend. “Bobbie Jo?”
“Really?” Bobbie Jo said again, clearly still not believing Cowboy shot down a female offering him sex.
I sighed. “Who am I kidding? Obviously, I’m the first girl he’s ever turned down. Whatever. It’s not like I would really know how to please a man like him, anyway.”
“Oh, sweetie,” Bobbie Jo said, her eyes filling with pity. “You don’t have to be embarrassed by your shortcomings in that department. We’ve all been a virgin at some point, Anna. It’s natural to want to—”
“Why is everyone assuming I’m a virgin?”
Emily keeled over with laughter. “Holy shit! You’re not?”
God, I wished I had a hole to crawl into. “You know, just because I don’t look like one of those centerfold girls doesn’t mean I haven’t had offers.” I rose from my chair and grabbed my purse. “Never mind. This whole thing is embarrassing enough without being laughed at.”
Emily looked like a dog that had done something terribly wrong. Her eyes widened as her mouth drooped into a frown. “Oh, Anna. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were this upset. Please don’t go.” Her warm hand captured mine. “I’m probably not the best one to talk to about this stuff. Maybe I should leave and let you talk to Bobbie Jo alone.”
I plopped back down into my chair. “No. It’s not you. I’m the one who should apologize. I guess I’m still a little worked up from my encounter with him last night.” And possibly even more on edge after finding another hostile note with horrid grammar in my mailbox earlier today: Bridges don’t burn theirselves. I shook it off, not allowing the dread to consume me. “I’m letting all my fears and self-doubts control my emotions. I’m sorry.”
Emily shook her head and gave my hand a squeeze. “Sweetie, there’s nothing to forgive. I’m sorry I assumed anything about you. It wasn’t fair.”
“Me, too,” Bobbie Jo said. “And I’m guessing Cowboy made the same assumption?”
I nodded. “Yes, but I told him the truth and he got mad. Then he stormed out. I don’t really know what happened. I thought maybe you two could shed some light on what I did wrong.”
Bobbie Jo huffed out a breath. “Listen to me, Anna. You did nothing wrong. Maybe he was just as surprised as we were and had a bad reaction.”
“Yeah, like a coping mechanism,” Emily agreed. “He’s probably kicking himself in the ass right about now.”
“Well, he’s not the only one,” I told them. “I felt like such a fool for throwing myself at him like I did. Especially after what I went through the first time.”
Bobbie Jo looked puzzled. “You threw yourself at him before last night?”
“No. I meant…the last time I was with a man, the one who took my virginity.” I covered my face with my hands. “Oh, gosh. I swore I was never doing it again.”
“Technically, you aren’t,” Emily said with a grin. “Losing your virginity, I mean.”
“She gets the point,” Bobbie Jo said, rolling her eyes. “I think she meant sex. Right, Anna?”
“Yes, I meant sex. I…don’t like it.”
“What?” Emily shouted, stiffening in her seat. “What the hell do you mean you don’t like sex?”