

Copyright © 2013 Audrey Harte

Smashwords Edition 2013

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Copyright © 2013 Audrey Harte

Smashwords Edition 2013

Published by Audrey Harte

Cover art © by Christopher Neil

Interior design by Angela McLaurin of Fictional Formats

https://www.facebook.com/FictionalFormats

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any print or electronic form without permission.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, any place, events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The subject matter is not appropriate for minors. Please note this novel contains profanity, explicit sexual situations, and alcohol and drug consumption.

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CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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_This is dedicated to my loving family and friends who have always supported me and believed in me no matter what, and to my little sister, who is one of the greatest artists and creative minds I've ever known. This is also dedicated to my dear friend, Kimberly, to whom I owe more than I can say. Without her, I would still be just dreaming about writing a book instead of actually making it a reality._

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"When did I become this desperate?" Annie muttered to herself, shaking her head in disgust as she clicked on yet another ad in the personals section of Craigslist Los Angeles. She had already spent a good chunk of her lazy Saturday afternoon reading close to thirty postings in the _Men Seeking Women_ category and was about ready to consider taking a vow of celibacy or maybe start batting for the other team.

The very first ad she read was posted by a guy who wanted to meet a young, physically fit Asian girl to be his submissive. _Really?_ She was almost tempted to forget the whole idea right then and there. But she enjoyed a challenge and wasn't going to give up that easily, so she bravely clicked on the next ad. It had been posted by a guy who wanted to "420" (i.e. smoke weed), have sex, order pizza and watch a marathon of _Breaking Bad_ – hardly her idea of the perfect first date.

Sighing dejectedly, she continued to skim through the ads, but none of the postings she read contained anything of substance. Some of these guys appeared to have maybe a third grade reading level at best.

There were the obligatory pictures of nearly naked guys striking various poses in their bathroom mirrors, but her girlfriends had warned her to expect some ads like these. One guy had his jeans shoved down around his thighs with his hand barely covering his crotch — _classy_. Another guy really "let it all hang out" and posted a picture of his dick hanging out of his boxers. Turning slightly green, she quickly clicked forward to the next ad as she shuddered with a grimace. _Blech._

Unlucky in love, Annie had been on a dating losing streak pretty much all her life. In high school, she'd kept herself pretty busy playing sports and working a part-time job, so she hadn't really dated until her junior year. That relationship ended when her boyfriend was accepted to Emerson College and moved across the country to study music in Boston. In the end, she didn't blame him for his decision, but at first, she wished he'd been willing to at least attempt a long distance relationship before breaking up with her.

When she was nineteen, fresh out of high school and still extremely naïve, Annie met Mark, a young, struggling actor six years her senior who had just moved to southern California from St. Louis, Missouri.

Mark was tall, dark, mysterious, brooding and very sexy – the typical bad boy mothers warn their daughters to stay away from. He always wore a black leather jacket and aviators, smoked _American Spirits_ , and loved _Glenlivet_ single malt Scotch whisky. He had piercing steel blue eyes that stared intently at you from under thick brown eyebrows, a strong square jaw that warned you how stubborn he could be and floppy chestnut brown hair that he would run his fingers through and toss to the side, like Johnny Depp in _21 Jump Street_. Like most actors, he was more than a little caught up in his own appearance.

Introduced to each other at a mutual friend's Fourth of July barbeque, they stayed up talking to each other that entire night. He told her that he was crashing on a friend's couch until he was able to get a job and could afford his own place.

Annie and Mark began to spend a lot of time together, and only days after they first met, she found herself inviting him to move in with her until he got on his feet. Having just signed the lease for her first apartment, she found the idea of playing house with him massively appealing.

Her first impression of him was that he was very romantic and sweet; it didn't take him long at all to charm the pants off of her, literally. Everyone she knew always said that in a new relationship, it was completely natural to have a lot of sex, sometimes several times a day. Being a very sexual person herself, she was very much looking forward to that part of their new relationship. She adored Mark and craved more than anything to be loved and cherished by him.

However, things don't always go the way you planned. Annie would do almost anything for the people she cared about, not to mention for the man in her life. She wasn't sure if it was a byproduct of the Asian part of her heritage, but nonetheless, she was a nurturer and liked to take care of people. She was also very sensitive and needed to have her love returned.

So when Mark barely touched her in the six months he lived with her — maybe once a month — she didn't know what to think. All she could assume was that she was undesirable to him. And if that was the case, then maybe she was undesirable to all men. Deep down she knew better than that, but being too emotionally caught up in the situation made her self-conscious and paranoid.

A reasonably attractive girl, she'd never lacked for male attention through high school. But although Mark had professed his undying love to her on several occasions and used a bit of his meager savings to get her a promise ring, the continued lack of response from him was quickly destroying her self-esteem. His bizarre and unwarranted behavior was making Annie question her own judgment.

Her attempt at giving him the good ol' _oral alarm clock_ one morning resulted in Mark pushing her away from him and off the side of the bed, where she fell to the ground with a heavy thump, bruising both her arm and her pride. Another time when she tried to nuzzle his neck and slide a hand down his leg, he pushed her hand away and got out of bed, accusing her of being sex crazed.

She was horrified at his crude words; she loved him and just wanted to be able to physically express the way she felt about him. After confiding in a few of her guy friends who assured her that he was the one who was acting irrationally (they told her she was smokin' hot and that Mark had to be out of his mind if he was not "hitting that as often as possible"), she began to wonder if he was gay or cheating on her.

Meanwhile, she continued to pay for their rent, utilities and groceries. Every day she worked from ten in the morning until seven at night while he stayed at home "looking for a job". She worked full-time as a Receptionist at a local salon and was usually exhausted when she got home from work. Even after working a full day while he sat around at home, she always cooked dinner for them. All she asked in return for him staying with her rent free was a little help around the apartment...do the dishes, take out the trash, nothing too crazy.

One habit of his that she couldn't quite understand was whenever he had a phone call, he excused himself to step outside for a cigarette. She assured him that he was welcome to stay inside, but he continued to take his calls outside. Although it was a small apartment with very little privacy, it wasn't like she was trying to eavesdrop. A partial wall divided the living room from the bedroom area; there was a gap of a few feet between the top of the partition and the ceiling and just an open doorway next to it rather than a door.

Then there was the time she woke up in the middle of the night, noticed he wasn't sleeping in bed next to her and heard what suspiciously sounded like someone jacking off. Annie had quietly stood up on the bed and peered over the wall into the living room where Mark was sitting at her computer desk, Skyping someone and...jacking off.

Rushing into the living room, she confronted him, slapping him hard as he stood up from the desk, hurriedly shoving himself back into his pants. Bursting into tears, she fled to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her, falling to her knees. The sobs racked her body as she kneeled on the cold, tile floor.

She could care less if he masturbated, but she had definitely seen him Skyping with someone as he did so. In her mind, that constituted as cheating, and she couldn't believe he had the nerve to do it ten feet away from her with some online slut when he had been constantly rejecting her for the past several months.

"Who were you Skyping with while you were jacking off, Mark?" she demanded angrily.

"No one!" he shouted through the door.

"Bullshit, I saw someone on your Skype window!" she shouted back.

"I wasn't talking to anyone. I mean, I was, but I was just talking to her, I wasn't—"

"Her? I knew it!"

"It was just my friend Jessica, but I wasn't cybering with her, we were just talking—"

Annie got up and opened the door, glaring furiously at him. "You were just talking to another girl while you jacked off? You do know she can see you, right? Why would you do that with someone else when you can have me anytime you want? I thought you loved me and wanted to be with me, but you won't fucking touch me!"

"No, she couldn't see me. I could only see her. My webcam is broken."

She snorted. "You really expect me to believe that?"

"It's true, I swear to God."

"Why were you jacking off while you were talking to her?"

"I don't know – I was just bored," he said as he shrugged.

Although she didn't believe his lies and excuses for one minute, she dreaded the thought of being alone again. Too insecure to break things off with him, she ended up doing nothing.

A few weeks after that incident, Mark finally found a job and an apartment and moved out. Whenever she went over to visit him, he was usually hanging out with Julia, his new roommate. She quickly began to feel like a third wheel rather than his girlfriend and started questioning whether something more was going on between him and his pretty new roommate. When she confronted him, he denied it and said that he and Julia were just becoming really good friends.

Weeks went by and Annie still felt like something was off. The end of the year quickly approached and she asked Mark to go with her to a friend's New Year's Eve party. He declined, saying he already made plans to go out with a group of his guy friends.

Upset that he didn't want to spend New Year's with her, she went to the party alone. She proceeded to get completely shit faced on too many shots of _Goldschlager_ with Jason, a cute skater boy she met there, who was a great listener and paid her compliment after compliment, making her feel wanted again. She confided in him about her boyfriend troubles, telling him the whole story of how she met Mark, how he wooed her and moved in with her, then proceeded to reject her almost every time she attempted to be intimate with him.

Jason ended up going home with her and after the drunken coupling was over, they both laid there for a while, just talking to each other. He was a complete sweetheart and told her Mark was crazy to not want to be there with her for New Year's. As the words left his mouth, they heard a key turning in the lock. Mark was the only person who had a key; he was about to find her cheating on him as there was no other exit for Jason to escape through.

"Oh my God, get in the bathroom," she whispered to him frantically as she ran butt-naked through the living room and slammed herself against the front door just as Mark was about to come in.

"What the fuck? Annie!" he said angrily, trying to push the door open. "Open the damn door!"

"Mark? What are you doing here? I thought you were going out with your buddies," she stammered as she braced her body against the door, panicking as she quickly tried to think of a way out of the situation. But she was frantic and didn't know what else to do.

"We were done hanging out, so I came by to see you. Now open the fucking door!"

Finally she gave up trying to keep him out and moved away from the door. She sat down on the couch and pulled an afghan around herself, staring down at the floor as tears started to roll down her cheeks. Mark burst in the front door, took one look at her sitting there, half-naked and shaking, and then stormed off towards the bathroom where he saw Jason standing there with a towel around his waist.

He didn't say a word to either of them, but started to walk back out the front door. She was still sobbing and he stopped in the doorway to turn back and glare at her. "I can't fucking believe you. What the hell, Annie?"

"I don't know why I did it, I'm so sorry." She kept apologizing to him over and over again as the tears continued to pour down her face, but he just walked out of her apartment again and left her there crying on the floor. After Jason finished pulling his clothes back on, he patted her awkwardly on the shoulder, said he should probably take off and walked out the door without a backwards glance.

Devastated and alone, she cried herself to sleep, her heart aching. The next day, Mark came by to pick up the rest of his belongings that he'd left at her place and left again, barely speaking two words to her. Their joke of a relationship was officially over...until one night a few weeks later, when he called her crying, saying he desperately needed a friend to talk to. She consented, and he came over soon after, stumbling drunk into her apartment where he fell down on the couch and started to cry again, pouring his heart out to her.

He was devastated and had come looking for sympathy as he told Annie how he had met Jessica online a few months before he moved to Los Angeles. Mark had lied to Jessica, telling her that Annie was just a friend and that he was just crashing with her until he could get his own place. He confessed that every day when she would leave for work, he would use her landline to call Jessica and she would call him back to have phone sex.

When he had finally broken it off with Annie after he found her cheating on him, he called Jessica to tell her he had moved into his own place. Only she told him she was no longer interested in pursuing a relationship with him.

As fucked up and broken as she felt, Annie did the unthinkable and forgave him, allowing him to continue hanging out at her place. He would sit there depressed, going on and on about his lost love with Jessica. Never in her life had she seen a grown man cry that much.

He was desperate, grasping at straws wherever he could; he even dragged her with him to a psychic because he wanted to look into buying a love potion to try to regain Jessica's affections. It was at this point that Annie started to question Mark's sanity. Was she really in love with this guy? Feeling sorry for him, Annie had even tried calling Jessica for him and appealed to her to give Mark a second chance, but Jessica just laughed, wished her luck and said she could have him.

Torn by the guilt she felt for cheating on him, even knowing that he had betrayed her trust and cheated on her first, she still loved him. So she listened to him and sympathized and even welcomed him into her bed day after day.

Ironically enough, he was finally willing to touch her again now that things were over with Jessica. But he would make love to Annie and then lay there in bed, telling her how much he loved and wanted Jessica, breaking Annie's heart over and over again. It went on like that for weeks, and she began to feel numb as she went through the daily motions of living her life one day at a time.

Finally one day, she came to her senses and broke things off with Mark for good, telling him she couldn't see him anymore. Of course, once she told him she was moving on, he stopped talking about Jessica and said it was Annie he really loved — that he just hadn't realized what he had right in front of him all along. He even wrote a book of poetry and left it at her front door — super sappy, syrupy, love poems. The more he persisted, the more disgusted she became with him until she couldn't bear the sight or thought of him any longer.

They met for lunch one last time, and she told Mark she cared about him, but she just couldn't be around him any longer. Continuing to see him, even just as friends, was not allowing her heart to heal and she needed more than anything to move on with her life. That was the last time she saw Mark.

Fast forward through the next five years – years which only brought her more failed relationships and flings. Now she was finally turning to the internet to meet men. There were probably better ways to find Mr. Right, but she wasn't a fan of the old cliché of trying to pick up guys in bars and clubs; the few times she'd tried had not ended well for her. Plus, one of her BFFs managed to meet her boyfriend of three years on the internet, so online dating seemed like an alternative worth exploring.

Her friends recommended some other dating websites like E-Harmony, Match.com and Zoosk. Skeptical of paying for a dating website, she decided to try the free route first. Her overall feeling after spending an hour on Craigslist was less than optimistic.

"Annie," a heavily accented voice called out. "Annie, I know you're in there — I saw your car outside. Open up, girlfriend, it's an emergency!" This time the voice was followed by an insistent pounding on her front door.

Annie rolled her eyes and sighed, placing her laptop on the coffee table. "Geez, Alex. Yes, I'm in here. Don't break the damn door down," she huffed as she unlocked the chain and deadbolt.

"Girl, I've got a hot date for tonight and I have no idea what I'm going to wear. I need to raid your closet!" A young, attractive Latino with short, brown hair, sparkling, green eyes and an athletic build sashayed his way into the living room, pausing to kiss her on each cheek before he headed into the bedroom.

"If you can fit into my clothes, I will shoot myself," she threatened as she trailed after him.

"As much as I'd love to play dress-up in your closet, chica, I only need a scarf and a bag — a big one – because I need to pack some swimming trunks, a toothbrush and condoms for later."

"Oh. Well, in that case, help yourself," Annie consented, gesturing towards the closet.

"You're the best."

"Eh, what are neighbors for if not to lend you fabulous accessories?"

"I couldn't agree more. What about you? Any plans for tonight?"

"You're looking at it."

Alex paused from flipping through a neatly folded stack of scarves to give her the once-over. She didn't have her contacts in, so she was currently sporting an unflattering pair of wire-rimmed glasses, had her bone straight long brown hair pulled into a messy ponytail and was wearing a baggy pair of sweats, a sports bra with a faded tank top and fuzzy house slippers.

"Oh honey, we've got to find you a man," he mourned as he turned back to the scarves, then let out a gasp. "Ay Mami, this is the one!" He waved a black silk scarf shot with threads of silver and she nodded her approval.

"Good choice. That's one of my favorites. What color were you thinking for the bag?"

"Black, if you have it."

"Oh yes, I definitely have." She knelt down on the floor and bent to pull a large box out from under the bed. "So who's the lucky guy?"

"He's in my Yoga class. Amazingly flexible!"

"Wow."

"You said it, honey. I can only imagine the positions we might — oh my God, your _Gucci_?" he gasped in awe as Annie placed the black box on the bed.

"Only took me a year of doing babysitting jobs on the side to finally afford it."

"And you trust me with it?"

"I don't think I know anyone I can trust more," she said as she pushed back the tissues and pulled her black leather treasure out of the box. "But you'd better bring her back in one piece or you're buying me a new one." She turned and handed the bag to him before placing the lid back on the box and returning it to its place under her bed.

"I absolutely promise she will come to no harm. Can I bring her back when I come over for dinner tomorrow?"

"Oh right, for _Dexter_. Yeah, you can head over around five if you want, so you can dish about your hot Pilates date while I cook."

"Yoga."

"Right, Yoga."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. What's on the menu this week?"

"Capellini Pomodoro with garlic Texas toast."

"Yum! I'm making caramel flan for dessert, so I'll bring that over with some wine."

"Ditto on the yum – I knew there was a reason I keep you around. Have fun tonight." Annie grinned at her friend as he blew her a kiss and sashayed back out of her apartment with her scarf draped artfully around his neck and her prized _Gucci_ carefully cradled in his arms. Waving, she closed and relocked the door and headed back to the couch.

Pulling the laptop forward, she refreshed the browser and scanned the new ads that had been posted. Nothing looked remotely appealing. Taking a deep breath, she scrolled down to the _Women Seeking Men_ section, clicked on the "Post" link and waited for the page to load.

_If I can't find any good ads to respond to, maybe I'll have better luck writing my own_ , she thought to herself as she stared at the screen, waiting for inspiration to hit. **25-Year-Old Intelligent Brunette Looking for Mr. Right**. _Too ordinary._ She sighed and hit the backspace button to clear the field as she tried to think of something more original and creative. **Mature 25-Year-Old with Quirky Sense of Humor Seeks Guy with Same**. _Hmm, still not it._ **Seeking Stimulating Conversation with a Guy Who Can Make me Laugh**. _Seriously?_ How hard was it to come up with a great header to grab the right guy's attention?

After mulling it over for a few minutes, she finally started to type.

Girl Next Door Seeking Cute, Witty Guy to Explore LA

I'm in my mid-twenties, tall (about 5'8"), athletic with curves, come from a Eurasian background, have long brown hair and hazel eyes, and I prefer wearing contacts since glasses make me look like a nerd. I love to laugh and enjoy being outdoors where I can experience life on an active level, so hopefully you do as well. However, I also appreciate cuddling on the couch with a good movie after enjoying a nice home-cooked meal (maybe we can take turns).

I'm looking for an intelligent, witty, sensitive, caring, responsible guy in his mid-twenties to early thirties who is preferably a few inches taller than me. I tend to dress on the more casual side, but I also know how to look good for more formal occasions. If you're interested, message me and tell me a bit about yourself. Your pic gets mine.

Her hand hovered over the mouse as she closed her eyes and willed herself to click the "Continue" button. _Come on, just do it already. Just because you post it doesn't mean you have to respond to anyone._ She opened her eyes and clicked the button, then waited for a few moments as the computer worked to save her draft. A few minutes later, she had previewed and confirmed the posting and was now just waiting for it to go live on the site.

"That wasn't too hard," she murmured to herself as she set the laptop down again and leaned back into the couch. Picking up the remote, she turned on the TV and groaned as _Say Yes to the Dress_ flickered onto the screen. The last thing she wanted was to watch of bunch of hormonal women trying to find the perfect wedding dress.

Changing the channel to look for something less depressing, she finally settled on a show about a guy who was dropped into the middle of a snow-covered wilderness wearing nothing but shorts, a t-shirt, a light jacket, socks and hiking boots. He was given a few days to survive in the wild and make his way back to civilization using only a small supply of materials such as six feet of rope, a pocketknife, a piece of flint, a small dented frying pan and a 12' x 12' square of heavy duty plastic canvas.

As a commercial came on, she glanced back at her laptop and noticed that she had ten new pending messages in her inbox. _Wow, that was fast._ She debated for a moment, wondering if she should just delete all of the new messages without even opening them. If the responses were anything like some of the ads she'd seen posted, she was in for a long evening of sorting through the crap for anything decent.

"Ah, to hell with it already," she muttered and opened the first email. The body of the email was blank, but a picture of an older guy with a receding hairline and a round, sagging stomach was attached. _Next!_ She opened another email and sighed as this response only contained a link to another personals ad. "Come on already. Seriously?" she complained at her laptop. "Give me something good. No whammies!"

The next few emails were obviously some kind of formatted response that was copied and pasted. There were a few more unappealing snapshots, a few one liners and a guy who claimed he had a fetish for jerking off while having a group of women watch him. He asked if she and some of her friends would like to come over to watch him and even offered to pay for their time.

Annie shuddered as she deleted all of the disappointing emails one by one. She was about to close the browser when a new email appeared. Reluctantly she opened it, fully prepared to delete this one as well.

From: Danny Jensen

Subject: Knock knock

Date: November 24, 2012 15:25

To: vbr2f-2583349879@pers.craigslist.org

Hi, you sound so fun and beautiful. :) I'm Danny, 33, from the east coast originally, but now I live in Hollywood. By day, I am an advisor at a university on the west side and by night, I do stand-up comedy. I have been on Chappelle's show and love movies, music and fine dining. Your ad caught my eye, girl next door. I am knocking. Can I have some sugar?

A picture was attached to the email. Danny had short brown hair and brown eyes and was kind of cute in a scruffy sort of way. "At least he's not naked," Annie muttered to herself as she studied his picture.

Debating whether or not she should respond, she shuffled into the kitchen to take a bottle of _Pinot Grigio_ out of the fridge and scrounged through her utensils drawer for the bottle opener. She popped the cork and retrieved a wine glass from the rack hanging below her kitchen cabinets.

Pouring herself a generous glass, she tipped it to her lips to take the first sip and savored the tart coolness as it slid down her throat. Feeling refreshed, she returned to her laptop and decided to email Danny back.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Who's there?

Date: November 24, 2012 15:45

To: Danny Jensen

Hi Danny,

_My name is Annie and I'm 25, born and raised in SoCal. I work for a law firm doing administrative stuff. Not sure what I think of this online dating thing, yet, but I figured I'd give it a shot. So you're a comedian, huh? What's your best joke you use to break the ice? :) I love movies, music and fine dining myself. Last show I went to was the American Idol concert tour (don't laugh). I went with a friend from work and we had a blast. I've been to a few comedy shows at the Ice House before, but that's about it. Went to see Gabriel Iglesias before he got big...err, more famous, lol. What's the last good movie you saw? I thought Skyfall was awesome. Anyhow, here's a pic of me._

After sending the email, she stared at the computer and waited for a minute, wondering how quickly he might respond. Mentally, she scolded herself. Chances were that this guy was not just waiting around for her to email him back. Pushing it from her mind, she clicked on the _Women Seeking Men_ link and started to scan through the headers for inspiration. Maybe she just needed to write a better ad.

Loving Sugar Daddy - Age 24

I Need to Find a Man, Been Way Too Long - Age 21

Cute Girl Looking for a Few Good Men Tonight \- Age 25

I'm a Sexy Ass Gangsta - Age 21

BBW Herpes Looking for LTR - Age 23

Maybe I'd Like to Try Submission - Age 30

_Wow...just wow._ She was beginning to think she might be one of the only normal girls posting on Craigslist. Rubbing her eyes, she set the laptop back on the coffee table and reached for the remote.

Surfing through the channels again, she found _Love Actually_ playing on HBO. "Oh I love this movie!" she exclaimed, immediately stretching out on her couch to get comfortable, snuggling under the warm throw her sister had crocheted as a gift for her last Christmas. It was at one of her favorite parts where Colin Firth tried to save the pages of his book from the lake with his pretty Portuguese housekeeper. _Why can't I find a guy like that?_ Personals ad temporarily forgotten, she quickly lost herself in the story and didn't move from her position on the couch for the next hour.

When the movie finally ended, she sighed, feeling a little sad and lonely as she always did after watching a romantic comedy alone. Glancing at her laptop, she saw that Danny had finally responded. Quickly she opened his email and began to read.

From: Danny Jensen

Subject: Jokes? I've got jokes!

Date: November 24, 2012 17:15

To: Annie Chang

Hey Annie :) Danny and Annie, is that too cute?

Thanks for getting back to me, and thanks for the picture. You are so beautiful. Where in LA are you living now? I worked as a temp at a law firm for a few minutes while I was living in NYC. Then I got a crazy job at FAO Schwarz, the toy store, where I dressed up in a colorful suit and walked around the store as a game show host and talked to people. Ha, those were the days. I've heard of the Ice House, but I've never been there. I basically do shows with my friends that are original sketches and songs, and then I also do improvised comedy acting in Westwood every couple of weeks.

As for breaking the ice, I think it's better to melt it than break it. So I guess I would have to come up with some sort of high-temperature joke like, "Is it getting hot in here, or is that just you?" Ha, that's more like a cheesy pick-up line. Ugh. Those never work. Or do they? And really I'm not like a "joke-teller". My kind of comedy is really more about listening and reacting — I think I am just a naturally goofy person.

Yeah, I've seen Skyfall twice already in the theater. And I'm sorry, but yes, I'm laughing at the fact that you went to see the American Idol concert tour, but I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. :) How was your Thanksgiving?

Grinning, Annie immediately replied. This guy seemed kind of sweet and funny, and he liked James Bond, all positives in her book.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Haha

Date: November 24, 2012 17:25

To: Danny Jensen

Ha, I didn't even realize that...Danny and Annie. You're kind of a mushball, aren't you? :) I live in the valley at the moment, although I've been debating whether I want to move closer to work. The law firm is not the best job in the world — kind of boring, really, but it pays the bills. Wow, FAO Schwarz, huh? That must have been a fun job. I used to love that store when I was a kid. One of my favorite movies is Big with Tom Hanks — love that scene with him and the old dude on that gigantic piano. Sounds like you and your friends have some good times. I wrote a musical when I was in junior high, but it was pretty lame, lol. I didn't have sheet music or anything. I just wrote the lines and lyrics down and the music was inside my head.

Cheesy pick-up line...yeah, little bit. Thanksgiving was good...no fights broke out at the family dinner and my mom didn't burn the turkey. How was yours?

As she sent the email, she smiled slightly to herself. Maybe online dating wouldn't turn out to be so bad after all.

***

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With a yawn, Annie rolled out of bed Monday morning, pausing to shut off the alarm before she staggered into the kitchen. As was her usual custom, she had already filled and programmed the coffeemaker the previous night. All she had to do was press a button, and it hissed to life. "Oh sweet Jesus, what would I do without caffeine?" she groaned to herself as she opened the dishwasher to retrieve a clean mug.

Leaving the pot to brew, she headed for the bathroom and turned on the shower. She'd always had this thing about taking one first thing every morning; otherwise, she felt disgusting and couldn't function properly. Stripping off her clothes, she put her hand under the water to test the temperature. Satisfied that it was hot enough for her taste, she climbed into the bathtub and pulled the shower curtain shut.

Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back and hummed in pleasure as the warm water cascaded down in a steady stream. She stood there for several minutes, just staring at the off-white tiles at the back of the shower as she mentally fought a losing battle to relax. As usual, she was already beginning to stress about everything she needed to get done that day before she had even left for work.

Frustrated, she plucked her hot pink loufa off the faucet head and squirted a small amount of orange jasmine-scented body wash onto the pouf. She tried to clear her mind as she worked up a lather and soaped herself all over, then rinsed the suds from her skin.

After washing and rinsing her hair with her favorite lemongrass shampoo and conditioner, Annie turned off the shower and pulled the shower curtain open. Stepping out onto the bath mat, she reached for her towel and began to pat herself dry.

"Aww, much better," she sighed in contentment as she pulled on her soft bathrobe and tied the belt snugly around her waist. Heading to the bedroom to start getting ready for work, she thought about the Craigslist ad she had posted Saturday night.

The weekends always went by too fast; Sunday had come and gone in a blur. As busy as she'd been, she hadn't even thought to check her email. She had gotten up early to hit the gym before she picked up her mother for their monthly brunch date. On these occasions, her mother would usually start their conversations with a lecture, telling Annie she needed to meet a guy before her eggs dried up. She drilled Annie about what she'd been eating lately and asked if she was taking any vitamins.

After dropping her mother back off at home, Annie had gone to the market to pick up everything needed to make dinner that night and lunches for the week. Alex had come over around five for their weekly dinner, movie and dessert night and had gone on and on about his fabulously sexy date.

Wondering if Danny had responded, she made a pit stop in the kitchen to pour herself a steaming cup of coffee before heading over to sit down on the couch to check her laptop for any new emails. Seeing that her inbox was disappointingly empty, she began to torment herself by trying to guess why he hadn't emailed her back, yet. Maybe he didn't like being called a mushball, or he could have just been bored by her response. As she struggled with her paranoia, Annie finally acknowledged that there was always the distinct possibility that he just hadn't had a chance to email her back, yet. Frustrated, she closed the laptop and sighed. One could sit there and speculate all day, but she needed to start getting dressed for work or she was going to be late.

When she got to the office, she stopped by the kitchen to put her lunch in the refrigerator and decided to make some hot tea before starting her day. As she was steeping the tea bag in her mug, Alison, one of the younger legal secretaries, stopped to chat with her about the upcoming company holiday party.

It was Annie's first year to attend, but Alison had been with the company a little longer and had attended the previous year, so she knew that they liked to do it up big. This time, it was being held in a ballroom at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown L.A. Annie didn't have anything appropriate to wear to the formal event, and Alison wanted a new dress, so they made plans to go shopping together.

As she sat down at her desk, she turned her computer on and waited for it to boot up so she could start working on her month end reports. Burying herself in her task, it was almost noon before she glanced at the clock again. Not feeling very hungry, she decided to try her hand at writing a new ad during her lunch break. Now that she'd written her first ad and seen the kind of responses it generated, she thought it couldn't hurt to give it another shot and post something different.

If I Hear Puccini When We Kiss – Age 25

I know I'm a hopeless romantic, but I guess I'm still the type of girl who hopes I'll meet the right guy who just gets me. The kind of guy who respects women and proves that chivalry is not a thing of the past. You know, the type who opens doors and can pick up the phone to make a dinner reservation once in a while because he's a take charge kind of guy. Someone who appreciates all the things I do for him and makes sure I know it. I love to do nice things for the people I care about and make them feel special, so hopefully he is the same kind of person. Although looks aren't everything, there definitely has to be chemistry between us. And when we finally kiss for the first time, I want to hear Puccini in my head. Pretty lame, you're probably saying. But if there IS that kind of guy still out there, maybe he'll see this ad.

But that's a tall order for anyone to fill and I haven't even told you anything about ME. Well, to start off, I have a steady job and some of the best friends in the world. I'm pretty close to my family and they all live around here as I'm a SoCal native. I'm about 5'8", have long straight brown hair, hazel eyes, and I'm pretty athletic, but I have curves — I'm not a stick. I played volleyball and ran track in junior high and high school. I'm part Scandinavian and part Asian, but I think I look more Asian. I love being active and enjoy hiking, kayaking, swimming, and have even been known to do a bit of surfing. I also enjoy doing things at home like cooking, watching TV and movies and playing video games. I love group activities like board game nights, bowling, dancing, karaoke, you name it. I'm new to this whole online dating thing, but I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a shot.

If you're interested, in your mid-twenties to early thirties, at least 6' tall, disease free and reasonably sane, please feel free to contact me.

Please don't send pictures of you naked (this includes half naked pictures of you holding your junk). If someone hasn't already told you this, it's NOT a turn on. Please don't send a one-liner or something you've copied and pasted to twenty other women either. I took time to write this, so I think it's only fair that you take time to write a genuine reply. And you're more likely to get a response from me if you send a recent picture. If I think we might be compatible, you'll hear back from me. If you don't, it's nothing personal.

Going through the motions again, she reviewed the ad and posted it, then had to log into her email to confirm it before it would go live. This time, it was only a matter of a few minutes before she had some responses waiting in her inbox. Apparently, some people couldn't read, because her first responses were a one-liner, a copy/paste and a short email with no picture attached. Giving the short email the benefit of the doubt, she quickly read the message.

From: Brian Anderson

Subject: Are you real?

Date: November 26, 2012 12:35

To: vbr2f-3467349879@pers.craigslist.org

You sound very interesting and someone that I think I would click well with. I just moved to Cali and am looking to meet new people. I am a SWM, 6'1" and athletic as well. I played football and hockey in college and still play. Please email me back if you are legit, for I seem to get the run around a lot! Hope to hear from you!

Brian

For a brief moment, she felt irritated at the lack of picture. Then she shrugged and decided she could at least confirm that she was a real person before expecting him to send a picture. She couldn't really blame the guy for wanting to make sure she was serious before doing so.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Totally legit

Date: November 26, 2012 12:40

To: Brian Anderson

Hi Brian,

Yes, I'm a real person, totally legit here. Welcome to Cali. What do you think so far and where are you from originally? I've lived here all my life and still love it. I don't know too much about football and hockey, but I like playing sports myself. I played volleyball for about six years, had a brief stint on the girls' basketball team in junior high and ran track for a few years as well.

After sending her email, she deleted both the one-liner and the copy/paste and opened a new email as it arrived in her inbox. It was a short message from a guy who didn't say much other than he liked her ad, thought they might have some things in common and didn't really like women with big egos. It was accompanied by a totally random picture of him swimming through a lake, but the email address was generic and he didn't mention anything about himself such as his name, age or height. She deleted that one as well and then just sat there for a moment, staring at her inbox as she waited for another email to appear. Brian did not disappoint her. Within another minute, she received a response from him.

From: Brian Anderson

Subject: Just checking

Date: November 26, 2012 12:45

To: Annie Chang

Hey Annie,

Sorry, I just want to make sure. Lots of fake people out there ya know, just looking for my credit card number. So far so good in Cali. Lots of people though, but you just cannot beat the weather. I hail from Minnesota originally. What about you? You seem like an athletic chick. What else do you like?

