Top Secret

by Sarina Bowen

But I’ve loaned her money before, and she never pays it back. Why is that okay? Like, seriously. If she just said it had to be a gift, not a loan, I wouldn’t feel so used when she asks me for money.

My phone buzzes with a notification. And I can’t believe it, but it’s from the Kink app. I open the phone under the table and find that SinnerThree has sent me a gif. It’s of...a cowboy herding cats across the plain. May the best asshole win, he writes. I can’t help myself. I glance up and find him looking at me. And that fucker winks. Goddamn Bailey. I don’t want to like the guy.

And although I’m pleased that Bailey accepted my help, I find it incredibly telling that he only agreed to it when he thought I was using him. Someone helping him from the goodness of their heart is completely inconceivable to him, and damned if that isn’t one of the saddest things I’ve ever encountered.