Free Stealing Phin by Avery Hale Page A

make-out session after I’d spewed my dinner and half the Guaro I drank onto him.”
    “Yeah,” Dez pulled a sick face, “I’d say that would take the wind out of his willie-sail. Well, it’s still early, and we’ve got plenty of time left here. And if not Carlito, then maybe some other guy. I’m telling you. It’d be a downright shame if you left this country without getting some rainforest loving!”
    I turned onto my side toward Dez and picked at a loose thread. “You know what’s a shame?”
    “What?”
    “Me.” I kept my eyes down. “I drunk dialed Douglas last night at the Lounge.”
    “Are you kidding?”
    “I wish.”
    “And what did the bastard have to say?”
    “He didn’t pick up.”
    “Good.”
    “No, not good, Dez. I wanted to hear his voice. But he wasn’t home.” I didn’t want to tell Dez about who was home. Or, at least, what my intoxicated brain had concluded when I’d heard the girl’s voice on his line.
    But as my hangover hammered away at my head, I realized just how drunk I was when I’d called Douglas. Maybe I’d just imagined the entire thing. Or maybe I’d accidentally dialed the wrong number.
    “I wonder where he was last night,” I mused, bitterly noting how naïve I sounded even to myself.
    Dez gave me a look. “Do I really have to say it?”
    “No.” I pulled harder at the thread until it broke. “That thought crossed my mind, too.”
    But then, as if to save itself from the ensuing pain, my mind dug its heels deeper into denial and tossed me a bone. I suddenly remembered something else that could explain his absence last night. “There was a lot of drama going down at the office around the time I left,” I said. “Douglas was super stressed about it. Said it could be career-changing. I bet he was working late to deal with that.”
    I could tell Dez didn’t buy it, but she humored me. “Was his ass getting put in the sling for all the illegal stuff he was doing?”
    “It wasn’t illegal.” I quickly defended him. “A little unethical, maybe, but not illegal.”
    At least, that’s what Douglas kept telling me.
    After he’d lost his biggest client six months ago, he felt pressure to keep his revenue numbers up because he’d just made partner. So, he’d instructed me to pad the hours the associates on his team billed to his clients when I filled out the monthly billing reports.
    At first I’d hesitated, naturally worried about both of us getting into trouble, but he’d reassured me it was just temporary.
    These clients have so much money they’re not going to notice an extra hour being billed to them here or there , he’d insisted. Plus, the work product I provide is worth more than my billing rate. So, at the end of the day, I’m just charging them what they owe me .
    Although his explanation wasn’t enough to easy my doubts, I’d trusted him and his judgment.
    I hoped Douglas didn’t get in trouble over this. He’d worked so hard to become partner that it would devastate him if he lost it all. His career was more important to him than anything else in his life. His ambition was something that I’d admired about him. I’d always worked hard in school. But Douglas had taught me the difference between being a hard worker and being driven. The more I thought about it, the more worried I got for Douglas. I wished I could see him and make sure he was all right.
    Dez interrupted my thoughts. “You have any other confessions you want to make this morning?”
    Suddenly, I found myself thinking about Byron. “No,” I said weakly as my cheeks burned. I tried to turn away from Dez before she noticed, but it was too late.
    “You’re lying to me.” She sat up in bed and pointed an accusing finger at me. “I knew it—you did hook up last night!” She squealed. “It’s all over your face. Was Carlito good? Of course he was. He’s gorgeous and aims to please. Did you like it in the water? Sometimes it can make you chafe down there, depending on