Frustratingly, there was still no picture attached and Annie didn't really want to be the first one to buckle and send hers before she'd seen what he looked like. Two could play this game.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: What I like to do

Date: November 26, 2012 12:50

To: Brian Anderson

Rest assured I am not looking for your credit card number. What made you decide to move to the west coast? I've never been to Minnesota, doncha know? Haha, sorry, I couldn't resist. :P

Um...I like long walks on the beach in moonlight? :) But really, when I'm not working, I'm usually hanging out with my friends or sometimes you can find me glued to my Xbox. I've also been known to frequent Commerce Casino for a game of Texas Hold'em although I haven't gone there to play for over a year. I enjoy the occasional weekend getaway to Vegas, but have only gotten up the courage to play poker there a few times.

I like to cook and consider my culinary skills a little above average. And once in a while, I can be found singing at various karaoke bars in L.A. What about yourself?

His next response came as quickly as the first, but yet again, there was no picture attached. She glanced at the clock and saw that her lunch hour was nearly over. Quickly, she scanned through the email so she would have a chance to respond before having to return to work.

From: Brian Anderson

Subject: You seem cool

Date: November 26, 2012 12:55

To: Annie Chang

Haha, I know, I was just joking. I moved out here for work. I am a construction manager, so I wanted to try something a bit different in another state.

Xbox player, huh? I like to play video games as well, but I never seem to find the time to do so. When I do, it is usually NCAA football or something like that. As far as Hold 'em goes, I like to play, but am not all that good. I am sure you could kick my butt in that. I love Vegas and go at least once a year for the cover basketball tourney with a bunch of friends. It is so close to L.A., though, so I am sure I will go more frequently now that I live here. We should go! Lol

I enjoy playing sports and watching them. I'm up for pretty much anything and will try anything at least once, ya know? Let me know if you are free sometime. Maybe we could grab a drink or something? You seem like a cool chick. Hope to hear from you.

P.S. We don't even sound like that. :)

Smiling to herself, she wrote back a short response, still not including her picture. If he didn't send a picture after this email, she was going to have to break down and send her picture first, or else she might have to consider moving on to the next prospect. Either way, she needed to get back to work and finish these reports before her boss came looking for them.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Need More Time

Date: November 26, 2012 13:00

To: Brian Anderson

Oh, I see. Ooh construction worker, eh? Like to work with your hands? ;-) Yeah, I play some first person shooter games once in a while. Other than that, I like some of the dance games I can play with my Kinect.

I'll think about the drink. I'm a little wary of this whole online dating thing. I would feel more comfortable after getting to know you a little better via email. And I still don't know what you look like. Just sayin'...

She toggled from her email back to her spreadsheet and continued to work on her reports. A few minutes later, she heard the ding of her inbox letting her know that she had a new email.

From: Brian Anderson

Subject: No pressure

Date: November 26, 2012 13:08

To: Annie Chang

No, I don't really work with my hands. Well, sometimes I have to. I manage and schedule the work to get completed as far as subs doing the framing, etc. No worries on getting the drink. I totally understand on that one. We for sure can email for a while and get to know each other and then go from there, ya know?

I too am curious of who I am talking to. Trying to put a face to the words. If you like, I could send you a picture. Nothing creepy. I'm not like that at all. Just moved out here and looking to meet some new peeps.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: This is me

Date: November 26, 2012 13:11

To: Brian Anderson

Oh I see...well fine, here, I'll go first. Nothing creepy here either. :)

She attached her picture and hit send. Within five minutes, he responded.

From: Brian Anderson

Subject: I like what I see

Date: November 26, 2012 13:16

To: Annie Chang

Wow, you are very attractive. :) Here is me. I am the guy on the right. Haha. I am not good at the self pic, so I took one out of my library. The little man with me is my nephew, Jacob.

He was pretty average looking in a t-shirt and cap, had a nice smile but slightly overlarge teeth, looked to be in his mid-thirties, and had an adorable little boy with blonde hair perched on his lap. Annie felt a slight pang of disappointment — he was definitely not her type.

While Annie debated responding to Brian, a new email from Danny, the comedian, arrived. She'd almost forgotten about him in the two days since he last emailed her. It was very short; all he said was, "How are you doing this rainy afternoon?" She didn't bother responding as she wasn't too thrilled it had taken him so long to get back to her. _You snooze, you lose._ Before she could return to the report she was working on, another email from Brian appeared.

From: Brian Anderson

Subject: I REALLY like what I see

Date: November 26, 2012 13:22

To: Annie Chang

Sorry, I should have said very cute instead. I'm not too good at this.

_Oh, good Lord._ At this rate she was never going to get any work done. She thought for a minute before responding. Not wanting to come off as a bitch, she wasn't quite sure what she could say that wouldn't offend him, but wouldn't lead him on either.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Thanks

Date: November 26, 2012 13:24

To: Brian Anderson

Sorry, I had a phone call. Thanks for the sweet words. Your nephew is adorable. :) You're not too bad yourself. Can I ask how old you are, though?

From: Brian Anderson

Subject: Age ain't nothin' but a number

Date: November 26, 2012 13:25

To: Annie Chang

No worries! Yeah, everyone thinks he is really cute. It's kind of a bad picture of me, though, with my teeth sticking out there. I am 31...hopefully that doesn't turn you away...

Thirty-one wasn't exactly ancient, so it wasn't his age she had an issue with. But how could she tell him nicely that there just wasn't any chemistry between them?

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Back to work

Date: November 26, 2012 13:28

To: Brian Anderson

It's not a bad picture and no, your age doesn't turn me away. I do have to get back to work, though. I have some month end reports that are due today and my boss will skin me alive if they're not done on time. It was nice talking to you. Hope you have a great afternoon.

It was the nicest let down Annie could think of and she figured he would get the hint when she didn't write back again. With no further interest in either of her current prospects, she was able to focus on her work for the rest of the day. By four o'clock, she sent the reports to her boss and breathed a sigh of relief. The task she dreaded most was over again for another month.

***

#

Fumbling with her front door lock until she finally got it open, Annie breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to be home from work. She dropped her bag on the armchair and stumbled over to her couch, which she fell onto face forward with a groan. Laying there for a few minutes, she tried to relax and let the stress of the day fade away. As usual, she couldn't shut her mind off long enough to do so.

Frustrated, she reached under her coffee table and pulled out an intricately-carved, wooden box which she set on the coffee table in front of her. Flipping the latch and opening the lid, she reached inside to retrieve a small, glass pipe with green and yellow swirls of color, a small, glass canister containing high-grade, medical Marijuana and a black, Bic lighter.

She opened the canister and pulled out a little, green bud before reaching into the box again for a small, wooden grinder. Pulling the two circular halves apart, you could see small, metal spikes protruding from either side. She packed a nug of weed against one side, and then put the halves back together, twisting them back and forth a few times. Taking it back apart, she emptied it out onto the coffee table and began to pack the weed she'd broken down into the bowl of the glass pipe.

When she was finished, she raised the pipe to her lips and lit a corner of the bowl. She inhaled and held her breath for several seconds, then exhaled as a cloud of smoke escaped from her lips. Beginning to feel much calmer and more relaxed, she took another hit and then placed everything back in the box before closing it and replacing it under the coffee table.

In southern California, it was pretty common-place for many people to have a prescription for medical Marijuana. Annie's use of the drug had started back in high school when her first boyfriend had offered her a joint one day after school. She had been skeptical of trying it at first, but had quickly come to enjoy it.

Her mind was always racing as she thought about her classes, extra-curricular activities and her part-time job, and it would often keep her lying awake for hours at night. Smoking the occasional bowl helped calm her mind and let her relax, so as soon as she had come of age, she booked an appointment with a doctor and obtained her first prescription.

Annie headed for the bedroom to change out of her work clothes and pulled on a pair of shorts and a tank top. Even though it was the end of November, it had been a very warm day with temperatures in the mid-80s and showed no sign of cooling down anytime soon.

Thirsty, she got a glass from the cupboard and a pitcher of lemonade from the refrigerator. After pouring, she raised the glass to her lips and drank deeply of the cool, refreshing, citrus juice. Then she refilled the glass and returned the pitcher to the refrigerator.

Wandering into the living room, she set the glass on a coaster on the coffee table, flopped back down on the couch and pulled her laptop forward. She would try once more to write a decent ad that would get some better responses. Cracking her knuckles, she paused for a moment to think, then started typing.

A Real Girl Looking for a Real Guy

_Tall, athletic, 25, brown hair, hazel eyes, mixed ethnicity, oh and 420 friendly...those are the important dets, right? And you? You are in your mid-twenties to early thirties, at least six feet and hopefully even taller than that so I can wear my heels around you and still be shorter. I'm new to online dating_ — _have yet to meet anyone in person. Would like to get to know someone for a while via e-mail and then hopefully meet up. I'm not really looking for the man of my dreams who I'm going to spend the rest of my life with, but it'd be nice to meet someone I share some chemistry with. I like guys who are well-balanced and spontaneous and like to do things both inside and outside. Send me a pic and tell me a little something about yourself and what you're looking for. Extra points for being creative! ;-)_

After she finished reviewing and posting it, her tummy rumbled at her, so she decided to start making dinner. She had been craving yellow curry for a while and it was easy for her to make. Pausing to place her cell phone in the docking station on the kitchen counter, she took a moment to load up some music so she could listen and sing along while she cooked.

Adele's sultry voice began to croon to her as she got some chicken breasts, potatoes, carrots and an onion from the refrigerator, pulled a tub of curry paste and a can of coconut milk out of the pantry and began to prep the ingredients. Humming along and singing when she knew the words, Annie chopped the vegetables and got her wok out of the cabinet, then turned on the burner.

Measuring out a few tablespoons of curry paste, she poured a bit of soybean oil into the wok and began to stir fry it together. Next she added the chicken and some more coconut milk, then some water and the chopped vegetables. She left it to simmer on the stove while she went back to check her email and saw that there were a few responses waiting for her. Clicking on the first one, she smiled as she saw a picture of a really cute bare-chested guy with tats standing on a beach. He was wearing a black baseball cap and a silver chain and had a sexy grin.

From: Gabe Thomas

Subject: Born and raised in LA

Date: November 26, 2012 18:35

To: vbr2f-3564379734@pers.craigslist.org

Hi! I'm 25. I'm born 'n raised in LA, so naturally I have like 10 tattoos. I'm definitely taller. More like 6'5". Single for too long, so I'm stepping back in slowly. I'd love to be spontaneous and hop in the car and just go find a hotel near a beach. Love good food and finding hole in the wall restaurants just as much as Ruth's Chris. Okay, your turn. Send me some pics, too, please.

She decided to ignore the hotel comment for the moment; he was super cute and she loved his bad boy look. Hesitating only momentarily, she started typing her response.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Love the tats

Date: November 26, 2012 18:55

To: Gabe Thomas

Hey Gabe,

Nice to meet you. :) My name is Annie and I was also born and raised in LA. I'm about 5'8", so I am LOVING that you are so tall. I also love the tats. I have wanted to get one for a while now, but still haven't had the guts to do it. I got out of a long term thing last year and have only recently started looking around again. Not sure about Craigslist — there seems to be a lot of crazy whackos on here, lol. No offense. :) Hopefully, you're one of the nice ones? I love good food as well, whether it's eating out or cooking at home. Do you like to cook at all?

I like a lot of outdoor activities like volleyball, hiking, kayaking, etc., but I also like indoor stuff as well like watching movies, playing video games and cooking. What's your idea of the perfect first date? Here's a pic of me.

She skimmed through the other messages, but no one else seemed anywhere near as interesting as Gabe. Returning to the kitchen, she tested the potatoes with a fork to check their tenderness. They needed to cook for a while longer, so she stirred everything a few times and then left the curry bubbling gently on the stove.

She got some Jasmine rice out of the pantry, measured two cups into her rice cooker, then added the water, replaced the lid and pressed the power button. Glancing at the microwave, she saw that it was about seven o'clock. Annie retrieved her cell phone from the docking station so she could text Alex.

**Annie:** _Hello, love. So I finally got on Craigslist and have posted a few ads since Saturday. Total hottie with tats wrote to me tonight._

Alex didn't take long to respond.

**Alex:** _I wanna see! Forward me his pic._

Annie complied and forwarded him a picture of her tattooed hottie.

**Alex:** _Wow, not bad, honey. Not bad at all. Are you going to meet up with him?_

**Annie:** _Not sure, yet. We've only emailed back and forth a couple of times. We'll see after a few more emails. ;)_

**Alex:** _Keep me posted._

**Annie:** _Oh trust me, I will._

She set her cell phone back down on the docking station and reached over to remove the wok from the stove as she switched off the burner. Setting it down to cool, she couldn't help but hurry back to her laptop to see if Gabe had emailed her back, yet, and indeed he had.

From: Gabe Thomas

Subject: Need a co-pilot

Date: November 26, 2012 19:10

To: Annie Chang

Yeah, tall is good both ways. ;) I love the outdoors, but I know I don't take advantage enough as doing a lot of activities are more fun with someone else than by yourself. So we can talk about our adventures and what not. I need a co-pilot, so to speak. I've been single for a year and a half, so I'm right there with you. Can I cook? I like to think so. I'm attempting a new salmon dish tonight. You're missing out.

I never really know what my ideal date is going to be like. I like to play it out depending on the vibe. CL definitely has some whackos, but I don't feel comfortable signing up for a dating site. It's just weird to me. So this was a shot in the dark I was willing to take. To be honest, I love cuddling on the couch, watching the Lakers or a movie. I enjoy the simple things. When going out, I sometimes like the nicer things as well. But I do enjoy a good hole-in-the-wall food joint just as much. So tell me more and please send more pics. ;) I like what I see so far.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: I could be your co-pilot

Date: November 26, 2012 19:15

To: Gabe Thomas

Mmm, I love salmon. I like to glaze it with Mr. Yoshida's Teriyaki Sauce and throw it on the grill. Nom! :) I'm making a yellow chicken curry with Jasmine rice tonight. It smells great – can't wait to taste it.

I like the idea of being your co-pilot. I've caught a few of the Lakers games so far this season. They were off to a pretty rough start there. What do you think of this new coach, D'Antoni? My friend is a pretty big fan and she was swearing to me that this was going to be the BEST season for the Lakers and then they lost the first several games, Lol. So just to piss her off, I'm rooting for the Clippers this year. Haha.

I enjoy the simple things in life as well, but there's something to be said for occasional opulence when you can afford it. Here's another pic of me taken recently at a friend's party. What about me? Do I get another picture of you? I also like what I see so far. ;)

Quickly she scampered to the kitchen to get some rice and curry and then ran back to the laptop, shoveling a bite of food in her mouth as she sat back down on the couch. She felt a little giddy as she saw another email from him already waiting for her and couldn't stop grinning like an idiot. But her excitement quickly turned to wary caution as she read the brief message. He had included his phone number and wanted to text with her — said it was easier than emailing.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Not yet

Date: November 26, 2012 19:20

To: Gabe Thomas

Mmm, I'm not quite ready to give you my number, yet. Okay if we stick to email for now?

From: Gabe Thomas

Subject: No rush

Date: November 26, 2012 19:22

To: Annie Chang

Yeah for sure. Definitely not rushing. :) Trade some more pics?

She didn't mind sending him more pictures as long as he was returning the favor. Attaching a picture of herself and Teresa, one of her girlfriends, looking hot and sexy at a club in Vegas, she sent her response.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Another pic

Date: November 26, 2012 19:25

To: Gabe Thomas

Sure. :) I have to admit, you are pretty cute. How did your salmon turn out?

From: Gabe Thomas

Subject: Long legs

Date: November 26, 2012 19:29

To: Annie Chang

You're very pretty, but I wanna see all 5'8". :) I have a thing for girls with long legs. I'm already enjoying this little connection we have going here. Salmon was great. You should have tried it! BTW, Clipper fan, it'd be fun to check out a game together. Okay, more picture trading...here's one of me with Lakers shooting guard, Kobe Bryant.

From: Gabe Thomas

Subject: Good night

Date: November 26, 2012 19:35

To: Annie Chang

I enjoyed talking to you tonight. I'm gonna try and get to sleep. I'm looking forward to hearing from you soon. We'll pick up where we left off tonight. Sweet dreams, pretty girl.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Full body pics

Date: November 26, 2012 20:38

To: Gabe Thomas

Okay. So hey, do you work for the Lakers or something? Just wondering since you're wearing a Staff shirt in one of the pictures you just sent, and then of course, there's the picture of you with Kobe, lol. I don't have a ton of full body shots, but here's a couple where you can see my legs, hehe. ;) It was nice getting to know you a bit tonight. Talk to you later.

She attached a picture of herself sitting cross-legged on her bed and one of herself and Katie, another of her girlfriends, posing in swimsuits for a photo shoot. Yawning, she stretched out her arms and took her dish to the kitchen to rinse it out and place it in the dishwasher. It was getting late and she was exhausted. Bed sounded really good, but she returned to her laptop to check her inbox one more time just in case he had responded anyway. To her delight, he had. She quickly opened the email and read his reply.

From: Gabe Thomas

Subject: Wowza

Date: November 26, 2012 20:43

To: Annie Chang

I work for their summer camp coaching kids. Been coaching with them since I was 17. So I got to meet players and coaches. Wow, those pics! Just wow. You're beautiful. And your legs are perfect, haha. :) I'm having fun trading pics. So what do you do? Model? Is that really you in the picture with the other girl? You look simply amazing. Here are some more pictures including one of me at a Clipper game (I am NOT the bald guy). ;)

There was another picture of him attached to the email. He was sitting in the bleachers in what appeared to be excellent floor seats at the Staples Center, watching a Clippers game with his face turned towards the camera. There was an older gentleman with a receding hairline sitting in front of him, but he was facing the court.

Anne felt a tingling in her stomach and sat there gazing at the picture for a few moments. She was starting to feel like she could really imagine herself with this guy, and that made her feel a little self-conscious and vulnerable as she wasn't sure if he would really like her in return if they met up in person. It wasn't that she wasn't confident of her appearance and personality, but you just never knew how you'd click with someone until you really spent time together, face to face. For that matter, he could turn out to be a huge disappointment to her and she might not really like him in return either. She just hated to get her hopes up too high and then have them crushed if things didn't work out.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Strike a pose

Date: November 26, 2012 20:48

To: Gabe Thomas

I thought you were going to bed, sir? :) My full-time job is at a law firm doing administrative work, but I have done a tiny bit of modeling on the side. Yes, that's me with the other girl — I'm on the right and that's my friend Katie on the left. It was actually her photo shoot, and the other girl who was supposed to be modeling with her cancelled last minute, so Katie called me in a panic, and luckily, I was able to fill in for the other model. That's cool that you teach summer camp for kids. So what do you do when it's not summer time?

From: Gabe Thomas

Subject: Travel

Date: November 26, 2012 20:54

To: Annie Chang

Ehh, I'd rather stay up and email you. You've got me waiting anxiously for your next email, hehe. So you're a little professional, huh? That's really cool. Basketball camp's for fun with the kids — I do it cuz I enjoy coaching and the kids are really great and awesome. They crack me up. During the year, I do real estate full-time. I'm usually either searching for investments or checking on my properties. The nice thing is that it leaves me with a wide open schedule, so if I wanna go to New York or Hawaii or anywhere else for a week, I can. I want to travel more. I've been to like 30-35 states, Spain, Paris, Israel...traveling is fun. What's your schedule like? What neighborhood do you live in, if I may ask in a non-threatening, non-stalker way? ;) Haha, and now back to you, my new model aka lawyer friend.

Feeling like a love-struck teenager, she couldn't help giggling out loud as she started to write back to him again. She imagined herself going on a trip with him and shivered at the images that thought brought to mind. He was very tall, looking as if he could easily pick her up and have his way with her, and she would be quite happy to let him.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Travel's fun

Date: November 26, 2012 21:00

To: Gabe Thomas

No, not a professional at all. I've never really wanted to model, but I've gotten dragged along to a few shoots with my friends. That's really great that you enjoy working with kids. I'll take that as affirmation that you're not a creep. ;) I work a full-time office job from 9 to 6, Monday-Friday, so traveling is not as easy for me. Plus my pockets aren't that deep. But I do agree — traveling is a lot of fun. I've traveled to a few places...I've been to several states on the west side including Hawaii and I went down to help with an orphanage in Mexico when I was in my teens. I've also been to England a couple of times. I loved it there except for the gloomy weather. But mostly it's just going to Vegas or San Francisco for the weekend — you know, the more affordable trips. :)

Hmm, I don't know if I should tell you where my hood's at. ;) I suppose I can tell you I live in the valley at the moment, but that I've been considering moving down closer to work, like maybe to the Mar Vista/Palms area.

Giving him some time to respond, she walked back into the kitchen to retrieve her cell phone and texted Alex again with an update.

**Annie:** _OMG, Alex. I think I am in love. Or in lust anyway._

**Alex:** _So when are you going to meet him?_

**Annie:** _I'm not sure, yet. I've never done this before. I'm so nervous._

**Alex:** _Well, you're never going to meet anyone if you just sit there in front of the computer._

**Annie:** _True. I'm thinking about it, I promise._

**Alex:** _Don't wait too long. Men get impatient – trust me._

**Annie:** _Okay okay...soon, I will think about meeting him very soon._

**Alex:** _Let me know when you decide. Be safe whatever you do._

**Annie:** _I will. TTYL._

Eagerly, she returned to her laptop and pulled up the new email Gabe had just sent her. There was something about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on, but whatever it was, she liked him...a lot.

From: Gabe Thomas

Subject: Day trip?

Date: November 26, 2012 21:10

To: Annie Chang

What a coincidence. I live in the valley, but I'm looking at Venice/Santa Monica/Mar Vista area, too. I'm all over Westside Rentals every day, but I haven't found anything that intrigues me, yet. So SF sounds fun — how many times have you been there? I haven't been there in maybe 10 years or more.

Whatcha think about a day trip down to San Diego? The beaches are so nice and it's been a few years for me. I have been feeling all adventurous the last few weeks — like I wanna get out for a weekend soon. Here's another one: I always say I wanna go camping, but then I never do.

Okay, no more "where's your hood" questions. But where's your fave place to eat in the SFV? Do you go out to bars/clubs? And if your friend's the model, why does it look like she's the one filling in for someone? That's clearly your shoot.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Good eats in the valley

Date: November 26, 2012 21:15

To: Gabe Thomas

Haha, well aren't you the smooth talker? Thanks for the compliment, but I'd rather use my brain than my boobs and booty to make a living. :) Yeah, I haven't found the right place to move to, yet. So I've decided that I'm going to take a little leap of faith and reveal to you that I live in the Tarzana/Encino/Reseda area of the SFV. My favorite breakfast place is More Than Waffles on Ventura, but my favorite place to eat and grab a drink is probably Laurel Tavern in Studio City. What about yourself?

A day trip to San Diego sounds intriguing. I don't go clubbing too often these days, but I still enjoy the occasional night out dancing with my girls. Can you dance? ;)

From: Gabe Thomas

Subject: Want my co-pilot NOW

Date: November 26, 2012 21:18

To: Annie Chang

It's obvious you're using your brain, Ms. Law Office Full Timer. I used to live in the same area as you. Thanks for sharing. I admire your security and patience with this random thing we've started. I don't club much either. I'll enjoy a beer with friends at a local dive bar or Madbull Tavern, which is located in Sherman Oaks where I currently live. Do you live with your family? Okay dancing, uhh umm well, hmmm no bueno. But if I'm in the mood, I'll try and hop out there. Lip synching as I strut. Yeah, I've been on a SD kick lately. So hurry up and know me already so I have my co-pilot ;) j/k

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Getting to know you

Date: November 26, 2012 21:22

To: Gabe Thomas

Oh no, white boy can't dance? ;) I've never been to Madbull, but I've heard it mentioned by my friends who work in that area. I live by myself at the moment, but I'm probably going to have to get a roomie if I move further south. Sorry, I am just super paranoid about this whole online dating thing. I've heard both success and horror stories from my friends, so I'm just wary about giving too much information too soon. Hope you understand. But I'm enjoying getting to know you. ;)

From: Gabe Thomas

Subject: Goodnight for real this time

Date: November 26, 2012 21:24

To: Annie Chang

I totally do. I think it shows maturity on your part — something I haven't come across too often. Well, I am finally getting sleepy, but I'll definitely be messaging you tomorrow. Sleep tight. Very cool that you live alone, too. ;) Talk to you tomorrow.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Goodnight

Date: November 26, 2012 21:25

To: Gabe Thomas

Sweet dreams.

Annie had no clue how the hell she was going to fall asleep now. She had been so close to giving up on the whole online dating idea, but now she couldn't wait until Gabe emailed her again. Hell, she couldn't wait until she got to see him face to face for the first time. If he had this much effect on her already before she had even met him, she could only imagine it being magnified tenfold in person.

***

#

When she woke the next morning, the very first thing on her mind was Gabe. The alarm had gone off and pulled her from a pleasant sleep, but instead of feeling tired and annoyed, her eyes flew open and she sat straight up, slapped the alarm and rocketed from her bed to the laptop.

From: Gabe Thomas

Subject: Good morning, sunshine

Date: November 27, 2012 6:35

To: Annie Chang

Good morning, beautiful. Hope you slept well last night. I really enjoyed exchanging emails with you last night and hope we get to meet in person soon. But again, no pressure. I know you want to take things slow, but I would be lying if I didn't tell you how intrigued I am by you. I have a busy day planned, but I wanted to shoot you a quick note and wish you a pleasant day. Looking forward to more emails with you tonight...and I wouldn't complain if you sent me some more pictures of you and your gorgeous legs. ;)

Men...so typical and predictable. But this typical and predictable man was also very attractive and could already give her butterflies. Still, she wanted there to be some mystery left for him to discover, so she decided not to send anymore pictures to him until they met.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Some mystery

Date: November 27, 2012 7:04

To: Gabe Thomas

Good morning, yourself. Emailing with you last night was fun and I look forward to meeting you when the time is right. However, I do want to leave some mystery for you to discover, so no more pictures of my legs will be forthcoming for the moment. But maybe, just maybe, you'll get to inspect them in closer detail in the near future. Until then, use your imagination. ;)

She hurried to get ready for work and was about to walk out the front door when she hesitated. Glancing back at her laptop, she bit her lip as she argued with herself, then walked back to the coffee table and bent over to type out a quick email to Gabe. Life wasn't worth living if you weren't willing to take a chance now and then. Hitting send, she straightened with a smile. He had her phone number now, so the ball was back in his court.

Annie knew she was probably going to be a few minutes late to work since she had stopped to email him, but now she had possible text messages to look forward to from a very yummy guy. She quickly looked for the email he sent her with his number and added it to her cell phone so his name would show up on caller ID if he texted her later. Grabbing her bag and car keys, she finally made it out the door, a wide grin plastered across her face. It felt like she hadn't stopped smiling since Gabe started emailing her. Exiting the front of her apartment building, she couldn't keep the bounce out of her step as she practically skipped down the sidewalk to her car.

Work was as boring and uneventful as ever. The monotony of her morning was finally broken around eleven o'clock when her cell phone vibrated with an incoming text message from Gabe.

**Gabe:** _Hey, it's me, Gabe...thanks for your phone number. What are you up to right now?_

**Annie:** _You're welcome. ;) Working my way through a stack of new files._

**Gabe:** _Ooh, sounds exciting. You taking your lunch soon?_

**Annie:** _In about an hour...why?_

**Gabe:** _Because I had a hell of a time trying to fall asleep last night, wondering what your sexy voice sounds like._

**Annie:** _Oh, lol...well, I guess I have to admit, I was thinking the same about you._

**Gabe:** _So can I call you during your lunch?_

**Annie:** _I guess that would be okay...give me a few minutes after noon, though, so I have time to leave the office._

**Gabe:** _Talk to you soon._

Annie found it extremely hard to concentrate on her work for the next hour as she kept glancing at the time, but finally noon rolled around, and she grabbed her purse, bolting for the door. As she exited the office building and quickly walked to her car, she could feel her heart thudding rapidly in her chest. How could she be this excited and nervous just to talk to someone on the phone for the first time? Unlocking the door of her black _Grand Am_ , she swallowed hard and climbed into the driver's seat. Shutting the door behind her, she rolled the window down, closed her eyes and breathed deeply of the fresh air before slowly opening them again and glancing at the phone in her hand; the time read 12:05 PM.

Trying to distract herself until he called, she scrolled through the _UsWeekly_ app on her phone to check the latest celebrity gossip. It appeared that Halle Berry's current boyfriend had gotten into a fight with her ex and given him a black eye, Charlie Sheen was reported to have given Lindsay Lohan one hundred thousand dollars to pay off her tax debt, and ex-Elmo Puppeteer, Kevin Clash, faced his third underage sex allegation. Sometimes she wondered why she was so addicted to the tabloids.

Suddenly her phone buzzed and she grinned, taking a deep breath, her thumb trembling a bit before she pressed the Answer button. "Hello?" she said tentatively, hoping her voice didn't sound as flustered as she felt.

"Hey, this is Gabe...is this Annie?"

She swallowed hard and barely managed to squeak out an audible response. His voice sounded so damn sexy that her knees felt wobbly; it was probably a really good thing she was sitting down.

"Yes, how are you doing?" What a generic, boring question and why the hell did she sound so prim and proper? She mentally hit her forehead with her palm.

"Ah, good, busy...you know. I can't complain." Wait. Did he sound as nervous as she felt? "Wow, can this phone call be anymore awkward?" Annie rolled her eyes to the sky and prayed for the ground to just swallow her up right then and there. It appeared that she had not been blessed with one iota of "game" or the ability to make interesting casual conversation. She was on the phone with a very cute guy and was quickly doing everything she could to lose his interest.

"So you do, you know," she blurted out before she could stop herself.

"I do what?"

Hesitating briefly, she answered, "Have a sexy voice."

He laughed and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. It was a totally laidback, amused chuckle and she immediately wanted more than anything to be responsible for making him laugh again. Some people were blessed with a laugh that could roll over you like the heat from a warm stove on a cold winter morning.

"Ah, well thank you. You sound pretty cute yourself." She wrinkled her nose at that, having hoped he would reciprocate and tell her instead how sexy her voice sounded, not how cute.

"Thanks...so, what are you up to today?"

"Well, I have to be at an open house this afternoon and then I'm going to this party tonight."

"Oh, that's cool."

"You wouldn't want to go with me, would you?"

Annie's breath caught in her throat. "To the party?"

"Yeah."

"With you?

"Yeah, with me. I can even pick you up if you want."

She hesitated before responding, starting to feel like this was all moving a little too fast, but at the same time, she didn't want to waste the rest of her life waiting around for something to happen. "Um, okay, I will go, but I will meet you there. Where's it at?"

"Vanguard, it's a club in Hollywood."

"Yeah, I know it. I didn't know they were open on Tuesdays, though."

"I don't think they are normally, but my friend rented the place out for a private birthday party."

"Oh cool. What time should I be there?"

"I'm planning to show up around ten."

"Okay cool, thanks for the invite. I guess I'll see you there."

"Sweet, I can't wait. And Annie?"

"Yeah?"

"Have a great rest of the day." She grinned at that.

"Thanks, you as well. Bye now." Annie pressed the End button and sat there in the car for a moment more, just staring at her phone. Finally, she looked up and did a little dance in her seat. "Yippee! I'm going on a date, I'm going on a date."

"Congratulations," a voice said.

Yelping, she whipped her head around to see an extremely hot guy in a backwards, red baseball cap sitting in the driver's seat of the car next to hers, smirking at her. She had been so focused on the phone call that she hadn't even noticed him pull up. Embarrassed, Annie felt like sliding down in her seat until he couldn't see her anymore and just waiting it out until he left before exiting her car. Instead, she quickly rolled up her window, got out of her car, shut the door and locked it behind her, then pointedly ignored him as she started walking briskly back to her office building.

"Hey!" Annie heard someone call out behind her and she stiffened, wondering if she should speed up or stop and turn around. With a frustrated sigh, she stopped walking and took a deep breath before turning around on her heel. The guy in the red baseball cap stood there, holding out a tube of pink lip gloss, looking at her with that same lazy smirk on his face. "You dropped this back there. Thought you might want it back."

Flushing bright red, she snatched the lip gloss from him and stuffed it back in her purse, muttering thank you as she nodded curtly and spun back around to head into the lobby of her office building. She heard him laugh again before the door closed behind her, which infuriated Annie even more.

Around nine o'clock that night, Annie was still standing in front of her bathroom mirror, wrapped in a towel. Her hair and make-up were already done, so she just needed to get dressed and she'd be ready to leave for the club. A spur of the moment decision, she had left work early and stopped at a salon on her way home to get a layered hair cut with a few chunky blonde highlights. She totally lucked out as her usual stylist's last client of the day had cancelled last minute, leaving her available to do Annie's hair.

At home she had taken a quick sponge bath, making sure to shave her legs again. It only took her a few minutes to apply her make-up using dramatic, earth tones on her eyes, matching it with a light rose lip gloss. She pulled on a pair of black, sheer, silk stockings edged with lace and a full-body shaper corset with a matching thong, then fastened her stockings to the garter straps on each leg. Stepping into her dress, a little black and beige number that fit her like a glove and came to the middle of her thighs, she carefully shimmied the snug material up over her hips.

