Sugar, Spice & Secrets

49

As I lay there under the soft embrace of Gabriele's duvet, my mind drifted lazily between the lingering haze of pleasure and the man who had gone downstairs to meet his parents.

Lost in my thoughts, I was jolted back to reality by the insistent ringing of my phone. With a groan, I reached for it, the screen illuminating with Zoe's name flashing on the display.

"Hey, Zoe," I greeted her, my voice coming out huskier than usual.

"Girl, where are you?" Zoe's voice came through the line, laced with a hint of concern. "Aren't you coming to work?"

Work?

I blinked in confusion, my mind still foggy as I pulled my away from my ear to look at the date. Wasn't today Sun– Oh!

"Oh! I completely forgot today was Monday," I exclaimed, feeling a flush of embarrassment creeping up my cheeks. How could I have forgotten such a basic thing? But then again, my senses had been thoroughly distracted and fucked away by Gabriele.

"Where are you? Are you okay?" Zoe's voice came through the phone, tinged with concern.

I bit my lip, feeling a wave of shyness wash over me. If only she knew where I was, she would be over the moon.

"In the city?" I replied tentatively, my voice unintentionally rising in pitch as I tried to mask the truth.

"Julie," Zoe responded, her tone filled with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

I couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction, knowing full well that she could see right through my feeble attempt at deception.

"Gabriele's house," I confessed, unable to keep the truth from spilling out. There was no point in hiding it from Zoe; she was bound to find out eventually.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, followed by a burst of laughter from Zoe. "Well, well, well, looks like someone had a hot night," she teased, her amusement palpable even through the phone.

I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks at her words, but I couldn't help but laugh along with her. "Don't start," I replied, unable to contain the smile that tugged at my lips.

"Oh, come on, Jules," Zoe teased, her tone filled with playful affection. "You know I can't resist a good gossip."

I rolled my eyes with a chuckle, knowing full well that Zoe would grill me for every juicy detail the moment I walked through the bakery doors.

"Alright, alright," I relented, unable to keep the smile from my lips. "I really should get my butt in gear and head over to the bakery."

Zoe chuckled in response, her voice filled with understanding. "I suppose I'll let you off the hook this time. Did you guys talk or just fuck... hard?"

I glanced up, suddenly aware of the possibility that Gabriele could walk in at any moment and overhear our conversation. The last thing I wanted was for him to catch wind of me talking about what we did.

"Zoe!" I exclaimed, my voice coming out in a hushed whisper. I hoped beyond hope that Gabriele wouldn't appear before I had a chance to change the subject or, better yet, end the call altogether.

She laughed in response, her voice filled with amusement. "I'm just curious," she teased, completely unfazed by my embarrassment. "But seriously, did you guys just talk, or did you... you know."

I bit my lip, feeling a mixture of shyness and amusement at her straightforward question. "We talked," I admitted.

I could imagine her raising an eyebrow, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Just talked, huh?" She teased, her tone dripping with playful skepticism.