My phone ringing pulled me from a sweet, and dreamless sleep. As I rolled over and picked it up, I noticed two things in rapid succession. First, it was already nine thirty in the morning. Second, I had three missed calls, including the one that had just woken me up. Caller ID said the call came from a private number, which didn't really tell me much of anything, but whoever it was had at least left a voicemail so I could find out before I decided whether or not to call back.

It wasn't until I sat up to listen to the message that the deep throbbing ache between my legs reminded me I hadn't gone to bed alone. I glanced toward the empty space next to me, my stomach clenching as I realized Dax was gone.

Again.

Before I could read too much into it, however, my eye fell on a piece of paper that lay on the pillow beside me. The curtains were drawn so the room was still too dark for me to read the note, so I flipped on the light even as I unfolded the piece of paper.

Dinner tonight. Meet at the club.

Okay, so it wasn't a love note, or even an explanation as to where he'd gone, but it was something. More than something, actually. He could've just left a thanks for a good time and it would've been as good as last time. This was him saying that he wanted to see me again.

I shivered as I remembered the things he'd told me, the things he wanted to do to me. He'd done some of them, and I wondered if his note was a promise of more to come.

I wasn't going to assume any more than that. I'd entertained the idea of a friendship with him where sex was an option, and that was all I was going to hope for. We'd both said we didn't want a relationship, and I still meant it. I had too much else going on to deal with everything that came with dating. Especially dating someone like Dax. I didn't know a lot about him, but I knew enough to know that nothing would be simple.

Still, I couldn't stop the smile that came to my lips when I thought about being able to count on Dax for regular, mind-blowing sex. Maybe we could even get into some of the things he'd seen while working at Club Privé.

A part of me was tempted to text him, tell him to forget dinner, and come straight back to the hotel.

Instead, I did the responsible thing and picked up my phone to call my voicemail.

“Bryne, this is Jacqueline Jamison, the casting director for Collide. I'd like to send out your contract. I just have a couple questions. Give me a call.”

I listened to the message twice to make sure I had the number right, and then called it back, all thoughts of Dax pushed aside. Well, most of them anyway. Considering how well-used my body felt, it'd be impossible for me not to have him hovering in the back of my mind for at least a couple days.

The conversation with Jacqueline was short, but when I ended the call, I felt like I'd taken a straight shot of caffeine or adrenaline or something. I was wide awake now, synapses humming. Jacqueline had a contract for me. What I'd come to New York for, what I'd been wanting to do since I was a kid, wasn't just a possibility anymore. It was actually happening.

And that meant I couldn't spend the rest of the morning lounging around in bed thinking about Dax and sex. I had things I had to do. The first of which was calling Carrie to tell her that I'd given her name as being the lawyer who'd look over my contract. I knew she wasn't an entertainment lawyer, but her friend Krissy worked in that field, and I knew Carrie would ask if she needed to.

The second thing I had to do was get in the shower because I wasn't about to leave the hotel looking like I'd just been well and truly fucked. Granted, I had, but I couldn’t walk back into Carrie and Gavin's like that. Gavin was annoyed with me enough already as it was.

When I got out of the shower, however, I changed my plans. Todd had texted me. Apparently, he'd gotten his call today too, and wanted to meet for lunch to schedule practice times outside of general rehearsal. A thrill went through me as I read the message. Part of me was still waiting for someone to tell me that a mistake had been made, that things weren't really coming together for me so quickly.

Since Dax and I hadn't exactly planned our little liaison, I didn't have any clean clothes, but fortunately for me, the hotel had a boutique so I only had to go downstairs to find a cute sweater and skirt combination that would be perfect for lunch at Tavern on the Green.

The weather matched my mood as I stepped outside. Clear blue skies, bright shining sun. It was still cold, but it was the sort of cold I found invigorating. I had plenty of time before I was supposed to meet Todd, so rather than spending it in a cab, I opted for a walk to Central Park. The exercise would do me good. Work out all the kinks and stiff muscles that I'd accumulated thanks to dancing and sex.

Heat rushed to my cheeks, giving the cold air a bit more bite. I had a feeling Todd was going to want to know how things went with Dax last night, and if I was being completely honest, I wanted someone to talk to about it. Carrie wouldn't judge, I knew, but I didn't want to put her in an awkward position with Gavin. Better to keep them on a “need to know” basis when it came to any specifics with my sex life, especially when Dax was involved.

I was so caught up in thoughts of what could be in my future that I didn't notice someone walking straight toward me until she stopped directly in front of me. I pulled myself up short, just missing colliding with her.

“Sorry.” I gave her a bright smile and moved to step around her.

Her hand shot out and grabbed my arm. I forced myself to keep the smile on my face. “Can I help you?”

Sunlight glinted off of the silver ring in her eyebrow as she glared at me. “Yeah, you can help me.” She leaned close and I could smell the cigarette smoke on her breath. “Stay the fuck away from my man.”

“Excuse me?” I racked my brain to try to find some recognition. Long light brown hair. Coal black eyes. Only a couple inches taller than me. Pretty in a rough kind of way. But I couldn't place her.

“Dax.” Her fingers dug into my arm. “Stay away from him. He's mine.”

She shoved me backwards and I barely kept myself from falling. She stalked past me without another word, leaving me to stare after her.

What the hell had just happened?