She smiled to herself as she thought about the kind of reaction Gabe might have if he got a glimpse of her garters. By the time she finished getting ready, she thought the final result was satisfactory, but she'd still rather hear it confirmed by a guy, even if he was gay. Alex was at Annie's apartment a minute after she called him, letting out a low whistle when she opened the door. He took her by the hand and spun her around in a slow circle.

"Annie, you know I don't swing that way, but with you looking the way you do tonight, I could almost make an exception."

"Aw, thanks, baby! That is exactly what I needed to hear." She grinned at her friend as she kissed him on the cheek and gave him a tight hug.

"Anytime, honey." He patted her on the cheek, looking like a proud mama, then pulled out his cell phone and waved her over to the wall. "Now back up here next to that plant and let me take a picture of you for Facebook." She groaned and shook her head in mild protest, but finally did as he asked, giggling as he took a picture and then looked at her sternly. "Don't smile so much. Try to look sexy and mysterious. Put your hand on your hip, tilt your body at an angle, lift your head up, point your chin down and _smize_ with those gorgeous hazel eyes." Getting into it for a minute, she easily fell into half a dozen various poses as he clicked away, muttering to himself. "Yes, that's it, baby. That's the way you do it. Uh huh."

Bursting out laughing, she waved her hands back and forth and moved away from the wall. "Okay, that's enough. No more, no more."

"Okay okay. I'll upload these to _Instagram_ and you can pick one later to be your new profile picture."

"Thanks, but if I look like shit, you better not post it."

"I would never," Alex swore, looking indignant.

"Ha, you have before," she said with a wry smirk.

"Everyone is their own biggest critic. But you of all people should not be so critical of yourself. You're beautiful and sweet and smart and sexy."

"Maybe I should just bring you along with me on my dates and you can sing my praises and help make interesting conversation," Annie suggested as she smiled sweetly at him. "Are you sure you can't come with me tonight?"

"As enticing as it sounds, I have to pass. I've got another date with Jonathan tonight. Oh and look at the time. I need to go pick him up and you'd better get going as well or you'll be late!" he exclaimed as he opened her door to leave.

Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was 9:30. "Oh shit, you're right. I still have to drive all the way down to Hollywood. Okay, well I am texting you his name, number and picture in case I turn up missing, haha." Quickly, Annie texted the information to Alex, then ran back to her bedroom closet to look for her black, leather clutch. She slipped her cell phone, credit card, driver's license and some cash into it before closing it with a click, grabbed a light coat from the closet, turned off the lights and followed Alex out the door.

"Have fun tonight, Mami!"

"Thanks, you too." She waved and blew him a kiss as she walked out to her car.

Thankfully, traffic wasn't too bad since it was a Tuesday night and she was only running a few minutes late when she pulled up to the valet. A portly, middle-aged man of Hispanic descent wearing a zipped-up, black jacket and black slacks opened the door for her and handed her a ticket.

Shivering, she rubbed her arms briskly as she moved to the end of the rather long line of people standing outside the club. Annie thought she was being smart when she decided to leave her coat in the car, knowing how hot she would get once she was inside, but the temperature had dropped several degrees in the late evening hour, and she was quickly beginning to regret that decision.

As luck would have it, the line moved pretty quickly and it was only a matter of minutes before she stood in front of a pair of bouncers, both of them tall and heavily muscled. The one holding a clipboard gruffly asked for her name. She gave it to him and held her breath as she waited for him to check the guest list.

Had Gabe told them to add her name or was she going to look like an idiot? But he only paused for a few moments before nodding and asking for her ID. After he returned her driver's license, she stuffed it back into her clutch and eagerly headed into the comfort of the much warmer club.

Needing to do a quick mirror check and give herself a little pep talk, she hurried into the ladies room. Her make-up and hair still looked fresh, so she just washed her sweaty palms and then applied a fresh coat of lip gloss before texting him. _Okay, nothing to be nervous about, girl. You got this._

**Annie:** _I'm here._

**Gabe:** _Where are you? Are you already inside?_

**Annie:** _Yeah, I just left the ladies room in front._

**Gabe:** _Stay there. I'll come get you._

**Annie:** _Okay._

This was it — the moment of truth. Annie stood there feeling a little awkward as a swarm of girls moved in and out of the ladies room, some of them looking at her as they passed by. She tried to ignore their stares as she scanned the room for a tall guy who looked like Gabe's pictures.

It wasn't too long before she found him moving smoothly through the crowd of people. A moment later, he saw her as well, and his eyes lit up as a slow, sexy smile curved his lips. Her breath caught as she did a mental backflip and cheer in her head. Hot damn, she had hit the jackpot.

His dark brown hair looked like it had been buzzed recently, and he wore a black t-shirt and a pair of distressed jeans with a black and silver studded belt and a pair of looped silver chains hanging down one side. She smiled appreciatively as she noticed the tattoos on both of his toned arms and the diamond stud earrings in both of his ears.

"Hey...Annie, right?" he asked with a raised eyebrow when he was close enough for her to hear, then moved forward to give her a quick hug when she nodded. She got a quick whiff of his scent, which was a mix of aftershave and cologne...a little spicy, a little musky and absolutely delicious. "You look insanely hot," he murmured in her ear before he pulled away and winked at her. "Come on, let's get you a drink." He grabbed her hand and led her inside the club and then to the closest bar. "What's your poison?" he asked.

She thought for a moment before finally responding, "Um, you pick...surprise me."

"Ha, you sure about that?"

"Yeah, I can handle it."

"Alrighty." He leaned towards the bartender to give him their order, then handed over his credit card and told him to keep the tab open. A minute later, the bartender pushed two shots towards them. Gabe picked one up and handed it to her, then picked the other up and raised it to clink against hers. "Cheers!" he yelled over the thumping music.

"Cheers!" she yelled back, then tossed it back like a champ. _Holy shit fire. Can't breathe. Going to puke. Goddamn it. Why did he have to pick Tequila?_ Gabe tossed his back with no problem, then burst out laughing when he saw her face.

"Oh wow, I'm sorry. You look a little green." Shaking her head, Annie smiled weakly and patted her chest with one fist.

"I'm fine...or I will be in a minute."

"You said surprise you."

"I know, I know. I deserved it." Annie didn't dare admit to him that she'd felt so nervous and flustered at being in such close proximity to him that basic thought process was difficult for her at the moment. When he had taken his hand in hers and led her to the bar, asking what she wanted to drink, she couldn't think of a single thing to order. It had been much easier just to let him pick something for her. Now she knew that was a bad idea and had a drink order ready when he asked her what she'd like next. "Kamikaze shot, straight up." Gabe raised his eyebrow and chuckled as she hastily blurted out her request, but he turned and placed the order, holding up two fingers as he spoke to the bartender.

"Okay, we'll do your girlie shot now."

She smiled gratefully at him and found herself starting to relax and bounce in place to the pounding music as the current song began to reach its crescendo. Soon Gabe was handing her a Kamikaze shot and lifting his to cheer with hers once again. She had no problem tossing the shot back smoothly without coughing and making a face. Kamikaze shots were her go-to drink, and she didn't often find bartenders who made them well, but this one was definitely the exception. She appreciated how fresh it tasted and how smoothly it went down. This time she was the one who motioned the bartender over, holding up two fingers and pointing to the now empty shot glasses.

After two more rounds of shots, Annie was starting to feel really good and grabbed Gabe's hand to drag him out on the dance floor. She made her way into the middle of the crowd, not letting go of him until she finally turned around to slide a hand around his waist and pull him close to her as she began to dance. He was so much taller than she was, even with her heels on, and had to lean down to shout to her over the loud music that pumped through the club. "Now I warned you I don't really dance."

Rolling her eyes, she raised on her toes to get closer to his ear. "Just hold onto me and let your body move to the music." She grabbed his hands and placed them around her hips, his long fingers wrapping firmly around her. The music pulsated as she swayed her hips back and forth slowly, eyes closed, her head bobbing in time to the thudding bass. He felt so big and strong pressed closely against her and she felt a feeling of euphoria as they moved together, letting the hypnotic song control their movements. Men and women danced around them on all sides, their sweaty bodies pressed against each other as everyone moved to the compelling beat.

"Who's this song by?" he asked when he saw her lips move as she sang along.

"Kaskade and Deadmau5."

"I think I really like this song, especially now that I've seen you dancing to it." He smiled down at her and she felt butterflies rise in a sudden whirlwind through her stomach.

"It's called _I Remember_."

"I don't know why, but I just feel like...it feels like I knew you once and that I'm finally seeing you again after a long time." She wasn't sure if he was being serious or if it was just the alcohol talking, but she was seriously buzzed and feeling good and so ready for his kiss when it came, that he could have been quoting Shakespeare or singing Sir Mix-A-Lot and it wouldn't have mattered.

His mouth was intoxicating and his lips were warm and soft as they began to move against hers. He dipped his tongue gently between her parted lips and slid it against her own as they continued to dance closely to each other. The kiss deepened, quickly turning from sweet to passionate as his hands moved down to cup her ass, pulling her tightly against the hard, lean length of him as he continued to kiss her like he couldn't get enough of the taste of her. It was so amazing and felt so right to be dancing in his arms, like she just belonged there.

More and more, Annie was really wishing that there were no clothes between them as they continued to make out like teenagers and rub against each other in time to the music. All caution had flown out the window with the second Kamikaze shot. All she wanted more than anything at that moment was to have this delicious stud of a man pounding into her all night long. He was lean and toned, but not overly muscled — some girls may consider him too skinny, but she had heard things about skinny guys, and she was definitely in the mood to find out if the rumors were true.

Crooking a finger at him, she said "I want you" in his ear when he bent his head down closer to hear her. Straightening back up, he looked down at her intently through hooded eyes for a few moments before finally responding. She gave him her best "Come fuck me" smile and traced her fingers in lazy circles around his waist.

"Sweetie, you keep rubbing yourself against me like that and keep looking at me with those fuckin' sexy bedroom eyes, you may end up getting more than you bargained for."

Annie smiled wickedly back at him and asked tauntingly, "Hmm, is that a promise?" A new song had started to play and had a harder driving beat. Gabe must have been feeling the alcohol in his blood as he was now moving with surprising dexterity as he danced around her.

She could only assume that the hesitation he had shown before when she had asked him if he danced was probably the result of bad experiences, trying to dance with girls a lot shorter than him. But she knew that you could be tall and still move your body to a basic beat and lose yourself in the rhythm of the music. He seemed to have picked up on that rather quickly himself as he was now dancing with total abandon, like he'd been born on the dance floor.

They bounced up and down together as the beat popped and rolled and repeated again, waving their hands in the air with everyone around them. The music kept pounding, the bass reverberating from the floor through their feet and spreading throughout the rest of their bodies as sweat dripped down their faces, but still they kept dancing. A few minutes later, the music finally faded out and transitioned into the next song. Gabe motioned his head towards the bar and she nodded and followed him off the dance floor, her hand firmly gripped in his.

"Another Kamikaze?" he offered.

"Sure. Make it a double."

He laughed and shrugged. "Your funeral."

"Aww...well, will you hold my hair if I have to puke?" she asked, wrinkling her nose as she looked up at him.

"That depends."

"On what?" she asked curiously.

"Whether I'm going with you to your place tonight."

"Oh...well yeah." Annie looked at him like that had been a dumb question. "I thought I had made that pretty obvious the way I was dry humping you out there."

"Well, in that case..." He pulled her close to him and kissed her deeply again, nipping lightly at her lower lip before sweeping his tongue back over to sooth it. "I say forget the drink and let's get out of here."

She didn't need to be told twice. "Okay," she agreed, nodding happily.

"Okay." He kissed her once more before waving down the bartender to close out his tab. After settling the bill, he reached for her hand and led her through the crowd and out of the club.

They both handed their tickets to the valet and stood impatiently on the curb waiting for their cars to arrive. When her car was brought up first, he asked her if she was okay to drive. She nodded and pulled him back to her to kiss him one more time before she turned to leave. "Wait, so where am I going?"

"I'll text it to you," she called as she walked over to the valet who was holding her door open and handed him a tip before climbing into her car. She quickly texted her address to Gabe and then pulled out into traffic to start the drive home.

It was about 1:30 AM when Annie arrived at her apartment, beating him there by a few minutes. She waited while Gabe parked his silver _Mercedes C250_ on the street and then walked up the sidewalk where she let him in the front gate.

They barely made it inside her apartment before they started pulling each other's clothes off, their lips fused together in a passionate kiss. He kicked his shoes off as she threw her jacket and clutch to the side somewhere, their lips never parting as they moved closer to the couch. As he reached to pull up her skirt, he felt her garter belt and groaned against her mouth.

"Are you seriously wearing a garter belt?" He peered down into her eyes as she gazed back up at him, a small smile pulling at her lips.

"Mmmhmm."

"I think you're trying to kill me, and I think that I may love you. Will you marry me?"

She laughed at his earnest expression. "You like?"

"I like very much. I'd love for you to leave it on while I fuck you."

Her eyes briefly fluttered close, and she swayed a bit as her belly clenched at his words; she opened them again and smiled up at him. "Okay. Want me to leave my heels on, too?"

His grip on her dress tightened as he nodded. "Um, yes, please." She almost giggled at the happy expression on his face, and before she knew it, he finished pulling the dress up and over her head until she was left standing in her black, satin body shaper corset with her panties, garter belt and stockings. Gaping at her, he shook his head in wonder. "I still can't get over how unbelievably sexy you look. You look like every man's wet dream right now."

"And you're wearing too many clothes, sir," she said with a mock frown. Reaching down, she held his gaze as she started to undo his belt, then unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, sliding them down his toned legs. Finally glancing down, she saw he was wearing a pair of black boxer briefs that were tightly molded around his rather large and very impressive erection, the head pushing up a bit past the top edge of his briefs. So the rumors were true, at least in his case. Skinny boy was packin'.

Looking down into her eyes, he pulled her close to him. Tenderly, he kissed her; his lips were soft and slow and sweet. It was nice that he knew how to take his time — it was no contest that he was an amazing kisser, but he was also a complete tease and driving her insane.

Gabe stripped off his t-shirt and dropped it on the coffee table before gently pushing her back to lie down on the couch. He had a few tattoos on both arms and another one on the right side of his chest. She would explore them later in closer detail when she wasn't so distracted by the rest of him.

She got a nice view of his abs as he kneeled on the couch with her legs caught in between his. Gazing down, he slowly drank in the sight of her, looking as though he was trying to memorize her every curve. Finally, he hooked a finger into either side of her panties and tugged at them playfully, asking her how attached she was to her underwear.

Giggling, she told him, "Feel free to do whatever you want with them. I leave their fate in your capable hands."

He grinned and leaned down to kiss her again, his tongue thrusting possessively into her mouth. As the intensity of their foreplay began to build again, she felt and heard him rip her flimsy panties.

"I've always wanted to do that," he said somewhat sheepishly, making her laugh. Tossing the ruined scrap of satin and lace over his shoulder, he stood up straight and removed his boxer briefs, finally letting her see him in all his glory. His massive cock had to be at least ten inches long, and just under the swollen head was something he had definitely not mentioned to her before.

Gabe had a double piercing with two silver bars criss-crossing through the shaft. Her eyes flew up to his as her mouth dropped open in shock. "Holy shit. You never mentioned that!" she exclaimed. "I didn't even know _that_ was possible. Does it hurt?"

He laughed at her expression and shook his head. "Well _that_ has a name. The vertical piercing is called an _ampallang_ , and the horizontal is called an _apadravya_ , and well, no, not anymore. It hurt a helluva lot when I did it, though."

"Why would you put yourself through that?" Annie asked, still looking a little scandalized.

"The benefits are worth it. Not only does it intensify the sensations I feel during sex, but I love to give a woman pleasure and this enables me to do just that – way more so than before I had it. So oh yeah, trust me, it's worth it." She looked at him skeptically, but with definite interest and curiosity.

"Alright. Well, I guess I'm game."

"Yeah? Sorry, I should have warned you before, but I really like you and I was hoping you wouldn't be turned off when you saw it."

"It's cool...you just caught me off guard, but I'm actually looking forward to it. I wonder what it will feel like." Annie hesitantly reached out her hand to gently caress the long throbbing length of him, lightly tracing her finger around each piercing. She could feel Gabe trembling from her touch as she heard his breath hitch and she felt a surge of female satisfaction flow through her. It was intoxicating to know you had the power to make someone else feel so good.

"Okay, Baby, if you don't stop that, I'm going to explode all over your pretty hands before I can take care of you first."

"Mmm, okay." She reluctantly let go of him and he immediately bent down to reach into his jeans and pull out a condom. He tore it open easily with his teeth and rolled the latex on over his thick shaft, taking care not to stretch it too much over his piercings so they wouldn't tear a hole in it.

Rejoining her on the couch, he spread her legs apart, propping them up on his arms as he ran a finger down through the small nest of curls that were nestled at the top of the juncture between her thighs. She was shaved smooth in the area beneath her curls and he could see that she was already slick with her need for him.

He rubbed the fat head of his cock gently against her tight opening, lubricating himself with her juices before he slowly started pushing into her. Her breath hissed out and she groaned deeply as he entered her, the head just barely penetrating, then gasped as he slowly pushed in a little deeper so that the entire head was inside her.

"Goddamnit, you are so fucking tight and you've barely taken any of me in, yet," he said with his teeth gritted. He held himself there for a minute, letting her body adjust to his size before he started to push back into her again.

"Oh God, you are killing me, just do it already," she moaned. "Just fuck me." He kissed her deeply and then positioned himself for a deep thrust into her. He had only pushed halfway into her when she let out another loud groan. "Oh my God, I can't even believe how good you feel inside me right now, and that piercing is fucking crazy. Oh fuck yes, let me have it." She trembled as she felt the beginning of her orgasm as it built, peaked and then suddenly, its sweet release was rushing through her as she whimpered in pleasure.

Gabe groaned as he felt her climax around him and started thrusting vigorously, his hard, long shaft sliding deeper and deeper until he was buried to the hilt, his balls resting against her ass. Annie had never really let herself be a vocal person in bed as she had always felt a little self-conscious about it, but with Gabe fucking her mindless, she couldn't have kept quiet if her life depended on it. Every little movement he made inside her was so highly intensified by the piercings, it was driving her out of her mind as her pussy continued to spasm greedily around his cock. Orgasm after orgasm rocked her body and she still felt like she couldn't get enough of the feeling of him thrusting so deliciously into her. The piercings rubbed her in all the right places and hit her G-spot like a bull's eye. Before this, she hadn't even known she was capable of having multiple orgasms.

After maybe her fourth orgasm (she'd lost count), he began to thrust harder and faster into her. Then he pulled out and motioned for her to sit up and turn around so she was kneeling with her back to him on the couch. He knelt between her legs and led his cock down to slide back into her drenched pussy. She gasped as he entered her and came almost instantly, tears coming to her eyes with the intensity of the orgasm that rocked her body. Holding himself there for a moment, Gabe slowly ran his hands up and down her back in a soothing caress as he let her enjoy the pleasurable feelings throbbing through her. Slowly he began to thrust in and out of her, his balls slapping heavily as he moved.

He had intended to draw this out, but she was so tight and wet that he knew he couldn't hold out much longer. His motions became jerkier and more frantic as he got closer to his own release. Gripping her hips, he groaned before freezing for a moment, then slammed back into her twice more before he came. Exhausted from the exertion, he promptly collapsed on top of her, where he remained for a few moments as they both tried to regain their breath. He finally rolled off of her a minute later and got up to dispose of the used condom, then returned and asked if he could get her a drink of water.

She smiled and nodded, pleased that he was being considerate and taking care of her afterwards. He wandered naked into the kitchen, following her instructions as she pointed to where he could find a glass. After pouring some water from her _Brita_ pitcher, he took a deep drink before refilling the glass and bringing it back to her. Thanking him, she took the water and drained it in seconds.

"Wow, you were thirsty," he said as he took the empty glass back from her and set it on the coffee table. Looking around on the ground, he finally spotted his boxer briefs and pulled them back on before sitting down on the couch beside her.

"Ha, I wonder why."

He laughed. "It's my fault?"

"Oh, definitely." They smiled at each other and then there was a moment of awkward silence. Although she wanted to bask a while longer in the warm fuzzy feelings she had when she was around him, she also didn't want to delay what she thought was the inevitable. "Well, that was fun."

"Yeah, it was," he said as he nodded in agreement, raising her hand to his lips so he could kiss it. "You are pretty damn amazing."

She blushed at his compliment and grinned. "Thanks, you aren't too bad yourself." Taking a deep breath, she proceeded to offer him an out, hoping he wouldn't run. "So um, did you want to spend the night so we can have some more fun, or do you need to get going?" Annie held her breath as she waited for him to make his excuses and leave. He was staring intently at her leg and playing with her garter belt as he sat there quietly for a few moments, appearing to consider his options before responding.

Finally, he looked up and spoke a little hesitantly. "I think I'd like to stay, if that's okay with you...and not just because I want to have more fun, although I do, but I just like being here with you," he said simply, looking at her with a twinkle in his eye as he smiled.

Returning his smile, she stood up and turned back to crook a finger at him. Standing up, he reached out and drew her back to him, kissing her breathless until she finally broke away to take his hand and lead him to her bedroom. Needless to say, they only got about two hours of sleep that night.

***

#

An insistent banging on her door woke her the next evening as she moaned in protest of having her after-work nap disturbed. A couple of _Extra Strength_ _5-Hour Energy_ drinks had helped make up for her lack of sleep while she was at work, even making her feel a little too speedy at times. But while they kept her going during the day, the moment she got home, she collapsed on her couch and zonked out like a light bulb. The next thing she knew, someone was pounding on her door, and she still felt so groggy and exhausted that she was barely able to roll off the couch and onto her feet. Staggering to the door, she started to undo the lock and deadbolt.

"I swear to God, if you don't stop pounding on my door, I will never lend you anything I own ever again. Ever!" Yanking the door open, she glared at Alex who was standing there, his raised fist frozen in mid-air, ready to bang on her door again.

"Ay Mami, you look like shit."

"Thanks. And now I'm going back to sleep," Annie snapped as she started to slam the door shut in his face, but he pushed his hand out to stop the door before she had the chance.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But girl, have you looked in a mirror?" he murmured as he arched an eyebrow skeptically at her.

Rolling her eyes, she left the door open and headed back to lay down on the couch as he followed her into the apartment, shutting the door behind them. "I only got about two hours of sleep last night."

"Why?" Sitting down on the couch, he pulled her feet into his lap.

"Because I was out late, and then when I got home I was awake for a while. You know, still buzzed from the club."

"Did you bring _Mr. 10 Tattoos_ home with you?"

"What if I did?"

"I'm a nosy girl, you know that. Now spill. I heard some very interesting sounds echoing through our courtyard last night." He smiled at her knowingly, barely suppressing his laughter.

Annie sniffed as she nonchalantly studied her nails. "And you assume it was me?"

"Well, yeah. Duh."

She sighed and finally nodded. "Okay fine. Yes, I brought _Mr. 10 Tattoos_ home with me last night."

"So then I can only conclude that things must have gone very well for you to bring him home after only one date and make that much noise." This time he couldn't stop the laughter.

"Don't laugh!" Annie exclaimed as she whacked Alex with a throw pillow.

"Sorry, I can't help it. He must be very good in bed."

"Oh Lord...um...exactly how loud was I?" Her face felt like it was literally on fire. She knew she had been a little loud, but it was only on her way out the door that morning that she realized her living room windows, which faced into the courtyard, were still open.

"Well, I could hear from inside my living room, but my windows weren't open."

"I can never show my face to my neighbors again," she groaned, burying her face in her hands. Alex patted her foot sympathetically.

"So you like this guy?"

Lifting her face, she nodded, a dreamy smile on her lips. "Mmm...yeah, you could say that."

"And the sex was good?"

"The sex was _very_ good. He has a piercing. Actually, he has two piercings."

"What does that have — oh!" His face lit up in understanding and then twisted in slight revulsion at the thought. "Ow! Did it hurt?"

She laughed at his expression as he shuddered. "Yes, he said that it hurt a lot when he did it, of course, but it doesn't hurt anymore."

"Well, it must have been worth it judging by the volume of your screams last night."

Annie punched his arm and he winced in mock pain. "Shush."

"You're so violent," he complained.

"Don't be a pussy." She punched his arm again and stuck out her tongue and he laughed.

"I'm just happy you're finally getting some."

"Me too, honey. Me, too."

Later that night, Annie was getting ready for bed when her cell phone beeped, notifying her that she had an incoming text. It was from Summer, her BFF she'd known since high school. Summer was also one of the friends who recommended she try online dating as she had met her own boyfriend of three years on Match.com.

**Summer:** _Hey girl! I haven't seen you in forever. Dim Sum this Saturday?_

**Annie:** _Ooh, definitely. Count me in. Are Katie and Teresa coming, too?_

**Summer:** _Yeah, Teresa's coming, but I haven't called Katie, yet. You wanna hit her up?_

**Annie:** _Sure, I'll text her. What time and where we going?_

**Summer:** _Our usual spot at 11?_

**Annie:** _Cool, see you there. BTW – I finally posted a personals ad on Craigslist._

**Summer:** _What?! No way! And?_

**Annie:** _And I met someone._

**Summer:** _Shut the front door, you did? When? What's his name? What happened?_

**Annie:** _I'll tell you guys all about it this weekend._

**Summer:** _What? You're going to make me wait until this weekend? I want details now!_

**Annie:** _Lol, Saturday's only a few days away._

**Summer:** _Argh, you ARE going to make me wait. The suspense is killing me!_

**Annie:** _Haha, you'll live. :) See you soon._

**Summer:** _Bitch. Love you. :)_

**Annie:** _Love you, too! ;)_

It was about half past ten in the morning when Annie picked Katie up from Studio City on her way to San Gabriel Valley. Even though it was usually anywhere from a thirty to forty-five minute drive, she preferred to drive a little farther for what she considered to be better dim sum than what could be found in her area.

Admittedly, they could go downtown, which was about fifteen minutes closer, but she hated dealing with the traffic and all the one way streets in that area, so San Gabriel it was. When they pulled into the plaza parking lot, it only took them a few minutes to find parking, which was a miracle for a Saturday morning.

They found the other two girls waiting for them in the restaurant lobby. Summer was already clutching a slip of paper with a number scribbled on it, and Teresa was waving them over to join them by the far side of the crowded lobby.

Annie always felt like an awkward giant when she came out to San Gabriel. Her dad was tall for a Chinese guy, and her mom also had height running in her family. Apparently, they had passed those genes on to her as she had always been tall, growing like a weed until she finally stopped at 5'8" in her junior year of high school. It had come in handy when it came to things like trying out for sports, but it had also kept her feeling awkward through most of grade school as she was usually taller than the boys in her class.

Murmuring apologies as she went, Annie grabbed Katie by the hand and waded through the crowd of predominantly Chinese customers all waiting to be seated at the popular dim sum restaurant.

"Oh thank God, you're here now. I hate it when they only call the numbers in Chinese and I can't understand what they're saying. I'd never know if they called our number, and we'd just be standing here forever."

Annie grinned at her petite blond friend as she bent down slightly to kiss her cheeks and give her a hug. "Good to see you, too, Summer." She turned to Teresa, who was only an inch taller than Summer. They also greeted each other with kisses and hugs and then fell back to stand in a mini circle, waiting for their number to be called.

"So our girl, Annie, here has news for us," Summer began, smiling sweetly.

Annie nodded. "Yup, I've finally given in and tried online dating."

"What! Are you serious? Have you already met someone?" Teresa was the first to respond to her statement, her wavy red curls bouncing as she literally jumped up and down with excitement.

Katie took a moment longer to respond, finally nodding slowly. "Well, that's cool. Good for you."

Annie was pretty sure that Katie's hesitant response was partially due to the fact that she was now the only girl left in the group who wasn't seeing someone at least casually.

"Yes, I met someone. His name is Gabe."

"Ooh, love the name. He sounds yummy already. So, tell us more," Summer begged. Their conversation had to be briefly put on hold as the hostess called their number, and Annie held up a finger as she turned to follow a waitress to their table. They all took a seat around the table and got settled as Katie started pouring them each a cup of hot tea.

"So?" Teresa asked, nudging Annie with her toe.

"Oh right, so his name is Gabe, and he's super tall, like six foot five or so. He's got some piercings and tattoos, is pretty lean, nice arms, great eyes and his hands...girls, I could go on forever about his hands."

"Wow," Katie said, her mouth slightly hanging open as she hung on her every word.

"You can say that again," Summer said as Teresa nodded in agreement.

"You like shrimp balls? Shumai? Chicken feet?" A middle-aged Chinese woman wearing a neat, white blouse and grey vest with a black half-apron was pushing a little cart loaded with little round tins of dumplings and plates of chicken feet. She pointed at the various dishes and repeated what they were, waving at each one as she tried to peddle her wares.

"Shrimp balls and Shumai," Annie answered and the woman placed two tins of dumplings on their table and stamped their ticket before moving on to the next table, already calling to the next customer. Another cart came by, this time laden with various kinds of sweeter treats. The girls pointed to the pork buns, custard buns and sesame seed balls and began loading their plates.

"So it sounds like you've already met him if you're talking about his hands," Summer said around a full mouth after taking the first bite out of her pork bun.

"Eew gross, Summer. Chew with your mouth shut," Katie complained, swatting her arm. Summer responded by turning to her, taking another big bite of her pork bun and chewed slowly and deliberately, showing all the masticated food in her mouth. Katie gave Summer a withering look and started to lecture her about proper etiquette when dining in public while Summer just rolled her eyes and reached for another pork bun, telling Katie she needed to loosen up, take the stick out of her ass and get laid.

Annie's lips curled in amusement as she listened to them bicker. They'd all been friends since high school, and they were always there whenever she needed them. "So yeah, we did meet up. He invited me to his friend's birthday party on Tuesday night; it was at Vanguard."

"How cool! Can he dance? Did you guys hook up? How big is he?" Teresa shot the questions at Annie in rapid-fire fashion, leaning eagerly over the table.

"Ha, well yeah, his moves weren't too bad. And I plead the fifth."

"Oh my God, you already fucked him!" Katie accused, her jaw dropping open.

"Way to go, Annie!" Summer crowed as she grinned widely and gave her a wink and two thumbs up.

"Katie, you have no right to judge. You've totally gone home with guys you've met at bars and clubs before. Remember when you hooked up with those two brothers you met at that club and had a threesome?"

"Oh, that's right. The Jewish brothers." Teresa's eyes widened as she nodded solemnly at the other girls.

"Bitches," Katie muttered into her teacup.

"I remember that night. They had open bar for all the ladies for the first hour and we had many _Red Bulls_ and vodka, and I do mean a lot of them...in one hour." Summer looked a little green at the memory.

"I haven't been able to stand the taste of _Red Bull_ ever since," Katie said with a sigh. "Worst decision of my life."

Annie nodded and waved her finger in the air in Katie's direction. "So, see? You can't get all judgy on me. I haven't gotten laid in months, I was drunk, he was gorgeous and saying all the right things. One thing led to another, and you know, I invited him back to my place."

Katie lifted her hands in surrender. "I'm not judging. I just think it's a little fast."

"Was it good at least?" Teresa asked.

Annie looked down at her teacup and tried to smother the smile that unwillingly crept back on her face as she thought of just how good it had been. She tried for nonchalance and said innocently, "You could say that."

"Like the 'I want to see him again ASAP' kind of good?"

Not able to stop the smile this time, Annie grinned at her girlfriends as she lightly cleared her throat. "Well, he stayed the night at my place the last two nights. He just left this morning to do some errands and pick-up a change of clothes. Then he wants me to call him after I get home from dim sum and massages, and then he's coming over later tonight to cook me dinner."

"Shut the fuck up. He cooks?" Katie was looking like she was about to break down and try the online dating thing herself.

"Yes, and he claims to be pretty good at it, too. He's making me Chicken Marsala."

"I'm so jelly right now. Curtis thinks cooking is boiling a hot dog or making mac and cheese," Summer complained.

"Yeah, Billy doesn't even do that much. His idea of taking care of dinner is ordering a pizza or picking up fast food on his way to my place." Teresa patted her stomach which used to be flat, but was starting to get a little chubby. "I don't know how much more of that my metabolism can take, so unless I want to end up looking like a whale, it's up to me to cook."

"Well, who knows? He could turn out to be a terrible cook," Annie offered, not wanting to make her best gal pals feel bad about their men.

"It's true; he could just be faking it to get into her pants...oh wait. He already has!" Summer burst out laughing as Annie threw a wadded-up napkin at her.

"Well, if he's as good a cook as he is in bed, I'm in for a real treat," Annie mused before taking a sip of her hot tea. Three wadded-up napkins hit her at the same time.

The next two weeks went by in a whirlwind as Annie and Gabe proceeded to spend every possible waking moment with each other when they weren't otherwise occupied with work or other obligations. Still in the honeymoon phase of their relationship, they were going at it like rabbits almost every day. Usually he came over to her apartment after she got home from work and spent the night, so on those days, they would fuck before going to sleep, and then again when they woke up. And Annie always remembered to close her windows.

