I looked down at her deep red stilettos and knew precisely what new image would be running through my mind the moment she left.

“Make it quick,” I said. “I would like to finish this.”

“Fine. Why are you avoiding me?”

“What makes you think that I’m avoiding you, Penelope?”

“I’m not stupid, Hayden.” She crossed her arms. “You haven’t answered my texts for three days.”

Has it only been three days? “I’ve been busy with the latest Tinder lawsuit.” I offered a half-truth. “And I’m not sleeping well.”

“Oh.” She looked somewhat relieved. “Well, Simon just bought me this great sleep aid thing the other day. Want to borrow it?”

Fuck no. “I’ll buy my own. What do you need help with?”

“I want to know your favorite position in bed.”

“Come again?”

“What’s. Your. Favorite. Position. In. Bed?” Her eyes met mine. “Like the place where you have sex.”

“None of your business. That sounds like something you should be discussing with Simeon.”

“His name is Simon.” She rolled her eyes. “I'm only asking for your help because he texted me something dirty and I need a super filthy response.”

“Go pick up a romance novel.”

“I’m serious.” She smiled. “Help me out, please.”

“Fine,” I said. “What were his exact words?”

“What?” Her cheeks flushed red. “I can’t tell you that.”

“I can’t help you if I don’t have all the details.”

She let out a sigh and tapped her phone, avoiding eye contact with me as she read. “You told me you’d like to take things slow, so that's exactly how I’ll fuck you when I get you alone. Nice and slow.”

“That’s it?” I blinked. “Where’s the rest?”

“That’s the end of it.” She looked up at me. “Hot, right?”

“Right … ” I tried not to laugh. There was no point in telling her something that was on the level that I would say; she didn't need to show him up in the dirty talking department at this stage in the game.

“Tell him that when he fucks you slow, you want him on top of you, missionary style. Say something about wanting to feel how deep he can go.”

“Is that what you would say?”

“No.” I shrugged. “But you’re not sexting me, so—” I stopped and cleared my throat. “Send him what I told you and leave it at that.”

She tapped the screen. “Wait. So, hypothetically, if you were interested in sleeping with me me, what would you sext?”

Don’t you dare answer this. It’s a trap.

“I need to finish my work-out and get back to finishing some letters, Penelope. I’ll have to pass on a game of hypotheticals with you.”

“Just tell me what you’d say. It’s not like I’m going to laugh at your skills or anything.”

“The only thing you’d laugh about is how much better I am at it than your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend yet.”

I don’t think he ever should be. “Just take my word for it.”

“I’ll start taking your word for things when you turn back into the Hayden I know.” She stepped closer. “The one who behaves like a best friend and doesn’t go M.I.A. just because Tinder is suing him for the umpteenth time. You should be used to that by now, so if you think I’m going to buy that excuse—”

“I’m done trying to sell it." I narrowed my eyes at her; she’d baited me. “If you want me to answer your silly-ass question, I’ll do it.”

“I want you to stop cursing at me first.”

“If you were sexting me and we were discussing your favorite positions, I wouldn’t want to waste my time with words. I’d just show up to your place, bend you over the couch, and show you.”

“Isn’t that cheating?”

“It’s better than telling you that whenever we fuck, I’m going to pull you back by your hair while sliding my cock so deep inside of your pussy that you’ll never want to fuck anyone else.” I looked over her dress again. “I’d start with that.”

Her cheeks flushed red, and she took a step back. “Um. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I think I should go now.”

“I think so, too.”

Twenty

Penelope

Present Day

I stood still staring at Hayden, pinned to the spot by his heated gaze.

“The door is behind you, Penelope,” he said, moving closer.

“I know exactly where it is.”

“Then why aren’t you walking toward it?”

“Because I’m starting to think that we need to set some boundaries in our friendship.”

“I agree,” he said. “You can send me the list in an email or a text message. You need to leave my condo, though. Now.”

“I don’t want to discuss my sex life with Simon anymore.”

“You mean, your lack of a sex life?” He narrowed his eyes. “Dirty texts and dry humps on the couch aren’t sex. Then again, maybe that’s what you’ve been doing with all your boyfriends this entire time.”

“I don’t want to discuss the sex I’ve had with my previous boyfriends either.”

“I’m not a fan of talking about failure anyway.”

“In the meantime,” I said, taking a step back as he moved forward. “I want you to go back to being a good best friend and calling me.”

“It would help if you actually picked up the fucking phone.”

“I pick up whenever you call.”

“Only to ask for a raincheck.”

“You sound like that bothers you.”

“It shouldn’t.”

“So, can you please go back to being my best friend and giving me advice when I ask for it?” I said. “We have a deal.”

“We need to make some amendments first.” He looked me up and down. “You haven’t been holding up your side.”

“Seriously? I send you ten fucking letters a day—minimum. I’ve crafted over a hundred templates, and—”

“You still can’t find the time of day to see me in person.”

“So much for it not bothering you.”

“I never said that it didn’t.” He closed the gap between us. “I said it shouldn’t.”

Silence.

“This is the part where you leave my place, Penelope.” He lifted his hand and tucked a few errant strands of hair behind my ear. “Otherwise … ”

“Otherwise, what?”

He didn’t answer.

He crashed his lips against mine, sliding his other arm around my waist and pulling me flush against him within seconds.

I lost my balance as he dominated my mouth with his—taming my tongue in between breaths. I struggled to keep up with his tempo, clawing my fingers into his sides for some sense of control, but he didn’t give an inch.