Free Pure Pleasure by Ava McKnight

narrowing on me. “Not so hot in the sack?”
    I groaned. “Words cannot describe how amazing he is. And not just sexually. He’s the nicest, most grounded man I’ve ever known. Aside from my father, of course.” That sentiment made me throw my hands up in the air, then drop them to my desk, where I bent my head and buried my face.
    “Um, I’m confused,” Claire ventured.
    “Yeah, so what gives?” This from Taylor. “I mean, he’s hot, nice and the sex was amazing. So… What’s up?”
    “Shit,” Cherish chirped in the delicate voice that went with her very delicate body. “He’s married, isn’t he?”
    I shook my head without lifting it.
    “Bi?” Taylor asked, a cringe in her tone.
    Another sharp shake of my head.
    “Unemployed?” Claire ventured. “Well, honey, it doesn’t matter what the bank statements read when you’re in love, right?”
    This made my body snap to attention. I jumped out of my chair and threw my hands up again. “Yes, it does! I think I’d prefer it if he was unemployed and penniless!”
    “Oh, now don’t say that,” Taylor warned as the three women stared at me in horror, as though they were afraid to make any sudden movements that might make the nut job lose it completely.
    “He’s rich,” I told them. “ Loaded . A multimillionaire with a yacht and a helicopter and a million-dollar Trophy Truck! And get this—he’s crazy about me! Me !”
    “Oh, well, sweetie,” Cherish said as she reached for one of my hands and patted it gingerly. “We’re all a bit crazy about you, no need to get worked up. You’ve got a killer sense of fashion and a wicked pen.”
    “And a very pretty smile,” Claire added in a maternal tone, which had recently developed in conjunction with her impending wedding.
    “Yeah, so,” Taylor stepped in, “if the two of you are so enamored with each other, what’s the problem?”
    I knew she and Cherish would understand, even if Ky and Claire couldn’t because of their financial status.
    “I told him about my mother. About how I was raised. Where I lived. How we lived. I told him I hadn’t even graduated high school and that I buy all my clothes and shoes secondhand.”
    Tears flooded my eyes again and I was glad I’d skipped the mascara this morning.
    Taylor and Cherish both gasped. Claire stared at me, befuddled.
    “I don’t get it,” she said.
    Taylor came instantly to my rescue. “There’s nothing worse than telling a wealthy man you were once on food stamps.”
    Claire’s brow furrowed. “Isn’t that sort of shallow? I mean, on the guy’s part. If he can’t deal with a shocking reality a lot of people face… Is he really worth it?”
    “I don’t think Ky gives a damn that I don’t have money,” I explained. “Everything I told him, he understood and accepted. He didn’t pass judgment, nor did he throw his upper echelon status in my face.”
    “So, again…what’s the problem?” Claire asked, genuinely confused, by the look of her.
    “It’s just not something you really want to admit to the man of your dreams,” I told her.
    She quickly countered with, “Then how will he ever get to know you, Giselle?”
    I turned away. “That’s exactly what he said.” I splayed my palms against the brick wall and mocked banging my head against it. “The thing is, when you meet someone as fantastic as Ky, you want to be perfect for him. You know, not have all this dead weight you’re carrying around.”
    Claire placed a hand on my shoulder and said, “The dead weight is what makes you who you are. Yes, you can cut it loose when the time’s right, but until then… It’s learning from your past and getting over it that shapes who you ultimately become. And something tells me this person saw exactly who you are and he’s happy with what he sees. Just like the rest of us when it comes to you.”
    The tears ran much faster and I had to fight back actual sobs.
    Claire said, “You don’t have anything to be ashamed of,