“Try nudity,” Faith said solemnly. “It works wonders.”

It was Serena’s turn to laugh. “God, like we need the image of sweet little Faith in the buff enticing her man. I already see the way Gray looks at you clothed. Don’t even want to know how he looks at you naked.”

Faith smiled serenely and clapped enthusiastically as Gray came up to bat. “Shhh, you two. Gray is up.”

Julie rolled her eyes but complied.

Faith stood up and squealed like a girl when Gray hit a double against the centerfield wall, driving Connor home. As she settled down again, Julie looked around Faith and pinned Serena with her stare.

“I’m still waiting to hear all the juicy details I missed out on the other day.”

“You mean you haven’t bludgeoned poor Faith to death for the dirt yet?”

Julie snorted. “She may look sweet, but she’s like a frickin’ bulldog when it comes to being stubborn. She informed me that it was your story to tell, not hers.”

“Why, thank you, Faith,” Serena said sweetly. “I appreciate that.”

“Shhh, Micah is up to bat.”

“Oh for the love of God,” Julie said as she got up to move to Serena’s other side. “Faith, honey, we don’t actually come here to watch the game. We come to gossip and ogle.”

She settled down beside Serena and flipped her brown hair over her shoulder. “Now, dish, Serena, and don’t leave anything out or I swear I will retaliate and the results won’t be pretty.”

“You’re totally not going to let me enjoy the scenery, are you?” Serena said with a disgusted sigh.

“You can watch them and talk at the same time.”

Serena rolled her eyes then leaned in, and in low tones, related the conversation she’d had with Faith and her subsequent meeting with Damon.

“Holy shit,” Julie breathed. “Now that’s what I call a shocker.”

“I’m not sure I like where you’re going with this,” Serena said in a dry voice.

“I get the fantasy bits, but Serena, a sex slave?” Julie asked in disbelief.

“Shhh!” Serena hissed. “For Pete’s sake, I’d rather the entire greater Houston area not know about this.”

“You’re really going to do it?” Julie asked in a lower tone.

Serena paused for a minute then turned to her friend. “Yeah, I think I am.”

“Wow. You’ve got balls, girlfriend. My hat is totally off to you. I’m such a chicken shit. I can’t even work up the nerve to ask Nathan out, and here you are taking on your darkest fantasies.”

There was a rueful gleam in Julie’s brown eyes. Admiration shadowed her expression and a tiny bit of envy as well.

“If I can discuss sexual slavery over lunch with a guy who looks like the cover model for GQ, then I think you should at least have the guts to ask Nathan out,” Serena said.

“GQ, huh. This is Faith’s friend, right?” Julie glanced sideways at Faith who kept her lips pressed tightly together although her eyes glittered with laughter. “I think she’s been holding out on us, Serena. Not only does she work with a horde of hot guys, but now she’s cultivating friendships with hot sex club owners?”

Faith heaved an exaggerated sigh. Then she leaped to her feet as Gray ran home.

“Girl needs to learn to share,” Julie grumbled.

“Hey, I hand-delivered Nathan to you. What more do you want?” Faith demanded as she plopped back down beside Serena.

“She’s got you there, Julie,” Serena pointed out. “She took him to you when he wanted to get his ear pierced and you got him hooked on those massages.”

Julie sighed unhappily.

“Bet if you showed up naked to massage him, he’d notice you,” Faith offered.

“Make him roll over,” Serena said with a snicker.

“He’s not a damn dog,” Julie said darkly.

Faith muttered a curse when one of their guys got thrown out at first, ending the inning. Then she turned to Serena, her expression serious.

“Are you sure you know what you’re getting into, Serena? I mean, have you thought this through?”

Serena inhaled sharply then nodded. “Yeah, this is something I want to do. And hey, it’s not like I’m making a major life change. It’s a temporary fantasy. If I hate it, I’ll just put an end to it early and go dream up something different.”

“I trust Damon,” Faith said. “He’ll take good care of you, I know it.”

“Just how is it that you know Damon anyway?” Julie interjected. “Seems like that has to be a juicy story.”

Faith blushed and glanced down at her hands. “Let’s just say I had some fantasies of my own, and Damon was very helpful in directing my path.”

“Get out!” Julie exclaimed as she all but pounced on Faith. “Does Gray know about this?”

Faith laughed softly. “Gray hauled me out of Damon’s club, so yeah, he knows.”

Serena gave a small shiver. “Girl, you have all the fun. What I wouldn’t give for a gorgeous man to go all he-man on me.”

