Free Natural Consequences by Elliott Kay Page B

nervous. “They are all sharp young men— I would not spend my time with them otherwise—but they haven’t caught on just yet. I’m a little more practiced at reading people. You needn’t be so guarded, Amber. You might be surprised at how accepting they are.”
    “I bet everyone’s accepting of you,” Amber huffed. It hadn’t taken long for her to get over her initial shock, but she’d spent the last hour trying to piece together why a woman like Lorelei hung out with these guys. That her boyfriend was part of the circle of friends was perfectly clear; that she had great affection for all of them was also obvious. Yet even so, the casual socializing just didn’t seem to add up. Who the hell was this woman, and just how much did she suspect?
    “That’s a loaded topic. Ahmed, hello,” Lorelei said to the older man behind the bar. “Gin and tonic for me, and for my friend…?” She looked to Amber.
    “Guinness,” answered the younger woman. She paused to choose her words as Ahmed moved off to fill the order. “I dunno. After everything that happened with my last boyfriend and all that, I guess I’m a little gun-shy.”
    “I don’t think that’s it, no,” Lorelei mused, thoughtfully looking her over. “You haven’t decided whether you’re attracted to Jason or not, but you find him intriguing and you enjoy his company. You suspect there’s much more under the surface, and you’re right about that.”
    “I am?”
    “He’s not suave, I’ll grant, but he’s honest with himself about who he is. He’s a strong soul. Witty. Resourceful. Exceedingly brave and loyal.” Lorelei leaned back on the bar, looking to the group of young men. “ You’ll have to earn the stories,” she added with a smile. “He’s also quite intelligent. He knows that bringing you out to meet his friends runs the risk that you’ll find one of them more attractive.”
    Amber nodded. She wasn’t naïve. “Then why did he invite me out here for tonight if he knew that?”
    “I imagine he felt that alleviating your loneliness was more important than getting laid.” Her eyes turned to Amber’s again. “You worry that they will discover something about you that will drive them away from you. Something scandalous? No,” she seemed to think aloud, analyzing Amber as they stood waiting for their drinks. “Deceptive. Unforgiveable.”
    “Well, when you say it like that, I might get worried,” Amber chuckled.
    “You might be shocked at what those young men can forgive.”
    “You sure about that?”
    Lorelei nodded. “I’ve had personal experience.”
    “What did they have to forgive you for?”
    “All that I am,” Lorelei murmured, accepting the drink from Ahmed with a smile. Her first response wasn’t meant to be heard, but Amber caught it. The second came out clearer: “We didn’t meet under ideal circumstances.”
    “But you’re seeing one of Jason’s friends, right? That’s how you met them?” asked Amber. “How did that come about? I mean, I haven’t met him yet, but you seem like the kind of woman who could grab any man she wants.”
    “That is more of a story than I think we’d care for tonight, but if you want the simple answer? I can talk to him as I had never been able to speak to any other. Alex has wit and courage. I liked the look of him. He overcame every obstacle that life offered. There are of course a dozen qualities of relevance. But if you ask what first made me give him a chance, and what keeps us together from day to day? He listens to me, as he did from the start. He accepts me for what I am, and has never asked me to change.”
    Amber chewed on that, glancing back at the guys again. “That’s what makes him stand out? I mean judging by his friends, you probably don’t come from the same social circles.”
    “Not remotely.”
    “You don’t think another man might have all those qualities?”
    “ Surely there are others,” nodded Lorelei. “They missed their