What am I thinking? Like I could walk into a sex shop. Knowing my luck, I’d know half the customers. Awkward much?

“Ready, Red?” Jeff’s voice interrupts my X-rated thoughts. Okay, so not X-rated, but definitely not PG.

Jeff and I stop by the takeout restaurant across the street from our building and load up on Chinese food. I’m really sure if it’s considered brain food, but it’s so good. Brad is absent from his post when we re-enter the apartments, and we ride the empty elevator in silence, except for my stomach making loud noises at the yummy smell coming from our white plastic bags. Jeff stops at the front door, but I keep walking, not wanting to see the roommates right now. I open my door and Jeff jogs over and follows me in, shutting the door behind him.

Moving quickly to the coffee table in my sitting room, I start pulling out the little white containers. Luckily, I have plates and silverware in an armoire, so we don’t have to leave the room for anything. I also have a medium-size fridge, so I grab a couple drinks—no, not alcohol. Remember, I’ve sworn off that evil stuff. There is no talking as we polish off all the food. Now pleasantly stuffed, we crack open our books and start studying.

“Sorry,” I say later when a loud yawn escapes me.

“I guess it’s time to call it a night,” he says. “I’m so glad we have a few days off from work so we can sleep in. Oh, how I miss sleeping in. Then we can run, and then off to school again. Do you ever think we’ll have normal lives? You know, where we only work a sixty-hour week instead of the hundred we’re doing now?”

“I know. It sucks, huh?”

“Well, at least your life has some spice in it now.”

“I guess you could call it that. But really, Jeff, I wish I wasn’t here. I’m so out of my league. It would be okay if I didn’t have feelings for one of them. But damn my hormones! I just need to focus, exercise more, and think less about sex, penises, and dildos.”

Jeff starts laughing, and then I start laughing and can’t catch my breath. Suddenly, I’m trying not to pee my pants.

“Come in,” I manage to say as I hear knocking at my door.

“Just had to come in and see what fun I might be missing.” Drew pokes his head around the door, flashing a big smile when he sees us sitting on opposite sides of the room with piles of books around us. “Studying. That’s a good way to spend an evening, and Chinese food for dinner, good choice.”

“Come in, Drew, and join us. We’ve finished studying for the night,” Jeff tells him.

“So, I won’t be interrupting anything important?”

“Nope, like Jeff said, we’re done. Where are Liam and Colin?” I ask, hoping he doesn’t notice I stumbled over Colin’s name. Damn me, talking about sex, dildos, and penises.

“They’re watching a movie.”

“Gosh, my idea of a model’s life is way off. I thought it was work in the day and party all night,” I say with a smirk.

“Yep, you’re way off. There are some who do that, but they don’t last long. Takes a toll on the body and looks,” Drew says, stretching, which makes his shirt rise up.

I catch a glimpse of his washboard abs. Nope, they haven’t changed since the day I came to answer the ad. Still nice and firm. Like an erect penis.

OMG, you are not even attracted to him. What’s up with you?

As if Jeff can read my mind, he laughs, his eyes aimed at mine. I stick out my tongue and get up to get a bottle of water. The little devil just laughs harder and I pick up the nearest pillow and throw it at him. He easily bats it away. Drew sits in a chair close to the door, looking puzzled.

“Hello … can we come and join the party?”

I silently groan internally as I hear the one voice I’ve tried to avoid. My head is blocked by the open fridge, so I grab a bottle and put it to my forehead, trying to cool myself off. I swear the temp just went up a hundred degrees.

“Sure. The more, the merrier,” Big Mouth Jeff replies.

Oooh, I could smack the shit out of him. See, he’s making me swear. Pulling my head out of the freezer, I see Liam and Colin taking their seats, and the spacious room suddenly feels overcrowded.

“Would anyone like a drink?” I ask. My mom would be proud that she has brought me up right. All I really want to do is take a cold shower.

“Dora, are you okay?” Jeff’s question has gotten what he wants: everyone’s attention on me. Butthead.

“Just peachy,” I repeat a phrase my mom says when she’s mad at my dad. If Jeff grins, I will smack him right in front of everyone. But to my relief, he just looks concerned with a gleam in his eye.

I sit on an overstuffed ottoman, drinking my water, listening to the guys talking. I keep my eyes averted from the group, but I feel someone staring at me. I’m afraid to look up. Julie’s ringtone saves me, and I stand, grabbing my cell and moving out of their earshot.

Hanging up, I say, “Hey, guys, that was Julie. She needs to see me. I’ll be back in a few.”

I don’t give them time to answer, just grab my keys and quickly exit my door. In the elevator, I take a deep breath and try to calm my pounding heart.

Well, there goes my reason for being in here. Have I done something wrong? She seems so natural with this Jeff guy. Who is he to her? The others said he’s her friend and study buddy. I wish he was ugly. Maybe she doesn’t want a “shallow” model. That’s how she sees me, I’m sure. Do I have a chance? Maybe I have to work harder to make her see the real me. She is so worth it.

11

Four hours later, I sneak back into my room. Julie and Kevin had their first fight since being hitched. It lasted all of one hour, and then they made up. Unfortunately for them, I refused to leave until I felt it was safe to return to my room. Make-up sex probably started right after I left. I know it was mean of me to make them wait, but hey, how many sleepless nights did I endure because of them?

“So, the prodigal daughter returns.” Jeff’s voice startles me. “I’m irked at you for leaving me to entertain your guests.”

I squint, trying to see where he’s located, when a light suddenly comes on. He’s lying on my bed in his pajama bottoms. How many times am I going to mention how terribly sad it is for the female population that he’s gay?

“Oh, I’m sure it was such a chore hanging out with three models. Wait a minute while I play the world’s smallest violin for you,” I say in my snarkiest voice.

“You’re right, it was fun. They aren’t at all what I expected. Shallow, self-centered, or big on themselves is how I imagined them being, but instead they’re just average guys.”

“You do know that shallow, self-centered, or big on themselves is basically saying the same thing three times, right?” Again snarky. Love it when I’m right.

“I’ll give you that one. So, what was the big emergency with Jules?”

“First post-marriage fight, lasted about an hour,” I answer.

“You made them wait for make-up sex? That’s an all-time low for you, Red.”

“Yep. Payback for all those sleepless nights. So, spill.”

“Spill what?”

“What did you guys talk about? Anything interesting?”

“Nope. They tried to pump me for info regarding a hot little redhead, but I’m not a telling kind of guy. All your secrets are safe with me. Two of them kept looking at their mega-expensive watches, like they were wondering where you had run off to.”

“Was one of them Colin?”