Part 2
"This is a bad idea, little sister." The dire warning in Brenda's transmitted clearly over the VOIP line.
"I thought you of all people would be thrilled that I'm doing this!" Robin stood in front of her clothes closet frowning, her cordless phone cradled between ear and shoulder. The arguments she'd had recently with her father and Patrick, combined with the fantasies she and the girls had woven last night had led her to the conclusion that she needed to shake things up a bit in her life. She had been so excited to tell Brenda about her decision to have a casual, sexual fling with Patrick and had been sure Brenda would cheer her on. "You and everyone are always telling me I need to cut loose and have some fun!"
"While I have no doubt the sex would be fun." Brenda paused to sigh. "You are not a casual girl. You're going to get attached and you're going to get hurt."
"Brenda I am the most cautious, logical person you know. I've given this a lot of thought."
"I have no doubt about that, which just proves my point. Not casual."
"Listen." Robin grabbed a deep purple shirt with a wrapped, v-neckline. "Patrick Drake is not the kind of man I could fall in love with." When Patrick had definitively refused to consider embarking on a real relationship, Robin had decided that this was a good thing because it would never have worked in the long run anyway. They both would have been pretending to themselves and each other just to get to the sex. She just decided to go along and do away with the pretense.
"You have feelings for him already, Robin. Don't lie to yourself. I know I've told you to loosen up, but not with someone destined to hurt you."
Robin sat down on the bed. "Patrick and I are colleagues and in some weird universe we might even be called friends, so while I've come to see that underneath the posturing there is a worthwhile human being, I know that he is also everything he appears to be on the surface - a glib, arrogant, emotionally unavailable man whore. Even if I made the mistake of falling for him, he would stop it before it got too risky." As far as Robin was concerned it was a win-win.
"And he's really hot." Brenda sighed.
"Yeah, he's really hot." Robin grinned widely.
"I can tell there's nothing I can say to change your mind, just be careful. And if you find yourself falling for the jerk, call me and I'll talk you out of it. Even if I have to come there and kidnap you for your own good."
"I know what I'm doing. Thanks, Bren. I love you."
"As long as I'm the one you're saying it to and not him! I love you too, little sister."
Robin clicked off the phone and tossed it on her bed and shook her head. She was twenty-eight years old, had had two major relationships in her life and was a doctor. She was sure she could handle casual sex with Patrick Drake.