“Levi!” Seth interjects.

“Right. Come stand over here and pretend like you’re messing around in the kitchen.” Kate cracks open a cold biscuit and opens a jar of honey.

Cupping a hand over his mouth, Seth nudges Meg and mutters, “This could get awkward.”

As Thessaly and Levi crowd the island and pretend to prepare breakfast with pre-cooked food, Kate curses under her breath.

“You’re practically wearing the same thing! I hate it!” Kate shrieks.

Approaching them with his camera and a calm face, Walter suggests, “Let me take a few shots first, Kate.” He peers through two different cameras with varying lenses and frowns. “Nope! Too much white. One of you needs to change your shirt.”

Turning to the assistant, Kate asks, “Do we have wardrobe?”

“No,” Mia mouths sarcastically.

“Not a problem.” Without hesitating, Levi unbuttons the sleeves of his dress shirt, yanks it from the waistband of his slacks, pops open the remaining buttons, and then drops it to the floor. Revealing sculpted biceps and a tan chest, Levi shrugs his shoulders and smirks. “Most mornings, this is how I make breakfast.”

“God damn,” Kate whispers.

“Lucky bitch.” And because it’s part of her job description, Meg begins snapping photos for Instagram. “For Lois,” she says to a discerning Seth.

“Good morning, Tess. How about some stale biscuits and waxy strawberries.” Levi grabs Thessaly’s waist and presses her against the cold marble counter of the island. He pins her between his legs, leaving just enough room for Thessaly’s eyes to follow the thin trail of auburn hair along his impeccable stomach.

Placing a hand behind Thessaly’s head, Levi angles her face to look into her eyes. “Relax,” he says before wetting his lips.

Thessaly braces herself against the island as Levi kisses the tender skin of her neck. Dragging his mouth along her jaw, he then lands powerfully on her lips. Thessaly flinches, knocking over a jar of Wild Honey and flipping the plate of bacon.

As they kiss, Walter moves in closer, mindful to capture the essence of the new brand – the messy counter, the spilled honey, and the sexual explosion of two people seamlessly acting on their impulses.

Slapping her hand on the counter, Thessaly accidentally claws her fingers against the pool of honey. Parting from their kiss, she slowly glides her finger over Levi’s lips, coating them with the golden nectar. He scrapes his lips with his teeth as Thessaly continues to trail her sticky finger down his chest.

Pressing against Thessaly and smearing honey all over her white shirt, Levi wildly nips at the stretch of skin beneath her ear. In an erratic hush, he pants, “I want to taste you.”

“Then taste me,” she breathes into his hair.

“And that’s a wrap!” Kate barks.

Meg tugs on the waist of Seth’s shirt to get his attention. Breathless, she begs, “My apartment. Now.”

Chapter Eight

“I used to think those phones called Russia,” Thessaly slurs.

“Because they’re red?” asks Levi.

Melting against Levi like a wet noodle, she grabs his shoulders and props herself against the wall of the elevator. “I feel sick.”

“You’ll be fine,” he assures. Wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer, Levi asks, “What floor, Tess?”

“Floorth four,” she mutters incoherently.

Pressing the button, he says, “When I was a kid, I thought department stores were labeling jeans just for me – until my sister bought a pair.”

Laughing hysterically as the doors to the elevator open, Thessaly sputters, “I live right there!”

Levi positions her under his arm, walks her down the hall, and then digs in her clutch for a key. He pulls out a single brass key with a blue ribbon and wiggles it in the knob. Praying that she’s sober enough to know where she lives, he finally unlocks the door.

Spilling into her apartment, Levi flips on the ceiling fan and a kitchen light, and then carefully moves her toward the couch.

Falling back on the yellow, velvet sofa and grabbing Levi’s belt, Thessaly quotes, “Take me to bed or lose me forever.”

Considering the idea, Levi waggles his eyebrows and smiles. But realizing that she’ll be asleep in less than ten minutes, he politely removes her hand from his waist and steps away. Studying her elevated bed and the steep incline of the stairs, Levi makes the decision to carry her to bed.

Placing one arm under her thighs, and the other behind her back, Levi scoops Thessaly like a baby and totters toward the stairs. She giggles and shakes her clutch in the air, as Levi climbs the steps. He lowers her to the bed and then sits next to her, carefully untucking her shirt as she falls asleep.

“Don’t be a creep,” he whispers to himself. Rationalizing several scenarios, he decides that her shirt is dirty, and her pants must be uncomfortable, so there’s really only one solution. Unzipping a side zipper and then lifting her back, he slides the frilly white shirt over her head and then tosses it on the floor. The pants are trickier. Unsnapping the waist of her pants, he writhes and twists the stiff fabric, careful not to wake her.

Dropping the pants to the floor, Levi glances at her bra, pleasantly surprised that her breasts are larger than he originally thought. Looking away, and then quickly looking back, he checks out her underwear and smiles – lace is his favorite.

Dresses are so much easier, he thinks.

Before he leaves, Levi removes Thessaly’s phone from her clutch and connects it to the charger on her side table – unable to ignore the text thread from Mason.

Waking up with a pounding headache and a churning stomach, Thessaly rolls toward the sound of her vibrating phone and opens her eyes.

Her mouth parched and her throat sore, she presses the symbol for the speakerphone and croaks, “Hello?”

“Hey, sis!”

Recognizing Shelby’s mellow drawl, she places the phone on the pillow next to her mouth. “What’s up, Shelby?”

“You sound sick – you okay?”

Thessaly rubs her eyes and pinches her temples. “I’m, you know, I’m sleeping under a fan.”

“Someone had too much to drink,” Shelby chants loudly.

Wincing at the volume of the phone, Thessaly moans. “What do you want – I need to get dressed for work.”

“Would you like a house guest? Or rather, a couch guest?”

“Who’s coming?”

“Your favorite brother.”

“Kip is welcome here anytime.”

“Lame joke, Tess. My flight arrives around six.”

“Tonight? Should I pick you up?” Thessaly rolls her shoulders back and yawns.

“You got a car?”

“No. It’s just what people say, I guess.”

“I’ll take a cab. Hey, I wanted you to get your new stuff before next week, so FedEx is scheduled for tomorrow.”

“How thoughtful. And since you’re the best bro ever, I know you’ll help me unpack the shipment.”

“Throw in beer and some of those edamame dumplings we had last time, and you got a deal.”

Writhing at the thought of beer and dumplings, Thessaly swallows back a shallow gasp. “Text me when you get here.”

“Will do. Take some aspirin, sis.”

Rolling on her back and peeling her eyelids apart, Thessaly counts the rotations of the ceiling fan to fifty before blinking. “Holy shit,” she croaks.

Sitting up slowly, Thessaly grabs her phone from the pillow and scrolls through her missed texts.

Seth: Please tell me you got laid.

Mason: Did you like the flowers?

Meg: Do we have a dating policy @ work?

Seth: Meg and I are secretly dating.

Shelby: I’m trying to call you. Wake up, TayTay.