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Dillon walked into the kitchen to get a drink.

Gavin gazed directly into Emily’s eyes. “I’m all about taking risks. I think it makes life a little more…exciting. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Knowing exactly what he was referring to, Emily’s heart tripled over into a somersault as she stared back at him.

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea to drop them,” Dillon replied, popping the top off of a bottle of beer. He made his way back over to them. “CMEX is your security. You have so much invested in hedge funds right now; it may not be a good move.”

“You are the professional,” Gavin said with a smile. “Let’s take care of this in my office.” He then turned to Emily. “By all means, make yourself at home. Natasha should be out in a minute. I’m sure she’ll keep you…
like
, busy.” He winked and then disappeared down the hall with Dillon.

Emily stood mute like a statue in the living room for a moment as she tried to catch her breath. She licked her lips slowly as the tingles that Gavin evoked from within her body worked their way up from her toes to the top of her head.

So…fucking…dangerous.

Sighing, she moved out to the terrace, hoping the fresh air would soothe the chaos wreaking havoc in her mind.

Being that the penthouse was a corner unit, stunning wraparound views of Central Park and the East River immediately awed her. The terrace alone was larger than her and Olivia’s living room and both bedrooms put together. She cautiously peered over the edge to watch the city below her. Her hair whipped around in the wind as she breathed in the hot, humid August air. Although she was afraid of heights, Emily found the stillness, the assurance of solitude, and the lack of people that high up to be a calming force in that moment. The serenity of being outside alone was short-lived when Natasha strolled out of the French doors.

“It’s, like, completely breathtaking out here, isn’t it?” She joined Emily and handed her a glass of ice water.

“Thank you,” she said, accepting the drink. “It truly is beautiful up here.” She studied Natasha’s strapless, skintight black tube dress. “So where are you from?”

“California,” she giggled.

“Really?” Emily mocked in shock. “I would’ve never guessed.”

Natasha kinked her head to the side, her long crimson hair blowing in the wind. “Like, I know right? People tell me that all the time.”

“I bet they do.”

The two women sat down on a plush outdoor couch. Natasha tucked her feet underneath her legs. “So, like, how long have you been dating Dillon?”

“We’ll be together a year next month.”

“That’s so sweet,” Natasha smiled. “He’s such a cutie, too.”

“Thanks. So how long have you and Gavin, uh…” Not sure how to ask the question, Emily brought the glass of water up to her lips and took a sip.

“Been fucking?”

Emily choked mid-swallow on her water.

“Oh God, are you okay?” Natasha asked concerned, placing her hand on Emily’s back.

“Yes, it…” She cleared her throat several times. “It went down the wrong pipe,” she said, pointing to her throat. “I’m alright now, thanks.”

“So, like, I was saying, let me see…” Natasha paused in thought and tapped her finger on her chin. “I met Gavin, like, two years ago when Blake Industries was running an ad campaign for a modeling company I worked for. We’re by no means in a serious relationship at all, but we’ve been fucking around off and on ever since. Like, when he calls me, I come,” she giggled again. “And I mean, literally. God, do I come. That man knows what he’s doing in the sack. Like, the best I’ve ever had—no joke. And those lips and tongue…they are so, like, not only good for kissing. I mean, when he goes down and—”

“It feels like it just got hotter out here, right?” Emily interrupted and quickly stood up. She started fanning her face with her hand. “Yeah, it definitely feels hotter out here.”

Natasha furrowed her brows. “Hmm, I don’t feel it.”

“I do. I’m going to go back inside to hang out in the air conditioning.”

“Oh, okay, like, I’ll join you,” Natasha exclaimed, hopping up a little too eagerly.

Please don’t…

Walking into the penthouse, Emily found Dillon sitting on the leather couch.

“You alright, babe?” he asked. “You look pale.”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” She walked over to him. “I need to use the bathroom before we leave.”

Natasha pouted her lips and slumped into a chair next to Dillon. “Oh, no. I was, like, hoping we could all go get some lunch together. There’s, like, this posh little Greek restaurant that opened up, and I’m so wanting to try it out.”

“That sounds good to me.” Dillon rose to his feet and walked into the kitchen to grab another beer. “I’m actually starving.”