"I have to go to Phoenix for work this weekend," he said one night as they were lying in her bed together. Idly, he ran his fingers through her hair as she lay snuggled against his chest.

Looking up at him, she pouted. "My friend is having a party this weekend. I was hoping you'd go with me."

He patted her arm and kissed her head. "Some other time, okay? I'm trying to close a deal on a very lucrative property, and I need to be there the entire weekend. I'm leaving Friday morning and won't be back until late Sunday evening.

"Alright. But, I'll miss you while you're gone."

"You mean you'll miss me fucking you while I'm gone."

"That too," she said with a grin.

"It's just a few days and then I'll be back." He kissed her forehead, then tilted her face up to his and placed a soft lingering kiss on her lips. Pulling back, he gazed down at her thoughtfully. "Or maybe you could come with me."

"To Phoenix?"

"Yes."

"I can't go to Phoenix," she protested with a laugh.

"Why not?"

"Hon, I can't really afford a plane ticket right now, and I still have to go Christmas shopping."

"Don't worry about it. I'll pay for your ticket."

"Seriously?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sure, why not? They're not that expensive, maybe a couple hundred at most. I think I can manage that," he said with a wry grin.

"I don't know if I should accept that from you."

"Why not? You can hang out at the hotel while I go to my meetings and then be waiting for me – preferably naked – when I get back to the room."

She smirked at him. "Oh, well when you put it like that, now I _really_ don't think I should accept that from you."

"Call it my early Christmas present to you. Actually, call it your present to me as well," he said as he laughed, winking at her.

"Well..."

"Come on, it'll be fun. You could even request one of their resident massage therapists, who will come to our room, and you can enjoy a little pampering session. Or you could take my rental car if you want to leave the hotel and get some Christmas shopping done." He was so not fighting fair. What girl didn't love shopping? She did still need to get Christmas gifts for her family. Annie wrinkled her nose at him, slightly annoyed that he was so easily weakening her resolve not to accept overly extravagant gifts from him.

"Hmm, I'm still not sure I should accept. You are being awfully presumptuous, Mr. Thomas."

He leaned down again and kissed her with a loud smack, then proceeded to tickle her, making her screech and scramble to get away from him. She moved backwards so quickly that she accidentally tumbled off the bed with a yelp, taking the comforter and sheets with her. Laughing, Gabe helped her back up to her feet, and they climbed back into bed, rearranging the covers around them.

"So is that a yes?"

"I don't know. I'd have to take a day off if I need to leave with you on Friday morning."

"You wouldn't have to. I can have you come in on a later flight after you get off work, and I'll pick you up from the airport and take you to dinner."

"I guess that could work."

"Great, I'll book the tickets now. Mind if I use your computer?"

"I'll get it for you, one sec," she said, heading to the living room to retrieve her laptop. Returning, she crawled back into bed and handed him the laptop, then snuggled back down beside him. She watched him book their flights and couldn't help but smile to herself. It felt somewhat glamorous to have a hunky guy flying her somewhere to be with him for a weekend, even if it was only to Phoenix.

"Done. Tickets have been booked."

"Cool."

"So I'll pick you up from the airport a little after eight on Friday night and take you to my favorite Thai restaurant."

"Mmm, I do love good Thai food."

"I figured you might since you mentioned making a chicken curry when we first started emailing."

"So I did. Good memory, mister."

All through the rest of the week, Annie's stomach felt tied in knots. She had finally tried online dating and met a great guy and was thoroughly enjoying herself. She was excited to go away with Gabe for the weekend, but she was cautious and couldn't put aside the nagging feeling she felt in the back of her mind.

Regardless how perfectly things seemed to be going between them, she still felt like something was a little off. She was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop — for something bad to happen, exposing it all as being just a dream. You know that saying, "Nice guys finish last." Well, in her experience, nice girls always seemed to finish last as well, but she determinedly pushed her worries to the side and focused on trying her best to relax and enjoy their little weekend getaway to Phoenix.

***

#

After she called the Office Manager to let her know she'd be leaving her car in the parking structure over the weekend, Annie took a cab to the airport and breezed through security, thankful she had taken advantage of the online check-in option and printed her boarding pass ahead of time.

Barely making it to her gate in time to board the plane, she collapsed in a seat and buckled herself in, then leaned back to take a nap for the next hour. When the plane touched down in Phoenix, her eyes flew open and her stomach gurgled. She giggled to herself as she remembered she hadn't stopped to eat anything all day, she'd been so wound up and nervous about the trip.

On her way to baggage claim, she stopped by the ladies room to freshen up, reapplying her lip gloss and touching up her eyeliner and mascara. After using the restroom and washing her hands, she took a few minutes to inspect her appearance, trying to calm her nerves.

She was wearing a short, tight black skirt with a white chunky sweater and a black scarf. On her feet were what Alex had affectionately dubbed her "hooker heels" — a pair of black, strappy sandals with super high, spiky heels. In other words, she was dressed to kill.

She called Gabe's cell as she made her way out through baggage claim, wincing as her sexy shoes were already starting to kill her feet. Her only comfort was that she wouldn't have to do much walking around in them since they were just going to dinner and then back to the hotel. To be on the safe side, she had a spare pair of flat sandals in her carry-on that she could change into.

He answered on the third ring. "Hey sweetie, where are you at?"

"I just came out of baggage claim, and I'm standing at the curb."

"Okay, I am circling, so I still have to loop back around. How was your flight?"

"Uneventful. How did today's meetings go?"

"Not too bad. I'll know more after tomorrow. We just made an offer today and are waiting for the seller to get back to us." He cleared his throat and coughed. "Ah, you know what, I think I may have missed you. What are you wearing?"

"Short, black skirt, white sweater, my black 'hooker heels'."

She heard a car screech to a stop. "Oh shit, that was you?"

She laughed as she looked for his car. "What are you driving?"

"Blue Bimmer. I just passed you."

Her head swung to the right to look for his car, and she soon spotted him pulling to the side and backing up until he stopped in front of her. Gabe got out of the car and his gaze swept over her from head to toe, making her blush. She smiled, thinking he looked good enough to eat himself. He was dressed in slacks and a button-down dress shirt, but he had taken off his tie and had the top two buttons undone. She had never seen him so cleaned up and professional before, but he exuded raw masculine sexiness and power.

"Wow."

"I was just going to say the same to you. You like what you see?" she asked, grinning impishly at him.

"Uh huh...ah...when I was looking for you, I have to admit that I got distracted by the sexiest pair of legs, and then when you told me what you were wearing, I realized it was you, and I had driven right past." He laughed and pulled her into his arms, sliding his fingers into her hair as he lowered his lips to hers in a searing kiss that made her foot pop like Andrea's did in _The Devil Wears Prada_.

"So you saw my legs and liked what you saw before you realized it was me?" She pretended to consider that for a moment and then grinned up at him. "I think I can live with that." He grinned back and kissed her again, releasing her so she could climb into the passenger's seat. He shut the door behind her, put her bag in the back seat and returned to the driver's side.

As they pulled away from the curb, he turned up the volume of the stereo and she smiled, recognizing the song as one of her favorites from Dave Matthews' latest album. The evening had just begun, but she could already tell that it was going to be a great night.

"Want a glass of champagne?"

"Yeah, bring it out here to the patio, but give me two more minutes."

"What are you doing?"

"It's a surprise."

"Ha...should I be scared?"

"No, just pour the champagne and bring it out here."

Clothed only in a soft white bathrobe, Annie opened the bottle of champagne that was chilling in the lounge area of their suite at the Sanctuary on Camelback Resort and poured two glasses, then wandered toward the lit patio area. As she stepped through the door, her breath caught and her mouth dropped open.

There was a large, white bathtub, overflowing with bubbles, sitting at the end of a walled outdoor patio that had been designed to give the feel of a Chinese rock garden. Lit candles were scattered around on a few low tables that had been placed around the tub, and there were red rose petals strewn along the hewn rock pathway. An _iPod_ speaker was set up in the corner, and Norah Jones' sweet voice played into the night, singing _The Nearness of You_. Her lip quivered and she felt her eyes water as she looked at Gabe standing there in his bathrobe.

He smiled and beckoned her to come closer to him. She complied and joined him by the tub, handing a glass of champagne to him. He raised it to clink against hers and then they both took a sip.

"Surprised?"

She smiled and nodded a little shyly. "Yes, most definitely. I can't believe you went to all this trouble for me."

"It was worth it just to see you smile." He pulled her close with his free hand and lowered his head to kiss her softly, then looked around for a place to set down his glass. She took another quick sip of champagne and then turned to set hers down as well.

As she turned back to him, he reached for her waist and pulled her close, slowly untying her belt, then pushing the robe back until it slid off her shoulders. Not breaking eye contact, she did the same to him.

Even though she had seen him without clothes many times in the past couple of weeks, his naked body lit by candlelight was still a wonderful sight to behold. He was so tall and lean, his skin still holding onto the faint tan he'd acquired in the late summer. His tattoos didn't detract from his looks, but only served to enhance his features. He climbed into the tub first and turned back, taking her hand to help her into the tub and get settled on the other side from him so they were facing each other. With them both being so tall, it was a tight fit, and she couldn't help giggling at his discomfited expression.

Sliding down into the hot water, Annie sighed contentedly. "So I have to admit, this is pretty damn cool. I've never taken a bath outside before. The moonlight and stars are a nice touch as well."

"It is pretty cool, isn't it? A friend of mine told me about this little perk and I knew I had to try it out sometime. I'm glad you're here to try it with me. Also, I put in a special request with management to make sure that the stars were extra bright tonight," he said with a wink.

Goose bumps ran across her shoulders as she giggled at him. Tilting her head back to lean against the edge of the tub, she smiled dreamily, closing her eyes to enjoy the absolute perfection of the moment. An incredible guy had put a great deal of effort into creating a very romantic, enjoyable evening, and she could hardly believe it was real. No one had ever done something like this for her before.

Robin Thicke began to croon, and to her surprise, Gabe started singing along with him as they both serenaded her. Without a doubt, she knew this was definitely the best night of her life. She even started humming along and sang a few lines with him.

"You didn't tell me you could sing."

He shrugged. "I'm a man of many hidden talents."

"You should come to karaoke with me sometime."

"Maybe," he murmured.

"Maybe we can even do a duet, like from _Grease_ ," she teased. "Or maybe from a Disney movie, like _Aladdin_." She couldn't help but laugh at his disgruntled expression.

"Not really my style," he drawled as he crooked his finger at her. She leaned forward, thinking he was going to kiss her, but at the last moment before her lips reached his, he splashed water up in her face instead. Sputtering, she let out a protest, her face scrunching as water went up her nose.

"Hey, no fair! That wasn't very nice," she said with a laugh and splashed back at him. As a result of the mini water war that erupted between them, most of the bathtub's contents sloshed over the side and onto the ground, extinguishing some of the candles along the way.

As they weren't very comfortable squished together in the tub and were starting to get pruny anyway, they decided not to refill the water and headed back inside. They dried themselves off with the fluffy, white towels that had been laid out for them before pulling their bathrobes back on and heading into the lounge area. They laid down, facing each other on a couch near the fireplace, the dancing flames sending welcome waves of heat over their chilled bodies. She snuggled closer to him, tucking her head under his chin and slipping one of her legs in between his.

"Damn, woman. Your leg feels like an icicle," he complained.

"Mmm, and you feel like a warm toaster oven," she moaned in appreciation.

Gabe rubbed her back and arms vigorously, bringing some feeling back into her numbed limbs. "Is that better?" he murmured, kissing the top of her head.

"Mmm."

"Do you want to stay here or move into the bedroom?"

"Mmm."

He chuckled and slid his hand under her robe and down her back, cupping her ass and massaging it gently as she sleepily hummed her approval. Then he started to lightly caress down her thigh, barely letting his fingertips graze her. Her eyes flew open and she arched her back, her hands slamming against his chest as she tried to push up and away from his touch.

"Ohmigod, nonono," she shrieked.

He ignored her and continued his playful assault, tickling her ribs, her knees, her neck, anywhere he could reach until she was squirming like a fish, contorting her body this way and that.

"You, you...ahhh okay stop, seriously, ohmigod, please, you're killing me, ahhh!" She was laughing so hard she was almost crying and halfway on her way to hyperventilating.

Chuckling, he finally stopped and raised his hands in mock truce. "Okay, okay, I'm stopping. I stopped. Happy?" He laughed again as she glared at him suspiciously.

"Somehow I don't believe you," she retorted, her hands raised defensively in front of her. "No more tickling."

"No more tickling," he promised. "But you were falling asleep in the middle of the romantic night I planned for you."

"Aw, I'm so sorry," she apologized, immediately feeling contrite. "I'm awake now — promise."

"Good," he said as he pulled her close and began to kiss her softly, his hand slowly sliding her bathrobe off over her shoulder. He stroked the smooth skin of her arm, making her toes curl at his touch.

Feeling emboldened, Annie slid a hand under his bathrobe and smiled as his hard, smooth length pushed against her questing fingers. She loved how easily she could turn him on, how he always seemed to want her like it was the first time. It was such a welcome feeling after dating assholes like Mark, who had taken her for granted and had done a bang-up job of making her feel like she was incapable of being loved and desired.

Sitting up, she got to her feet and sent him a "come hither" smile as she let her robe slide completely down her shoulders and drop to the ground in a puddle around her feet. Gabe's eyes narrowed as he considered her thoughtfully for a second before suddenly lunging to his feet. He leaned forward and caught her around her waist, easily hefting her onto his shoulder. She shrieked and started laughing again as he carried her off to the bedroom, stopping at the edge of the bed to put her down before he shrugged off his robe and joined her.

The sheets were cool to the touch, giving her goose bumps and making her nipples harden so tightly, it was almost painful. He buried his face in her stomach, nuzzling against the middle of her torso as he slowly made his way up under her breast.

Annie inhaled sharply as she felt his breath fan across her sensitive skin and then gasped as his warm mouth closed over one rosy areole. The sensations she felt from him sucking on her nipple made her hips buck up from the bed as she moaned with pure feminine pleasure, wanting him so badly that she ached. She arched up to him, her fingers clenching in his hair as she dragged his mouth up to hers. He kissed her senseless, making love to her mouth until she was begging him to fuck her.

Breaking away from her arms for a moment, he reached for a condom that was sitting on the nightstand, but she raised a hand to stop him. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she found herself unable to look him in the eye as she cleared her throat.

"Um, it's up to you, but I wanted to tell you I'm on the pill, and we've been seeing each other for a couple of weeks now, so if you want, well...you know...um, you don't have to use that if you don't want to."

Gabe gazed down at her for a moment, his expression indiscernible. Then his face broke into a wide grin and he tossed the unopened foil packet behind him. Thanking her lucky stars for his positive reaction, she shivered with anticipation as she thought about how he was going to feel sliding into her absolutely naked...and with those piercings. If he could give her multiple orgasms wearing a condom, she couldn't begin to imagine what he could do without one.

Returning back to her arms, he kissed her deeply and positioned himself between her legs, reaching down to drag the head of his pulsing cock through her slick folds. The little, metal balls of his piercings teased her as he dragged them across her sensitized skin. Annie whimpered and urged him closer with her legs, but he wouldn't budge, letting only the tip continue to slide back and forth, never quite slipping into her.

Finally, as she continued to wriggle and moan, straining to lift her hips up to meet his, he began to push into her slowly until the entire length of him was buried deep. She couldn't believe how incredible he felt inside her with no barrier between them, just skin against skin. The fullness she felt was almost too much to bear and it wasn't long before she was moving frantically against him, wanting and needing the friction of him moving in and out of her.

Slowly and deeply, he fucked her, driving her closer and closer to the edge. She couldn't stop the torrent of moans and whimpers that escaped from her mouth as he moved within her, feeling the spasms of her first orgasm beginning to throb through her body. Her legs clamped tightly around him as she rode it out, and he held himself there for a few moments before he started to move again. His thrusts started to pick up speed as he rested his forehead against the pillow, his mouth next to her ear as he moaned his pleasure.

"You feel so fucking good," he said with a strained voice. Abruptly, he pulled out of her and helped her up to a sitting position, twirling his finger around in a circular motion. She grinned and flipped over to her stomach and then slid onto her knees, pointing her ass directly up at him. He guided his throbbing cock down and slid smoothly into her with one hard thrust. Her eyes widened at the feeling as she rocked forward on her knees at the force of his entry, then found herself begging him for more as she ground her hips back at him.

"Babe, you keep doing that and I'm going to fucking come."

"Good," she groaned.

"Not yet," he said, trying to still her hips for a moment, but she was so close, she kept pushing back at him, a little sob escaping her throat as she began to come again. His breath hissed sharply between his teeth and he stopped resisting and let her fuck him. Moments later, he began to shoot hot spurts of cum deep within her as he growled his release. He thrust into her a few more times in a jerky motion before collapsing on top of her with a loud groan.

After a few moments, he rolled off and pulled her close to him, tucking her back against his chest as he wrapped his arm around her. They cuddled for a few moments, then reluctantly, she rolled off the bed and headed to the bathroom to clean up. When she returned to bed, he was already fast asleep. She crawled back into bed next to him, snuggled deeply into his side and smiled with smug satisfaction as she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Annie woke to the sound of water running and lifted her head to squint at the light coming from the adjoining bathroom. "What time is it?" she croaked when Gabe walked back into the bedroom.

"A little after eight. I need to leave in a few minutes, but I'll be back around five this afternoon. I ordered you some breakfast – it should be here shortly. I have a car picking me up, so I left the keys to the Bimmer on the coffee table."

"Mmm, do you really have to go right now?" she pouted as he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Business before pleasure," he murmured, then lightly kissed her lips. His cologne was intoxicating and she breathed deeply of his clean masculine scent as she pulled him close to her in an affectionate hug. She tried to drag him down to join her back in bed, but he resisted with a laugh and kissed her nose before standing up straight and walking away. "I'll call you later," he said before grabbing his suit jacket and walking out of their room, softly shutting the door behind him.

Annie laid there for a few minutes as she stared at the ceiling, luxuriating in the feel of the comfortable bed. A huge yawn threatened to crack her jaw as she slowly stretched, sprawling her body diagonally across the bed. Hugging a soft pillow to herself, she closed her eyes and thought about the lovely evening Gabe had given her. He was making it so easy for her to fall in love with him.

She allowed herself a few more minutes of laziness and daydreaming before rolling out of bed and picking up the robe she had dropped on the floor. She had just pulled it on when the doorbell rang. Wrapping the robe around her and tying it shut, she padded to the door and checked through the peephole to confirm it was room service. Opening the door, she smiled and beckoned for the waiter to come in.

"Good morning, Mrs. Thomas. I have your breakfast here for you. I trust you had a comfortable night's rest?" he asked pleasantly as he rolled a cart into the room. After setting out a plate, silverware and napkin, he pulled a chair over to the table, gesturing for her to sit and snapping a white cloth napkin open with a practiced flourish before placing it across her lap. Then he set down two covered plates in front of her.

He removed the lids from the plates, revealing scrambled eggs, bacon, breakfast potatoes and fresh fruit with Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey. He pulled the plastic off the top of a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and set it down in front of her as well. "Is there anything else I can get for you, Mrs. Thomas?" he offered, lifting an eyebrow at her.

"No, everything looks wonderful. Thank you so much." Annie smiled warmly at him and accepted the bill he handed to her. Gabe had said to charge it to the room, so she added on a tip and signed his name. She was proud of herself for not gasping out loud at the astronomical figure listed on the bill...sixty-five dollars after gratuity...just for breakfast for one person!

She was also proud that she hadn't reacted to the waiter calling her Mrs. Thomas until he left the room. Although once he was gone and she was alone again, she couldn't stop the ear-splitting grin and did a little boogie dance in her seat as she reached for her knife and fork. A girl could definitely get used to this life.

Her breakfast was delicious, and she had definitely worked up an appetite with Gabe the night before, so she didn't feel too guilty about the enormous amount of food she inhaled. When she couldn't eat a single bite more, she pushed back from the little breakfast table and leaned back in her chair, patting her full tummy.

She took a quick shower before dressing for the day in a pair of skinny jeans and a flowy, black top. Not wanting to spend time drying her hair, she pulled it back into a tight bun and applied a light coat of make-up. Her flat sandals were a welcome relief after wearing her "hooker heels" for six hours the previous day. Grabbing the keys to the Bimmer and her purse, she made sure she had a copy of their room key in her wallet and left the room.

Once she was sitting in the car, Annie used her _iPhone_ to look up directions to the closest mall, which turned out to be the Scottsdale Fashion Square. It was easy enough for her to find and ended up being only about ten minutes from the hotel. "Siri, you are pretty damn cool sometimes," she mused out loud to her phone as she pulled the Bimmer into a parking space.

Strolling into Macy's, she headed straight for the women's fragrance section. It didn't take her long to locate her current favorite scent, _J'adore_ by Dior, and picked up the tester to spritz a bit on herself. Sniffing delicately at her wrist, she closed her eyes and hummed her approval. It smelled so decadent and always made her feel ultra-feminine and sexy.

Shopping was one of her favorite pastimes when she had money to burn, and since Christmas was a little over a week away, she had the perfect excuse. She found a pretty, sky blue blouse for her mother, a leather money clip for her father and a sparkly, little clutch purse for her younger sister.

Her quandary was what to get for Gabe. They'd only been seeing each other for a little over two weeks and she wasn't quite sure what an appropriate gift might be. After strolling through the mall for over an hour, she finally settled on a bottle of _Lucky You_ by Lucky Brand for Men. If she was being honest, the gift was as much for herself as it was for him. She loved the scent and couldn't wait to smell it on him.

On her way back to the hotel, she took a detour along East Camelback Road, giving herself a reason to cruise around in the Bimmer a little longer. Annie had never driven such a nice car before and was thoroughly enjoying the feel of the engine which purred to her like a kitten as she accelerated up to sixty miles in less than six seconds. It was an exhilarating feeling, and she couldn't help cranking up the radio when she heard Florence Welch wailing about "such sweet loving".

Speeding down the road, she sang along and bobbed her head in time to the music as the beat picked up in the chorus. All too soon, she arrived back at the hotel and carried her purchases back to the room. Gabe was still gone, and she had a few hours to kill, so she decided to take him up on his other offer of entertainment and called the concierge.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Thomas. How can I help you?"

Annie blinked and hesitated, trying to savor the moment as she again heard someone call her those two perfect words: _Mrs. Thomas_. "Ahh, yes, I'd like to request a massage therapist be sent to my room this afternoon, if possible."

"Certainly, Mrs. Thomas. What time would you like them to arrive?"

"The first you have available would be great."

"I can have Steven there in about half an hour. Would that be alright?"

"Perfect, thank you so much."

"Would you like me to charge this to the room?"

"Yes, please. Can I also add a tip to that or do I need to pay that in cash?"

"You can just add it to the total and have it billed to the room."

"Wonderful."

"Is there anything else I can do to help you today?"

"No, that's it. Thanks again."

"You're welcome, Mrs. Thomas. I hope you enjoy your massage and the rest of your stay here at Sanctuary. Don't hesitate to call us again if you need anything else."

"Thank you." Annie hung up the phone and smiled. The service at this place was definitely top-notch, which she thoroughly appreciated.

Exactly half an hour later, the doorbell rang and she opened the door to find the most gorgeous young man standing in front of her. _Thank God_ , she thought silently as she tried not to let her mouth fall open.

"Hi there, I'm Steven. Mrs. Thomas?" he asked as he arched an eyebrow at her. Heaven help her, he had the sexiest southern drawl she'd ever heard.

"Yes, please come in," she said, beckoning for him to come inside.

"Thanks, how are ya doin' today, ma'am?"

"Great. I got the rest of my Christmas shopping done earlier and now I get to pamper myself with a massage. Couldn't ask for a better day," she said with a smile.

"Oh I know, I need to finish my own Christmas shopping before I go back home next week." He chatted amiably with her, immediately putting her at ease. She had never gotten a professional massage before and wasn't quite sure what to expect. But he didn't seem to notice and went about his business, setting up his table while he talked about visiting his family for the holidays. Once everything was set up, he excused himself to use the bathroom, giving her a few minutes of privacy to take off her robe and get under the towel on the massage table.

Steven returned and switched on some new age sounding music and rubbed his hands together briskly so that they weren't cold when he touched her skin. Pouring some eucalyptus-scented oil into his palm, he again rubbed his hands together before sliding them down the middle of her back. He pressed firmly but gently as he moved up and down her back, keeping his motions smooth and slow as he worked out the kinks in her muscles.

Annie couldn't help but groan into the massage pillow as she felt all the tension and stress from the previous week drain away bit by bit. It was heaven. She was literally in heaven on earth, and she never wanted the feeling of pure bliss to end. Her hour flew by, and all too soon, Steven was gently tapping her on the shoulder, waking her as she had fallen asleep during the last few minutes of the massage when he'd been working on her hands.

He headed back to the bathroom again to give her time to sit up and pull her robe back on. She added a generous tip to his pay slip and signed Gabe's name before handing it back to him. She wished him an early "Merry Christmas" and waved as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

It was still only three o'clock and she was feeling pretty relaxed and sleepy from her pampering session, so she decided to crawl into the massive bed and snuggled into the soft pillows, quickly falling into a deep sleep. Gabe found her like that two hours later when he returned to the room. Smiling to himself, he sat down on the bed next to her and leaned over to place a light kiss on her sweet lips, which were slightly parted as she slept. Moaning softly, her eyes fluttered open, crossing slightly as she tried to focus on his face in front of her.

"Mmm, you're back," she murmured. "I missed you today."

"Missed you, too. Feel like getting up now so I can take you out to dinner?"

"What if we just ordered room service tonight?"

"Sure, we can do that." He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Why don't you look at the menu while I change?" Reaching for the room service menu, he handed it to her and got up to change out of his work clothes, pulling on a pair of faded jeans and a white t-shirt. He stripped off his dress socks and wiggled his bare toes as he sighed.

"I hate dress shoes," he complained.

"Try wearing 'hooker heels' for six hours," she said with a laugh.

"Ha, that's okay," he said with a smirk before rejoining her on the bed, lying next to her as he propped himself up on his elbow and looked over her arm at the room service menu. They both chose the Braised Short Ribs with the Truffle Mac & Cheese and Crisp Kale & Parsnip Salad. Gabe called the order in, also adding a Roasted Apple Tart with Sour Cherries and Toasted Almond Gelato and a bottle of _Cabernet Sauvignon_ for them to share.

Dinner arrived promptly in thirty minutes, and they decided to eat out on the patio with the candles lit and soft music playing. One Republic serenaded them, singing about the good life. The food was to die for and Gabe finished inhaling his food well before she was halfway done. He then proceeded to steal the rest of her Truffle Mac & Cheese, to which she only protested for a moment before he slid the plate with the Roasted Apple Tart in front of her.

"Mmm," Annie hummed appreciatively as she closed her eyes and sniffed deeply of the warm, apple scent, stolen pasta completely forgotten.

Stuffed and sleepy, they decided to crawl into bed together and rent a movie. Halfway through the movie, she had to stifle a giggle as she heard him start to loudly snore. Poor guy was exhausted and looked so adorable sleeping next to her with his head sunk back into the pillows, one arm resting on his forehead as his chest rose and fell with each deep breath. She couldn't help but smile as she snuggled closer to him, feeling his hold on her heart tighten even more.

***

#

Gabe drove Annie back to the airport late the next morning after grabbing a quick breakfast at a diner down the street from the hotel. He hugged and kissed her goodbye, thanked her for flying out to see him, and promised he would call her as soon as he got home that night. It had been an unbelievably perfect weekend, and she was already dreading going back to work in the morning. On the bright side, Alex was coming over for dinner, and she could gush to him about her super romantic weekend with Gabe.

Taking a cab from LAX, she picked up her car at the office and stopped at _Trader Joe's_ on her way home to get the ingredients for a simple chicken stir fry with vegetables. She was exhausted from her trip and would have rather ordered take-out, but she knew Alex would be disappointed if she did. The stir fry didn't take a lot of effort, and it was always delicious. Pulling out her phone, she quickly texted him, asking what he was making for dessert so she could get a wine to match. It took him less than a minute to respond, saying he just finished making a double chocolate mousse cake and asked her to pick up a few things for him.

When she got home, she stumbled in the front door and dropped her purse and carry-on bag from one hand, continuing to the kitchen to put the groceries away. Unpacking her carry-on, she set the Christmas gifts she'd bought for Gabe and her family on the coffee table, tossed her clothes in the laundry hamper, and returned her toiletries to the bathroom.

She laid down on the couch and flipped on the TV, searching through her list of DVR recordings. Selecting an episode of _House Hunters International_ , she watched for a few minutes before her eyes started drooping. Another minute passed and she was out cold, snoring softly as she slept dreamlessly.

Annie felt like she had barely closed her eyes when the doorbell rang three hours later. Alex called out to her as he rang the doorbell again and knocked on the door. "Woman, do not tell me you fell asleep."

Her eyes flew open as she woke in a panic, instinctively flipping to the side and falling off the couch with a thud. "Ouch," she complained, wincing slightly. "Why am I such a klutz?" she muttered as she pushed herself up and stood to open the door to an impatient Alex who was carrying a cake platter and looking slightly annoyed. "Sorry, sorry...I just closed my eyes for a minute and the next thing I knew, you were ringing the doorbell."

"Mmmhmm," was all he said as he gave her the once-over. "Well, are you going to invite me in or what?"

"Sorry...still half asleep," Annie mumbled as she shuffled backwards to let him through the door.

"So, how was your trip?" he called as he carried the cake into the kitchen and set it down on the counter. He poured himself a glass of wine and returned to the living room, sitting down on the couch next to her.

"Too perfect for words."

"Well, try anyway," he said, raising an eyebrow at her. "I need details and distraction right now. Pilates boy isn't going to be coming around anymore."

"I thought you met him in Yoga?"

"Whatever," he said with a sigh, rolling his eyes and taking a deep drink from his wineglass. "Anyways, I want to hear more, keep going."

"Well, he picked me up at the airport and took me to dinner at this great Thai restaurant. We stayed at this resort called Sanctuary at Camelback and check this out: our room was attached to an enclosed outdoor patio with a bathtub, and we took a bubble bath together in the moonlight under all the beautiful stars. He even sprinkled rose petals around the patio, and there were candles and soft music playing. It was super romantic."

"Wow, sounds like he pulled out all the stops."

"He totally did. And there's something else...we finally did it without a condom."

"You what? You just started seeing this guy," Alex said as he wrinkled his nose at her, looking slightly appalled.

"I know, but it's been a couple of weeks and we've both been tested."

"So he says."

She laughed. "I trust him."

"Mmm."

"I do."

"Mmmhmm." He still looked skeptical, but she didn't say a word and just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, don't keep me in suspense. How was it?"

"Amazing, like I knew it would be. He's completely ruined me for anyone else. Once you've tried pierced, well...you know," she said, sighing dreamily.

"No, honey, I don't know."

"Well, trust me, it's just...wow! He had meetings all day yesterday, so I drove myself to the mall and did some Christmas shopping, and then I went back to the hotel and had an hour long massage by the cutest southern boy with magical hands and a sexy accent. He transported me to a special place."

"Uh, you aren't talking about a 'Happy Ending', are you?"

Annie smacked his arm and rolled her eyes. "It wasn't that kind of massage."

"Ow, why are you always hitting me?"

"Did I hurt you?"

"No, I'm just giving you shit."

She smacked him again and stuck her tongue out, making him laugh. "Come help me make dinner. You can chop vegetables."

"Oh goodie. So what'd you guys do last night?" Alex followed her into the kitchen and waited for her to grab the cutting board from behind the sink and set the vegetables on the counter for him to chop. "Knife?"

"Oh, sorry. Here you go," she grabbed a big pink knife from her utensil drawer and handed it to him.

"Pink?"

"It was an early Christmas present from my aunt. She works in this high-end kitchenware store and says it's top of the line."

He looked dubiously at the knife, then shrugged and started to chop carrots, broccoli, bell peppers and onions for the stir fry. He had just started cutting into a carrot when he raised his eyebrow, looked at the knife again and nodded. "Your aunt has good taste in knives."

Annie laughed and nodded in agreement. "That she does. Oh and your groceries are right here, by the way. Don't forget to take them with you." She patted the _Trader Joe's_ paper sack that was sitting on the edge of the counter and he nodded his thanks. "Anyway, so last night we just decided to stay in and order room service, so we overstuffed ourselves on dinner and dessert, and then we cuddled in bed and watched a movie, but he fell asleep about halfway through."

"Ah...well, that's nice and boring."

"No! It was sweet and perfect, and I loved being there with him, all snuggled up together."

"Mmm...girl, you've got it bad."

"You know it," she agreed readily with a dreamy smile. "He said he'll call me when he gets back from Phoenix tonight, but it won't be until late. I'll keep you posted," she promised with a wink.

Gabe didn't call her. Annie waited until almost midnight before finally deciding to send him a text, telling herself it was just to see if he was okay. She hated herself for being so pathetic and clingy, but when a woman spends the best night of her life with a guy, she still needs some reassurance that it really happened and wasn't just a dream or figment of her imagination.