“So, um, what were these fantasies of yours, Faith?” Julie prodded.

Faith blushed again. “They weren’t so different from Serena’s, which is why I sent her to Damon.”

Julie arched an eyebrow then glanced between Faith and Serena. “Don’t get any ideas about me, chicas. I don’t have a submissive bone in my body.”

“We aren’t out to convert you, Julie,” Serena said in mild exasperation.

“We’re just owning our sexuality,” Faith said firmly.

Serena nodded. “Exactly.”

“Well, damn, I want to own mine,” Julie muttered. “Just as soon as I get it all figured out.”

“You mean you’re secretly a lesbian?” Serena teased.

Julie elbowed her in the gut. “Very funny. A girl can’t get any straighter than I am. In fact, I think my fantasy might be to take on Nathan and his buddies.”

Serena coughed and then she burst into laughter.

Julie’s eyes narrowed. “Hey, I wasn’t joking.”

“Come on, Julie. More than one guy? What the hell would you do with them all?”

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” Faith murmured.

Both Julie and Serena whipped their heads in Faith’s direction, but she stared out at the field, a look of supreme innocence on her face.

“Tell me you haven’t,” Julie said in a low voice. “Because if you have, I may gut you in my envy.”

Faith just smiled and continued to watch the game.

“Hell, she has,” Serena said. She followed Faith’s gaze to the field where the guys were lining up for handshakes. Then she glanced back at Faith, whose cheeks were a delicate shade of pink. “With them?”

“Not with Nathan,” Julie groaned. “Tell me it wasn’t with Nathan.”

“Eeewww!” Faith exclaimed. “I mean not that he isn’t hot, but he’s like Connor, for God’s sake.”

“Who?” Julie demanded. “Was this before or after Gray? It had to be before. Gray doesn’t strike me as the type to appreciate another guy screwing his woman, and he is extremely possessive of you.”

Faith’s grin widened.

“Okay, you made me spill the goods, Faith,” Serena said. “No fair holding out. If I can admit that I want to be some man’s sex toy, for crying out loud, then you can at least tell us who you had a threesome with.”

“Oh God, was it more than a threesome?” Julie asked in sudden shock. “What would you call that anyway?”

“A gang bang?” Serena interjected sarcastically.

“It was just two,” Faith said in a strangled tone. “Good Lord, what do you think I am, a porn star wannabe?”

Julie pounced. “Which two?”

“Gray and Micah,” Faith mumbled.

Serena looked at her friend with newfound admiration. Sweet, shy Faith Malone was clearly a chick in charge of her sexual destiny. Suddenly she felt good about her decision to plunge forward with her own desires, and it made her feel even better to have shared her plans with her friends. It made her feel not quite so alone.

Julie made a forlorn noise and did an exaggerated frowny face. “I’m so freaking jealous. I could totally be down with a Connor and Nathan sandwich.”

Faith closed her eyes. “Julie, please. I don’t need images of you and my brother burned into my eyeballs. Let’s stop this conversation while we’re still in the realm of decency.”

“Decency,” Julie mimicked. “Who the hell wants decency? I want decadence. Hedonism. Clearly I need to be introduced to this Damon guy.”

Serena frowned. “You stay away from Damon.”

Julie glanced up at her in surprise. “Sheathe the claws, girlfriend. Are you staking a claim on Mr. GQ?”

Serena’s cheeks tightened in embarrassment. What the hell was she thinking? And why did it irritate her that Julie would want to elbow in on Damon? It wasn’t like Damon was anything to Serena. He was just the conduit between her and whatever man she ended up with for her fantasy.

Still, the idea of the way-too-pretty Julie batting those gorgeous brown eyes up at Damon made her want to search for sharp objects.

“You can have him after he’s done what he needs to do for me,” Serena said. “Until then, why don’t you stop pretending you’re some shrinking violet and go after Nathan? You’re acting like you had a brain transplant, for God’s sake.”

Julie scowled but Faith nodded in agreement and nudged her as the guys headed in their direction.

Poor Julie, she looked so hopeful as Nathan approached, but he and Connor were deep in conversation, and neither so much as looked in their direction as they walked by, equipment bags slung over their shoulders.

Micah, on the other hand, was more than happy to stop and flirt. And he was a gorgeous specimen of a man. Serena had to admit that.

“Hey, baby doll,” Micah called up to Faith.

Armed with the new knowledge of Faith’s sexual escapades with Micah and Gray, Serena watched the interaction between the three with interest.