“Dillon, we’re supposed to go shopping, remember?”

“We’ll go afterward. Fifth Avenue will still be there when we’re done,” he replied, sliding open his phone to call someone.

Emily stared at him, her eyes fuming as he started his conversation with the person on the other end.

“Oh goody!” Natasha clapped her hands.

Gavin walked into the living room, still lounging in his pajama pants. He started massaging Natasha’s shoulders from behind her. “What are you clapping for?”

“She’s,
like
, really excited because we’re all,
like
, going out to lunch together.” Emily shot him a wicked smile, her eyes narrowing on him. “So,
like
, I need to use your bathroom before we go. Can you,
like
, tell me which one of these halls I need to go down to get to it?”

Natasha beamed a smile from ear to ear.

The corner of Gavin’s mouth turned up. “It’s,
like
, at the end of that hall, last door on your right.” Pointing down the hall, he tried to stifle a laugh.

Without a backward glance, Emily headed in the direction he pointed. She shut the bathroom door behind her.

“Un-fucking-real,” she murmured to herself as she studied her reflection in the mirror.

After taking a few minutes to grasp the fact that she was about to spend her afternoon in a very uncomfortable situation, she emerged from the bathroom and found Gavin casually leaning against the opposite wall with his arms crossed. She could hear Dillon and Cali-Girl laughing in the other room, but the conversation was inaudible.

“You find this whole thing funny, don’t you?” she asked.

Smiling, he stepped closer. “You don’t?”

She stepped back. “Not as funny as I think you find it.”

Undeterred, Gavin stepped closer still. “We’re pals, remember?”

Not saying a word, she took another step back, only to find she was now against the wall with her sweaty palms pressed against the cool surface.

He propped his hand just above her shoulder, angling his head to the side as he ducked down to stare into her eyes. “It’s just lunch,” he said, his voice low, seductive even. “Friends have lunch together all the time.”

Closing her eyes, Emily tried to concentrate on the distant echoing of Dillon’s voice in the other room, but Gavin’s sweet breath so close to her was making it difficult. Goosebumps erupted all over her skin.

“You’re fucked up,” she breathed, her heart ricocheting in her chest so hard she swore he could see it.

“You think so?”

Swallowing hard, she opened her eyes and nodded.

He caught his bottom lip, dragging it slowly between his teeth. “Then, can I make a confession since I seem to be a pretty fucked-up guy to you?”

The husky sound of his voice made a fresh round of butterflies explode within her stomach.

Another speechless nod.

Softly running his fingertips down her bare arm, he slipped a bottle cap into her hand. He leaned in inches from her ear, his voice nothing but a whisper. “I completely forgot to give you this when you walked in.”

Smiling, he backed away and walked into his room, closing the door behind him.

Emily let out the breath she was holding, trying to restore her jumping pulse to a normal rhythm. A knot swelled in her throat. After shoving the damn bottle cap into her purse, she made her way back into the living room and sat on the couch next to Dillon. Over the next fifteen minutes, while waiting for Gavin to get ready, she endured Natasha’s mind-numbingly detailed explanation of her recent plastic surgery endeavor to lift her ass higher. Even though Natasha seemed to be a nice, slightly confused girl, by the time Gavin walked into the living room, Emily was more than happy to get the hell out of there.

If it were even possible, the elevator ride down was more torturous than the ride up. The sexual tension in the small space was so thick that Emily could feel it slithering across her skin. The two couples stood across from one another on each side. Dillon and Natasha talked about stock options that he felt she should look into purchasing. Smiling, Gavin casually leaned against the wall, snaking his arm around Natasha’s waist, his eyes never wavering from Emily. She watched him just as intently. He was decked out in a form-fitting black shirt that strained around his muscled forearms and black slacks that snuggly hugged his tapered waist. When the cheery ding of the elevator rang on the bottom floor, Emily slipped out as fast as she could, finding retreat in the open-aired space of the lobby—away from him.

Stepping out from the building, the couples decided that they would all drive in Dillon’s car over to the restaurant. As Natasha and Gavin sat in the backseat, Emily lost track of the amount of times she rolled her eyes at every giggle that escaped Natasha’s lips, caused by something whispered by Gavin.

