Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed dinner with my brother and Eden, but I never got so excited that I used multiple exclamations marks in my texts. Knowing that if I didn’t reply she’d be texting me all day, I tapped in a quick response informing her I’d be there, before placing my phone face down on my desk and turning back to the twenty-three unanswered emails sitting in my inbox.
As I finished responding to email number thirteen, a soft knock on my door startled me, and I looked up from my screen as Ashlyn walked in.
“Have you got a couple of minutes?” she asked hopefully. “I have the photos from last week’s shoot for you.”
Gone were the panties and cami that I had seen her in earlier, now she was in head-to-toe business attire. A black skirt, gray shirt, and red heels greeted me. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and she had the juiciest looking lips I had ever seen, complete with blood-red lip gloss.
“You look good today,” I said after I feasted on her with my eyes. The words sexy, beautiful, and ball-achingly stunning had come to mind, but I settled on pretty.
“I got dressed up just for you, Joshua,” she replied with a wink, and handed me a white envelope. “Eden did an amazing job with the photos. If there are any issues, you’ll have to email Alessandra, and she will organize to reshoot. I am sure you’ll agree with me that the choice of location, model, and props definitely screams summer chic.”
“Take a seat,” I said.
She pulled out the chair across from me and sat down. I shot her one final smile before sliding my finger along the seam of the envelope and pulling out the A4 photos. Photo after photo showed exactly what was asked. Eden Rivers was a freaking genius. My future sister-in-law knew her shit.
“These are great,” I said, flicking through the photos. “However, I do have one pressing matter. It’s quite serious, and I would be very hesitant to accept these if it’s not rectified.”
She leaned over the desk toward me and attempted to look at the photo I’d halted on. I turned the photo to her, and the confusion that swept over her face was thoroughly amusing.
“What’s the problem? That photo is stunning. The model is beautiful, the outfit is smoking hot, and the lighting and location are exactly what you asked for. You cannot be serious.”
“My problem is that you do not own this outfit. I would suggest stealing the skirt the model is wearing.”
“Josh fucking Crawford, you had me panicked. Don’t do that.” She laughed with a shake of her head. “And who says I haven’t already stolen it?”
“You are a minx, Ashlyn Hart.” I laughed as I put the photos back in the envelope.
“Yep, a minx with a new skirt.”
Her eyes dropped to her phone as a text message came through, and a smile appeared on her face when she read it. “Eden’s text messages always crack me up. I see that we are all going to dinner tonight, and Eden is very excited about that fact.” She laughed as she quickly tapped in a reply.
“Maybe Ky has finally grown some balls and proposed, and they are going to tell us.”
She pushed back the seat and stood. “Maybe tonight we could celebrate Ashlyn’s Closet.”
“So you are happy with my suggestion?” I asked, pride swelling in my chest.
“I am ecstatic. It’s perfect.”
“Yep, we will have a drink tonight to celebrate your first day. But I have plans for just you and me to really celebrate it. I’ll surprise you one day, and that’s when I want to see the dress and heels, so that outfit better be in my apartment.”
“Um, the builders are starting tomorrow, so I haven’t moved my stuff yet. I’ll stay at mine tonight.” She walked to the door, but when she reached for the handle, she hesitated and looked at me over her shoulder. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“That you will.”
Seven P.M. rolled around, so I hurried around my apartment trying to find my keys and phone before I had to be downstairs. Eden’s cryptic messages hadn’t stopped all day, and I swore she had been drinking with the random shit she was texting. I was eager to find out what had caused her eccentric mood.
I stepped into the café and headed straight to our usual booth, then halted. Eden’s excitement became quite clear. Tori, her best friend from the West Coast, the same best friend I fucked when Eden first arrived, was sitting opposite her and Ky, and she was now staring straight at me. When Ky decided to become prince charming and buy Eden their dream house, Tori had moved into his apartment briefly. She returned to San Francisco due to work, however, and I hadn’t seen her since.
Ky’s attention hit me and, with a chin lift, he silently invited me to the table. I maneuvered my way through the other customers and stood at the end of the table with my hands jammed in my pockets.
“Josh, you made it,” Eden said excitedly as she slid out of the booth to give me a hug. Unfortunately, I couldn’t smell any alcohol on her, so drinking couldn’t explain her crazy mood. Yet in the pit of my stomach, I had a feeling she expected Tori and I to start up again. Matchmaker Eden was out in full force.
“Hey, pretty girl.” I returned her hug, and kissed her cheek quickly.
Eden moved back next to Ky and I turned to Tori. “Good to see you, Tori.”
“You too, babe,” she said, then leaned in and kissed me lightly on the lips, completely shocking me in the process.
I slid in opposite Ky and Eden, and Tori immediately slid in beside me. What the actual fuck was happening?
“We’re just waiting for Ashlyn,” Eden announced cheerily, and silently I thanked God that this wasn’t some kind of crazy double date. We ordered drinks, and Tori chatted happily about life in San Francisco. Eden, more often than not, liked to bring up my single status, and the shock horror of Tori’s single status. I loved Eden more than anything, but she was as subtle as a brick. Ky sat across from me with a shit-eating grin, loving every second of my being uncomfortable.
The door opened and, like my eyes were magnets, they were drawn to whoever was about to step through. Ashlyn appeared, and when she met my gaze she smiled and rushed toward us. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Gone was the business woman attire, and she was now in bombshell mode. Her blond hair was now hanging over her shoulders in loose curls, and her body was wrapped in a dress that showed of her inhuman hourglass figure. Fuck, her curves were dangerous; the kind that would make you swerve and lose complete control, but be completely okay with it.
“Hey,” Ashlyn said with a smile when she got to the table. Her eyes danced over all of us and landed on Tori. “I didn’t know you were in town, Tori.”
“It’s a surprise,” Tori responded, and moved in closer to my side, until she was practically on my lap. “I wanted to surprise Josh.”
And surprised I was.
Dinner was ordered, and the drinks began to flow. Laughter soon took over the table, and I felt myself relaxing. Tori wasn’t afraid to show her affection for me, and as the night wore on I seemed to warm to her. Eden looked like she was in her element. She had planned this little get together and, in her eyes, it was becoming a huge success. Once we had eaten, we decided to head into the city to a bar that was owned by one of my closest friends from Los Angeles. Red Velvet NY was the sister bar to Red Velvet LA, which I frequented when I was in town. Charisma oozed from the boutique bar that gave you the feeling of stepping into the glitz and glamour of the 1950s. Low lights, soft music, and atmosphere thick with confidence greeted us.
The five of us moved toward the cornered-off section, and Ky headed for the bar while I stayed with the girls.
“Are you going to dance with me tonight?” Tori whispered and shifted toward me. She placed her hand on my chest, and her breath hit my ear. “We could have some fun. That’s why I’m here. You left me with very good memories. Memories I wish to revisit.”
Tori flashed me a look of heat after she stepped back, and I knew right then, whether it made me seem like a cocky asshole or not, that I could have her if I wanted. The question was, did I want to go back for round two with her? I didn’t want complication in my life, and that was what I was afraid of if I listened to my cock.