“A yacht! No way!” Caroline hooted. “Was it fabulous?”
“It was ridiculously nice,” Emma told her. “Like, whatever you’re imagining, times it by a hundred—white couches, stainless steel accents, gleaming wood floors. It was totally amazing. Antonio invented a rocket in college and now he runs a company that launches satellites into space or something like that.”
“Antonio Rafferty? The aerospace guy?” Piper said, her voice incredulous. “Are you talking about the billionaire who’s in the news all the time? That Antonio?”
Emma placed a hand over her heart. “I don’t know, maybe?” She glanced around the table, her expression stunned. “I Googled Mallory, but I didn’t think to search for him because we never caught his last name. We knew he was rich, for certain a millionaire, but I had no idea he was a billionaire! That makes sense, though. He was in a different stratosphere, even from Mallory, who must have tons of money herself. He carried himself with complete assuredness.”
“Of course it makes sense,” Gillian snorted. “The guy has a yacht and a private island!”
“He’s actually only part owner of the island, from how he explained it,” Emma said sheepishly. “I wasn’t about to ask him how rich he is, and it’s not like he was shouting how much money he has.” She laughed. “I don’t watch the news that much, and his first name didn’t ring any bells. Now I feel silly.”
Piper swished her hand. “It’s not a big deal at all. You just met and partied with one of only a handful of billionaires under the age of thirty. We do that kind of stuff all the time around here! Madison is a hotbed for attracting those filthy-rich types,” Piper joked. “But, seriously, no worries. The next time you take a trip, I’m giving you a notebook filled with mugshots of the rich and famous, along with their names, birth dates, and net worth.”
Emma started to laugh in earnest. She had to cover her mouth to stop.
When she finally quieted down, she sputtered, “Pete almost took Antonio out because he wanted to have sex with me! And I don’t think he wanted to just fuck me—he actually wanted me. At least, that’s the vibe he gave off. It was enough for Pete to feel threatened, and it was actually the best thing that could’ve happened to us. Pete has never had his heart broken before and has never gone through an agonizing breakup or loss. That explained a lot to me. But he figured it out quickly, and from then on out, it was totally wonderful.”
“I’m glad you and Pete worked it out,” Piper said. “Pete’s a good guy. He just didn’t know what he had until it could’ve been yachted out from under him.” She snorted. “I’m sure the strutting helped things along.”
“It totally did,” Emma said. “I wore the white bikini bottoms for the first time on the yacht, and Pete nearly leapt out of his skin, so thanks for that. In fact, all of the bottoms had similar effects. They were so sexy.” Emma turned to Caroline. “And we had an incredible last night, thanks to you. That teddy paired with the lube, and the…um…beads.” She blushed. “I can’t even tell you. It was a night I’ll never forget.” Then she nodded to Gillian. “I used the harness the night you gave it to me, and we need to talk later. It was totally incredible, and I’d like to look into more things like that as a surprise for Pete.”
“Glad it worked for you,” Gillian said. “There’s a lot of pleasure to be had if you learn to like control.”
“No kidding.” Emma took a long drink of her martini. “It was some of the most intense pleasure I’ve ever experienced.”
“I’m super happy for you, too, but can we get back to the scenario where Mallory Baldwin finds the man of her dreams?” Piper asked. “I still don’t get the dating island. How does it work? And can I just interject here and say that for a very brief, teensy moment my black heart wished I was single again. Going to a private island to find a man sounds like reality TV on steroids chased with lots of tequila.”
“I totally agree. Even to be a fly on the wall in such a place! Mallory deemed it Fuck Me Island, and she’s not off base.” Emma giggled. “I don’t know a lot, but I exchanged e-mail addresses with her and she’s promised to update me. She’s supposed to be going next month. From how Antonio explained it, it’s like Tinder meets Tahiti for the rich and famous. All guests on the island are there to hook up and are given phones with a Tinder-like app with all the guests’ info on it.” Emma shrugged. “Everyone there is a potential fuck buddy, they’re all filthy rich, and everyone is hoping to find the person of their dreams. I’m rooting for Mallory to find what she’s looking for. Under it all, she’s a sweet girl and deserves to find happiness. She didn’t dish too deep about her background, but she mentioned her mom ‘selling’ her into the modeling at a young age and that must’ve been rough.”
“That does sounds harsh,” Caroline agreed. “I hope she finds it, too. And, wow, what an experience you had! I’m floored. I truly hope Mallory keeps you in the loop, because we’re all going to want to hear how it goes!”
“I’m sure she’ll keep me posted. I already had three e-mails from her by the time I arrived home.” Emma laughed. “She’s hoping to find out about a big endorsement deal very soon.”
“That’s so crazy incredible!” Piper exclaimed. “But I’m not surprised she fell in love with you. You’re easy to fall for. You’re like if ridiculously charming and super sweet had a baby and named her Emma.”
“Aw, that’s so nice of you to say,” Emma said. “Thank you. Mallory was actually instrumental in helping Pete see the light. I thought they wanted to be together, because their heads were always together, but when I found out she was trying to help us, it endeared me to her. We’ve forged a tight bond.”
Piper cleared her throat. “Okay, Emma dished.” She turned pointedly toward Gillian. “Now it’s your turn. We haven’t seen you since Emma’s travel shower. You’ve both been on vacation, it seems. Can you share any news with us? You kind of look like you’re glowing. Is that the inner light of happiness seeping out?”
Gillian chuckled. “That’s probably just my new ink sparkling in the lighting.” She pulled down her T-shirt to expose a new tattoo on her collarbone. It was a small baseball with red stitching.
“Bullshit,” Piper said. “Spill it. We’re all dying to know what’s been going on with you. Please don’t hold out on us!”
“We really are dying,” Caroline added hopefully. “It’s been a few weeks.”
Gillian arched an eyebrow around the table. “What, like you guys don’t already know who it is! Brad confessed he let the name slip, and if I know your husbands like I know mine, you already all know who it is.”
Emma was surprised.
Pete hadn’t said a word.
She glanced at Caroline, who looked sheepish as she picked up her glass and took a gulp of her wine. “Well, I, for one, don’t know,” Emma said. “Pete hasn’t mentioned anything. But then again, he found me naked in the harness, so that might’ve been distracting. So what’s up? Who is it? I can’t stand not knowing!”
“Okay,” Piper admitted. “The rest of us do know it’s Tyler Blackstone, but we know nothing else! I promise!”
“Tyler Blackstone, the baseball player?” Emma gaped.
Piper gave her a look. “You know Tyler Blackstone by name, but not Antonio Rafferty?” she teased.
“Pete played baseball in college, and it’s one of his biggest passions next to surfing, so coverage is always on,” Emma answered. “That’s how I know his name. He’s also drop-dead gorgeous, so when they drafted him for our team, I was all ears, or eyes?” She giggled. “But I’m surprised Pete didn’t say anything to me about it. It must have slipped his mind.”