As Long As You Love Me ✓

24. Takin' Care of Business

Dale scooted a chair closer, spun it around and straddled it. "Any time you're ready."

"Well, I should warn you. Apparently, I've had some bad breakups, so my songs are a bit on the..."

"Sad side?"

"No. More on the I'll-write-a-song-to-get-even-with-you side."

Dale chuckled. "Okay, Taylor Swift. I'm anxious to hear them."

"This first one is called, "You Can't Emoji Your Way Out of This."

When Zari finished, Dale's face had turned red from laughter. "That's kind of cute. Got another one?"

"Depending on how risqué you'll allow me to be, here's one I call, "Nothing Between Us But Your Penis."

Dale threw his head back, and belly laughed, and she launched into song. This time when she ended the number, he laughed harder.

"Girl, you may be just what this place needs. I'll try you for a couple of weeks and see how it goes. If you're the hit I think you'll be, we'll work out a salary. What night you interested in?"

Zari slid to the end of the bench and hugged him. "Thank you!" Then she backed away. "Oh, sorry. I'm just excited."

He grinned. "Me, too. You're original. I like that. So, what night?"

"I've actually given this some thought. I designed and printed small posters, just in case it worked out." She pulled them from her bag and passed them. "I thought Thursdays would be good."

Dale eyed the papers, then handed them back to her. "Sounds good. I'll get you some tape, and you can display the announcement in the window. You can also put one at the bodega. I own it, too."

Later that day, as Zari returned home from her daily walk, her mood couldn't be better. Even without a complete past, she couldn't imagine a life more perfect. Her cast was off. Memories were trickling in. The job market had opened up. And she had the greatest guy.

Speaking of which, she was tired of waiting for Gabriel to call.

After removing Rebel's leash, she watched him head towards the water bowl while she dropped in a few flakes for the fish. Once done, she headed down the hallway for a bath.

Finally, she no longer had to bathe with one hand hanging out of the tub, and tomorrow, she'd be able to put on her own bra! Never considered that'd be something she'd look forward to.

Grabbing the pilfered magazine from her purse, she sank deep into the water. Since it was more than two months out of date and on the verge of falling apart, she doubted they'd miss the publication.

Rebel settled on the rug, sighed, and rolled his eyes up at her.

Maybe Zari should get a male's point of view. "It says here, men like, in this order, for the woman to initiate sex, have oral sex, and third, anal sex." She stopped. "Next on the list is dirty talk. Not sure I can pull that off, but I can try. What do you think?"

The dog didn't move.

She raised her eyebrows at the silent pup. "Oh, so you don't have an opinion? You're no help. According to this, guys also like foreplay. I believe that because Gabriel loved the hand jobs. Even told me so and afterward made out with me."

Rebel closed his eyes.

"Yeah, see that's what I'm talking about. I need to be bold and unpredictable to keep things exciting." She closed the magazine, laid it next to Rebel, and thought about her new singing gig.

She ran her song catalog through her head. Earlier, she'd remembered the history of some of those songs. Cheating. Bad breakups. Well, those days were over, and the silly rhymes were just that. No longer did her heartbreak when she sang them. The subjects of those verses were just a bunch of jerks that had led her to where she was now. Happy and in love. Soon to be engaged. And as soon as Gabriel got back home, she was going to screw his brains out. No more restrictions. No reason for him to resist her advances.