**Annie:** _Hey baby, getting ready for bed and thinking about you. Thank you for flying me to Phoenix and giving me the most incredible weekend of my life. Everything was wonderful, and I had a great time._

Two hours later when he still hadn't responded, she finally shut off the TV and dragged herself to bed, her mind running through a hundred different scenarios as to why he hadn't bothered to call or text her as he had promised. No matter how it ended up playing out in her head, it didn't look good. She told herself that it was probably nothing and tried to get some sleep before having to be at work bright and early the next morning, but it was almost four before she finally drifted off to sleep out of pure exhaustion.

The knot in her belly was still there when she woke a few hours later, feeling like absolute hell, barely able to keep her eyes open. She thought briefly about calling in sick, but she had told a couple of her friends at work about the Phoenix trip and they would assume she was just playing hooky. Although she liked both of the girls well enough, she wouldn't put it past them to blab to their boss — they were a tight, close knit group and interoffice gossip was a given.

Making her coffee extra strong, Annie was determined to get through the day and not let her bad mood and lack of sleep affect her performance at work too much.

The day dragged by, typical of a Monday, and she felt like throwing in the towel and asking to leave early by the time noon rolled around. Having no appetite, she decided to take a power nap in her car during lunch. She sat staring at the phone in her hand, debating whether she should send him another text. As she started to type out another text to Gabe, her phone rang, and it was him. With a relieved smile on her face, she quickly answered his call.

"Hey baby," she said.

"Ah...hi."

"Is something wrong? You sound funny."

Gabe sighed. "Um, we need to talk, but I don't want to do it over the phone. Can I come by after you get off work tonight?"

Annie's heart sank. "Yes, of course, but what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Well, not really, but...I can't talk about it right now. We'll talk about it tonight. I'm sorry to do this to you during the day while you're still at work, but I just need to talk to you in person."

"Sure, I understand," she said. "I should be home a little after six."

"Okay. See you then."

"See you."

Staring at her phone again, Annie just sat there for a moment, her heart in her throat. She was dreading what pretty much sounded like having "the talk" with him, but she still hung onto the hope that it was something else completely. She prayed that he would turn out to be different and prove her wrong, but the nagging feeling she had felt since she had first started seeing him was becoming increasingly harder to ignore. So much for grabbing a power nap.

The rest of the afternoon flew by and Annie could have cried with frustration at the irony of it all. When she couldn't wait to get home, the minutes dragged by slower than a snail, but when she was dreading the inevitable — which was surely going to turn out to be the worst night of her life — the day sped by like nobody's business. She was being pushed along in fast forward motion to her confrontation with Gabe, but she wanted to dig her heels in and demand time to allow her to take back control of the situation.

Her heart was beating too fast and her palms were sweating when the doorbell to her apartment rang, but she took a deep breath and forced herself to walk normally to unlock and open the door for Gabe. She gave him a hesitant smile as she stepped back to let him in.

"Hey," he said, just standing there frozen on her doorstep for a moment. He wasn't smiling and looked slightly shell-shocked. His face looked haggard, like he hadn't gotten any sleep in days, but she had just seen him yesterday morning before she left Phoenix, and he looked fine then.

"Hey...um, are you okay?" she asked, her eyebrows knitting together in a frown as she noticed how pale he was.

Shaking his head, he looked down at the ground and slowly walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch. He just stared at the coffee table for a minute and then leaned forward, putting his head in his hands as he raked his fingers through his hair. Her hands trembling, she closed the door and joined him on the couch, sitting down with her body angled to face him.

"Annie, I don't know how to tell you this in a way that's not fucked up and going to hurt you. All I can say in my defense is that I genuinely care about you and never intended for this to happen. You have to believe me when I say this."

"Gabe, what's wrong? You're really scaring me right now."

"I'm sorry, I'm probably not saying the right things or going about this the right way. Fuck, I don't know what to say. You're such a great person and a beautiful woman inside and out. I wish things were different, because I really care about you and love spending time with you."

"Just talk to me and tell me what's going on. We'll figure it out together."

"There's nothing to figure out; it's already been decided."

"What do you mean? What's already been decided?"

"Look, um...okay. So, I told you I got out of a serious relationship about a year and a half ago, right?"

She nodded slowly, feeling a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach.

"Well, Genevieve and I stopped officially dating each other back then, but we would still hook up once in a while, you know. It was easy and comfortable when we both had to scratch an itch."

"Okay," she said. "I get that...but why are you telling me this? Are you getting back together with her now?"

He was silent for a long moment before finally answering, "Not because I want to."

Her heart dropped at his words and she shook her head, not sure she had heard him correctly. She had sort of been joking when she asked if they were getting back together. "What?" she whispered incredulously.

"Annie, she's pregnant."

"What!?" Annie couldn't keep herself from screeching the word somewhat hysterically as she felt her heart being ripped out of her chest by this gorgeous man who had just given her the most amazing weekend of her life, just to tell her the next day that his ex was pregnant and they were getting back together.

"I'm so sorry, Annie. I never meant for any of this to happen. But Genevieve is Catholic, and her family doesn't believe in abortion and neither does my family. She's going to be moving back in with me so I can help take care of the baby."

She couldn't breathe — she didn't know what to do, but she had to say something. "But does that mean that you have to get back together? You said your place is huge, so she could have her own bedroom for herself and the baby, right?" Annie knew she was grasping at straws, but she wasn't ready to give up and lose him and the best sex of her life without a fight.

"Well, we actually did talk about trying to remain friends and just raise the baby together, but the longer we talked, the more I felt like this is something I need to do...something I want to do. I owe it to my kid to give it another shot with his or her mom."

"What about me? What do you owe me?" She cringed at how pathetic and whiny her voice sounded.

"The biggest apology ever. I don't know what else to say...you deserve so much better and I'm so sorry I hurt you." He patted her knee and pulled her into a tight hug. "But you're going to be okay. I just know it."

Annie pushed away from him at that, her head spinning and her mind reeling as she tried to process the devastating news. Maybe eventually she would feel more forgiving and they would be able to be friends, but right now, she didn't want him to touch her.

He'd just blown into her life, sweeping her off her feet over the past two weeks, wrapping her heart around his little finger just to turn around and cruelly rip her happiness away from her. Who knew how long it would take her to recover from this, to pick up the pieces of her shattered dreams and move on with her life? She was starting to feel like she was incapable of being happy. It seemed like every time love was within her reach, no matter what she did, it eluded her, and she was left with her heart broken once again.

"Just get out. Just go. Please leave now," Annie pleaded, not able to even look at him.

Seeming to not know what else he could say or do, Gabe mumbled another apology and got up to leave. She didn't walk him out, didn't even look up at him as he turned back at the door to look beseechingly at her, willing her to understand and forgive him. She wasn't anywhere near ready to do that just so he could have peace of mind. Right now, she wanted – she _needed_ him to feel just as shitty as she did.

When he left, she sat there on her couch, just staring blankly into space. Slowly, a hot tear trickled and burned its way down her cheek, followed by another and then another – and then suddenly she couldn't hold it in any longer, and a torrent of tears fell freely, streaking the make-up on her face.

Annie cried her heart out into the pillow on her couch, her slim shoulders convulsing with each sob as she grieved for her loss. She berated herself for being duped into thinking he was falling in love with her, lectured herself for believing they shared something special, and continued to weep tears of pain and regret as she felt something inside herself wither up and die. How many more times could she survive complete and utter heartbreak like this? She felt rejected and broken, left with no will to fight.

Her brain told her she'd be okay again eventually, and she knew deep down inside that was true. For now, she cried as if her world had just ended, until there were no more tears left, willing exhaustion to overcome her so she could just pass out into a deep, dreamless sleep.

***

#

Annie awoke feeling like death the next morning. Her mouth was parched with thirst, her eyes puffy from crying, and she purposely avoided the bathroom mirror so she wouldn't have to see just how terrible she looked. Instead, she headed straight into the shower and did her best to wash away the evidence of her self-pity session.

Fortifying herself with caffeine, she finally braved a look in the bathroom mirror and almost broke down crying again. Her eyes were indeed as puffy and swollen as they felt, and she looked like someone had used her face as a punching bag. Reaching for her phone, she sent a text to her boss, letting her know that she wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be able to make it into the office.

She padded into the bedroom to get her down comforter and favorite pillow and headed back into the living room where she curled up on the couch and flipped on the TV and her Blu-Ray player. Deciding to have a romantic comedy movie-thon, she started with her all-time favorite, _While You Were Sleeping_.

She started sniffling and wiped at her eyes when Lucy almost married Peter in the hospital chapel after he awoke from a coma, just to have his brother Jack object to them marrying, because he'd fallen in love with her during Peter's coma and wanted to marry Lucy himself. _Where's my Jack to fight for me?_ Swiping the tears away, she sighed and told herself he was out there somewhere — that there had to be someone who wouldn't hesitate to put her first.

Next up was _Notting Hill_ , which brought a fresh round of tears when Will ran off to find Anna at her press conference and told her he'd been a "daft prick" and asked if she'd reconsider staying in London. In that moment, she couldn't help squeezing her eyes shut and wishing for Gabe to magically show up at her doorstep, telling her he'd been a "daft prick" and that he wasn't going to get back together with Genevieve. But knowing her luck, that was never going to happen.

_The Wedding Singer_ wrapped up her movie-thon, and she cried yet again when Robbie followed Julia to Las Vegas and serenaded her on the airplane with Billy Idol, singing that he just wanted to grow old with her. It reminded her of Gabe singing to her in the outdoor bathtub in Phoenix and her heart ached at the memory. She still sharply felt the loss of the man who, until yesterday, had the potential to be the love of her life. Her phone suddenly beeped to alert her that she had an incoming text message, and she reluctantly reached for it to see who it was from.

**Alex:** _Hooker, where the hell are you? I haven't seen you on IM all day. Did you run off to Salt Lake City or somewhere else equally uninteresting this time?_

Crap. In her wallowing and self-despair, she had completely forgotten to keep Alex looped in on the latest Gabe news.

**Annie:** _No, I'm at home...playing hooky...Gabe has unfortunately gone the way of Pilates boy._

**Alex:** _What?! STFU! After that super romantic weekend??_

**Annie:** _It's a long story._

**Alex:** _I'm all ears._

**Annie:** _Later and in person, when I'm not wallowing and don't look like I just had Botox injections all over my face._

**Alex:** _Aww, honey. Whatever happened, he's not worth it._

**Annie:** _Thanks. I just need a few days to grieve and get my head straight. I'll call you as soon as I feel up to company._

**Alex:** _Love you, girl. Everything will be okay. Remember, no regrets._

**Annie:** _Yeah, love you, too. Call you soon._

After ordering some Chinese take-out, she decided to self-medicate and smoked a big, fat bowl, sighing with relief as she finally felt herself begin to unwind and relax. When her food arrived, she was mildly surprised at her ravenous appetite, considering that she was currently nursing a broken heart. She managed to put away half a container of Sesame Chicken, two egg rolls and a small carton of fried rice before she stopped.

Between her full stomach and slight buzz from the weed, she finally felt tired enough to pass out. Thankfully, she was able to sleep through the entire night and felt much better when the alarm went off the next morning. It was amazing the difference a good night's sleep could make.

Through the next few weeks, Annie went through all the motions at work, doing her job, getting things done, but inside she felt empty and numb. Christmas came and went with her barely noticing. While spending time with her family at her parents' house, she put on a fake smile and tried to enjoy their company, not wanting to ruin the holiday for anyone else. But when she was back in her apartment, the fake smile was gone and she felt lonely and sad.

During the work week, she found herself staring at the clock more frequently, willing the time to pass by quickly so she could leave the office again. The evenings at home were long and lonely, and she began to scroll through the Craigslist listings again, looking for someone to keep her company.

One night, she even resorted to posting in the _Casual Encounters_ section; she was so desperate to find someone to be with her and love her. It hadn't been difficult to convince herself that maybe eventually, one of these random guys she was thinking about hooking up with was going to turn out to be a really good guy. She imagined that he would look at her and actually see her, the wonderfully good person she was inside, instead of just another piece of ass. Even though he was just looking for a good time and a casual fling, he would somehow decide to want to be with her only because she was so amazing.

In reality, she was completely delusional and spiraling further and further out of control. Researching the ads other women had posted before writing her first _Casual Encounters_ ad didn't make her feel any better about her prospects.

Let Me Suck Your Cock, Dirty Old Man - 22

Cream My Hungry Hole - 25

Submissive Swallowing Slut Likes a Lengthy Hot Time - 34

Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? - 45

Why couldn't someone just want to have a fun, casual, somewhat romantic time without having to make it sound so dirty and crass? Scrolling past the headers with disdain, she clicked on the link to create a new posting and got ready to type. Trolling the Craigslist _Casual Encounters_ section for men may be stooping to a new all-time low for her, but at least she could be more original about it.

Half-Baked, Dave Matthews, Dexter, Doggy Style - 25

What do these four things have in common, you ask? They're just some of my favorite things. If perhaps you share similar interests with me, send me a picture of yourself and name four of your favorite things in return. I'm a fan of kicking it with someone I am comfortable around who can also make me laugh...let's be friends who like to have fun together. ;) I'm half Asian, 5'8", toned and in my mid-twenties. My type is a tall guy with strong arms, great eyes, nice abs and a killer smile, who can preferably dance. We'd meet first at a club and dance together – partially so I can make sure you're not a crazy person and look like your picture, and partially so you can convince me with your smooth moves that I want to come home with you. Are you up for the challenge?

Annie didn't have to wait long before emails started flooding into her inbox. Most were very short and to the point, indicating to her that the guys hadn't really read her ad and must not have thought it worthwhile to put much effort into their responses. What was wrong with men these days? It was becoming rare to find men who knew the meaning of foreplay, both verbal and physical. However, there was one email that caught her eye.

From: Nate Skyles

Subject: Rock climbing, Art, Con Air, Doggystyle (stole yours)

Date: January 5, 2013 18:15

To: vbr2f-2725549819@pers.craigslist.org

Hey! My name is Nate and I saw your ad on Craigslist and thought I would respond. To tell you a little about me, I am 23, 6', 195 lbs. I have been dancing ballet for about eleven years as often as I can. When people ask me what I am, I say a dancer, even though I'm not professional or anything. And I can hold my own in a club no problem as well. Dance is pretty universal, lol. Another hobby of mine is rock climbing, which is a good, fun way to stay in shape. I love to draw and paint and I dabble in a bit of free-lance photography as well. And I am a bit of a Dom in bed...nothing too severe, but I do love to put a woman where I like her, and where I like her the most is on her hands and knees. I am also extremely oral; nothing would make me happier than to pin you down and eat you out until you come. Anyway, you seem pretty great and I would love to get to know you. I greatly look forward to hearing from you. :)

Attached were several pictures of a good looking guy with wavy blonde hair; one was of him performing in a ballet. He looked like he was very physically fit and strong, and he had a lazy grin that made her toes curl. She was definitely responding to him. If there was one thing she had a huge weakness for when it came to men, it was a guy who could dance. The second weakness would be an accent, preferably British. Put the two together and wow, what a combo you had. But beggars couldn't be choosers, so she'd take one out of the two any day.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: On my hands and knees

Date: January 5, 2013 18:47

To: Nate Skyles

Hi Nate, my name is Annie and I liked your response to my ad. I like that you can dance as that's a huge plus with me. I've never been rock climbing – that seems pretty hardcore. I hike pretty frequently although I don't know if I'd like rock climbing, but I think I'd like to climb you. ;) It's good that you're oral as I'm pretty oral myself. Are you vocal at all? I don't mean corny porn star noises, but I definitely like to hear the kind of reaction I can bring out of a guy as I'm running my tongue down his abs and across his hip bone before I take him in my mouth.

And I like a man who knows what he wants...especially in bed. I love doggy because of the deep penetration, but also because it makes it easy for me to slam my pussy back around your cock as you thrust into me. I know it's the motion of the ocean that's most important, but I hope you've got decent equipment to work with as well. ;) Although I love being sexual, I also like a good friendship with the guy I'm with and enjoy hanging out before and after. I'm not just looking for a simple wham, bam, thank you ma'am. Still interested?

After attaching a few recent pictures, Annie sent the email and then immediately regretted it. What the hell was she doing? Could she really go through with this and meet up with some random guy? She wasn't sure, but she reminded herself that she wasn't obligated to do anything. She would just wait and see what happened. Maybe he wouldn't even respond.

Idly, she let her thoughts drift and found herself thinking about Gabe. She wondered if he was busy going to pre-natal care appointments with Genevieve, shopping for baby supplies and transforming one of his spare bedrooms into a nursery. Annie thought about how things could have been if he had met her first. She was already feeling foolish for letting him fuck her without a condom. What if she herself had gotten pregnant? What a mess that would have been.

Sighing, she leaned forward to check her inbox for new messages and saw that Nate had written her back. Nervously, she opened the email and then laughed at herself. She was acting like he could see her while she read his email.

From: Nate Skyles

Subject: Rock hard...at work

Date: January 5, 2013 19:35

To: Annie Chang

Yes, I am still very much interested. I agree – I want a friendship with benefits. The friendship part is just as important as anything else. All of what you said sounds just amazing. It was a mistake to read your email while I'm at work, though, because I got rock hard! Luckily, no one saw. Yes, I am vocal for a guy – not stupid loud moaning like in porn, but I definitely make noise and let you know how amazing it feels. And I have decent equipment to work with; I'm not huge, but I'm also not small. I would say I'm above average, but you'll have to check it out in person and form your own opinion. :)

We should go rock climbing so you can see if you like it. If not, we can try hiking next time. There's a surprising amount of good hiking in LA. I look forward to hearing from you soon :)

There wasn't much she didn't like about this guy so far, but if she knew guys, you had to play a little hard to get to keep them interested. She had to let him know that he might have a little competition for her attention.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Still deciding

Date: January 5, 2013 19:52

To: Nate Skyles

So Nate, you seem pretty cool, but I have to admit that I'm chatting with a few different guys, and I'm not sure about who I want to meet up with, yet. I may like to have a good time, but I'm not a complete ho. I'm not about to sleep with half the guys in LA, know what I mean? I hope to make my decision soon, though.

Sorry for causing you any...discomfort while you were at work. ;) It wasn't my intention, although I have to admit knowing that definitely made me smile. What do you do to pay the bills? I work for a law firm doing mainly administrative stuff. And as you can see from one of my pics, I do a little bit of modeling on the side. It's not my dream job, but if a gig comes my way from time to time, I don't turn it down. I'm not really sure what I want to be "when I grow up", yet. I'm enjoying life and figuring myself out as I go.

In bed (or in other places), I am definitely not quiet about how a guy makes me feel...I mean, when something feels that good, how can you be quiet? So where's the most public place you've ever had sex or the closest you've ever come to being caught? :) I fucked an ex in the doorway of his truck in the LAX parking lot once, lol. I was wearing a dress, and yeah, some people walked by us, but we just looked like we were making out.

I go to several different hiking spots in LA, but Temescal Canyon is probably my favorite. I'll think about the rock climbing...maybe after I climb you. ;)

Annie quickly skimmed through her email before nodding to herself with a satisfied smirk and hit send. This was the first time she had really let herself just say whatever came to her mind, and she was really enjoying the flirtatious banter. It was a liberating feeling to be able to just let go and completely be herself and have someone be attracted to that.

From: Nate Skyles

Subject: In public? Yes, please!

Date: January 5, 2013 20:10

To: Annie Chang

Annie, I know you're not a complete ho. Honestly, if you were, I wouldn't be talking to you. The reason I responded to your ad was because I was looking for a friend with benefits. I am aware you are looking for just one guy as I am looking for just one girl. If you were the sleep around type, which you aren't, then I wouldn't be interested.

Haha, it's okay. I was able to conceal it and I wasn't around anyone at that exact moment, thankfully. I'm glad it made you smile. I know that won't be the only time you make me hard in a public place, but once we meet, I can take you somewhere secluded and bend you over. ;)

To pay the bills, I am a mentor at a rehab facility for young men ages 18-24 who are trying to get clean from drug/alcohol addiction. It's a hard, emotionally draining job, but it's worth it. If I can help just one of them, then it's all worth it. :) Your job sounds cool, too, and yes, I see that you model a bit. You definitely have the body and the face for it. You are honestly positively dazzling...just staggeringly beautiful, and I'm not just saying that to flatter you.

I completely agree, how can you be quiet and why would you want to be quiet about it? That is just ridiculous – you should be happy and proud about it. The most public place I have had sex was in a dressing-room in a smallish store. I took an ex in there while we were shopping for clothes; she was also wearing a dress (like you in the LAX parking lot). We just shut the door and I bent her over in front of the mirror, pulled her thong to the side and took her, lol. We tried to be quiet, but I am pretty positive that everyone there knew what happened, considering the looks we got when we left. I don't know about you, but I LOVE public sex. I think it's so hot and sexy to just have a quickie in a public place.

I haven't done nearly as much hiking as I would like to. And I haven't been in LA all that long, so I don't know the best spots, yet. But I have heard the hike to the Hollywood sign is a great one and I have really wanted to do that. Maybe we should do that and then if you want to try climbing later you can. :) But the climb I want you to do the most is the one on top of my cock. ;)

Here's something that I LOVE to do. I have done this numerous times. I would love to walk around with you in a department store, like Nordstrom or Macy's. When we're off in a more secluded part of the store, but still within sight of people, we would wander behind a rack of clothes that covers us up to your chest or so, and I would slide my hand up your dress, pull your thong to the side and slide two fingers inside your pussy. You would gasp and grip the clothes in front of you and I would continue to do this for a minute or so and then pull my fingers out, lick them clean and then walk away, leaving you wet and wanting. And then maybe a little later, I would sneak us into one of the dressing rooms and finish you off with my tongue or my cock.

She was having a hard time picking her jaw off the floor as she re-read his email twice more before sitting back against the couch to let it all soak in. Admittedly, he was getting to her, and she was about two minutes away from giving him her address and asking him to come over, even though she knew that was probably a terrible idea.

He seemed to be a little too good to be true: a nice guy who had a very commendable job and loved helping people, yet he apparently also had a very naughty streak, didn't take himself too seriously and liked to have fun. Annie couldn't have hoped to find a better mix. Emailing cute guys and receiving emails back from them was turning out to be quite the serious addiction.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Chemistry

Date: January 5, 2013 20:25

To: Nate Skyles

Oh wow, that's a very intense and worthwhile thing you happen to do a living. Thanks for the compliment and obviously I think you're pretty cute as well or I wouldn't have responded. ;) Not to be shallow, but you and I both know there has to be chemistry. Anyhow, it sounds like you've had some pretty interesting experiences yourself. I've never been with a guy who likes to go shopping, but something tells me you wouldn't mind me dragging you along, lol. I've also had sex in a restaurant parking lot in broad daylight, a hot tub (no one was around, but it was in an apartment complex in the middle of the night), and once in a pool at my ex's parents' house and his mom waved at us from the upstairs bathroom window, but she didn't know what we were doing!

What made you decide to move to LA and where did you move here from? I'm native to SoCal — don't think I'd ever want to leave here unless it was to move to somewhere like Hawaii. We could definitely hike by the Hollywood sign...I'd be down for that sometime. So if I were sitting in front of you right now, what would you do?

Feeling a little nervous, Annie got up to walk to the kitchen and pour herself a glass of wine. Flirting over email was fun, but she hated how anxious she became as she waited for his next response.

So far he had not disappointed her and was pretty quick with his replies. She tapped her fingers impatiently on the desk and kept hitting the refresh button on her page, waiting for another email to arrive in her inbox.

Flipping on the TV, she checked her saved recordings and selected an episode of _Grey's Anatomy_ to watch while she waited for him to reply. It was hard to believe it was still running and going strong. While it wasn't quite the same show as when it had first started airing, she was too emotionally invested in the show to stop watching it. Plus, it still kept her attention and she always looked forward to every episode. Even _Private Practice_ , a spin-off of _Grey's_ , was in its last season, yet _Grey's_ still survived. Finally, another email appeared, and she clicked to open it, eagerly eating up his words like they were candy.

From: Nate Skyles

Subject: Norcal born and bred

Date: January 5, 2013 20:50

To: Annie Chang

Lol thanks, yeah I really like it. It leaves me exhausted after work, but it's worth it. :) Thank you for the compliment as well. And it's not shallow at all to say that. People have to have chemistry — that is a fact. It doesn't make you shallow if you just don't have a spark with someone. So far, I feel pretty great about you. :) Yeah, I have a lot of stories. They're not all good, but all entertaining. I'm sure you have a bunch as well.

Haha, I actually don't enjoy shopping too much...maybe slightly more than your average guy, but not much more. But you're right, I wouldn't mind getting dragged along once in a while so I could tell you what I think looks good or maybe I could convince you to try on some lingerie for me. ;) I have also had sex in a parking lot in broad daylight and in a few bathrooms, while on a hike (we sneaked off the trail about fifteen feet into the foliage and had sex out in the open and were almost seen by a whole bunch of people and families going by), and I had the exact same thing happen to me when I was having sex in a pool at an ex's. Her mom waved to us from upstairs while my ex was in my arms with her legs around me. To her mom, it looked like we were just hugging and talking, but I was inside her. I've never done it in a hot tub, but I have also done it in an abandoned classroom. Well, we didn't have sex, but I went down on her.

I moved to LA a year and a half ago. I am from Norcal – Sacramento, to be exact. And I moved here because I'll be going to school here at CSUN to become a sign language interpreter. Sign is my other passion aside from art. Yeah, I don't have interest in leaving Socal.

Honestly, if you were right in front of me, I would probably have a conversation with you and get to know you some more. It's not a very sexy answer, but getting to know you will be almost as good as getting inside you, and I would like to do it first. If the conversation turned naughty, then you would be put on your hands and knees and fucked till you screamed, but if it didn't come to that right away, that's cool, too. So let me flip that question back to you. What would YOU do if I were in front of you right now?

Annie hadn't expected him to turn that question back around to her, and she blushed furiously as she thought about all of the things she'd like to do to him right now if he was in front of her. He had given a good guy answer, though, and she was all of a sudden feeling too shy to be completely honest, so she figured she'd give him a good girl response in return...well, mostly good anyway.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: Fantasies

Date: January 5, 2013 21:05

To: Nate Skyles

Wow, sex on a hike, huh? All of a sudden, I really want to go hiking, lol. I've done it in a bathroom once at a house party, but never in like a public bathroom. That's kind of a fantasy of mine. What's something you've never done that you'd like to do? Ha, that's funny that the same thing happened to you with the mom and pool thing. Yeah, same with us — looked like we were just hugging, but my thong was pushed to the side and he was inside me. So hot to be caught or nearly caught. :)

So you sound like a pretty deep guy. My uncle is an ASL interpreter, so he taught me my ABCs in sign language when I was a kid, but that's about all I know how to do except for "I love you". I like that you're interested in getting to know me first. It shows some integrity, which I have to admit is pretty sexy in and of itself. It's nice to feel safe with someone when you're being intimate, like you can trust them implicitly.

If you were in front of me right now, I would give you a big kiss just for being kind of awesome. A sexy good guy...don't find a lot of guys like you out here. So I agree...it'd be nice to get to know you first and honestly, anticipation is half the fun. I'm enjoying our little exchange of emails. I can see us falling asleep talking all night...and then maybe in the morning, you'd wake up to an oral surprise...

Draining the rest of her wine, Annie got up to take her glass to the sink and rinsed it out. Glancing at the clock she sighed. It was already starting to get late, and she still had a load of laundry she needed to do. She headed to the bathroom and piled dirty clothes into her collapsible basket, then grabbed the detergent and a plastic Ziploc full of quarters from the hallway closet.

Thankfully, the laundry room was only a short walk from her apartment door, conveniently situated at the back of the complex. Loading the washer, she added a cup of detergent and dropped the quarters into the coin slot, then started the machine. She had half an hour before she'd have to be back to switch the wet clothes to the dryer.

She walked back to her apartment, hoping another email from Nate would already be waiting for her. What was she going to do if he just stopped emailing her? She couldn't believe how badly she wanted to hear from him again after they had only exchanged a few emails.

Dropping the bag of quarters on the coffee table and setting the detergent and laundry basket on the ground, she reached over to her laptop to refresh her inbox. There was another email from him waiting for her and she grinned as she started to read it.

From: Nate Skyles

Subject: The great outdoors

Date: January 5, 2013 21:18

To: Annie Chang

Yeah, it was pretty exciting. For one thing, it was just beautiful and nice to have the fresh air and the breeze, and then it just exciting because we could have been caught at any time really. We just ran off, got behind some bushes, I pushed my cock down her throat (she was into the rough stuff) and then to my (and your) favorite position. I bent her over, she braced her hands against a tree and I fucked her until I came. A good hike, indeed, lol. We should definitely do a bathroom! They are fun... just naughty and fun.

Haha, I suppose I am relatively deep. Deep's the wrong word. I'd just say I am grounded. That's cool, a little sign is always good. And thank you, I'm glad you respect my integrity. It's getting rarer and rarer these days. But it's also good to know that you feel the same way. And you're right: the anticipation is half the fun. I think we will get along just fine. :) And I would like to fall asleep next to you, and I would love, love the oral wake up. ;) It is my favorite way to wake up and such a huge turn on. So have I won the competition over the other guys, yet?

Staring at the computer screen, Annie bit her lip as her hands paused above the keyboard. Wow, suddenly she saw hiking in a whole new light. Still, she hesitated as she weighed the risk against all the possible days and nights of fun she could have with this guy and with no strings attached. Should she do it? Should she go ahead and make the decision to meet up with Nate?

Throwing caution to the wind, she started typing her reply. She was only going to live once and she didn't want to look back and regret that she hadn't done more in her life.

From: Annie Chang

Subject: You win

Date: January 5, 2013 21:25

To: Nate Skyles

Okay, yes, you win. Where should we meet up?

From: Nate Skyles

Subject: I love winning

Date: January 5, 2013 21:29

To: Annie Chang

Yes! I'm so excited to meet you. How about we grab a cup of coffee and go from there? Do you know The Bourgeois Pig in Hollywood? Maybe 1 PM tomorrow afternoon?

From: Annie Chang

Subject: It's a date

Date: January 5, 2013 21:33

To: Nate Skyles

Yeah, I know the place. See you there tomorrow at 1. Want to exchange phone numbers?

Annie took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. This was it...she was going for it. Quickly, she hit send before she could change her mind. She only had to wait a minute before Nate responded with his number, which she immediately added to her phone. He said he would see her there tomorrow and that he would love to chat more, but he had to meet up with some friends as they were celebrating someone's birthday. For the rest of the night, she couldn't seem to wipe the big stupid grin off her face. She went to sleep with a hopeful smile on her lips, hoping she would dream of her new crush.

***

#

Sunday morning came all too slowly as Annie tossed and turned through the night, the anticipation she had built up in her body keeping her from falling into a deep, restful sleep. She was up at the crack of dawn, slipping into some sweatpants and a tank top before she left for the gym. A light workout took her about forty minutes; she spent twenty minutes on the elliptical before heading over to the weights to spend another twenty minutes toning her arms and legs.

As she worked up a sweat, she thought nervously about her coffee date with Nate. What was she going to wear? She wanted to look attractive and alluring, but it wasn't like they were going out to a nice restaurant or a club; it was just coffee.

Mentally, she went through her wardrobe, dismissing ideas as they took shape in her head, finally settling on her favorite pair of black jeans that hugged her hips and showed off her ass, pairing them with a black camisole and a flowy black and white striped cardigan. To complete the look, she decided to go with a comfortable pair of black, high-heeled, wedge sandals.

After she finished up her last few reps to tone her calves, she wiped down the equipment and then grabbed her almost empty bottle of water. Emptying the last droplets of water into her mouth, she threw the bottle away in the recycle bin before wiping her mouth on her workout towel. As Annie walked out of the gym, she couldn't help thinking that no matter how much she protested and whined about exercising, she enjoyed the feelings of good health and accomplishment she always experienced after each workout.

She took her time getting ready for her afternoon date, taking special care with her make-up and hair. Briefly she thought about eating a light salad, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to choke it down. She was too nervous and excited to have an appetite. Her phone beeped with an incoming text and she dashed over to the kitchen counter to retrieve it.

**Nate:** _Good morning, beautiful. Hard to believe I'm going to be meeting you in a couple of hours. Did you have sweet dreams last night?_

**Annie:** _Good morning. :) I'm looking forward to meeting you, too. No sweet dreams here – I had some trouble getting to sleep._

**Nate:** _Sorry to hear that. I hope it wasn't because of me._

**Annie:** _Well..._

**Nate:** _Ha, my bad. Well, we're going for coffee, so you can load up on caffeine to stay awake. I promise you won't fall asleep while you're with me._

**Annie:** _Sounds like a plan and I should hope not...unless it's from pure exhaustion. ;)_

**Nate:** _Woman, behave. We're just going out for coffee like a pair of civilized adults._

**Annie:** _*pout* Fine, I'll behave._

**Nate:** _I imagine you are completely adorable when you pout._

**Annie:** _My mother would disagree with you._

**Nate:** _Lol_

**Annie:** _I can't wait to see you in person._

**Nate:** _You took the words right out of my mouth._

**Annie:** _I think you have a sexy mouth. I wonder what it tastes like._

**Nate:** _Woman, do you know the definition of behaving?_

**Annie:** _Hehe, okay, I promise I will...for now. ;)_

**Nate:** _Lol, this is the most excited I've been about having coffee...like ever._

**Annie:** _Ditto. See you soon._

**Nate:** _Not soon enough._

Hugging herself, Annie jumped up and down in a circle and did a little boogie dance. She loved the feeling of meeting someone new for the very first time. There was excitement and anticipation and a bit of terror, wondering if you'd like them or if they'd like you.

