“It’s okay,” Kira said. “It’s kinda nice, actually. Before I had to listen to you talk about whatever random guy you’d hooked up with over the weekend. Now I still get the hookup story, but all the background info is the same. You must like John if you’ve kept him around for this long.”

“Actually,” Zack said, “I have some news to share with you about that.”

Kira perked up like a cat that heard a can opener, but Zack waved her off. “It’s not that exciting. Well, no, it is. My life is always exciting. But I’d rather wait for everyone else to get here before I share my news.”

Kira checked her phone. “He should be here any minute.”

“He? No Alexa tonight?”

“No, she had to work. Lee will be here, though.”

“Okay. I’ll rely on you to inform Alexa.”

Kira saluted. “I would have even if you hadn’t said anything.”

“That’s my girl.”

Zack sipped his beer and took what he hoped was a subtle peek at Kira. He’d tried to avoid talking about work ever since she started dating Alexa, but he knew it was only a matter of time. Kira had supported their occupation before, but that was as a friend, not a lover. In Zack’s experience, things tended to change when hearts became involved.

Kira seemed relaxed, from what he could tell, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. She usually appeared calmest when she was the most troubled.

Zack decided to risk asking the question burning on his tongue. “So . . . have you and Alexa talked about her job?”

“Every day,” Kira said matter-of-factly. “It’s going well, from what she tells me.”

“You know what I mean.” Zack took another long drink from his beer. “Have you two had the Talk yet?”

“The Sex Worker Talk?”

Zack nodded.

“Kind of,” Kira said. “Honestly, when she first brought it up, I was one of those people you two complain about, the ones who don’t get it and try to convince you to quit.”

Zack nodded again, but inwardly he felt a twinge of disappointment. “That happens a lot, yeah. It’s hard for most people to think of sex work as a legitimate career.”

“Well, I’m not most people.” Kira slumped a bit in her seat. “At least, I thought I wasn’t. At first, I was really supportive, but I guess part of me assumed that when Alexa and I got serious, she’d find a new job. That, obviously, did not happen.”

“Not to get all soapboxy or whatever,” Zack said, “but sex work isn’t something Alexa needs to be rescued from. It’s not like being in a relationship will make her wake up and see the light, so to speak.”