I was with Courtney, a friend I counted among my best, for an afternoon of pampering at an exclusive spa, one of my favorites uptown. I wasn't enjoying it as much as I used to. I was distracted, and couldn't help but feeling a bit guilty for the way I had gone off on Ben. Not to mention the fiasco at the church. And getting drunk. And having sex with a total stranger. At the same time, I tried to convince myself that I had done the right thing. He was a mistake, a drunken mistake. Besides, he'd gotten something out of it too, hadn't he? I certainly wasn't complaining. Even remembering bits and pieces of it, I was impressed with his skill, even then we'd both been pretty wasted.

Still, I couldn't help but recall the last words he had spoken to me over the intercom. No need to be bitchy about it. I felt bad about that. I was a bitch, and I could be extremely bitchy. And foolish, and stupid, and headstrong, and yes, I would be the first to admit that I was spoiled and suffered from feelings of entitlement. That wasn't my fault, was it? After all, my parents had given me everything I'd ever asked for. I had learned early on that throwing a tantrum was the best way to get what I wanted.

But I was twenty-six years old. Time for spoiled Karen Queen to grow up. It was obvious that if I was going to make headway in this avenue, I had to take stock. The fact that I had been dumped by Daniel Stone, one of the most eligible, rich, and handsome men in New York City for a plain Jane like Ashley Shiels was a wake-up call. I realized that there was nothing wrong with Ashley, but I did realize for the first time that beauty, a rich pedigree, and my super-focused materialism wasn't doing me any favors.

I glanced at Courtney, sitting perfectly still in her mud bath, slices of cucumbers over her eyes. She had always had my back. She'd never been too thrilled about Daniel, and I wondered what she would have the say about it if I related to her my interlude with Ben. Knowing Courtney, she would roll her eyes, shrug, and tell me that I deserved to have as much fun when and where I wanted.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, immersed in the mud bath, contemplating another problem. My parents were apparently forging ahead with their new plans to set me up with another guy.

"I slept with a guy the other night," I said casually.

I heard a snort come from Courtney and turned to her. She had lifted her head, the slices of cucumber falling off her eyes and landing on the mud, so thick that they floated. "Spill."

"Well, after the fiasco at the church, which I'm sure you've heard about…" Courtney nodded. "I went to a bar and got drunk. A guy came up to me. Apparently, he'd been at the wedding ceremony too."

Courtney said nothing but merely lifted an eyebrow. "He said, ‘that was quite an entrance back there’, and then he bought me a drink. One drink turned into two, and then three, and then I lost count." I glanced at her but she merely watched me, assuming I would continue. I did. "He took me back to my apartment."

I said nothing for several moments, and finally Courtney spoke. "And you think that's a good stopping point?"

"We had sex." I shrugged. "Multiple times, multiple ways, all of them good, from what I can remember."

Courtney said nothing for several moments. As my confidant, she was more than aware of my parent's attempt to marry me off to someone. "I have an idea to stop your parents in their tracks."

"Move to California?" I said, not quite joking.

"Why don't you make an arrangement with Ben? A more permanent one?"

I hadn't expected that. No, not at all. I stared at my friend, stunned. "Aren't you listening? I basically told him to fuck off.”

"Well, do you have his phone number?"

"No."

"Do you know where he lives or what he does for a living?"

I shook my head. Courtney's eyes widened.

"So, for all you know, he's a serial killer?"

I had to laugh. "No serial killer knows how to give good sex like that," I said. "I must say, he was a very considerate lover."

"Maybe you can find him."

What? Should I? The more I thought about it, the more it sounded like it might be a good idea. At least it would be a way to keep my parents at bay. I could pretend to date Ben. He wasn't bad to look at, and if I recall correctly, he had told me he'd gone to an Ivy League school. I had no idea what he did for a living, but surely, someone that looked as hot as he did had a good job and made a decent income.

I thought about it. "Maybe you're right. Maybe a distraction would do me some good, and he didn't seem put off by my… my behavior at Daniel's wedding."

Courtney giggled. "I like him already, just for that."

"But how would I contact him? I have no idea--"

"Google him. Social media." She looked at me. "Come on, Karen, use your noggin."

She was right. I could find Ben if I wanted to. The thought of seeing him again wasn't as abhorrent as I had made it out to be. The sex had been mind-blowing. I wouldn't exactly be using him if we had an agreement. If he knew that I wanted to pretend to have a relationship with him, it wouldn't be bad, would it?

The only thing I had to consider was whether or not he could act the part, and even more importantly, would he want to?