Read Pushing the Envelope: A Prequel from "The Barter System" World for Free Online

rolling strips of filo dough and dark chocolate that she’d bake the next morning. 
    Tawny was irritated and dropped onto a stool.
    Riya should be fucking writing her books …not trying to decode the male psyche or deal with talking blowup dolls.  Talk about a waste of time.  Most men needed food and sex.  What was so mysterious?
    When she’d accidentally stumbled on Riya’s pen name during a random security upgrade of their systems, she didn’t say a word. 
    Her best friend was far different online than she allowed herself to be in the real world.  The erotic novels she published anonymously, the blog under yet another name, and the topics she covered in both fascinated a woman who had known her all her life. 
    In the virtual world, Riya was one dirty, dirty bitch.
    Tawny didn’t want to ruin that freedom for her.  God knew she never had any fun.  It seemed the cat was about to claw its way out of the bag.
    “I have an idea for my dissertation.” 
    “This shit better not put me to sleep.  I can’t believe you’re committing to another four years for a piece of fucking paper.” 
    Taking a deep breath, Riya said, “I don’t think it will put you to sleep.”
    Then the brunette whose brain operated in two different arenas just like Tawny’s outlined her idea for a project that would translate to a non-fiction and several fiction books. 
    “You write fiction?”  Blushing brightly, Riya nodded.  It made Tawny smile.  “What are they, like…dramas?”
    “Uh, no.  Not exactly.  I mean, there’s drama in them but that isn’t the genre they’d be classed in exactly.”
    Fucking with Riya was her favorite pastime.   “You mean they’re like spy novels or something?”
    There was a long silence and then Riya tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.  “You fucking already know.”
    “What I know is that my best friend is a total slut who’s on the road to hell in a hand basket.” 
    Then she busted up laughing.
    “Oh my god, how the fuck do you keep so many secrets?”  Hands on her hips, she demanded, “How long have you known?”
    “More than a year.  Tramp.”
    With a big sigh, Riya sat on the stool beside her.  “I wish I could be more like you.”
    “That’s a ridiculous statement.”
    Shaking her head, she said, “No.  I mean it.  Your life interests me.” 
    “My life would make a good book.  It’s shit for the emotional balance of a person.”
    “How’s your man friend?”
    One shoulder lifted in a shrug.  “Still as damaged as I am.  Still hot and hung.  He’s a non-starter but I love the human being he is and how he walks through the world.”
    “You aren’t in love with him after all this time?”
    “Riya, Riya, Riya…not everyone gives a flying fuck about Prince Charming.  No, I’m not in love with him.  I like him.  I respect him.  I come buckets when I fuck him.”  She smiled carefully.  “I don’t think I’m capable of love.”
    “That’s bullshit.  You’re more capable than most, I think.  You’re the crazy love type.  Once it hits you, you’ll kill to preserve it.”
    “Ha!  Okay.  I’ll keep my eyes open should this miraculous event occur.  In the meantime, I’ll continue fucking my mystery man and call it good.”  She frowned.  “Speaking of fucking, how long has it been since you got laid?  Too long, I’m thinking.”
    “I’m conducting an experiment.”
    “Does it involve celibacy?”  She nodded. 
    “You’ve only fucked two people and you’re in your early twenties.  Can’t you wait to do experiments that involve no sex when you’re old and wrinkled?”
    Riya’s laughter was one of the best things in the world.
    “I have an end-game in mind.  Right now, I’m in the initial stages.  Testing the waters and whatnot.”  Her eyes drifted shut.  “I’m going to buy that duplex on the beach I looked at last week.”
    “I just closed on a condo a couple of miles away.” 
    “Your secret-keeping