Landon sat in the large window at the front of Liam's apartment. He had it opened wide and was straddling the sill. He held his phone to his ear with one hand, and used the other to hold his cigarette.

“So where did I let you talk me into going?” he asked, blowing a stream of smoke into the cool air.

“Indonesia,” his friend Velez said in an excited voice. “It's fucking amazing, man. Ever been?”

“No.”

“We're gonna meet up in Bali, it's totally touristy, so it sees a lot of people coming and going. Are you sure you want to do this?”

Landon let his eyes fall shut for a moment.

No, but I can't be here anymore, and I need to do something. Anything. Everything's so gray now, nothing distracts me anymore. I want explosions, and I don't care how I get them.

“Yeah, I said I was down. Who's gonna suspect a doctor?” he asked, tapping his ashes so they fell to the sidewalk below.

“You'd be surprised. Sneaking a bunch of drugs out of a third world country isn't as easy as it used to be,” Velez warned him.

“I guess we'll find out.”

“Okay. So you get here on the first, and to make it look authentic, you've gotta spend some time here. I'm thinking like five days? Whatever. We'll get some hookers. Then you ...”

Landon tuned out as he noticed a girl coming out of the building next door. His building, technically – he was the owner of Twin Estates building number one. If there had been any apartments available in it, he'd be living over there. He spent enough time there, anyway, sleeping his way through the female tenants.

But this blonde chick, he didn't recognize. He was seven stories up, which also made it difficult. He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes, following her movements. She was dragging a huge bag of trash behind her, her head bent down as she moved. Without her face, he'd never know who she was, so he flicked his cigarette in her direction. A little too well, it turned out, as it bounced off her shoulder.

“What the ...” he heard her startled shout as she jumped to the side. She glanced up, saw him, then glanced down at the ground. Saw the cigarette butt burning near her feet. When she looked back up at him, she held up her middle finger. “GET FUCKED, EDENHOFF!”

“Tori?” he laughed loudly. She glared at him for a second longer, then continued on her trek down the block.

“Are you listening to me, bro?” Velez's voice interjected.

“No, not even a little. Look, I got the general idea,” Landon said as he scrambled back inside and hurried for the front door. “I'll see you after the first, we can hash all the details out when I get there.”

“Okay. And look, if you get here and decide you don't want to do it, no hard feelings.”

“Thanks. Talk to you when I'm getting on the flight.”

“Peace.”

By the time he hung up, Landon was halfway down the stairs. Another minute or so and he was barreling his way outside. He'd been pretty sure she'd be gone by the time he got down there, but she was still outside. Tori was standing in front of a huge dumpster, struggling to swing her trash bag up into it.

“Need some help?” he asked, startling her during a back swing. She let out a yelp and let go of the bag, sending it flying backwards into the wall.

“What the fuck is your problem!?” she shouted, whirling around him. “First you throw your disgusting habit at me, now you're sneaking up on me? Fuck off!”

Landon chuckled and grabbed the garbage bag off the ground. He was able to get it into the dumpster with one solid throw.

“I didn't mean to hit you,” he said, looking her over. “Nice hair. And nice ... shoes.”

She was wearing a pair of Crocs. He hadn't realized anyone under forty wore Crocs, and here she was, doubling down and wearing them with socks. She'd matched them to a pair of sweatpants cut into shorts and a loose, cropped tank top. As if that wasn't all enough to take in, she also wasn't wearing a bra. Tori had amazing breasts, full and round and perky. Yet still, they weren't quite stealing the show. No, it was the frizzy blonde knot on the top of her head.

She looks fucking insane.

“Are you done?” she hissed, plunking her hands on her hips. He realized he must have been staring at her for quite a while.

“No. When did you do this?” he asked, reaching out to touch her hair. She slapped his hand away.

“Yesterday. Goodbye, Landon,” she replied as she stomped off. He simply fell into step behind her.