Knowing that you only have one chance to make a good first impression, she spent the next hour in front of her mirror plucking, inspecting, touching up her make-up and scrutinizing every pore. When she was finally satisfied with the end results, she finished getting dressed. Then she slipped on her high-heeled sandals and spent another ten minutes in front of her floor-length mirror, making sure she looked good from every angle.

Traffic on the 101 south to Hollywood was shitty and instead of being early, she was a few minutes late. Annie texted him as she exited the freeway, letting him know she'd be there shortly. He texted back, saying he had already gotten them a table. Luckily, someone was pulling away from the curb just as she drove up, and she was able to nab a spot right in front. Butterflies were doing crazy loops and spins in her stomach, and her pulse was pounding as she did one final check in the rearview mirror, baring her teeth to inspect her pearly whites.

It appeared that even in no strings attached situations, she still felt as nervous as if she was meeting someone with serious intentions. And wasn't that really what she secretly wished for, even as she pretended to be okay with just having some casual fun?

Pushing the unwanted thought from her mind, she grabbed her purse and got out of the car, hitting the lock button before shutting the door. Annie briefly considered getting back in her car and taking off, but she lifted her head determinedly and made herself let go of the car door handle.

As she walked into The Bourgeois Pig, she scanned the room for Nate and didn't see him at first. Remembering they also had a back room, she wandered in, squinting a bit in the dim light.

"Hey, beautiful," a voice beside her spoke.

Her head swung to the left and she gulped. Nate had gotten to his feet as he spoke, moving over to quickly hug her in greeting. She returned the hug, but as he began to pull away, she instinctively felt herself reach out a hand to tug him back to her, boldly planting a kiss on his lips. His blue eyes only widened momentarily before his lips touched hers, and then his eyes closed, his tongue sliding easily and smoothly into her mouth as he kissed her thoroughly. Just as suddenly as she had started kissing him, she abruptly pulled away from him, her hand firmly pushing against his chest to put some space between them.

Nate eyed her speculatively, his chest visibly rising and falling as he seemed to struggle to stop himself from grabbing her hand to pull her back to him. She quickly sat down and smiled innocently at him as he continued to stand there for a moment, still looking at her. Nodding her head towards the other seat at their table, she continued to smile, and he finally sat down, looking at her somewhat sternly.

"I thought you were going to behave, Annie."

As he said her name in a slightly menacing tone, she shivered not from fear, but from excitement. "I couldn't help myself. It's what kept me awake most of the night, wondering what it'd be like to kiss you."

Smirking, he cocked an eyebrow at her. "And what's the verdict? Do I pass muster?"

Pretending to think about it, she tapped her finger against her lips. "Hmm, I can't be certain. I may have to call a redo to make sure."

He burst out laughing, reaching across the small table to take her hands in his, threading his fingers with hers. "You're really something, you know that?"

"Hmm, you think so?" She smiled lazily at him as she lightly bit her bottom lip, peeking at him through lowered lashes.

"You're killing me here."

"I certainly hope so."

"I had every intention of acting like a complete gentleman when I got here, but you are really not making it easy to remain so."

"Good."

A waitress appeared at their table just then, asking if they were ready to order. After glancing briefly at the drink menu, Annie gave her order. "Yeah, can I please get a double cappuccino?" Nate ordered a latte and water, and moments later, they were alone again.

"I swear this is not just a line, but you seriously have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen."

Embarrassed, Annie immediately averted her eyes and stared at the floor as she fought against the blush staining her cheeks. "Ah, thanks," she finally said, shyly glancing back at him.

He grinned at her and lifted her hand up so he could kiss the top of her knuckles, gently caressing his lips back and forth against her fingers. Blinking at him, she couldn't stop the shiver that went up her spine. She marveled at how much such a small action could make her feel.

"You have the most delicate hands," he mused as he cradled one of her hands in both of his, slowly drawing circles on her sensitized skin with his fingers.

Her voice a little shaky, she cleared her throat. "You aren't really behaving yourself, you know."

"I never promised to behave. That was all you," he said with a wicked grin.

She was momentarily rescued from having to respond as their drinks arrived. Nate released her hands to accept the steaming latte, and Annie accepted her cappuccino as she politely thanked the waitress.

"So how was your friend's birthday party?" she asked, pointedly steering the conversation away from her. The compliments were nice, but he was making her blush way too much, and she already felt too warm around him.

"It was pretty rockin'. We went to a club and danced until they kicked us out."

"Really? Where did you guys go?"

"Vanguard."

"Oh." A cloud passed over her face momentarily as memories of that first night with Gabe flashed through her mind.

"You ever been there?"

"Ah, yeah. I used to go there a lot, actually. Cool place."

"Yeah, the music was pretty sick. I would love to take you there some time."

Annie had just lifted her cup to take a sip of her cappuccino and almost sputtered into the foam at Nate's comment. Recovering quickly, she nodded at him. "Uh, sure. That'd be fun." And why not? It was time to make new memories and try to forget about the past.

"How about next weekend?"

She couldn't help but smile at his eager look; his enthusiasm was infectious. "Sure, that'd be great."

"Awesome, I can't wait to dance with you."

"What if I suck?"

He laughed and shook his head at her. "Not possible. Besides, even if you do, you have me to teach you."

It was her turn to laugh. "I don't need to be taught anything, son. I've got moves." She pretended to dust her shoulders off and winked at him.

"Oh okay, I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Maybe we'll have a dance off," he teased, winking at her.

"Oh, you are _on_ ," she said, smirking at him.

They continued to chat for several minutes, discussing which clubs they'd frequented over the years and discovering that they liked a lot of the same DJs, like Tiesto, Paul van Dyk, Armin van Buuren, Calvin Harris and Deadmau5.

"You almost done with your coffee?"

"Mmm yeah. Why?"

"Feel like an adventure?"

Raising an eyebrow, Annie regarded him thoughtfully. Mentally, she pinched herself. Just go with the flow. "Sure, why not?"

"Cool. Um, why don't you follow me? Or do you know how to get to the Third Street Promenade?"

"In Santa Monica?"

"Yeah."

"I do. You want to go all the way over there?"

"It's not that far."

"Far enough," she laughed.

"Come on. Live a little." Nate nudged her, giving her puppy dog eyes and making her laugh again.

"Okay, fine. I'll meet you there, but I have to say you're a little too good at that puppy dog look."

"It's my secret weapon," he confided in her as he waved down the waitress and asked for their check. Waving aside her attempt to pay for her coffee, he paid for both their drinks with cash and stood to help her up from the table. As they walked out of the coffee shop, he held his hand at the small of her back, guiding her through the growing Sunday afternoon crowd.

Annie had a silly smile on her face as she walked to her car, happy to feel the warm fuzzies return, courtesy of Nate's gentlemanly treatment of her. As she reached into her purse for her keys, he put his hand out and nodded towards the keys.

"May I?" he asked politely.

With a bemused smile, she nodded and handed him the keys. She watched in fascination as he unlocked her door and held it open for her to get in, quickly rolled down her window, then passed her keys back to her before carefully shutting the door. "I didn't know men like you existed anymore," she said with a laugh.

"I'm told I'm a rare breed, but yes, we do exist." He then tipped his imaginary hat at her and made a little half bow. "My mama raised herself a good boy with manners," he joked, using a heavy southern accent.

"Well, be sure to give your mama my thanks."

"I'll do that. So I'll see you in about half an hour?"

"You're optimistic," she laughed.

"That I am," he said, grinning back at her.

"Okay, I'll see you there in about half an hour."

"Great, drive safe," he cautioned as he stepped away from her car, stopping to look both ways before crossing the street to his car, a blue _Honda Accord_. She watched him climb in and waited until he flipped his car around and drove up behind her before she pulled away from the curb and headed down the street to the freeway.

The traffic gods must have been smiling as they found very little traffic on their way to Santa Monica. She kept sight of him in her rear view mirror the entire way until they both pulled into one of the public parking lots close to the Third Street Promenade. After they both parked, he took her hand in his, squeezing it as he smiled at her.

"I'm really glad you agreed to come."

"I am, too."

"I didn't want our first meeting to end, yet."

"And it's not going to...but, let's get out of this parking lot. It's a little stinky in here," she complained, wrinkling her nose.

He laughed at her and leaned over to kiss the tip of her nose. "You're so cute," he said with a grin. "Okay, princess. Let's get you out of here." He led the way to the stairs and they took the two flights down before heading out into the fresh Santa Monica air. Annie breathed a sigh of relief as they moved away from the stench of the public parking lot. She'd always had a pretty sensitive nose, so places with unpleasant smells tended to bother her even more so than some people.

Nate led the way to the Third Street Promenade and stopped in front of a gelato shop. "Do you like gelato?" he asked.

"I've never had it before."

Gaping at her, he laughed. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Oh man, you don't know what you've been missing. You like ice cream, though, right?"

"Um, I'm female."

He laughed again and opened the door to the gelato shop for her. "After you."

Annie couldn't believe how chivalrous Nate had turned out to be; it was hardly something she expected out of a guy she met through the _Casual Encounters_ section of Craigslist. Inclining her head towards him, she murmured her thanks and moved past him to stand in front of the glass cases filled with several different flavors of smooth gelato.

"Oh wow. I have no idea what flavor I want. What do you recommend?"

"Well, my favorites are the Espresso Chip and the White Chocolate Hazelnut."

"Oh my God – those both sound amazing!"

"They are...you could do a scoop of each or I'm actually going to do that, so if you want to try two other flavors, I'll let you have a taste of mine as well."

"Mmm, really?" she asked with a mischievous grin, her eyes twinkling as she looked at him.

Smiling lazily, he winked at her. "Yes, really."

"So do you want to taste me...I mean, taste mine as well?"

His eyes narrowed at her as he leaned close to her and whispered in her ear. "Behave. There are children about."

Looking slightly chagrined, Annie swung her head around to see who else was there. A tall middle-aged man with kind eyes was holding a toddler on his hip while pointing at different flavors in the case, asking the boy which one he wanted. A few giggling teenage girls were standing at the cash register, paying for their gelato, and a young, tired-looking mother with a baby and two other young children had just walked in behind them.

Her face reddening, she muttered an apology and started studying the floor as she willed herself to stop blushing. The shopkeeper turned to help them, asking what he could get for them. Nate gave his order and then turned to raise an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to make her selections.

"I think I'll try the Strawberry Cheesecake and the Tahitian Vanilla."

"Vanilla? How boring," he said with a laugh.

"I love vanilla," she said defensively as he bumped his shoulder against her. "And it's not just Vanilla, it's _Tahitian_ Vanilla."

"Nothing wrong with a little vanilla...and exotic — even better." Grinning, Nate winked at her before he stepped up to the cash register to pay for both of their gelatos.

Annie protested, reaching into her wallet for some cash. "Hey, you got coffee. Let me get this."

He just waved it aside and paid the cashier, then turned to escort her outside, gelato in hand. "My grandmother would roll over in her grave if she knew I let a girl pay for anything on our first date."

"Is this a date?" she asked shyly.

"Of course."

"I guess I didn't expect you to actually take me out on a real date with you finding my ad the way you did and all."

"I told you before...I'm not looking for a one night stand. I want a true friend with benefits. Of course I want nothing more than to pull you down this alley and fuck you right here, but I want to spend a little time with you first and get to know you."

Annie blushed again at his bold statement and laughed. "Wow, okay then."

"Good. Glad that's all settled then." They continued to walk down the promenade, eating their gelato as they window shopped and people watched. "Verdict?" he asked when she stopped to throw away her empty dish.

"I've decided that gelato is absolutely delicious. However, I didn't really think it was all that different from ice cream," she admitted with a wry smile.

He laughed and nodded. "Yeah, it's not really that different — just lighter."

"Yeah, and softer — I like it when my ice cream is hard." She deliberately licked her lips and winked at him.

Groaning, he tickled her lightly, cornering her against a wall as he leaned down to kiss her. He touched his lips lightly to hers, closing his eyes as he breathed her in. Opening them again, he stared down at her, a smile playing at his lips. "Did I mention that you're making it really difficult for me to remain a gentleman?"

"Mmm, well, I do like a gentleman...as long as he's not a perfect gentleman _all_ of the time."

Grasping her wrists, he jerked her forward and kissed her again, but this time more firmly. Then he quickly released her and swatted her backside as she started to walk away, making her jump and yelp at the same time.

Unable to stop the stupid grin that plastered itself across her face, she took his hand as he reached out to her and they walked the rest of the way down the promenade in companionable silence. He led her across the street and down the bridge to the Santa Monica pier where dozens of tourists milled around, some snapping pictures of the pier and the beach while others lingered around kiosks, buying souvenirs to take back home to their family and friends.

"Want to ride the Ferris wheel?" he asked, inclining his head towards the end of the pier.

"Sure, I'm game," she agreed and followed closely as he led her through the crowd, her hand gripped firmly in his. After he paid for their tickets, they were ushered into a car on the Ferris wheel. As the wheel turned, making them go higher and higher, Annie scooted closer to the middle of the car, squeezing her eyes shut.

Laughing, Nate reached across to take her hands in his. "Are you scared of heights?"

Her eyes still squeezed shut, she replied, "No, what makes you think that?"

"Ahh, the fact that you can't open your eyes?"

Hesitantly, she popped one eye back open. "It's not so much the height, but this thing just doesn't feel all that stable."

"Well, I'm right here with you, and nothing's going to happen to us. Thousands of people have ridden this Ferris wheel before us with no problems whatsoever."

"I know you're right, but it still freaks me out a little."

"Then why did you agree to come on it?"

"I wanted to impress you with my bravery?"

Nate laughed and then placed a kiss on each of her hands. "You're adorable."

"You don't think I'm a wuss?"

"Not at all. I think it's kind of cool that you wanted to impress me."

Slowly popping the other eye open, she looked at him and swallowed hard. "Okay, I can do this." Reluctantly, she released his hands and carefully lowered them down to rest on the sides of her seat.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his _iPhone_ and raised it up to take a picture of her. Flipping it around, he showed the screen to her.

"Oh God, no. Delete, delete!" she said, shaking her head. "Do over." Carefully, she let go of the seat to comb her fingers through her hair and then smiled and posed for him to take another shot.

"How about this one?" he asked, showing his phone to her again.

Briefly, she inspected it and nodded. "Much better."

"Cool. Now let me put a filter on it real quick and _Instagram_ it...and there...just sent it to you."

"Thanks," she said, grinning at him. "Wow, I'm not used to a guy who actually likes taking pictures."

"Oh yeah, it's always been a hobby of mine."

"I've wanted to get into it for a long time, but never really had the motivation to get serious about it, I guess."

"Well, it's never too late to learn. I could teach you what I know."

"Seriously? That would be awesome."

"Sure, why not. And it'll give me an excuse to spend more time with you."

Blushing, she smiled widely at him. "How do you always know all the right things to say?"

"I grew up with three sisters."

"And they taught you all the right things to say?"

"Well, I heard them bitch enough about all the wrong things the guys they dated said or did. I took notes."

"I'll have to remember to thank your sisters."

Before she knew it, the Ferris wheel ride was over and they were back on solid ground once again. After they strolled back to where they had left their cars in the parking lot by the promenade, Nate gave her a long hug and then leaned down to kiss her goodbye. It was a quick kiss, short and sweet. He promised to call her soon and waved as he walked back to his car. Annie couldn't stop smiling all the way home. It had been a fun, easygoing afternoon which she had thoroughly enjoyed, and she couldn't wait to see him again.

***

#

A little less than an hour later, Annie had barely walked into her apartment when her phone buzzed with an incoming text message; it was from Nate.

**Nate:** _Is it pathetic that I miss you already?_

**Annie:** _Maybe a little bit...but I may be feeling the same way, so guess I'm pretty pathetic, too._

**Nate:** _Yup, you're a really sad, sad person._

**Annie:** _Ha, thanks!_

**Nate:** _What are you doing tonight?_

**Annie:** _Hanging out with my neighbor friend. He comes over every Sunday night to watch TV with me. I cook dinner and he brings dessert – it's a good arrangement._

**Nate:** _A guy friend, huh? Should I be jealous?_

**Annie:** _Lol, he's gay._

**Nate:** _Guess not. :)_

**Annie:** _Alex is great. I think you'd like him._

**Nate:** _Well, do you think he'd mind if I crashed your little dinner party just this once? I love to watch TV and eat home-cooked meals...but really, I just want to see you again as soon as possible. I'll even relieve him of dessert duties if he wants._

**Annie:** _Hmm, let me ask him._

She really had no idea how Alex would react to the idea. There were times when she could predict him, but this time she had no idea what he was going to say. Taking a deep breath, she scrolled through her contacts for his number and hit the "Call" button.

He picked up on the second ring. "Hey, girlfriend."

"Hey yourself. Whatcha up to?"

"Procrastinating against making dessert for tonight."

"Oh yeah? Well, I have a proposition to make which would excuse you from having to do that."

"Are you ditching me for a guy?"

"No, but he did ask if he could join us for dinner and offered to bring dessert."

"Hmm. And who is this boy?"

"Another guy I met on Craigslist...but...okay, don't be mad at me, but I met him in _Casual Encounters_."

"Annie!"

"I know, I know, but he's actually really sweet and so nice and such a gentleman. He wants us to be real friends...with benefits."

"Oh honey..."

"So is that okay with you? If not, I totally get it. But I really like him and I would love for you to meet him."

There was a long pause before Alex finally spoke again and Annie found herself holding her breath as she waited for his answer. "Well, what's he bringing for dessert?"

Relieved, she laughed. "Whatever you want."

"I want...chocolate sundaes."

"Done. I'll tell him to pick up everything we need to make chocolate sundaes."

"Tell him not to forget the whipped cream."

"Okay."

"And I mean enough for my sundae along with whatever else you skanks have planned for later."

"Alex!"

"What? See you later!" He hung up the phone before she could say another word. With a wry smile, Annie shook her head and texted Nate to let him know he could come and to bring stuff to make chocolate sundaes.

To Annie's surprise and delight, Nate and Alex got along famously. While Alex was using the restroom later that night, Nate told her about Adam, his best friend from high school who came out to him their senior year. It had taken Adam a long time to work up the courage, and when he was finally able to talk to him, he had interrupted Nate in mid-sentence when they were talking one day and blurted it out. Adam quickly assured him that he wasn't trying to come on to him, and that he had always thought of and would always continue to think of Nate as only a brother.

Instead of getting angry at his friend or insulting him like a lot of straight guys might have done, Nate had rolled his eyes, laughed and punched him playfully on the arm. "Duh," was all he had said, and then he had continued on with their conversation like Adam had never said anything at all.

She was immensely relieved to find a guy who was comfortable around Alex. She had dated so many guys who were so homophobic and insecure that they could never really relax around her gay BFF. It was refreshing to meet someone who was as accepting of everyone as she was herself, regardless of their sexual orientation, religious background, financial status or political affiliation. Again, she felt lucky to have found such a genuine, yet carefree and sexy man to befriend and have some fun with.

Nate brought a couple bottles of wine along with the sundae fixings, offering one to Annie for being the gracious hostess and one to Alex as a peace token for intruding on his BFF time with Annie. Since Nate didn't drink, Alex and Annie consumed both bottles. The three of them stayed up until well past midnight watching TV, eating the delicious dinner Annie cooked for them and then their amazing dessert, which Nate had insisted on making for them. As she watched him create delicious looking chocolate sundaes for the three of them, she thought she could definitely get used to being pampered like this.

More than a little tipsy, Alex finally excused himself, saying he was going to call it a night and head back to his place. As he stood to leave, he swayed a bit and Annie jumped up to help him to the door, swaying a bit herself. Before leaving, he assured Nate he was welcome to crash their Sunday evening get-togethers anytime he liked. Annie beamed at Alex as she hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek, whispering her thanks in his ear. As he pulled back, he smiled and winked at her, then nodded to Nate, wishing them both a good night.

Closing the door after Alex, Annie slowly turned and leaned against the door, smiling seductively at Nate. He was on his feet in a flash and moved quickly to join her at the door, leaning down to kiss her as he slid his hands into her hair, one hand on either side of her head. His fingers clenched tightly, yet gently as he explored her mouth with feverish excitement.

She kissed him back, moaning softly against his lips as she melted into him. She couldn't believe how badly she wanted this man who was so kind, gentle and thoughtful to make slow, sweet love to her, but at the same time, she also wanted him to take her quickly and forcefully. Confused at the mixed feelings coursing through her body, Annie regretfully broke their kiss, her chest heaving as she quickly gulped in some air.

Leaning his forehead against hers, Nate was also breathing heavily with his eyes shut, his thumbs caressing her cheeks as he fought to regain his composure. Slowly, he finally opened his eyes and lifted his forehead from hers, gazing down into her deep hazel eyes.

"A man could lose himself in your eyes," he said wistfully as he released his grip and slid his hands down her shoulders and arms, finally taking her hand and bringing it up to his lips so he could brush a light kiss across her knuckles. "But I have to be up for work in about six hours, and you probably do as well, so I'd better get going."

Disappointment flashed through her as she nodded slowly at him. "Sure, of course. Yeah, I should get some sleep. It's been an eventful day."

"I want to see you again soon," he promised with an earnest look in his eyes.

"I suppose that could be arranged," she said with a shy smile.

"Okay, well, I'll call you after I get off work and we'll figure something out."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Goodnight, friend."

"Goodnight."

He brushed a finger down her cheek and smiled down at her, then reached for the doorknob. Moving away from the door so he could leave, she tried to squash the agitated feelings she was experiencing at his departure. She barely knew this guy, so how could he already have this much effect on her?

Work kept her pretty busy most of Monday, and she also took a longer lunch to celebrate her co-worker's birthday. Before she knew it, five o'clock rolled around, and Ashley came by to thank her for coming out to lunch with them and for the _Godiva_ chocolates Annie had given her as a little birthday treat.

Ashley invited her to join a small group of friends from work who were going out for drinks and dinner at their favorite karaoke bar to continue her birthday celebration. Annie was only too happy to accept the invitation as it had been months since she'd had a chance to sing. They weren't meeting up until nine, so she had plenty of time to go home and change and wait for traffic to die down before heading back out.

The karaoke bar they had frequented for the past several years was awesome, but the down side was that it was in Culver City and about a fifteen to twenty minute drive away, depending on traffic. To her, the karaoke bar was worth the distance she had to drive, but not all of her valley friends felt the same way. Thus, she usually snapped up every opportunity to sing that came her way.

Annie had been home for about an hour when her phone rang. Checking the caller ID, she saw that it was Nate calling and muttered an expletive. She had completely spaced that he was going to call her after work before she accepted the invitation to go to karaoke. Maybe he would want to go with her. Crossing her fingers, she answered the phone.

"Well, good evening."

"Hey you. Good evening to you as well."

"How was your day?"

"Pretty good. I can't complain. What are you up to right now?"

"Well, it's my coworker's birthday, and she invited me to karaoke with her and some of our other friends from work."

"Sounds like fun."

"Yeah, I haven't gotten to sing in a long time, so I'm looking forward to it."

"I'd love to hear you sing."

"Do you want to come?"

"Sure. Do you want me to pick you up or meet you there?"

"Well, it's in Culver City and you're in Hollywood, right? So, it probably makes more sense for you to just meet me there."

"Okay, so what's the address?"

She quickly looked up the address on the internet and then gave it to him, letting him know that it was located in a small strip mall with plenty of parking available next door if the main lot was full. He asked what time he should be there and she told him to meet her there a little before nine. Hanging up the phone, she started panicking. This could be it. This could be the night they did it. She had already planned on dressing up and looking good for karaoke, but now she wanted to look really, _really_ good.

Picking a little black dress out of her closet, she got undressed and pulled it over her head. The top was sleeveless with a high neck while the skirt was almost non-existent – just a short, micro-mini that hugged every curve. She also had a narrow, silver chain she usually wore with it; it was more jewelry than a belt, but was a nice accent to break up the solid black landscape of the mini-dress.

It was a little dressy for karaoke, but it was Los Angeles – she could get away with wearing just about anything. Last minute, she added a fitted leather jacket to her ensemble, giving the look a little rocker-edge.

Her hair was pulled up in a loose chignon with several thick strands framing her oval face. It was a very J-Lo look, and she loved it. Nate was going to eat her up...literally, she hoped. She did her eye make-up in her usual subdued, earthy tones, then took extra care brushing and flossing her teeth before applying a soft pink lip gloss. Snapping a quick picture for Facebook, she added an _Instagram_ filter and posted it, taking another minute to apply it as her new profile picture.

Heading out to karaoke with a cute guy and some of my friends to celebrate Ashley's birthday!

After posting her status update, Annie chose to wear a pair of black slip-on heels, grabbed her purse and headed out for the night. As she drove to Culver City, she thought about how this would be the first time Nate would hear her sing, and she began to feel incredibly nervous. She was no superstar, but she felt like she could hold her own on the karaoke stage.

Her favorites to sing were more alternative, folk-style songs by artists such as Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant, Garbage, Alanis Morissette and Sheryl Crow. She also enjoyed singing songs from musicals, but she either had to have a duet partner join her or she had to be extremely drunk to be brave enough to try one of those alone. It was so easy to crash and burn on a musical theater number since they were usually pretty damn cheesey to begin with.

Only a few minutes after she left her apartment, her phone buzzed with a text. There was a cop sitting next to her, and she was still about a mile away from the freeway, so she quickly found a place to pull over so she could check her text without fear of getting a ticket. She'd already gotten one since they had illegalized texting and talking on the phone while driving in California.

**Nate:** _You're looking beautiful tonight._

**Annie:** _How do you know what I look like tonight?_

**Nate:** _I am stalking you on Facebook._

**Annie:** _Lol, why don't you just send me a friend request?_

**Nate:** I _just did, but you haven't responded, yet._

**Annie:** _Oh, well, I'm driving to karaoke, so I'll approve it now. Just give me a minute._

**Nate:** _No worries._

**Annie:** _So you saw my profile pic?_

**Nate:** _Uh huh._

**Annie:** _And...you liked it?_

**Nate:** _Uh huh._

Annie giggled to herself as she texted back to Nate. Who knew a girl could become so flustered by those two simple words. "Uh huh."

**Annie:** _I should be there in about fifteen minutes, give or take._

**Nate:** _Okay, I'll see you there, beautiful._

**Annie:** _See you there._

When she arrived at the karaoke bar twenty-five minutes later (there'd been an accident on the 405 south), Nate was already standing outside the bar, waiting for her. Luckily, there were a couple of open spots in the bar parking lot, so it didn't take her long to park and climb out of her car. Hurrying towards him, she started apologizing.

"I'm so sorry. There was an accident on the 405."

"Oh, no worries – I just got here a minute ago myself." He reached over to give her a warm hug, whispering in her ear. "I could eat you out right here, right this second in front of everybody."

Her stomach tightened and clenched automatically as she inhaled a sharp, quick breath at his words. Wow. Her hug tightened as she clung to him for a moment before reluctantly pulling back to smile and offer her hand to him.

"My goodness, Mr. Skyles, you certainly do have a way with words."

Taking her hand and tucking her arm under his, he smiled wickedly at her and led the way into the softly lit karaoke bar. Annie spotted her friends as soon as they entered the bar, as they had already staked out several tables in the far corner of the room next to the stage.

Leading the way over to them, Annie quickly introduced Nate to everyone and then waved the waitress down to take their drink order. Nate had told her he didn't drink alcohol, but he didn't have a problem if she did, so she asked if he'd like a _Coke_ and then placed her order, asking for a double peach Kamikaze shot.

There were so many songs to choose from, but Annie really wanted to impress him with her first song, so she had to pick something she knew really well. Finally, she settled on _Because the Night_ by 10,000 Maniacs and scribbled her name, the artist and song title on the karaoke slip and got up to walk it over to the KJ. Justin, the KJ, had been working there for as long as she'd been coming to karaoke and they were old friends. He greeted her with a hug and took her slip, nodding at her choice, which he knew to be one of her favorites.

When she sat back down at their table, Nate leaned close to murmur in her ear. "Hmm, should I be jealous?"

Laughing, she shook her head at him. "That's just Justin, my KJ."

"Your what?"

"KJ...Karaoke Jockey."

"Oh," he laughed. "I guess I am not hip to karaoke lingo."

"It's okay. I had no idea what a KJ was the first time I came here either. Justin's pretty cool, but all KJs can get kind of prickly if you don't follow the 'Proper Rules of Karaoke Etiquette'," she confided in him as she grinned, using her fingers to make air quotes.

Nate laughed out loud. "The what?"

"I know, it sounds silly, but Justin posted these rules of karaoke etiquette on Facebook one night while he was here working. I laughed the whole time I was reading them, but most of them made a lot of sense. I can't imagine if I had to do his job night after night and maintain my patience with the patrons."

"So what are some of these rules?"

"Oh you know, mostly just common sense things like:

1. Don't tap on, drop or swing the microphones.

2. Don't sit in the crowd and try to sing louder than the singer. It's annoying and makes you look arrogant.

3. Submit one song at a time. Don't give me your next song until you have sung your first.

4. Don't ask me, 'When am I up next?' I sometimes get annoyed and might lose your slip.

5. Don't try to bribe me into moving you up in the rotation. I will take you out of the rotation completely.

6. Tipping is not a city in China. It's common practice to tip $1 per song you get to sing."

"Wow, he has a lot of rules."

"Yeah, but like I said, most of them make sense."

"I guess."

"So are you going to sing something or are you just here to make fun of my singing?"

"I don't know about singing myself, but I wouldn't make fun of your singing."

"Well, I hope I don't give you a reason to," Annie said with a grin, then raised her glass to toast. After clinking her tumbler against his glass of _Coke_ , she tilted her head as she threw back the double shot with ease. Making a slight face, she patted the tabletop. "Woo! There we go."

"Good?"

"Yeah, just strong." Beckoning the waitress back over to their table, she ordered another double and some cheese fries. Mary, one of the girls in their group, had just been called onto the stage. Annie turned to watch her, listening to the opening chords of _Landslide_. "Oh I love this song," she said to Nate, humming along as her friend began to sing.

She continued to flip through the songbook, looking for her next song before she finally settled on _Maps_ by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The waitress brought their drinks and order of cheese fries just as her friend's song ended, and then Justin called Annie's name, saying she was up next. Frantically, she downed her second double shot and got up to walk to the stage, pausing by the KJ's booth to hand him her next song slip.

Climbing onto the stage and turning to adjust the mic stand to her height, she swallowed hard, feeling perspiration starting to bead on her forehead as she stood under the hot stage lights, waiting for her song to start. The beginning piano chords began to play and Annie leaned away from the mic, bending her head to the side as she lightly cleared her throat before facing the mic again. She began to sing the first verse, her voice ringing out clearly through the room; it was throaty, deep and sexy.

Glancing at Nate as she sang and worked the crowd from the stage, she saw his mouth hanging open. Ha, so he didn't really think she was going to be that good. Smiling to herself, she almost laughed. It was fun being able to surprise him like that.

When she had sung the last note, Nate and her friends jumped to their feet and applauded loudly, whooping and hollering things like, "Go Annie! Woo hoo! Get it, girl!"

Smiling happily, she made her way back to their table and thanked her friends as they complimented her on a song well sung.

"Wow, you are really good, Annie. I mean, like seriously, you can really sing."

"Aw thanks," she said, her face reddening from Nate's praise.

"Have you ever thought about pursuing a singing career?"

"Oh, sure, I think almost every little girl dreams that, but I've never really done anything about it."

"You should audition for one of those talent shows."

"I know. I watch all of them: _American Idol_ , _X-Factor_ , _The Voice_ and _America's Got Talent_ , but I've just never really felt inclined to audition myself." She shook her head and smiled ruefully at him.

"Why not?"

"I don't know. Fear of failure, maybe?"

"You shouldn't let that hold you back. You've got a real gift."

Annie laughed. "You've only heard me sing one song."

"Well, when someone is really good, that's all it should take."

"Okay stop. I'm starting to think that you're trying to make me remain this shade of red like permanently."

"Okay, okay, I'll stop. But this isn't the last time you're going to hear it from me. I can't wait for your next song."

"Ha, well now that I've made myself such a tough act to follow, I'm bound to do worse on the next one."

Nate smiled and shook his head at her. "Somehow, I find that doubtful."

The waitress came by and asked how their fries were and if they needed any refills. Nate ordered another _Coke_ and asked if she wanted another double, to which she nodded yes.

"Are you going to be okay to drive?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, I'll be fine. This will be my last drink for the night and I usually stay until they kick us out, around one-thirty or so."

"You really stay out that late on a weeknight?"

"Not usually, but I don't get to karaoke very often, so it's not too bad if I only do it once in a great while."

"Gotcha...well, I'm not sure I can stay that late, but I can probably manage until midnight or so."

"That's fine," she said. Justin called her friend, Ashley, the birthday girl, to the stage, and all of the girls in their party got up to accompany her to the mic. The whole bar sang _Happy Birthday_ to Ashley, then hooted, hollered and cheered as the girls handed the mic to the birthday girl so she could sing her song. She had picked _Love is a Battlefield_ by Pat Benatar and everyone went crazy as the song started, moving from the stage to the dance floor as they all yelled, "Dance party! Dance party!"

