My internship always came first, because I wanted to land a job so badly. But now I had a job—so maybe when I got back to the city I would get some guts and ask him out.
“I am so over guys,” Callie whined. She seriously was such a downer. “Like, I don’t want to be around any this weekend without a ten-foot pole.”
“God, you are seriously depressing, Callie. I’m totally planning on getting laid this weekend,” Willow said.
“No surprise there,” Callie shot back.
Willow was the most experienced of the three of us, which was no surprise with her willowy legs, jet-black hair, and sharp features. She looked like a model.
“Oh, screw you, Callie,” Willow said. “This is supposed to be a fun getaway, not a break-up bitch fest.” Her voice lowered, and her eyes narrowed in. “Oh, and you guys … that’s the guy.”
Willow was right: he was hotter-than-Kyle hot, though they had the same look about them. Confidence flooded the lobby as he walked through with a group of three guy friends. They looked like they could have been cover models for an outdoor magazine, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was under their flannel shirts.
“They’re all so hot,” I said under my breath.
“We should go talk to them,” Willow dared.
“Yeah, right,” Callie snorted. “I’m not interested, and Courtney would never make a move.”
“Fine,” Willow said as the guys walked out of the lobby. The one with the shoulder-length hair turned before he stepped outside. For a second I could have sworn he was looking at me, but then I saw Willow flashing a dazzling smile and realized it was probably her he was looking at. “Anyone ready to get to our cabin?”
“Yes, please!” I answered with a little too much force, stepping between them. My head turned as I watched the guys walked away. I’d had enough of my friends for one day and was in the mood for something totally different.Chapter TwoA few hours later, after we made dinner in the tiny kitchen, I retreated to my corner of the open-room cabin and began rooting through my bags for my swimsuit. We had shared two bottles of merlot while we ate our Caesar salads, and the wine had taken the edge off Callie and Willow.
Those two still had some drama to work out between themselves, and honestly, I didn’t have the energy for it. Maybe coming as a threesome was a bad idea? After all, it had been me who introduced those two. I’d had a few classes with Willow freshman year and we’d hit it off—opposites attract and all. When the three of us got together for my birthday that year, we clicked.
Even though we had all been friends for a few years, Callie had never been a girls’ girl. She’d always had Blaine, so this was new for her, this not having the safety net of a boyfriend.
“What are you doing?” Callie asked, as she popped open a third bottle.
“I wanted to check out the sauna,” I said, hoping they wouldn’t ask to join me.
“I want to stay here and get shit-faced,” Willow said. “Do you mind if I stay back?”
“No, no, not at all. I actually wouldn’t mind some down time,” I said, holding up a black bikini in one hand and a neon pink one-piece in the other. “Which one do you think?”
“Umm, the sauna and tubs are clothing optional,” Willow said, cracking a smile.
“Well, yeah, I read that online, but I’m wearing a suit.”
“Okay,” she answered slowly.
“What, is that weird or something?” I pursed my lips. No way was I going suit-less.
“No, I just don’t think anyone wears them. If you insist, I’d go with the two piece. Stop hiding your curves.”
“Definitely the two piece,” Callie chimed in. “You’re in the best shape of your life.”
I was thinner than I had ever been, but it wasn’t because I was in good shape. It was because when I got stressed I forgot to eat, and the weeks leading up to graduation had been Stressful with a capital S.
“Okay, I’ll just change then,” I told them, waving my hands toward their wine glasses. “Carry on.”
I stepped into the bathroom and stripped off my leggings, sweater, and tank top. What was left was a pretty black bra-and-panty set I had treated myself to. My friends thought I was a prude, or inexperienced—or both. But I wasn’t.
At least, not like they thought. I liked to look sexy when I took off my clothes. It allowed me to indulge in my fantasy of Kyle grabbing my ass and pulling me into the staff bathroom and pressing me against a wall.
In that fantasy, I wanted to be wearing a matching bra-and-panty set, so I always made sure I had them on. Obviously I couldn’t tell even my best friends this; it was a little ridiculous. People didn’t have sex with strangers—at least, girls like me didn’t.