With the candles burning around us, Elliot welcomed me into the familiar warmth of the cabin that had become one of my favorite places to pass the time.

Inside the walls of Elliot’s cabin, I left my family obligations and fears at the door, a weightless feeling coursing through my veins, my heart constantly thudding around the lanky boy who made me smile like it was going out of fashion, ever since I first started talking to him on the Snapsex app.

I explained the full story to Elliot, his jaw tense and his gaze pensive as I recounted the events that took place at the dinner table, which until I told him, Elliot had been completely oblivious to.

“I was just so sick of listening to them and the way they talked down to you to make themselves feel better.”

My voice was still shaky as Elliot and I sat on the floor, his arms wrapped around me, my head on his shoulder.

“I’m an employee. Your family knows where I sit on the societal structure. They are a totally different caliber to me.” His voice was low, a sadness behind his words.

“No,” I stopped him. “Don’t say that. Don’t even think it! Money doesn’t measure someone’s worth.” I softened my voice, taking Elliot’s hand in mine. “You are so much more than what you believe yourself to be.”

“Am I?” His pupils dilated and I could feel his hand becoming clammy. The sensation of his skin touching mine sent sparks of electricity through my body. I could only nod in response.

Elliot Black had eyes that stared into my soul like he could see everything I had never been able to express. He was able to calm me, excite me, and completely overwhelm me with the blue oceans I was constantly lost in, in his eyes. “Your Dad will forgive you, Ava. Don’t worry too much.” Without me expressing that potent fear that was beginning to knot me inside, he was able to quell the fire inside of me before it began with the calm steadiness of his voice.

“That doesn’t matter right now. I— I’ll figure it out. Tomorrow.” I tried to think positively, cuddling closer into him.

“You don’t have to do it alone.” He whispered down to my ear, his breath on my neck almost too much to handle.

“I’m not alone though, am I?” I craned my neck up to see his smile, and my insides turned to jelly.

Elliot Black had the kindest soul, filled with passion and the empathy that transcends from times of pain and heartache.

He never once made me feel small, a feeling I had become accustomed to with my family. I was taught to look small, act small, and believe I was small, so I could be towered over by my family who lived by their traditionalist rules.

It was everything she’d thought it could be. He rushed in and she squealed, filled with something — surprise, excitement, love maybe. The spontaneity of it. The sacrifice. He’d come.

Traveled all these miles. The packing and layovers and ticket prices had all been surmounted. He’d finally, finally, finally come.

For her. For her alone. And it thrilled Carmen to her core. The tall, thin, dark-eyed Frenchman had her heart instantly.

He hadn’t been just a fling, he hadn’t been only because she was in love with France. He hadn’t been because she drank too much wine that night and he’d kissed her against the wall. He was the real deal.

This was love. And her loss of assistantship made sense now. She was free. She could go anywhere.

She could go with him.

He held her tightly in the dark apartment. His smell enveloped her, somehow the vineyard and café clung to him, the exotic particularness of a faraway place combined with the rigors of travel.

There were no vocal greetings, save the moist sounds of their lips hungrily saying hello in the clearest of ways. Carmen sank into him. His dark stubble scratched her face as their kissing deepened. And then his hands were tugging on her shirt, pulling it up over her head.

She threw her head back and stifled a giggle. Feeling desired was an intoxicating drug.

“I’ve missed you, Carmen.” The deep accent was velvet against her bare neck. He kissed down, cupping her naked breasts, and bringing her closer.

“I— I have a roommate…” She hated to tell him, hated the thought of anything between them stopping ever again as long as they lived.

Pulling back in surprise, he squinted into the dark expanse that housed a bed and sleeping figure. “A man?”

Carmen smiled. “Of course not.”

Gérard looked around and set down his leather duffel bag. He ran his fingertips lightly through her hair and then down her shoulders. “I must have you.” He whispered, gently taking her nipples between finger and thumb on either side.

Carmen looped her own fingers into his belt and slowly rocked him backward until he realized where they were going. Grinning, she led him into the bathroom. As soon as the door closed behind them, he had her against it with a loud bang.

