Page 20 of Crave: A Reverse Harem Romance

I grabbed a plain white mug from my cabinet as the coffee machine sputtered, signaling that it was about to finish. I poured myself a cup and began to sip as I made my way to the living room where I had left my laptop.

I pulled it open and began writing right away, pausing only to taking sips of coffee. I could admit that I thought going to Crave for research was a totally ridiculous idea, so I was shocked to find that it had actually worked.

Or, rather, that meeting Axel had worked. Either way, I felt like I had so much material for my new book. I just had to get it all out. My creative juices were flowing freely.

I was typing away at a stunningly hot sex scene when there was a pounding at my door. I sighed because I really didn’t want to stop, but I pulled myself away to see who it was.

Once I did, I was immediately filled with guilt.

I opened the door to Liza. She was looking mildly annoyed, and of course I knew why.

There was no getting around the fact that I had completely forgotten about her.

“Oh my God, I’m so, so sorry!” I told her emphatically.

She stared me down as she walked into my living room and plopped herself down on the couch without even asking if she could come in.

“Seriously, Harlow?” she snapped.

“Look, I can explain,” I began.

“You had better start.” She crossed her arms and stared at me, tracking my movements as I sat down in the armchair across from her.

“Well, okay…” Where did I even begin? “So, something crazy happened after you went off to dance. This guy, he… drugged my drink.”

“Oh my God, Harlow!” Her jaw dropped and she immediately uncrossed her arms as she scooted to the edge of the couch cushion. “Are you okay?”

In hindsight, that probably hadn’t been the very best way to break the news. That was probably the kind of thing to slowly build up to.

“No, no, I’m fine,” I said quickly. “I wasn’t drugged. He just drugged my drink, but I didn’t drink it. See, one of the owners of Crave was watching the security cameras and immediately came down to warn me. He brought me up to his office, they called the police, they caught the guy and everything was fine. But obviously it caused a lot of commotion for me and I was pretty upset, so one of the other owners, Axel, offered to take me home. At that point, I just wanted out of there, so I said yes. Then I went to find you on the dance floor, but I couldn’t. So I just, um… left.”

For a moment, she sat in stunned silence, no doubt trying to process everything I’d just blurted out. She didn’t look angry anymore, though. Stunned, definitely. Maybe a little confused. But thankfully not angry or annoyed. “Well, okay, I guess that’s a damn good excuse. You could have texted me, though.”

“I was going to,” I said quickly. “I swear I was. But then I got in Axel’s car and it just slipped my mind. And then we came home, and…” I paused and shifted my eyes.

Liza knew immediately that something had happened. She could read me like a damn book.

“Ho-ly shit,” she said, drawing out the words as a fresh look of surprise crossed her face again. “You slept with him, didn’t you? Please tell me you slept with him.”

“I, um… yeah, I might have.”

She tossed a pillow at me playfully. “I cannot believe it. I mean… Harlow, wow. When I brought you out I was really not expecting you to hook up with anyone. I mean, no offense or anything, but it’s you, and I just… I just wasn’t.”

“Gee, thanks.” I rolled my eyes.

“You know what I mean! You’re totally hot and you could pick up anyone you wanted, but you just… don’t. Not ever, not with anyone. I’m dying to know what was so special about this guy?”

I could feel a smile playing across my lips just thinking back on the night.

“Oh, Liza, he really is something special. He’s one of the most handsome men I’ve ever seen. Oddly enough, the other owner, Ryker, was also very good looking. Apparently you’ve got to be hot to own Crave. Anyway, he was just so sweet to me. He had this fun, relaxed vibe and he just put me at ease, and… I don’t know. We got here and I wasn’t ready to be alone yet. I was feeling pretty bold, and it just kind of happened.”

She looked near giddy. “Wow. That’s… that’s crazy, Harlow. But in a good way. I’m so happy for you!”

“You are?” I asked. “You don’t think it was foolish? Or… or careless?”

“Of course not.” She waved a dismissive hand. “I told you, you never have any fun. You deserve some fun, girl. And with a phenomenally hot guy? Of course I’m thrilled. Are you going to see him again?”

The thought hadn’t really occurred to me. Of course I wanted to see him again, but I wasn’t going to fool myself. The odds were definitely not in my favor. “No,” I said finally. “I mean, I’m sure I won’t. It was just a one-night thing, you know?”

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