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"No Just looking for her apart teary Even though I encouraged her to follow her drearam on the west coast, my best friend's imminent move has hit me harder than I expected it to

"And your delectable Jonah Marks isn't the type to throw parties His one great flaw"

"He's not antisocial," I insist, which is true, though I'uise the warm flush in my cheeks at the sound of Jonah's naallery opening toht?"

Kip givesaround bored for three hours while enduring the endless posturing by your fellow students who aren't as confident as you?"

"C' better to do, it's out there Even with the students gone, there's plenty of music to hear, or restaurants to trybats to watch"

"I suppose"

The thing is, Kip and I both know the real reason he has toosince Kip broke up with an abusive boyfriend, one who tends bar at one of our (forround the most social butterfly of us all

Still, it can't be doing Kip any good to sit around his apart you a challenge"

He perks up immediately "What's that?"

"Contact the gallery Tell theht You have twenty-four hours to turn the art show opening into so fabulous"

"They're never fabulous"

"That's why it's a challenge"

Kip opens his mouth to bicker with me some more, but then I see the spark return to his eyes "Very well, Miss Charles From drab to fab in one day"

With that he swans out, so deliberately over-the-top that I have to giggle Maybe I've only given Kip one day's worth of entertainht to remember

Today's going to be memorable for other, far more delicious reasons All thanks to Jonah

At twenty 'til four, I finish inputting final grades into the systes feel slightly wobbly, andith anticipation So I take a ether

My honey-brown hair needs a trim; by now it reaches almost to my shoulders As I brush it out, I check the rest of my appearance I don't bother withsultry Texas suot on are enough The tiny jade studs inwhile Jonah doeswhatever it is he's going to do to old chain around my throat and drop it into my purse pocket

Soh I love it every time--but I have to take precautions

The white sundress I'et stained or torn I've taken to buying old clothes at the Goodwill that Jonah can rip off me However, he usually warns me when to wear those Maybe the sundress is safe I wish I'd worn a different pair of shoes instead of these chunky, high-heeled sandals, but I'm not about to traipse across campus barefoot They'll have to do

My panties are already damp Ever since Jonah called me, I've been aroused, my whole body ready for hi the them into my purse, but decide not to When Jonah touches et even more turned on

I wash my hands, apply a little lotion, and head out As I walk past the ood-bye to Kip, but he's oblivious to anything but the phone conversation he's having: "Lucky for you, we need appetizers Set this up, and I'll consider that favor returned in full"

Does everyone in Texas owe Kip a favor? It seems that way sometimes Come to think of it, I owe him several

But the mention of hors d'oeuvres has reminded my belly that food exists, and that I ate fairly little of it at either breakfast or lunch My lips curl upward as the elevator goes dohile I i out on the town

I don't have dinner plans tonightbut I meant to When I spoke to Shay on the phone yesterday, we'd talked about getting together to head out to one of the food trucks Although her six- for nice restaurants, he can squall, laugh, or babble to his tiny heart's content at a picnic table I love snuggling the baby, but Arturo and Shay are harder to pin down than they used to be

New parents, I figure with a sigh Shay had promised to call me back today with a specific tih I'ain, I had better check in just in case

Later on, neither Jonah nor I will be in the mood for interruptions

So I bring theht to voice es, so I disconnect and start sending a text instead No tiht? I type as I walk across caether this weekend

I setNo more tasks; no ive myself to Jonah completely

The University of Texas at Austin campu

s is never deserted, but this is as close as it gets At the final edge of the seer Norether in the grass, but today they trudge to and fro their sloppiest sweats or pajama bottoms, hollow-eyed with stress

Nobody noticeswhere Jonah works Nobody sees a thing

I walk in through one of thewhere Jonah's office is located The cool breeze of air conditioning is deeply welcome even after only a few minutes outside A fine sheen of sweat lies upon h on the wall says it's 3:58

Will Jonah be in the stairwell already waiting foraround to find us? Certainly the building see if anybody else took the stairs

Besides, this wouldn't be as hot if we didn't take a few risks

Inhale Exhale My body tingles with anticipation: fingers, nipples, even my clit I put my hand onto the stairwell door, pause for just a few o in

The stairwell isNo bulletin boards hold the usual flyers for foreign filrams; no s offer a caround floor, and a glance overhead reveals that the upper stories are dark I hear nothing

My trein to climb The chunky wooden soles of my sandals make every stop echo I force myself to look down at my feet, not up or ahead Jonah ant to surprise me

Suspense can be the ulti to confront me, or where, only that he is Once he does, only my safe word, silver, can provide any escape

But I don't want to escape

The second floor Shadowy rather than dark because of the light below, but ahead of lancing behind ht switch just in case--

--when a strong grip closes around my upper arm