The kissing was frenzied, the most she’d ever seen him lose his cool. And she could barely keep up. Tasting wine and nicotine on his breath, she reached to pull his pants down. Their tightness resisted her, and he went and did it himself.

“Should I turn the shower on?” Carmen paused to catch her breath, loving his effects on her. The red flush she felt coming … How her heart fluttered with excitement … And the tingly sensation between her legs.

“Sure,” he growled. As she leaned over to do it, he wiggled her shorts and panties down. “Putain … You look amazing.” He had switched to French, as was his custom near the end. Not yet! I want this to last forever!

The water rushed now, filling the small bathroom with steam almost instantly. Carmen adjusted the temperature, bending over again, and felt his fingers inside her from behind.

She’d hoped he would take the opportunity. Letting out a moan of surprise, she put a foot up on the side of the tub for easier access.

“I think I know why you like this song so much,” Harry said, sliding off his stool and pulling me off mine.

You say you’re a good girl, but I know you would, girl, ’cause you’ve been telling me all night with your little white lies, little white lies, with your little white lies, little white lies…

“Why is that?” I whispered as he slid his arms around my waist and pulled me against him. He didn’t speak, but the song carried on.

Backseat of the cab, we’re in a cab now, lips getting so attached, they’re so attached now you wanna make some rules now, cool, and we’ll watch them break tonight … I know what you want, and I’ve been waiting so long…

“This could have been written about you,” he breathed as he lowered his lips onto mine.

If this room was burning, I wouldn’t even notice. ‘Cause you’ve been taking up my mind with your little white lies, little white lies…

You say you’re a good girl, but I know you would, girl, ’cause you’ve been telling me all night with your little white lies, little white lies, with your little white lies, little white lies…

My favorite bit was coming up. I pulled my face an inch away from Harry’s and looked deep into his eyes. He lifted the hem of my top slightly and stroked my hips with his fingertips. My skin erupted into goosebumps where his fingers touched me.

I know you want it, I know you feel it too … Let’s stop pretending that you don’t know and I don’t know just what we came to do, came to do….

There was no going back now as he pressed his lips fiercely against mine and I pushed my hips hard against his. The bass vibrated through the speakers and my whole body buzzed with anticipation. The combination of kissing Harry Styles while listening to the one song that never failed to turn me on was overpowering and my entire body erupted in more goosebumps.

Harry slid his hands up the back of my top as we kissed, and the feel of his fingertips on my skin made my legs tremble. He pressed my body harder against his and our breathing grew faster and more urgent.

If this room was burning, I wouldn’t even notice. ‘Cause you’ve been taking up my mind with your little white lies, little white lies … You say you’re a good girl, but I know you would, girl, ’cause you’ve been telling me all night with your little white lies, little white lies, with your little white lies, little white lies…

Harry fumbled on the counter for the sound system remote as the song finished and shut it off without breaking our kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he began to walk me backward away from the kitchen and through a door into a darkened room.

His lips didn’t leave mine as he felt his hand along the wall and then dim lights came on, casting a golden glow over what I now realized was his bedroom.

He kicked the door shut behind us and I began fumbling with his shirt buttons. I felt his smile break against my lips as he said,”Oh, so now you want to take my shirt off…”

Trevor took off his glasses and set them next to his laptop. “I think quirky is a good thing, Natalie. It’s one of the reasons I hired you. You have a beautiful sense of humor.”

He glanced down again at my coffee-stained breasts, and this time I saw his look change. It was a bit more than curious. It was like he was distracted, thinking of something else.

I gave up on my blouse, trying not to pay attention to the fact that I now had a big wet spot on my blouse and it clung to my bare skin on the inside. Every time the AC vent caught me, it turned the stain chilly. I felt myself shiver and my nipples tightened at the unwelcome chill.

“Thank you.” I said with a smile. “I guess I should consider myself lucky to work under you. I will admit, I was a bit terrified because of your courtroom reputation.” I continued smiling and I hoped he didn’t take offense.

