Free Hot Water by Callie Sparks

sounds cool, even though I really don’t drink tea. Joely gets a chamomile, and instantly I wish I’d gotten the same.
    “So you just graduated high school?” Charlotte, the petite Asian girl asks.
    I nod.
    “And you’re going to college in the fall?”
    “Yes. Rutgers.”
    I expect them to know the school, but they all screw up their faces like they’ve never heard of it. Never heard of the biggest University in New Jersey? Okay. After that, they quickly lose interest in me and start checking their iPhones.
    Our teas come. Joely’s is normal, but I made the mistake of ordering something stupidly ostentatious. It’s a steaming cup of water in a wine glass, and inside it is a closed flower bud, slowly opening. It looks strangely hideous, like demon spawn. We all just stare at it for a moment.
    “Wow. That is one ugly fucking drink,” Jacinta says.
    I blush. I know I’m not even going to try it. It might bite back.
    They tear their eyes away from my drink and start talking about shopping. Charlotte has a birthday next week, and they have a heated argument about whether she should treat herself to a Coach or a Michael Kors purse. I like purses as much as the next person, but I have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than affording a Coach purse with my nonexistent salary. I start to zone a little.
    “Really, the best birthday would be Las Vegas,” Charlotte says wistfully.
    They all nod in agreement. Jacinta says, “When do they decide?”
    “Not until next week,” Joely says. Then she turns and explains to me, “There’s a big trade show in Vegas in July. Three interns get to go to assist.”
    “Oh. Cool,” I say, thinking it probably doesn’t apply to me. I’m so new, after all.
    “Three of us have to hang back, of course, and man the ship,” she continues. “I’m one of them. I can’t go because of college classes.”
    “I’ve volunteered every time it comes up. I’ve done everything short of sucking off Caden Williams,” Jacinta says.
    My ears perk up at the mention of his name. Violet grins. “Why don’t you?”
    “I have a better chance of getting with Channing Tatum,” Jacinta says, giving Dax a look. “ New York Daily ’s sexiest eligible bachelor for the past decade. Come on. Show of hands. Who around this table wouldn’t eagerly suck Caden Williams’ cock if he asked?”
    I nearly choke.
    Dax, annoyed, immediately throws his hand in the air. “Why do I have to hang around stupid chicks all day?”
    But nobody else raises a hand. Jacinta pushes a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. “Screw off, Dax. We make you look good, and you know it.”
    Joely raises her hand. “If I didn’t have Matt, I’d be right with you all,” she explains to me that he’s her boyfriend of three years, and that they’re mere minutes from getting engaged.
    “Is Caden who chooses who goes?” I ask.
    Jacinta nods. “He’s the last word on everything. He’s senior partner in the firm and pretty much handles everything, because his dad has been going batshit lately. Have you met Caden Williams yet, sweetie?”
    I wish I hadn’t. I wish I could just say “never met him” so that my face won’t flush, something I know happens whenever I even think of him. But Joely knows I’d just been in his office. I nod. “He’s . . . cute,” I mumble, feeling every bit eighteen. A silence ensues. Did I really call him cute ? Men like Caden may be many things, but cute isn’t one of them. And is he really  New York Daily ’s sexiest bachelor?
     “So Cicily,” Joely says. “What’s the dirt on you and that meeting? You said you’d met some of them before?”
    I knew this would come up eventually, and I’d initially told myself that I’d just deny it all. Or just say that my mom had introduced me to them once, a few years back. End of story, nothing to see here. But looking at these oh-so-mature and worldly people, who seem to find their iPhones way more interesting than me, I