No doubt something sexual in nature.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Dillon helped Emily out from the car as Gavin did the same with Natasha. Although the savory smell of the Greek food lingering in the air surrounded Emily’s senses, she didn’t have much of an appetite once the host showed them to their table.

“So, Emily, you’re really beautiful,” Natasha remarked from across the table. “Have you ever, like, thought about getting into modeling? You’re over eighteen, right?”

“Um, yes, I’m twenty-four. But I’ve never thought about doing anything like that. Besides, I like food too much,” she laughed, handing the menu back to the waiter.

Dillon reached for Emily’s hand and looked to Natasha. “I wouldn’t want her modeling anyway.”

“And why is that? She’d, like, make totally awesome money, and I have the best agent in New York that I would totally introduce her to.”

“She doesn’t need to worry about money.” Dillon leaned back in his seat. “It’s just something I’d prefer her not to do, that’s all.”

Natasha shrugged and flipped her hair to the side.

“So Dillon said that you’ll be teaching in the city this year?” Gavin asked, glancing in Emily’s direction.

“Yes,” she replied, placing a napkin in her lap. “Over in Greenwich Village.”

“Yeah, she’s teaching first graders, so I don’t have to worry about any of her students developing a crush on her,” Dillon laughed and leaned over to kiss her neck.

“Ah, but you may be incorrect on that, Dillon,” Gavin said. “I had a thing for my first-grade teacher when I was a kid.”

Dillon took a swig of his whiskey on the rocks and laughed. “Are you for real?”

“I am,” Gavin leaned back in his chair. “If I recall…” He paused for a second and smiled. “Her name was Miss Molly. And, man, let me tell you, I had it bad for her. She drove something in me that I couldn’t quite understand.”

Emily shot him a wry smile and rolled her eyes.

Natasha laughed, playfully smacking him on his arm. “Like, you were totally after women even then, huh?”

“Apparently, he was.” Emily tented her hands under her chin and eyed him from across the table.

Smirking, Gavin drew up a brow but remained silent.

“Holy shit, if it isn’t Dillon Parker!”

Emily turned around and observed a tall man around their age beaming a smile, his brown hair slicked back with a good amount of gel.

“No fucking way!” Dillon stood up, rounded the table, and shook hands with the man. “Where the hell have you been hiding?”

The man smiled. “Down in Cancun with the luscious señoritas, but I am back and hotter than ever.”

Dillon turned around to Emily. “Babe, this is an old buddy of mine from college, Keith Jacobs. Keith, this is my girlfriend, Emily.”

She shook his hand, and Dillon introduced him to Gavin and Natasha. Small talk was briefly exchanged, and Dillon excused himself from everyone to go chat it out with Keith at the bar for a few minutes.

Figuring she could play the game just as good—if not better—Emily smiled and turned to Natasha. “So, Natasha, have you had the chance to visit the New York City Public Library yet?”

“Oh, well, not yet, but I like to read magazines. I’m sure they have some there, right?”

Gavin smiled in Emily’s direction, thoroughly enjoying her wiseass remark. He knew exactly the conversation she was referring to by bringing up the library.

“Absolutely they do.” Emily widened her green eyes. “Hundreds, if not thousands, of magazines would be right at your fingertips.” She took a sip of her much-needed Cosmopolitan and smiled. “I bet there’s a ton of
Vogue
magazines as well.”

Natasha smiled. “Thanks for the suggestion. Like, I’ll totally have to check it out one day,” she giggled. “But, right now, I have to powder my nose. I’ll be right back.”

She stood up, dropped a chaste kiss on Gavin’s temple, and scooted her way across the restaurant, her ass chucking firmly from side to side as she adjusted her tube dress.

“That was pretty funny,” Gavin laughed as he slightly leaned across the table. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, you’re a pretty funny girl.”

“Really, Gavin? A man of your stature dates a ditz like that? I guess you weren’t kidding when you said you attracted the all-beauty-and-no-brains type.”

“I told you we all have ways of filling voids in our lives,” he shrugged. “She gives me what I need, and I give her what she needs. It seems fair to me.”

“Oh, that’s right, ‘cause who could honestly miss the rock hanging from her neck?”

“You seem…upset?” he replied, his voice monotone and his face impassive.