Mary came over to Annie and tugged on her hand, ignoring her protests as she pulled her over to join them on the dance floor. They all sang the words together as they danced in front of the stage. Annie glanced back at Nate sitting at their table, an amused expression on his face.

After the song was over, Annie headed back to their table and drank her last double Kamikaze of the night. She excused herself for a minute and turned to head to the ladies room. After freshening up and checking her make-up in the bathroom mirror, she turned to unlock the door, but as she opened it, she saw Nate standing there. He held his finger up to his lips and gently pushed her back into the bathroom, turning to lock the door behind him.

A shiver of excitement ran through her as she realized what he was doing...fulfilling her secret fantasy. Without another word, he placed his hands on her hips and spun her around to face the sink. He fumbled in his pocket for a condom, unbuttoned his jeans and shoved them and his boxer briefs halfway down his legs, then reached down to slide her mini-skirt all the way up to her waist. She heard the crackle of the condom wrapper as she looked at him in the mirror, seeing him tear the packet open with his teeth.

Looking down for a moment, he rolled the condom onto himself, then slid his hands in between her legs, gently yet firmly pushing them apart. Slowly, he ran his fingers back and forth between her legs, teasing her quickly moistening folds through the flimsy silken scrap of material that barely covered her. Moaning softly, she started to close her eyes, but he whispered in her ear.

"No, don't close them. I want to see you looking at me in the mirror as I fuck you. I'm going to take you hard and fast, and you're going to love it."

Annie became wetter with her growing need for him as she listened to the erotic instructions he was giving her. Swallowing hard, she nodded at his reflection, then gasped as she felt his hard length push against her thin panties, the only thing blocking him from entering her.

Smoothly, he hooked a finger in the thong and jerked it to the side, pushing the tip of his cock in between her folds, slowly entering her. He continued to push himself deeper up into her tight wetness until he was fully encased by her. Then he told her to hang onto the side of the sink and he began to thrust hard and fast, pummeling his hips against hers as he took his pleasure from her.

Reaching around, his eyes never left hers as he cupped a breast, pinching her nipple through the thin material of her dress, rolling the hardening peak between his fingers. She wasn't wearing a bra, and the feeling was enough to send her over the edge – so intense that her legs went wobbly as she felt her orgasm begin to build inside her.

Nate continued to thrust vigorously into her, his eyelids half closing as his head tilted back. His lips parted in a soft moan as he came, and he grunted as he slammed his hips against hers in two hard last thrusts, just as they both heard a loud knock on the bathroom door. Groaning in frustration, Annie rolled her eyes and giggled. Robbed of her orgasm, she snapped at the offending party, "Just a minute!"

Nate quickly disposed of the condom, wrapping it in a paper towel before shoving it to the bottom of the trash can. He pulled his pants back up and tucked in his shirt, grinning at her as she shimmied her skirt back down over her hips. Smiling back at him, she took a moment to check her appearance in the mirror, making sure everything was smoothed back into place.

Lifting her head, she prepared to be embarrassed as she walked out of the bathroom with a guy following her. Luckily, whoever had been waiting for them to exit the ladies' room had finally given up and left the hallway, so no one witnessed them walking out of the bathroom together.

They returned to their table and sat there for a few minutes, listening to an older man who was singing _Fly Me to the Moon_. His tone was rich and full, filling the bar with his beautiful, pure voice, even as his body had become gnarled and stooped with old age. Everyone cheered for him as he finished the song, then proudly walked off the stage, smiling broadly with his head held high. His table was near theirs, and as he sat down, Nate leaned over to say something to him, making the elderly man smile again.

"Thank you, young man," she heard the man say.

Smiling, she squeezed his hand before reaching for another song slip. It was almost her turn to sing again, and she wanted to have another song ready to go. She was just starting to write it down when Justin called her name. Hurriedly, she finished scribbling the song title and then took a sip of water before getting to her feet and walking over to the stage once again. After dropping a few bucks in the KJ's tip jar and handing him her next slip, Annie turned to grab the mic from the stand.

Her song started to play, and looking directly at Nate this time, she began to sing to him. Halfway through the song, he glanced down at his phone, which was lying on their table, and frowned as he picked it up. He listened for a moment, started to say something, then got up from the table and started to walk out of the bar. Annie finished up her song and then stepped down from the stage. She sat back down and waited for a few minutes, not wanting to disturb his phone call, which was apparently urgent.

After ten minutes had passed, she finally got up to go outside to check on him, but as she stepped outside the bar and looked around, she started to panic. He was nowhere to be seen. Annie checked the parking lot next door to see if he had possibly walked to his car to finish the phone call, but the lot was empty except for a few cars – none of them a _Honda Accord_. Puzzled, she took out her cell phone and called him, waiting as it rang once and then went straight to voicemail. _What the hell?_

Annie tried to calm herself, walking slowly back to the bar as she typed a furious text message to him.

**Annie:** _Um, what the fuck, Nate? Where did you go?_

Of course, there was no response. She stood outside for a few more minutes, bumming a much-needed cigarette from one of the guys standing outside the bar. Praying for patience and still wanting to think the best of him, Annie tried to think of a reasonable explanation for his disappearance. At first, she thought that maybe there was an emergency with one of the patients he sponsored and he had to go. But even in that scenario, she couldn't imagine that he would just leave her there without a word, not even sending her a text to explain his sudden departure.

Finally, she gave up and sent him one more text message.

**Annie:** _Really mature. Fuck me and then leave me here without a word. I hope to God you have a real emergency and aren't the world's biggest prick._

With a heavy heart, she turned to go back into the bar to pay her bill and say goodbye to her friends. Unsurprisingly, he had left her to pay the bill, though all he had ordered was a few _Cokes_. Still, in her overly sensitive state, she was feeling royally dicked over.

Ashley asked where her friend went, and Annie made up an excuse for him, saying he had a family emergency and had to leave. She wanted to slap her friend as she sat there nodding at her, with a knowing, sad look on her face. The evening had started on such a high note and had so rapidly plummeted to such a low point, that Annie was feeling emotional whiplash from the sudden turn of events.

As she left the bar and climbed into her car to drive home, she wiped a tear from her cheek and gritted her teeth, glaring stubbornly at her reflection in the rearview mirror. _I will not cry!_

Despite her determined resolve to not cry, she couldn't keep the tears back as she drove home. She was a blubbering mess by the time she pulled in front of her apartment building. Praying that she wouldn't run into anyone on her way through the courtyard, she hurried to unlock her front door and let herself in. She dropped her keys on the coffee table and kicked off her shoes, then headed straight for the bathroom to take a hot shower.

Annie felt dirty and used and wanted nothing more than to wash the memory of his touch off her skin. As she stood under the scalding hot water with her forehead leaning against the shower wall, she cried her heart out. Angrily, she pounded her fist against the wall. Why was she so stupid and gullible? Why did guys keep doing these shitty things to her?

She couldn't understand how he could act like such a total gentleman and say all the right things and then just fuck her and leave her there without a word. What kind of person did something like that? He had even waited another night before having sex with her, as she was pretty sure he knew he could have had her that first night when he was hanging out with her and Alex at her apartment. What was the point of waiting that extra night if he was just going to walk out on her afterwards?

But as the hot water continued to stream down over her body, she thought back to his emails where he had clearly been interested in public sexual encounters and she had to admit that he did find her in the _Casual Encounters_ section, even as he claimed to want to be true friends with benefits. To her, friends with benefits implied a continued trade of services between friends...not only one encounter.

In the end, it appeared that he had learned to say all the right things to get what he wanted and that was it...end of story. He obviously felt no obligation to give her a verbal excuse or explanation before just leaving her there.

If she kept thinking about it too much longer, her head was going to explode with all of the possibilities of why he had done what he had done and whether he was eventually going to explain himself or not. Exhausted, she finally turned the shower off and dried herself off before pulling on her bathrobe.

She collapsed on her bed, pulling the covers over her head. She tried to make herself relax and go to sleep, but she kept seeing him in her head. One moment, he was staring deeply into her eyes through their shared reflections on that bathroom mirror. The next, he was answering his cell phone, not even looking up at her as he stood and walked out of the bar.

Maybe he had a wife or girlfriend out of town and she had returned early, calling him to come home, so he had had no choice but to leave. It would just be her luck to be something like that. Maybe he had been disappointed in their bathroom encounter and didn't know a polite, decent way to tell her she was disgusting and he never wanted to touch her again. But he hadn't acted disgusted by her; he had acted like he was seriously turned on by her. So what was it? What had made him run?

The questions continued to run over and over through her mind until she finally gave up and went to the living room to get some weed, a lighter and a pipe out of her box. Packing a small bowl, she went back into the bedroom and climbed back into bed, sitting back against the headboard as she lit the edge of the weed and inhaled deeply, holding her breath for several seconds. Letting out a stream of smoke, she repeated the process twice more before she set the lighter and pipe down on her night stand and slid back down under the covers, snuggling deeper into her pillows.

Thankfully, exhaustion claimed her minutes later as she fell into a deep, but troubled sleep.

***

#

Waking up for work the next morning was rough, but she managed to go through the motions, barely making it into the shower before she started whimpering and tearing up again. Mentally, she shook herself and told herself to get a grip — the asshole wasn't worth her tears. She didn't bother drying her hair, slicking it back into a bun and slathering on some make-up so no one could tell she'd been crying most of the night.

She got to work early and headed straight to her desk, not stopping to talk to anyone on her way there. She didn't trust herself to not burst into tears if anyone from last night mentioned Nate to her. Determined to keep focused while at work, she stuck her _iPod_ earbuds in and listened to music all morning as she worked, at times stabbing at the keyboard like she was attacking it.

When lunch time rolled around, she headed straight outside to the parking lot where she unlocked and got into her car, rolling down the windows for some fresh air. Reluctantly, she looked at her cell phone, but there were no new messages waiting for her. She checked her email inbox, but there was nothing waiting for her except Groupon promotions and an ad for happy hour at her favorite Japanese BBQ restaurant.

Sighing and sniffling, she wiped her tears away and leaned back against the headrest, closing her eyes. Blindly, she felt down the side for the lever so she could lower her seat back.

"Hey, I don't mean to intrude or anything, but are you okay?"

Her eyes flew open as she sat forward, blinking and looking around for the source of the unwanted interruption. As her head swung to the left, she saw a vaguely familiar face staring down at her through her car window.

She almost groaned out loud as she realized that it was that guy...the one who had seen her dancing in her car seat after Gabe had asked her out on their first date. She had secretly dubbed him _Lips_ , since he had picked up her lip gloss and brought it back to her...plus he had really full, sexy lips. If she remembered correctly, she'd been kind of rude to him.

Grimacing, she shook her head at him. "Not that it's any of your business, but no, not really. I'm kind of having a really shitty day...well, year, really."

"Sorry to hear that," he said. "Well look, like you said, it's not any of my business, but I hate to see a pretty girl cry."

Narrowing her eyes, she glared at him. "Really? You stopped to ask how I'm doing so you could hit on me?"

He laughed and raised his free hand in protest, the other holding onto the strap of a black duffel bag. "Hey, not at all. You've got the wrong idea. You know, I was just looking out. I hate seeing any girl sad, really."

Feeling guilty for snapping his head off, she looked down at her hands and took a deep breath. "Sorry, I'm usually not this bitchy, I swear. And I usually don't take it out on other people."

"Wrong time, wrong place?"

"Something like that."

"Well, look. I've got rehearsal right now, and I'd better get going if I'm going to make it there on time, but how about grabbing a cup of coffee with me after you get off work? I'm a sensitive guy, and I listen really well. If you've got some shit you need to get off your chest, I'd be happy to listen and take some bashing in place of whomever you're currently pissed at. But you're buying the coffee."

Snorting, she looked at him skeptically. "So you'll listen to me rant and complain if I buy you coffee in exchange?"

He nodded seriously and looked at her expectantly.

"Well, somehow, I think I'm getting the better end of the bargain, but...okay. I guess I could use a guy's perspective, and it'd be nice to have someone unbiased to talk to."

"Cool. I usually get out of rehearsal around five-thirty or six. What time do you get off work?"

"Six."

"Alright, meet you at the Starbucks that's right between my dance studio and the movie theater?"

"You're a dancer?"

"Yeah," he grinned at her. "Not the exotic kind, though."

Annie couldn't stop the unwanted smile his response brought to her lips.

"Oh look, see? I just made you smile." He smirked as he shook his finger at her. "That's more like it. You should definitely smile more often."

Of course, that just brought the frown back to her face. "I smile all the time."

"Well, in the two times I've seen you, you were smiling once. So I guess that's fifty percent of the time. But I think everyone should smile much more than fifty percent of the time. The world would be a much happier place."

"You're probably right. Okay, Mr. Smiley Fred Astaire. I'll meet you at Starbucks a little after six."

"Haha, cool deal." He started to walk away and paused, swinging back around. "Wait, I just realized I don't even know your name, yet."

"Annie."

"Casey," he said, walking back to her car and reaching through the window to shake her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Casey."

"Likewise. Well, I'll see you later," he said, nodding at her before he walked away. She watched him walk out of the parking lot and around the corner before she mentally shook herself and got out of her car, thinking it should be a crime for guys that cute to be so charming.

The first time she'd seen him, she didn't really get a good look at him, but this time, she realized he was pretty tall, had a nice tan and very toned arms. Both times, he wore a backwards red baseball cap, so she still wasn't quite sure what his hair looked like.

When he'd come over to shake her hand, she'd noticed that he had amazing green eyes and didn't appear to have any piercings...that she could see anyway. He also smelled ridiculously good. Heaven help her.

When she looked at the clock and saw that it was six, Annie shut down her computer and gathered her things, stopping at her car to drop off her work bag. It was getting a little chilly, so she pulled on a sweater she found in her backseat, fished her wallet out of her bag and then locked the car door.

She walked up to Starbucks a few minutes later, immediately spotting Casey sitting at a table outside. He appeared to be texting someone as she walked up and pulled out the chair across from him. Glancing up and noticing her, he flashed an easy grin and slipped the phone into his pocket.

"You made it," he said, pushing a coffee cup towards her.

"What's this?"

"I took a chance and got you a White Chocolate Mocha with whipped cream. I know girls usually love that drink."

Annie just stared at him for a moment before speaking. "Um, thanks. It's my favorite."

He grinned and leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, I'm good like that."

"Interesting...but, I thought I was buying the coffee? You know, in exchange for listening to me vent?"

"You can get the coffee next time."

There was going to be a next time? She certainly hoped there would be. "Deal."

"So...you're here now. Tell me what's got you so down today."

Taking a deep breath, Annie sighed and took a sip of her coffee. "Mmm...that's good." Casey just sat there looking at her, waiting for her to start talking. "Ah, okay...where to start? Well, I guess it kind of goes all the way back to when I was dating this actor who had just moved out to L.A. I was like nineteen, and he took advantage of me, stayed with me rent free for several months. I was paying all the bills, and he was getting a free ride. He would turn me down every time I tried to like, you know, instigate sex — sorry if this is TMI."

Casey laughed. "Nah, keep going."

"Okay, so he would turn me down every time, and I didn't understand what the hell was going on. I was young, in great shape, thought I was pretty attractive. I couldn't understand why he never wanted to sleep with me. Anyhow, he finally was able to get his own place and I saw him even less.

"Eventually, I got frustrated, and one night at this New Year's party, I ended up bringing this guy home with me. One thing led to another, and yeah, you can guess what happened...and then Mark, the guy I was seeing, walks in on us. I felt like the worst person in the world — I never thought I would be a cheater.

"So Mark put me through the ringer, making me feel guilty and terrible for hurting him. Then I found out that he was talking on the phone to this other girl he knew every day when I would go to work, so he was actually cheating on me first the whole time!" Annie sighed, taking another drink of her coffee.

"Damn. That was a pretty dick move on his part."

"Yeah, you think? Anyway, so fast forward several years later, I've understandably got trust issues, and I tried to date here and there, but nothing ever lasted longer than maybe six months or so. Then I finally broke down and decided to try online dating. I've got a couple girlfriends who have met people that way, and one of them is in a serious relationship now, so I figured it couldn't hurt to try."

Casey chuckled and nodded at her. "Yeah, I've tried that a few times myself."

"Any success?"

"Heh, well, not really. But keep going with your story."

"Well, I wasn't really looking to spend a lot of money on this until I kind of tried it out, so I figured I'd just check out the Craigslist ads first and see if I had any luck with a free service."

"Ha! Craigslist, huh? How'd that go?"

"Not so great. I mean, I met a couple of guys and they both seemed great at first. I fell pretty hard for the first guy. He was totally my type and our first meeting was everything I could have wished for and more. We were totally inseparable for the first few weeks. He even flew me out to stay with him for the weekend at this gorgeous resort in Phoenix."

"Wow. Seriously?"

"Yep. It was amazing. He really pulled out all the stops. But after giving me like the most perfect weekend of my life, I get back to L.A., and he says we need to talk."

"Oh no! The dreaded final words."

"Ugh, I know, right? But I was really hoping that 'the talk' wasn't coming, even then."

"So what was his problem?"

"Pregnant ex-girlfriend."

"Oh shit." Casey winced.

"Yep."

"So what'd you do?"

Annie laughed. "The only thing I could do to retain any dignity I had left. I told him to leave."

"That's it? You didn't go crazy psycho on him and like throw some shit at his head or something?"

"Ha, no, but maybe I should have."

"Some girls I know would have, but I guess most of the girls I know are pretty crazy."

"He wasn't worth breaking anything over."

"There you go." Smiling, Annie finished the rest of her coffee, and Casey got up to throw their empty cups away in the trash. Walking back to the table, he offered her his hand. "Wanna get out of here and take a walk?"

"Sure," she agreed, letting him help her up. He grabbed his duffel bag and gestured for her to lead the way. They started a lazy stroll around the plaza, pausing as a group of teenagers almost plowed them over, racing each other to the movie theater. Annie actually tripped backwards as they pushed past her, sending her flying into a big potted plant. Laughing, Casey grabbed her hands, helping her stand back up. Embarrassed as she was, she laughed it off and silently cursed the rambunctious teenagers for making her look like a klutz in front of him.

Helping her dust off, he prompted her to continue their conversation. "So you've gotten your heart broken twice, and now you hate the world."

"Oh no, three times, actually. The latest was really my own damn fault, though. I met this guy in the _Casual Encounters_ section."

"Really?"

"I know. I know!" Annie was baffled at herself. She couldn't believe she was telling this guy everything with absolutely no filter. It was terrifying and kind of liberating at the same time. She was being one hundred percent, completely honest with a guy and he wasn't running for the hills...yet.

"What happened?"

"So we had some good email banter going on, and we were exchanging stories of some of the craziest sexual encounters we've had."

"This just keeps getting more and more interesting."

"You have no idea."

He chuckled. "Well, don't keep me in suspense. Keep going."

"So we both admitted to having a few somewhat public encounters, which we both thought was pretty hot."

"Nice."

"So I told him that one of my unfulfilled fantasies was to do it in a public restroom."

"Uh oh, is this going where I think this is going? Are you going to tell me you did it with him in a public restroom, and you got arrested?"

Annie snorted and shook her head, unable to keep herself from laughing. "Come on, this is serious," she complained.

"Sorry, sorry," he said, holding up his hands and smiling at her.

"Anyways, we ended up meeting for coffee, which was really nice. We were getting along really well, so then he asked me to go to Third Street Promenade with him."

"You did _not_ do it at Third Street."

"No," she said, dragging out the word. "Who's telling this story?"

"Sorry, I won't interrupt again. Promise."

"Ha, somehow I don't believe you. Anyhow, I'm almost done. So we walked around the Promenade, and he introduced me to my first gelato."

"That sounds really dirty somehow."

"I thought you weren't going to interrupt again?"

Casey looked at her blandly and didn't say another word, making her giggle before continuing on.

"To me, gelato is basically the same as ice cream. Only not as good."

"Oh thank God. I thought I was the only one."

"Right? It's just a fancy name! I mean, maybe it's different if you get it fresh in Italy, but here, I'm sure they've just Americanized the shit out of it anyway."

"True story."

"So we walked around the Promenade for a while, and then we went down to the pier and rode the Ferris Wheel."

"How romantic."

"But I'm scared of heights."

"How...tragic."

Laughing, Annie punched his arm and he winced in mock pain. "We both went home after that, but he texted me right after I got home and said he wanted to come over for dinner with me and my gay BFF who lives in the same apartment complex as me. So he came over, they hit it off, everything's going really well, I couldn't be happier, then he ended up going home right after Alex left. And he could have totally had me that night, but he kept saying that he wanted to be true friends with benefits and get to know me better first."

"Horseshit," Casey said as he coughed.

"Ha, yeah exactly. So the next night, I went out to karaoke with some friends from work to celebrate my friend's birthday, and I invited him along. He came to watch me, but he doesn't drink or do karaoke. I had like three double Kamikazes and was feeling pretty damn good. I sang my first song, he seemed impressed — the night appeared to be going very well. Then I had to use the bathroom. And after I was done, I went to leave, but he was standing there, so he came in and shut the door."

"Ohhh, you did it at the karaoke bar!" he crowed, making several people turn around to look at them.

"Shh!" Annie shushed him, slapping his arm hard.

"Ow, has anyone ever told you that you're kind of violent?"

"Ha, my friend Alex has, but I think you're both pussies."

"Hey now."

"I'm kidding, sort of, but could you please keep your voice down?" Annie pleaded.

"Sorry," he apologized, looking immediately contrite.

"Apology accepted. Anyhow, I'm almost done with my story. So yeah, we did it in the bathroom at the karaoke bar and someone knocked on the door just as he got his rocks off, but I was robbed of my orgasm. I can't believe I'm telling you all of this."

"My female friends say I'm easy to talk to," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah well...so, we straightened our clothes and left the bathroom. Thankfully, whoever was waiting for the bathroom gave up and left the hallway, so no one saw us come out of the bathroom together. We sat back down and I got called up to sing my next song, and while I was on stage, someone called his cell. So he answered the phone, and then all of a sudden, he stood up and walked out of the bar. I just thought he needed to go outside to talk on the patio, because it was pretty noisy inside."

"Karaoke bars usually are."

"Yeah, exactly. So I waited for about ten minutes after I finished my song, but he never came back inside. I went outside to look for him, but he was nowhere to be found."

"Seriously? He just ditched you and left you there?"

"Yep. He didn't say anything to me before he left, he didn't send me a text or call me later, nothing. I tried calling and texting him, but he didn't answer either."

"What a douche."

"You can say that again."

"What a _douche_!" he exclaimed, making people look at them again.

Groaning, Annie dipped her head in embarrassment. "I don't know you," she said as she quickly walked away from him, but he just followed her.

Casey reached over to playfully tickle her side as she tried to slap his hand away. "What? You said to say that again."

"I didn't mean literally, and I didn't mean for you to yell it."

Chuckling, he nodded. "I'm just helping you break out of your shell. You care too much about what people think of you."

"And you know this from spending a couple of hours with me?"

"I may not look like it, but I'm a perceptive kind of guy."

"Hmm. Well, anyhow, that was the end of my story. The guy fucked me and ditched me with no explanation, and that's why you saw me so upset in the parking lot at work today."

"I'm sorry."

As she glanced up at him and saw that he looked sincere, her attitude towards him began to thaw. "Guess I'm just learning my lesson the hard way."

"Well, you know what I think?"

"Do I want to know?"

Ignoring her comment, he went on. "Well, first of all, I think you need to stop meeting guys online."

"I might have to agree with you on that one."

"Second of all, don't ever sleep with a guy on the first date — you'll probably never see him again."

"I know...and with this last guy, it wasn't really our first date, it was more like our third date. I know I still shouldn't have slept with him that easily. But like I said, it was my fault — I did go looking in _Casual Encounters_."

"Oh yeah, that's right. Well, look, I hate to drink coffee and run, but I've actually got to meet up with some friends."

Annie's heart began to sink as he seemed to be making his excuses to get away from her as quickly as possible. "Oh sure, no problem," she stammered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep you so long."

"Hey, it was my idea. You looked like you needed a friend to talk to, and like I said, I hate seeing a pretty girl cry." He gave a lazy grin and winked at her, head slightly cocked back as he shook his head for emphasis. "Listen, do you want to do this again, maybe on Thursday? I've got another rehearsal that day."

Mildly surprised that he wanted to see her again, Annie hesitated a moment before answering. "Sure, that'd be cool. Meet for coffee again, same time?"

"Works for me."

***

#

Daydreaming could be dangerous if you let yourself fall too deeply into it. You could easily spend an hour pondering something before you realize it. To her dismay, Annie was caught staring into space at work, doing just exactly that.

It was a little before noon when Grace, the legal assistant to the firm's managing partner, came by to ask about one of her monthly reports. It was a simple request and only took her a few minutes. Mr. Grant wanted ten copies of the most current attorney caseload sorted by clients, and all she had to do was hit the sort button in her Excel spreadsheet and print, but the fact that Grace had caught her staring into space instead of working made her a little nervous. Having someone stand over your shoulder while you're trying to do something you normally do quickly could make you feel so nervous and look like a fumbling idiot.

Everyone at the firm knew that Mr. Grant listened to everything Grace advised him to do. It was an unspoken, but fairly well-known fact among the female employees that the two of them were having an affair, even as Mr. Grant was married to someone else. Annie just hoped Grace wouldn't be reporting back to him that she was slacking when she should have been working.

When she was alone again, Annie breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at the clock. It was almost lunch time, so she decided to text Alex to see if he wanted to meet her for lunch. He worked in Culver City, so they sometimes met for lunch since her office was only a short ways away in Westchester.

Alex responded right away, asking if she felt like sushi.

**Annie:** _When don't I feel like sushi? Kabuki?_

**Alex:** _Where else? See you there in twenty._

**Annie:** _Cool, see you soon._

Kabuki was crowded with the lunch hour rush. The hostess told them they'd be able to sit down right away if they ate at the bar, so they decided to forego waiting for a table. After they had placed their orders, Alex nudged her.

"So girlfriend, start talking. I haven't seen or spoken to you since Sunday night. What's going on with Nate? Did you already hit that? Did he have a tiny dick and you kicked him to the curb?"

"I would be happy if I never saw that guy again."

"Whoa, what happened? He seemed really nice."

"I don't know if he's a really good actor or if something horrible happened, but I am having a hard time coming up with an explanation that will excuse what he did."

"What did he do?"

Annie sighed. "Okay, so you saw him on Sunday. We were all hanging out having a good time, and then you took off. So then I was totally sure we were going to fuck, but he said he had to work early in the morning and left like right after you."

"What's wrong with him?"

"Yeah, I thought it was kind of weird, too, but he said he wanted to get to know me and be real friends, but with benefits. Anyway, so then he called me the next night after I got home from work, and I told him I was going to karaoke for Ashley's birthday and asked him if he wanted to come. So he came, and we were having a great time."

"What did you sing?"

" _Because the Night_."

"Nice. And?"

Grinning, Annie puffed her chest out a bit. "I rocked the mic, of course, and he liked it. Then I went to the bathroom and when I was coming out, he was standing there. So he pushed me back into the bathroom, locked the door, and we did it right there in the bathroom. It was so freaking hot, and we could have been caught at any moment. And actually, someone did knock on the door after a few minutes, but when we opened the door, no one was in the hallway."

"Wow, totally hot. So you liked it?"

"Well, yeah, it was exciting in the moment. But when I went up to sing my next song, he got a phone call and went outside to talk. I went to look for him after waiting for like ten or fifteen minutes, but he was gone."

Alex's mouth dropped open. "Like gone, gone?"

"Yeah, like gone, gone. I checked the main lot and the one next door, but his car was nowhere in sight."

"What the hell?"

"I know, right? I couldn't freaking believe he'd do something like that. So I went home and took a shower and cried, and I've felt like shit since then. I tried calling, but he didn't answer. I tried texting, but he didn't respond. It would be nice to have some kind of explanation. I just feel like the biggest fool."

"Honey, he fooled me, too. Don't feel too bad. What an asshole, though." He leaned over and gave her a side squeeze.

Annie hugged him back and sighed as she nodded. "He totally is. Like, who does that?" Their waitress interrupted them just then, setting down their orders of sushi. They busied themselves with pouring soy sauce into their little dishes and mixing in some wasabi before starting to eat their rolls, sharing a few pieces with each other. After she'd eaten a few bites, Annie continued their conversation. "Anyhow, there's more to the story, but it actually doesn't really have to do with him."

"Oh?"

"I was totally bumming about Nate while I was at work yesterday, so I went out to my car at lunch time and checked to see if he had emailed me and nothing. I was all teary and upset thinking about it when this gorgeous guy who I'd seen in the parking lot once before stopped to ask me if I'm okay."

"Oh God."

"I know. At first, I was humiliated to be caught crying over stupid Nate, and then I was angry for him intruding."

"Well, it was kind of sweet."

Nodding, Annie rolled her eyes. "I know, it was completely sweet, and I was such a bitch to him at first, but he was just trying to be like a good Samaritan or something. Anyway, he asked me if I wanted to get coffee with him after he got out of dance rehearsal."

Alex grinned. "Ooh, he's a dancer?"

"Yep...I have to wonder what he's like in a club. Totally hot, I'm sure. He definitely seemed like the type who'd have some moves."

"Well, are you going to find out?"

"I don't know. My head is pretty messed up after what happened with Nate, and I don't even know if Casey is looking for anything like that with me. I think he's just being a nice guy, and besides, I don't even know if he's single."

"So what did you guys talk about at coffee?"

"Oh my God, Alex. I don't know what happened, but it's like I had word vomit or something. For like the first time ever, I wasn't afraid of just being one hundred percent completely and totally honest with a guy. I told him about Mark, and I told him about the Craigslist ads and meeting Gabe and Nate. I gave him details!"

"Well, you'll never see him again."

"No, that's what I thought, too, but he wants to hang out again after work tomorrow. He has another dance rehearsal."

"Mmm, get it, girl."

Laughing, Annie shook her head. "I don't know. I think I just kind of want to take things slow and try being friends with him. Besides, he is _so_ fine, and he totally reminds of me Channing Tatum, so I don't want to get my hopes up. It would hurt too bad to be disappointed by him."

" _Magic Mike_ , huh?"

"Haha, no, he said he isn't an exotic dancer."

"Stripper."

Annie laughed again and shoved at Alex's arm playfully. "Shut up, he's not a stripper."

"Sure, he's not. So, coffee tomorrow night, huh?"

"Yeah, just coffee and more talking. Maybe he'll tell me he has a psycho girlfriend he's trying to get rid of."

"Way to think on the positive side, honey."

"You know me."

"Well, just be careful with your heart, baby girl, no matter what. I worry about you." He leaned his head on her shoulder and sighed. "I don't like seeing you hurt."

"I could say the same about you. What's up with your love life?"

"Nada, and I think I kind of like it that way for now."

"Well, let me know if you want me to hook you up sometime. I'm sure Casey knows someone." She giggled at the thought. "Hope you like a guy in tights."

"Who doesn't? So if not exotic, what kind of dancing does Casey/Channing do?"

"You know, he didn't say. I'll have to ask him that tomorrow night."

"You do that. Well, girl, it's been fun, and I wish I didn't have to jet so soon, but I've got to get back to work before my boss discovers I took a longer lunch than usual."

"That bitch is such a slave driver."

"You're telling me."

"Why don't you quit?"

"Because she pays me too much."

Laughing, Annie shook her head. "So it's self-inflicted torture."

"The best kind. See you later." He set down some cash for his half of the bill and blew a kiss before he sashayed out of the restaurant. Now she only had to get through four more hours of work before she could go home and lose herself in reality TV shows and Chinese take-out.

After work, Annie stopped by her favorite salon and told Janai, her stylist, she wanted to chop off her hair into a bob. She was trying to make a fresh start in her love life, and she wanted a new haircut to go with it. Holding her breath, she squeezed her eyes shut as Janai cut off several inches of her hair. It felt weird, yet oddly uplifting to have her hair become lighter and lighter as pieces of it fell to the ground around her.

When the job was done, Annie looked at herself in the mirror and couldn't help but smile. Janai had made her look amazing as usual, and she barely recognized the beaming face in the mirror. Thanking her talented stylist, she handed her a tip and then wrapped Janai in a big hug.

"This is exactly what I needed," she said, half to Janai and half to herself.

The next night when Annie got off work, she stopped in the ladies' room to freshen up her make-up and switched from comfortable flip flops to high-heeled sandals. Even though she wasn't sure what Casey's intentions were, she couldn't help herself from trying to look good. She figured anything from yesterday had to be an improvement.

As she approached the dance studio on her way to meet up with Casey, she saw him standing just outside the doors talking to a very attractive petite blonde with an amazing smile, perky rack and killer legs. The blonde was leaning towards him with her hand on his shoulder, laughing at something he had just said. To Annie's dismay, he was laughing with the girl and not making any attempt to disengage himself from her touch.

"Ahh, hi there," Annie said as she came to a stop in front of them.

"Hey, there you are." He turned to the blonde who had immediately started glaring daggers at her when she interrupted them and excused himself. "Kelsey, I'll catch up with you later, k? See ya." Turning away from her, he smiled at Annie and gestured towards Starbucks. "After you."