“Nice color, looks good on you. Is it supposed to look like that, though?” he asked, following her to the elevator inside her building.

“No,” she groaned. “I forgot to use the special shampoo, then didn't use any conditioner, and then I slept on it. It's completely fried, it feels like a corn husk fucked the Sahara desert.”

He barked out a laugh, startling both of them. The elevator doors slid open and they both got on.

“Oh. Well. Still looks good,” he offered. She glared at him.

He wasn't lying, though. It did look like she'd just slept on it, which made him think of her in bed. Which made him think of sex. Sex could do that to a person's hair. Especially good sex.

I lied – I did get to experience one good explosion recently.

“What do you want, Landon?” she asked when they got off on her floor. “If you're not apologizing for trying to set me on fire, you can just go back home.”

“I didn't try to set you on fire,” he argued. “So I don't have to apologize for shit. What're you up to?”

“Is this real life? Are you trying to hit on me? Ask me out?”

She sounded incredulous. Like she couldn't believe he would have the audacity to even think that would be something she might be interested in. Yet when he followed her into her apartment, she didn't try to stop him.

“No. I'm trying to fuck you,” he said, shutting the door behind him. She snorted.

“No thanks. I'm not in the mood today.”

“I'm pretty good at getting people in the mood.”

“Have you met you?” she asked, turning around in the entrance to her kitchen. “You're like the anti-mood.”

A wave of brilliance washed over Landon's mind. She was completely back lit by the kitchen, her hands back on her hips, her legs planted wide apart. He was sure she was trying to look intimidating, but she didn't. Her face was too naturally pleasant, her body too deliciously curvy, for her to ever be threatening. She looked like a party in a body, and surprisingly, she had an air of innocence about her. Like she could never really do anything bad, ever.

Like the type of person customs agents wouldn't even look twice at.

“What are you doing for New Year's?” he asked.

“Huh?” she grunted, caught off guard by the subject change.

“New Year's. It's a thing people do, I think, I don't know. What are you doing?” he asked again. She thought for a moment.

“I don't know. Liam usually throws a party at his building, but I'm not going. I'll probably go out alone. Or stay home.”

“You should come with me -”

“I'm not going to whatever overpass you'll be hanging out under. No thanks.”

“- to Bali,” he finished speaking. Her eyes opened wide for a moment, then she laughed.

“What, is that like a new opium den downtown?” she cackled.

“No, it's an island in Indonesia known for its beautiful beach side resorts,” he corrected her.

“I don't believe for one second you're going to Bali, and even if you were, I don't believe you'd want me to come with you.”

He took out his phone and opened an app. Flicked through a couple options, then clicked on his itinerary. He held it out with the screen facing her.

“I'm going,” he said, and watched as her eyes got wide again as she took in his flight information. “And I'm inviting you to come along.”

“But ... why?” she finally asked, glancing up at him.

“Eh. I'm not so into beaches. Fucking on beaches, though ...” he let the sentence hang. She rolled her eyes.

“You've never had any trouble getting pussy, Landon.”

“I certainly didn't the other night.”

He watched as her breath caught in her throat. Stared as her chest heaved for a second.

God bless thin t-shirts and hard nipples.

“Then that proves my point,” she finally spoke. “If you can nail me so easily, then you can nail any chick. You don't need me on your vacation.”

“But I want you,” he said, and was a little shocked to realize it wasn't a total lie. The sex between them had been outstanding, and sometimes it was nice to be able to just sleep with someone without all the work it took to pick up a chick. He didn't mind Tori, even thought she was funny sometimes, and if she could also help him with his new drug mule gig? Bonus points for her.

“I ...” she stammered, and he could see her resolve crack. “No. This is a bad, bad idea.”

“So? Seems like you and I are used to bad ideas. At least this will be a fun one.”

“I can't.”

