Free Whisper Privileges by Dianne Venetta

incredible
volleyball player, you know that?”
    “You’ve mentioned that before,” she said, the
comment pulling a reluctant smile to her mouth.
    “Have I?” He chuckled, amused by her
observation. “I mean it. I’d hate to meet you in a dark alley
somewhere—I might get clobbered.”
    She screwed her face at his choice of
metaphor.
    “On second thought, that might not be a bad
idea! You and me in a dark alley,” he said playfully. “Definitely
dangerous.” She shook her head, refusing to rise to his bait.
Instead, she twirled a small amount of angel hair pasta onto her
fork, then slid it into her mouth.
    Clay imagined what those lips of hers would
taste like, how that solid body of hers would feel held close
against his. He remembered all too well what it looked like on the
beach. From her calves to her rear, her abdomen to her shoulders,
he liked what he saw. “I'm glad Charlie invited me to your
game.”
    “He only goes to stare at half-naked
women.”
    Clay grinned. “Can't say as I blame him.”
    “Yes, well...” She paused, and her mood
abruptly cooled. “I'm sure you impose a bit more dignity on your
natural impulses than he does.”
    “Hmm... Depends on what you mean,” he said
cautiously, not happy about the sudden chill. But it did open the
door to her feelings for Charlie, an avenue he wanted to
explore.
    “Charlie has a tendency to voice what he's
thinking, whether it's appropriate or not. How are you two even
friends?” She pushed the filet around on her plate. “You seem so
different from him, I don’t get it.”
    “I told you. We go way back. Used to golf,
play poker.”
    “You play poker?”
    He grinned. “Used to play a lot with Charlie
during college, but since Q’s diagnosis, pretty much never.”
    “Did you gamble?”
    He laughed. Oh, how Charlie would have loved
that! But Clay never thought it would be fair. The other players
didn’t stand a chance, and bringing in the ringer to turn a couple
bucks didn’t sit well with him. Though early on, it had been pretty
exciting. To walk into a card game and know with certainty you
could run the table? Clay shook his head at the memory. “Nah, I
never bet.”
    “Why not? Isn’t that why people play
poker?”
    Maybe so, but for him the thrill came in
testing his ability. Challenging himself with better and better
players. Money never entered the equation. “I just enjoyed the
game.” He winked. “Played for the fun of it.”
    “I bet Charlie gambled.”
    That he did, but Clay didn’t want to drag his
pal into the ditch any further than Sydney already had. Dragged
him, hell . She was wielding a shovel and burying the poor
guy! He chuckled at the vision. “Charlie never gambled with me. Our
real connection is through family. Our parents are good friends and
well...”
    “I’m sorry for you.” She stabbed her fish
with her fork, then sliced it clean through.
    Damn... Charlie really brought out the blades
in this one. He reached for his water and contemplated his next
move. Alienating Sydney was the last thing he wanted to do right
now, but giving up his friend as sacrificial pawn didn’t feel right
either. Granted the man always had it too easy with the women which
made Sydney all the more intriguing, but that was his problem.
Charlie never had to try. Keeping his nose clean while he drank the
nectar of the gods was his biggest concern. But Clay had to admit,
the two of them sure did have some fun back in the day and women
were definitely front and center in the mix.
    Giving him nothing but profile, purposefully
concentrating on the marina and not their conversation, he had to
pull her back. Had to keep it honest, but had to reel her back to
him, to them. “I don't ditch my friends just because they behave
badly, Sydney. I try to stand by their side and give them a chance
to improve. It’s only fair.”
    Green eyes blazed as she announced in no
uncertain terms, “Charlie is a cheat and a liar. Like I said, he
dumped on a