Unable to help herself, Annie smiled smugly at Kelsey who glowered at her even more, then turned to start walking towards the coffee shop.

"Wow, you cut your hair!" he exclaimed as fell into step with her.

"Oh, yeah...do you like it?" she asked nervously, self-consciously patting the side of her head.

"Yeah, it looks good on you. What made you decide to cut it?"

"I don't know...I just felt like I needed a fresh start and it was kind of a symbolic first step for me."

"Cool, I get that. Well, good for you, it looks really great."

"Thank you," she said, smiling shyly at him. "You know, I don't even know what your hair looks like. You're always wearing that hat every time I see you," she said with a smirk, pointing a finger up at his head.

He laughed and pulled the cap from his head, running his fingers across a buzz cut. "Not much to see," he said. "I usually keep it pretty short...just buzzed it again this week."

"It looks like it's blond," she said, raising an eyebrow.

Putting his cap back on, he nodded. "Yeah, 'Dishwater blond', as my mom always says, but that doesn't sound too sexy to the girls."

"Well, you make 'Dishwater blond' sexy." Annie tried in vain not to blush as she busied herself with opening the door to Starbucks.

Casey raised an eyebrow at her as she gestured towards the door, indicating he should go inside ahead of her. "Thanks," he said as he walked into the coffee shop.

After they ordered their coffee and a snack, Casey nodded towards the door. "You wanna walk again?"

"Sure." They walked around the plaza in companionable silence, sipping their coffee and munching on a slice of banana nut bread and a lemon bar, which they split and shared with each other. "So you haven't told me what kind of dance it is you do, other than confirming that you're not a stripper."

"Exotic dancer, and no, I'm not and never have been. Although I hear the money can be pretty good, and I've had an offer or two along the road."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but they couldn't afford me."

Annie snorted and shook her head. "Not arrogant at all, are we?'

"I'm not arrogant. I would just charge more to take off my clothes than any strip club would be willing to pay me. Now if the offer came from a music video director, that's different. And that's enough money to make me take as many clothes off as they want."

"You dance in music videos?"

"And in concerts as a back-up dancer."

"Wow, that's so cool!"

"It can be, but it's a lot of work, too, and you have to stay in shape. It doesn't really leave a lot of time for socializing."

"So I should feel special that you've had coffee with me twice now?"

"Very special." He grinned and winked at her.

"Are you what they call professional? Like do you make your living from dancing?"

"Yep, for about two years now."

"That's crazy. Well, good for you. I've always wanted to perform, but I've never had the guts to seriously pursue anything."

"Oh yeah? You dance?"

Annie shook her head. "I've never had lessons, I just like to dance at the club. But I love to sing...that's what I would do if I could have any career I wanted."

"Well then you should do it."

"You make it sound so easy."

"Nothing worth having ever comes easy."

"That sounds like a quote."

"I think it is, but I don't know who it's by."

"Well, it's a good one," she said, nodding.

"You're the only thing standing between you and your dreams."

"That sounds like another quote. What are you, a fortune cookie tonight?"

Laughing, Casey shook his head. "Look, I hate to cut the night short again, but I have an early flight out tomorrow morning to join a concert tour."

"Oh...well, that's cool. How long does it last?"

"Well the tour itself lasts a few months, but I'm just filling in for a dancer who was injured and won't be able to perform for a few weeks. Then once he's back, I'm coming back home to L.A."

"Wow, well, um...thanks for the coffee again. Are you ever going to let me pay?"

"Probably not. Hey, let me get your number."

Annie's heart stopped for a moment. Was he really asking for her number?

"You do have one?" he asked, gesturing at her with his cell phone.

"Uhh yeah." She grabbed his phone and created a new contact, entering her number in it. On impulse, she quickly took a picture of herself as he laughed, and then she saved it to her profile so that it would come up on his caller ID anytime she called or texted him. "There," she said, handing his phone back to him.

"Cool, thanks." He pressed the call button on his phone, and her phone buzzed in her purse. Pulling it out, she glanced at it as he hung up. "There, now you have my number, too. Oh, and here," he said as he took her phone out of her hand and snapped a picture of himself smirking before handing it back to her.

"Thanks." As she slipped her phone back into her purse, she knew she'd be staring at his picture on her phone non-stop until she was able to see him again.

"Maybe you should call me while I'm on tour."

"Um, sure. When would be a good time?"

"You can try me any time after nine at night, your time. If I don't answer, leave me a message and I'll call you back when I get a chance."

"Okay."

Casey reached out and gave her a tight hug and then a quick kiss on the cheek, completely surprising her and catching her off-guard. Great...she was done for...he was like the world's best hugger. "I'd like to see more of you when I get back into town. What do you think about that?"

"Okay," she said again, her entire vocabulary seeming to have deserted her in her moment of need.

"Okay, cool," he said, grinning at her. "So when I get back, I was hoping I could maybe take you out dancing."

Thrilled to her toes, Annie finally shook herself out of her stupor and found her voice again. "Yeah, Mr. Professional Dancer. It'd be cool to see you in action, but isn't that like, taking work home with you or something?"

"Nah, I can never get enough dancing."

"Really? That's cool. Maybe you'll be able to keep up with me then. Whenever I leave a club, I'm never tired – I could keep dancing forever until my feet fall off."

"I know the feeling." Shuffling his feet, he adjusted the bag on his shoulder and cleared his throat. "Cool, so it's like...so then, it's a date?" He was practically stuttering as he tripped over his words, all of a sudden seeming really shy and awkward.

She couldn't believe her ears. Guys this hot and sweet just did not randomly run into her and want to get to know her better and then ask her out on dates. "Um, sure."

Relieved, he smiled almost shyly and then seemed to be gearing himself up to do the next thing that happened. Dropping his duffel bag, he took a step towards her and raised his hand to her mouth, tracing her bottom lip with his finger. Staring at her lips for a long moment, he finally dipped his head and kissed her. It was a brief, but sweet kiss, and then he was stepping back and picking up his duffel bag again.

"Sorry, I had to do that...been wanting to ever since I handed your lip gloss back to you."

Gaping at him, Annie found herself at a loss for words once again.

After she said goodbye to Casey, Annie walked back to her car in a daze, trying to make sense of what just happened. With all the bad luck she'd been having with men lately, it seemed weird to have someone genuinely showing real interest in her and not immediately trying to get into her pants. Maybe it was a good thing he was going to be out of town for the next few weeks. It would give them a chance to talk more and get to know each other, and she was really looking forward to that.

As she was getting ready to pull onto the freeway and head home, her phone buzzed with a text message. Smiling, she glanced at it, half expecting and half hoping to see a text from Casey, but it wasn't from him. It was from Nate.

**Nate:** _Annie, I need to talk to you. I'm so sorry, and I want to explain everything if you'll listen to me. I can't excuse what I did, but I did have a very good reason for it, and I miss you and want to see you and tell you everything. Please say you'll hear me out._

What the hell? Annie was shocked. At this point, she hadn't expected to hear from Nate again, even though that was all she'd wanted over the past few days. What did it mean, and did she want to hear it? What about Casey? She liked him...like really, _really_ liked him. But she had really liked Nate, too, and that night at karaoke had been great until he had walked out — so had the night hanging out with Alex at home, and so had been hanging out at the Promenade and pier in Santa Monica.

Torn and confused, she drove home as she mulled it over. What kind of explanation could Nate possibly offer to completely excuse his actions and following silence? What would happen with Casey if she agreed to see Nate again and he found out? Would he not want to see her again because she was such a gullible idiot? What if she told Nate she wouldn't see him and then she never heard from Casey again?

With so many questions running through her mind, Annie knew she had a lot of thinking to do before she made any decisions. She just hoped that in the end, whatever she chose to do was the right decision.

Don't miss the sequel to

_LOVE IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES_ ,

coming out in Fall 2013!

ALL THE RIGHT THINGS

Turn to the back for an excerpt of

WHERE I NEED TO BE

by Kimberly Knight

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First, my heartfelt thanks to Kimberly Knight for inspiring me to start this journey. You motivated me to make my own dream come true and I can never thank you enough for that. Thank you for all the advice, support and encouragement you gave me and for the many hours you spent pimping me out and helping me make my book the best it could be.

Special thanks to my beta readers: Kimberly Knight, Perri Forrest, Kristy Louise, Sarah Bonner, Belkis Williams, Monica L. Holloway and Caylie McQuaid, who gave freely of their time to help me fine-tune my book. I also owe my heartfelt gratitude to all of the totally awesome, super fantastic ladies who participated in my blog tour and helped me promote _Love in All the Wrong Places_.

To all my Facebook friends who have supported and encouraged me along the way, thank you for cheering me on late at night when I reached a new word count, answering my random questions like, "Do I need to italicize this?", and for always making me smile and laugh when I need it most.

Special props and appreciation to you other amazing indie authors who I have just discovered in the past several months.

You all inspire me with your talent, drive, determination and sense of community, helping to promote and encourage other indie authors.

***

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Audrey Harte was born and raised on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii until she and her family moved to Nebraska, where she attended junior high, high school and college. During her time in the Midwest, she pursued her love of the arts, acting and singing in several local theater productions as well as writing poems, plays and musicals in her spare time.

In 1998, she moved to Los Angeles, California, where she now lives. Her main interests are reading (primarily romance, erotica and fantasy, although she has been known to read the occasional thriller), writing (obviously), karaoke (which she used to do much more regularly), finger crocheting blankets and hangers for friends and family (she doesn't use a hook), watching her favorite TV shows (she watches way too many) and hanging out with friends going walking, hiking and kayaking. She is a serious reality TV show addict. Really, she may need an intervention at some point. Before writing started consuming all of her time, she used to play _World of Warcraft_ with Kimberly Knight and various free-to-play Facebook games.

Connect with Audrey:

http://audreyharte.com

<http://www.facebook.com/authoraudreyharte>

<http://authoraudreyharte.blogspot.com/>

<http://twitter.com/audrey_harte>

<http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6869140.Audrey_Harte>

***

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***

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When life hands you lemons, they say to make lemonade. Well, life just handed me a whole lemon tree. Three weeks ago, I felt like nothing in my life could go wrong. I was in Hawaii with my best friend, Ryan Kennedy, her boyfriend, Max, and who I had thought to be the love of my life, Travis.

Travis and I met almost two years before at a New Year's Eve party that Ryan invited me to. Her boyfriend had just made partner at his law firm and threw a huge party at his house to celebrate his promotion and ring in the New Year.

Travis was an attorney at the firm as well and I would like to say it was love at first sight, but looking back, it was never love. I was instantly attracted to Travis but it had taken us a few dates to actually click. He had short brown hair, green eyes and a sweet, innocent, charming side to him. The side that opened doors for you, pulled out your chair and even cooked and cleaned up after himself. I thought I had met the one. _Wrong_.

"Alright, Spencer Marshall, it is time to get your _ass_ off the couch and start acting like you have a life again," Ryan said as she came storming into our house stomping on the hardwood floors with her heels. She stopped walking when she reached the couch I was sitting on––the couch which was starting to grow accustomed to my daily and nightly ritual and had formed the perfect indention of my butt. "You have been moping around here for two weeks and I am no longer going to let my best friend waste her life away over a guy."

"Go away!" I shouted at her as I stuffed my face with a spoonful of mint chocolate chip ice cream. "I'm fine." Ryan was right though, I needed to stop moping. My mom always told me that no man was worth my tears. But in all honesty, after dating someone for almost two years, aren't you allowed a few tears and some depression after you walk into his office and find him banging his secretary on his desk? I had just wanted to surprise him and take him to lunch. Didn't realize he had a surprise for me, too.

"Tomorrow night I'm going to scope out that new gym Club 24 that opened near my office. My boss is writing a story about it and asked me to use the free two-week membership pass we got to do some research and get the low-down so she can use it in her article for the website."

I worked as an Executive Assistant to the CEO of a start-up internet company based out of San Francisco called _Better Keep Jogging Baby_ or better known by our website, www.bkjb.com. Our company was dedicated to providing fitness and nutrition information to the world.

"Spencer, you better or I will kick your ass when you get home and drag you to the gym with me on Tuesday morning." Ryan and I met our freshman year of college at UC Santa Cruz nine years ago when we were eighteen. Over the years I'd learned that her threats were really promises. She was _not_ kidding.

"Alright, alright, I'll go pack my gym bag...after I finish this bowl of ice cream." Ryan rolled her eyes at me and I stuck my tongue out at her. I appreciated her support and enthusiasm, but I had never been a morning person and I wasn't about to start now.

My Monday workday dragged on and on, and all I wanted to do was go home, get in my PJs, and watch _The Voice_. When five o'clock rolled around, I honestly had half a mind to bypass the gym and do exactly that. But I remembered Ryan's threat, and I sure as shit didn't want her waking me up at 5:00 a.m. to go to the gym before work. Regardless, it was part of my job, and at least my boss had promised me extra vacation hours for doing this for her.

_Alright, time to get this shit over with._ Club 24 was an up and coming chain and I needed a new gym anyway. I used to go to the gym with my ex, Travis, or as Ryan liked to call him now, Trav _Ass_. I really hoped that I would never have to see him again, so thankfully this gym opened a little over a month ago and was close to work and home.

The gym was packed with the usual after-work crowd, but there were two treadmills open next to each other. Claiming one of them for myself, I popped in my _iPod_ ear buds and started to walk briskly for my warm-up. Listening to music while running always seemed to clear my head and right now I needed nothing but to let my mind go numb.

After running for five minutes, I thought I was going to pass out. I envisioned myself rolling off the treadmill like I had seen a few times on _The Biggest Loser_. That was all I needed with this packed gym. I slowed the treadmill back down to walk for a few minutes to catch my breath. Shortly after that, I noticed that someone had stepped onto the treadmill next to me.

I glanced to my right and that's when I noticed _him_ for the first time. Trying not to get caught staring, I eyed him with my peripheral vision. Always a plus to have eye candy when you're doing something you really don't want to do. He was about six feet tall, appeared to be around my age of twenty-seven, had chestnut brown hair that was just long enough to have a messy spiky look, and broad shoulders... and oh wow — a smile that made my heart stop.

Of course, I was caught staring. _Shit_.

I reached for my phone and quickly texted Ryan.

**Me:** _OMFG, I have my very own Gideon Cross at the gym. Hot guy running on the treadmill next to me! :)_

**Ryan:** _Jealous! Don't tell Max, LOL...I want all the details TONIGHT._

When I looked into the mirror in front of me, I noticed that my face was bright red. It was either from being exhausted on the treadmill or from being caught checking him out — probably a mixture of the two. After a few minutes of walking, I thought to myself, _Alright, you can't let this guy think you're that out of shape_. I sped back up to what I considered an energetic pace and started jogging again.

It had been at least a month since I had been to the gym. Before I discovered Trav _Ass_ having a nooner with his secretary, Misty, we were in Hawaii. _What a sad cliché, right?_ Little did I know that when Travis said he was getting texts from work, he really meant texts from Misty about what she couldn't wait to do to him when he was back home.

After another twenty minutes of jogging — and a few covert glances to my right — I couldn't take anymore. I stopped the treadmill and wiped it down. While backing off the treadmill, I peeked at _his_ ass. _What a perfect ass_ ...Yep, my endorphins were flowing now. Taking a few steps towards the locker room, I glanced over my right shoulder to find him staring at me. _Holy shit_. Our eyes met and he gave me that heart-stopping smile he flashed when he first got on the treadmill. More a smirk than a smile, it still made my heart skip a beat.

Ryan was waiting for me when I walked into our house. "I ordered Chinese. It'll be here in ten. Go shower and then we can veg and you can tell me all about this _hottie_."

"There isn't really much to tell."

"Anything is better than nothing. I have been with Max for three years. I need to live the single life vicariously through you now."

"Gee thanks," I said, and we both giggled.

After getting out of the shower, I smelled the aroma of the Chinese takeout Ryan had ordered. _Great, I just went to the gym and now I'm going to have a 3000 calorie meal._

"What's on the menu tonight?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen and started opening the Chinese take-out boxes on the breakfast bar. Ryan's parents owned the house and rented it to us. They'd remodeled it for us as a graduation present and the kitchen was one of our favorite rooms. It was spacious and modern with stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops, but its white oak cabinets also gave it a homey feel.

"Only our favorites––Kung Pao Chicken, Broccoli Beef, Fried Rice and Cream Cheese Wontons."

_Yep, that was an easy 3000 calories each._ I gave an inward sigh.

"Alright, spill," Ryan demanded as she forked a piece of broccoli and bit into it with a crunch.

I paused to dip a Cream Cheese Wonton in sweet and sour sauce before stuffing it in my mouth. Savoring the creamy filling with a bit of tangy sweetness, I licked my fingers and sighed in contentment. "Like I said, there isn't much to say. I went to the gym and there was a total hottie running on the treadmill next to me."

"Well, what did he look like?"

I reached into the cabinet and grabbed a couple of wine glasses for us. Retrieving a bottle of chilled _Moscato_ from the wine fridge, I poured a glass for each of us. I handed one to Ryan and we went to the living room and sat down on the floor by the coffee table. "Well, I'd say he's about six foot, around our age, with kind of short light brown hair...you know, just how I like them, and a smile...man, that smile makes me melt. I couldn't stare long enough to get a good look though. I just hope he is there again tomorrow."

Ryan continued to quiz me, but as I had told her repeatedly, I had been at the gym for less than an hour and hadn't even spoken to him. I had just snuck a few glances here and there. Well, hoped I snuck a few glances; I did get caught a few times.

After polishing off all of the food and watching a two hour episode of _The Voice_ , I was beat. "Alright, I'm going to call it a night. I'll see you tomorrow when I get home from the gym," I said as I walked into the kitchen and put our dishes in the dishwasher.

"Wait, we forgot about our fortunes," Ryan said, tossing a fortune cookie to me.

Not only did we sometimes play the lotto numbers on the fortunes, but it was also tradition to add "in bed" at the end and giggle like little girls. "Oh right. What does yours say?" I asked as I cracked mine open.

"Courtesy is contagious... in bed."

"I bet Max would like that fortune for you," I said, laughing at her.

"I bet he would, too," she said, laughing as well. "What does yours say?"

"Be prepared to receive something special...in bed."

Ryan snatched the fortune out of my hand. "I bet that hottie at the gym has something to do with this!"

"Yeah right, I'm sure I will never see him again or get up the courage to talk to him."

"Uh huh. If you don't talk to him by the end of the week, I'm going down there."

Knowing Ryan and her threats, I hoped something did happen before she took control. It was also more motivation to get my ass to the gym. I had already decided that tomorrow I was going to go back and try the free kickboxing class they offered twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Tuesday and Wednesday, I didn't see _him_ when I went to the gym. I was starting to think that I never would get to see him again. But then I walked into the kickboxing class on Thursday night and there he was in the second row. I almost tripped over my own feet when I noticed him.

I was running a little late, so I stayed in the back of the class. Good thing, because it gave me the opportunity to stare at that perfect ass. About halfway through the class, the teacher told us to partner up so we could work on our abs by doing crunches.

I glanced up from beneath my lashes and he was looking at me with that smile I remembered from Monday. But he didn't make a move toward me and I didn't move toward him, though I badly wanted the guts to say something. Then the woman next to me offered to be my partner and I lost my chance.

While I was holding her legs, I glanced over and he was looking at me again. At least I thought he was. I casually glanced around to see who else he might be looking at, but the only other person it could have been was one of the guys who had partnered up on my right. Great––it'd be just my luck if he was gay.

After the class ended, I headed to the locker room. Just as I was about to enter, I heard a man's voice say "excuse me". My heart stopped. But when I turned around, it was only one of the guys who had been on my right side during crunches. "I think you forgot your towel." Disappointed that it wasn't my hottie who had stopped me, I thanked him as he handed my towel to me and then hurried into the locker room to change and head home.

Friday night I headed straight home after work. It had been a long day and all I wanted was to take a long bath, heat up a Lean Cuisine and watch a chick flick.

I was halfway through _Serendipity_ when Ryan stormed through the front door. She and Max always made Friday night "date night" and normally, she would spend the entire weekend at Max's place. "Hey, what are you doing home?" When I looked at her more closely and noticed that she had been crying, I quickly jumped up to give her a hug. "Oh my God, Ryan! What's wrong?"

Ryan accepted my hug and then took a minute to collect herself. Sitting down with me on the couch, she hugged her knees to her chest and tried her best to talk through her tears, her breath hitching every few words.

"Max and I went out to dinner and we started talking about getting married eventually – you know I've been hinting at a ring for months now. And then we were talking about what kind of house we'd buy together and how many rooms we'd need, and I said we'd need at least four bedrooms. Then he asked why we would need four bedrooms, because it's not like we were going to have kids or anything." Ryan had always pictured a life of living in the suburbs with a white picket fence, a loving husband, a dog and at least two kids. "And I said, 'What do you mean we're not having kids?' And he said that he works sixty-hour weeks and there was no way in hell he has time for babies. He just wants to spend his spare time with me and he'd rather be relaxing in Cabo than changing dirty diapers."

"I thought you and Max already talked about this and that he'd told you that he did want kids," I said, rubbing her back lightly to comfort her. "But hold that thought for just a sec. I'm grabbing some mint chocolate chip ice cream." I jumped up to grab the carton from the freezer and a spoon for each of us. We always kept the fridge stocked just in case we had a stressful day and this was always our go-to ritual for moments of crisis like this.

Ryan shoved a big bite of ice cream in her mouth before replying. "Well, apparently he changed his mind. Or he was just saying that to get me into bed. I don't know. But he said that he can't ever see himself being tied down with 'rugrats'."

"I'm so sorry, Ry. I know how much you really want kids. Maybe he will come around in time?"

"Fuck that, Spence, I broke up with him," she said angrily.

"You did what?" My mouth dropped open in shock.

"Why should I waste any more time on someone who doesn't want what I want?"

She was right, but she had just broken up with him, what, thirty minutes ago? And I knew she was madly in love with him, so no way had she given this decision enough thought.

"Don't you think that was maybe a little hasty? I mean, I know how much you love him and maybe he just needs a little time to get used to the idea that it's a deal breaker for you if he doesn't want to have kids. Give him a chance to change his mind or think about it more seriously. Maybe you could have tried going to counseling together?"

Ryan still looked furious, but then her shoulders slumped and she bit her lip uncertainly. "I don't know, Spence. Do you really think I fucked up by breaking up with him?"

I took another bite of ice cream and sighed. "I just know how good you guys are together and I think you could have put more effort into trying to work it out first."

"Maybe, but I was just so mad. It felt like he's just been lying to me all this time." Fresh tears burst into her eyes and she tossed her spoon on the coffee table.

Putting the ice cream down, I hugged her tightly again and pulled her up off the couch to march her to the bathroom. "What you need is a long, hot shower and then off to bed with you. You'll think more rationally and feel better in the morning after a good night's rest."

"Like I could sleep," she muttered, but she turned the shower on.

"Well, you know I am here for you if you need me," I said, and then closed the bathroom door.

A little while later after Ryan got out of the shower, I heard her go into her room. After my movie was over, I headed to my room. But first I stopped at Ryan's door, wanting to check on her. As I leaned my ear close to the door and heard her crying, my heart ached for her. Ryan had always been tough, but even tough people needed hugs. I wanted to go comfort her, but decided that I would let her have some alone time while she processed everything. In the morning, I would start my best friend therapy for her. I prayed to myself that they would eventually be able to talk things through and get back together because they were perfect for each other.

The next morning, I woke up early so I could cook us breakfast and make Ryan's favorite: chocolate chip pancakes and bacon. Just as the bacon was almost done, Ryan walked into the kitchen looking extremely depressed with puffy eyes from crying all night.

"Sit, I am making your favorites," I said to her as soon as she entered the kitchen.

"I'm not hungry."

"Too bad, I got up _early_ just to make you a special breakfast."

"Fine, you know I can't pass up bacon."

"That's my girl." Setting her plate on the breakfast bar I said, "You know what? No more of us moping around thinking of the men in our life. Let's go to Vegas on Friday and enjoy a girl's trip!"

"Oh my God, Spence, let's do it!"

Ryan was always up for Vegas. I knew I didn't need to ask her twice. It was just the thing — we both needed a mini-vacation to process everything that had happened the last month with both of us. If Ryan still wanted Max back when we got home from Vegas, operation "Get Max Back" would be in full force.

***

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The next week flew by. At the gym, I saw my hottie a few times, but he just smiled at me like he did every time he saw me. Maybe he was just being polite. I had already given up any hope that he would ask me out and I was way too chicken to say anything to him. Call me old fashioned, but the guy should make the first move. Besides, I'd given him plenty of flirtatious smiles to let him know I was interested and Ryan already forgot her threat because of the whole Max ordeal.

On Friday after work, Ryan and I headed to the airport. "I can't wait — long drunken nights followed by tanning by the pool during the day. This is going to be a blast," I said to Ryan.

"I know. What do you want to do first?"

"I don't know... let's see what clubs we can get into tonight with those free passes they give out on the Strip."

Ryan and I were no Vegas virgins. With it being only an hour and a half flight from SFO, we usually went to Vegas at least once or twice a year, or maybe more.

Just as Ryan and I approached our gate, I noticed him. My left arm and hand had a mind of their own as they launched out and grabbed Ryan's right arm. "Ow! What the hell, Spence?"

"Holy shit! The guy from the gym is sitting over there."

"Shut up! Oh my God, are you serious? Where? Which one?" Her head swung around to look for him.

"Dude, don't make it so obvious." I pinched her arm to make her stop looking. "Look casually...by the window between the guy and girl," I said while nudging my head in their direction. Of course, at that moment he decided to look up and caught me staring at him again. Without skipping a beat, he flashed me that heart-stopping smile. I felt like my legs were going to give out on me at any moment.

" _Damn_!" she said, dragging out the word. "He is _hot_ , Spence. And I think he's going to Vegas, too."

"Seriously?" My pulse jumped as I thought of the possibility of us being seated next to each other on the plane.

"Well, it does look like he is waiting at our gate."

I was starting to feel a little giddy, but then I saw him smile and dip his head to listen to something the girl next to him was saying. _Please tell me that is not his girlfriend_. My heart began to sink.

I didn't know if being on the same flight was fate or pure coincidence, but it didn't matter if he was already taken. Regardless, I couldn't sit at the gate with him and kill myself wondering for the next hour. Sighing, I tugged on Ryan's arm. "Let's go grab a drink at the bar."

When we boarded the plane I saw him, but I wasn't sure if he noticed me since Ryan and I sat at the back of the plane and he was toward the front. I'm not sure what I would have done if we'd been seated close together.

If I wasn't so shy, I might have approached him and struck up a conversation. The last thing I'd expected upon arriving at the airport was finding him there, and I was certainly not expecting him to be on the same flight as me. I wondered where he was staying and why he was going to Vegas. And then scolded myself for wondering — none of that mattered if he had a girlfriend.

We landed in Vegas around eight. After about an hour, Ryan and I finally made it to our hotel. We spent the next hour getting ready to go out by freshening up our make-up and downing a bottle of champagne to get a head start on our night of partying. We decided to change into short skirts with sparkly tops and strappy high-heeled sandals that were sure to make our feet hurt from all the dancing. Looking in the mirror at ourselves and striking high fashion model poses, we giggled as we took one Facebook photo after another. Over the years we'd sometimes been mistaken as twins, but more often as sisters.

"Hey, what color eye shadow should I put on?" Ryan asked as she squeezed into the small bathroom where I was getting ready.

"I like the purple. It will bring out your brown eyes," I said, running the flat iron through my hair.

"Cool, what color are you going to wear?"

"I'm digging the silver."

"Oh, I like it. I think it will look good with your brown eyes and blue top."

"Yep, that is what I was thinking."

When we were ready, we set out to find a club. We knew that if we showed some skin, we would get a lot of attention from guys and hopefully score some free drinks. It's not like we were looking to hook up with random men or anything, but buying drinks in Vegas clubs was the fastest way to empty a girl's bank account. We just wanted to have a good time, dance and hopefully not have too bad of a hangover the next morning.

We walked down the Strip soaking in what some people called "Disneyland for Adults". It had been a while since Ryan and I had last been to Vegas, and we were like little kids in a candy shop.

We finally found a guy who was passing out club passes. He handed us two for Lavo at The Palazzo. Thankfully, we were able to skip the long line and get in for free. When we made it into the club, I gave Ryan a little booty bump with my hip and grinned at her — it was gorgeous inside.

The bar was packed, but I was finally able to nudge my way between people and ordered two redheaded sluts. "I'm going to need at least one more of these before I am able to get on the dance floor," I yelled so Ryan could hear me over the loud music, and she nodded in agreement.

We quickly drank our shots and I turned around to order another round, but the bartender handed me two more before I said a word. "This is from the gentleman over there." He nodded towards the other end of the bar, "The one in the black shirt." I quickly turned my head to see what nice guy had bought us a drink. Of course it was _him_.

I turned back to Ryan, slapping her arm to get her attention. "Holy shit, Mr. Hottie just bought us a drink!"

"Who?" she said, as she scanned the room.

"The guy from the gym. What do I do? Oh my God, what do I say? Maybe he doesn't have a girlfriend after all." I was starting to freak out a little. He bought me a drink — I had to make the first move to talk to him. _Alright Spencer, time to put your big girl panties on._

I turned to go over to thank him but he was gone. _What the fuck?_ He was there one second and gone the next. Was he some sort of ninja? I swear he was just standing there. I scanned the room that was packed to the brim, but I didn't see him.

My face fell. "Ahh Ryan... I think he left."

She shrugged. "Weird. Oh well. Drink up so we can dance."

We clicked our glasses with a quick cheer, threw our shots back and made our way onto the dance floor. The dance floor was lightly lit with colorful strobe lights surrounded by cushioned booths on the outside edges.

We had been dancing for at least a half hour with different people; sometimes a group of girls, sometimes some guys. I was just about to leave the dance floor for a quick break to rest my tired feet when I felt someone start dancing with me from behind. Whoever it was placed their hands on my hips. As buzzed as I was, I didn't really think anything of it and continued to dance. About a minute later, Ryan turned to say something to me. Her eyes grew big and in that moment I realized who I must be dancing with.

Desire overtook my emotions. I had waited almost three weeks for his touch. Fantasized about it a few nights when all I could do was think of him and his smile when I tried to fall asleep at night.

The music pounded in my head. His arms wrapped around my waist from behind, pulling me against him. I could feel the hard muscles of his chest against my back. His hips moved against mine. With his hard length pressing into my ass, I could feel how much he wanted me. I wanted him just as badly.

Jeremih's hit _Down on Me_ featuring 50 Cent played as our bodies moved with the music. I reached up with my right hand and held onto the back of his neck and slid my fingers through his hair. He pulled me harder against his erection. It felt like the whole club had disappeared. All I could do now was close my eyes and enjoy the ride that I had longed for.

Our hips rocked and popped to the song. Just like the song was saying, I was grinding my ass into him. I felt his face bury in my hair as he kissed my neck lightly sending tingles down my entire body. Moisture starting to build between my legs. My heart started beating faster and my breath caught.

The strobe lights flashed over the dance floor, reflecting off a rotating disco ball as the beat of the music thumped in my ears. It felt like we were dancing for hours. Everything seemed to be in slow motion; however, Jeremih and 50 were still singing.

Just as the song ended the DJ started playing the next song. It was one of my new favorites, a remix of Alex Clare's song, _Too Close._

He spun me around so his right leg fit snugly between my legs. He looked down at me, his mocha colored eyes locked with mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and ran my fingers through his hair again, loving the silky texture. He slid his hands down my back and cupped my ass as we rocked, swayed and gyrated to the pounding music.

My skirt was very short, so it was slowly sliding up my thighs which gave the front of my panties contact with his jean-clad thigh. My heart raced more as my panties dampened and my clit throbbed with an almost painful need for more. His fingers tightened against my ass as he pulled me harder against his leg. Sweat rolled down my back — it was almost too much.

He was grinding his thigh against my clit as I thought of how badly I'd wanted him for weeks. I was _finally_ dancing with him — though I still didn't even know his name. But in the midst of my thoughts and the overwhelming feeling of touching him and dancing with him, I couldn't have stopped my climax even if I'd wanted to. I couldn't believe the intensity of the feelings I was experiencing there in public with him, surrounded by people.

I tugged tighter onto his hair while trying not to collapse from the surge of pleasure running all the way through me. I leaned my head into his chest to muffle the moan that escaped my mouth as I climaxed. I tried to stop dancing to enjoy the orgasm, but his hands grasped my ass tighter as he kept me pressed hard against his leg so our bodies continued to sway to the music.

If he had asked me to go up to his room at that moment, I would have said yes. I had never hooked up with a stranger, let alone in Vegas...at a club. I had never had sex in public, never had an orgasm in public for that matter. I didn't care.

At last, we slowly stopped dancing, but he was still pulling me hard onto his leg and his eyes were locked with mine. He gave me his smile that I remembered so well. I was trying to relax and let my heart return to normal, but looking into his eyes only made it race more. I still couldn't speak — could barely breathe. A few seconds later, the song ended. He bent down, nuzzled my neck and I could feel his warm breath against my cheek as he whispered, "Thank you," and then walked away.

***
