"Five."

"No way. He's not even a four."

"Okay. So how about that guy?"

"Which one?"

Carly rolled her eyes at Tala. "The lean, mean-looking one by the bar. The one staring at you."

Tala darted her eyes toward the bar then whipped her gaze back to her Cosmopolitan. "Figures."

"Just because he looks mean, doesn't mean he is mean, Tala. Besides…" Carly licked sugar off the rim of her glass. "I like 'em a bit rough around the edges."

Tala took another sip—and another peek at the man in question. "Rough is one thing, but ragged is another."

Carly, Tala's friend since childhood, leaned against the back of her stool and regarded her with cool eyes almost the same blue as her own. "Just how long can you last, girl? Four months and counting without any sex? How the hell do you keep from going insane?"

"I spend a lot of money on batteries." Tala chuckled at Carly's expression. "Hey, don't knock it. I can have a different fantasy every night. One night I can savage Brad and the next night I'm licking up and down Orlando's body." She laughed again even though her joke hadn't had the desired effect on her friend. "Besides, four months isn't very long. I mean, for most of us. Lighten up."

"I'd rather die than go four long, lonely months without male companionship. Much less without the Big O. Still—"

"Still, no man is better than an asshole, right?" Tala flicked a loose strand of hair away from her eye. "It's a sad fact, but the guys I've met lately aren't worth the time of day."

"Honey, I've been there. There is definitely a lack of quality fish swimming in our dating pond."

Tala nodded vigor