Trevor raised an eyebrow at my comment instead. “Oh?” Intrigued, he leaned back in his chair. “So what have you heard?”

“Nothing terrible. Just that you have an excellent ratio of won cases, but you fight hard in court and that even some judges are frightened of you.”

Trevor erupted with laughter. “I see. And what do you think?”

“Well, I don’t think you’re terrifying, but I’ve seen you work and the description is kinda true. I mean, you can be intimidating.”

His laugh subsided and he smiled at me. “Only when I want something bad enough.” His blue eyes trained on me and I felt like a bull’s eye. I was unable to escape his gaze and the tone of his remark made my body ignite. My smile sobered, feeling the intensity and double meaning behind what he said.

Fidgeting with my fingers against the towel in my hand, I tried to settle my breath. I felt hot. “Well, you seem to have that drive to always get what you want.”

My goal to calm my breathing was shot to hell when he stood up and slowly walked from behind his desk. I clutched the towel as I watched him swagger toward me. Trevor finally stood in front of me. He reached for the little towel in my hand, slowly pulling it away and letting it drop to the floor. The heat of him seared me as his hand gripped mine.

“I don’t always get it, Natalie. But you’re right, I definitely work for it.” I sighed as his other hand softly touched my face. I instinctively leaned into it, once again, unaware of how my body reacted to him.

“Do you have any idea how irresistible you are, Natalie?” he asked me with hooded eyes. His hand caught my chin briefly, then up to move the hair from my face.

“Me?” I whispered in shock. His words caught me unaware. My throat was dry as his gorgeous blue eyes captured mine.

“Mmmhmm,” Trevor nodded. “So much, in fact, I have to spend a great deal of my energy each day simply trying to resist an aching temptation to do something I hope you won’t regret.”

He moved even closer to me, urging me back until I leaned against his mahogany desk. All I could smell was his soft sandalwood cologne as he was hauntingly close to me.

My heart damn near beating out of my chest, I dared to ask him. “What temptation is that?”

They arrived at his truck, so he could grab a couple of sleeping bag rolls out of the back, and a small duffel bag, before turning back to her.

“Hold the flashlight for me, will ya?” He handed it to Emma, and they stole down to the small floating dock where the fishing boat was tied up.

They stumbled along with the scant light cast from the flashlight and the eerie glow of the moon overhead as their only guide. That, and Emma’s near-perfect memory of the terrain.

They could see the cabin’s porch light as a small yellow pinprick, but otherwise, they were completely alone as the lake was small and owned by the Martello’s.

They had no sooner gotten to the end, the dock swaying slightly under their weight, when Ryan dropped everything he was carrying, and then stripped his shirt off his head.

Emma’s mouth dropped open but he wasn’t done. After kicking off his shoes and socks, he unzipped his jeans and dropped them along with his boxers. Her mouth fell open a little further, salivating slightly at the sight of him in all his naked glory. Under the light of the moon, his muscled form took on an almost otherworldly appearance. She couldn’t stop staring.

But then, suddenly, she came back to her senses as she realized his intentions.

“Wait, you were serious?” she asked incredulously. “That water is going to be frigid!”

“Are you scared, Em?” he taunted.

“No!” she retorted, “I just don’t want to freeze to death!”

“I’ll keep ya warm,” he winked at her, and then, not giving her nearly long enough to admire his drool-worthy masculinity, jumped off the end of the dock. He surfaced a few feet away, and splashed her. “Get in here, woman — I’m going to get you wet one way or another.”

“Oh, you think so, huh?” Emma arched an eyebrow at him, fisting her hands on her hips, and not missing his innuendo. “I don’t think you’ll get near enough to get me wet in any way if you keep this shit up.”

“Such a dirty mind, Em!” he was chuckling loudly now, and shot another stream of water at her. She barely dodged the stream of water, before sitting down on the end of the dock, and gingerly dangled her feet in. “Get in here, woman!”

“No way! I’m not getting in there. The temp has dropped, like, ten degrees from earlier.”

“Come, on … Please?” He swam up to the end of the dock and started trailing his wet hands down her legs. “I could just pull you in, you know.”