“Why not? C'mon, Tor, it'll be fun. We can go to a topless beach, drink margaritas all day, have sex all night,” he offered, but he saw those ideas weren't enough, so he pulled out some big guns. “Look. Honestly? I don't want to be around Liam. It's hard enough seeing him do so well while I'm doing so shitty; I don't really wanna celebrate it. And I figured you didn't really want to be stuck at a job with him, and also living in the same building as the love of his life. Let's go be miserable together.”

If Landon could experience normal emotions, he almost would've felt bad. She looked so upset for a moment. So crestfallen. He'd hit every single nail on the head, had pushed every button. She was miserable, and she didn't want those things, he could tell. She stared down her dark hallway and blinked away tears.

“This is stupid,” she breathed. “I couldn't even go with you if I wanted to, I can't just afford to buy a ticket to Bali a day before we leave.”

“Hey, this is my idea, my trip, and my treat,” he spoke fast. “I know you all think I'm some sort of bum, but I am a doctor. I do own this building. I have income, I just don't like to spend it.”

“I can't let you pay for my -”

“You can, and you will,” he said, stepping up close to her. She tried to back away, but just rammed up against the door frame. “C'mon. It'll be my Christmas present to you. No wait, a thank you present.”

“Thank you present? For what?”

“Uh, to say thank you for having the best pussy I've fucked in a long time? For sucking my dick like you were getting paid for it? For letting me come all over your ass?” he started ticking things of.

“Stop. You're just making me feel worse.”

“Oh no,” he sighed, closing what little distance there was between them. “No, no, no, you should never feel bad about those things. You should have them on your business cards.”

“Thanks, I'll consider it. What are you doing?”

He was boxing her in, making it so she couldn't go anywhere. Her back was pressed up against the frame, so he lifted his arms and gripped onto the frame over their heads. Then he leaned over her.

“So you'll come?” he asked, staring down at her body. At her fucking amazing body. The sweatpant shorts were rolled over at the top, sitting low on her curvy hips and showing off her shapely legs. She was breathing fast now, causing her breasts to tremble under the thin tank top.

“I really don't think I should. What would ... everyone say?” she whispered. That pause. She'd been about to say Liam. He frowned, then moved so all his weight was pressed against her.

“Who cares? Tell them whatever you want, say you're going to Mexico,” he suggested, leaning his head down and taking her earlobe between his teeth.

“Mexico,” she sighed. “Landon ... are you sure? We don't know each other. What if I get on your nerves?”

“What if I get on your nerves?”

“You already do.”

He bit down hard, causing her to squeal.

“Then I'll get us separate rooms. Or send you home. Or kill you and bury your body in the jungle. Are you busy right now?”

“What? No, why would you -”

She gasped when his hand slid down the front of her shorts. This time, she was wearing underwear. Something small and made of cotton. He growled in annoyance and fiddled with the waistband.

“I liked you better when you weren't wearing these,” he said as she gripped onto his wrist.

“Please, Landon, we can't do this.”

“Oh, if we're gonna be spending a week together in Bali, we're most definitely fucking doing this. All the time.”

He was tired of hearing her bitch, so he shoved his tongue into her mouth while he stroked one finger in and out of her body. She twisted and turned under him, rubbing her thighs together. Spurring him on.

He loved how turned on she got, how quickly she reacted to him. Not only was she soaking wet in no time flat, but her tongue was pushing back against his own, and her hands were forcing their way under his t-shirt.

“Well ...” she panted when he pulled back so she could undo his fly. “I guess if we're having sex all the time, that means you won't be talking a lot, which might make you more bearable.”

He used his free hand to pull sharply on her hair.

“That fucking mouth,” he hissed. “I must be out of my goddamn mind, bringing you with me.”

“Hmmm, then I guess it's good my mouth is very talented at other things.”

“Ooohhh,” he groaned when she started stroking his cock. “I am going to fuck you so hard.”

“You'd better, because I -”

Tori never got to finish her thought. There was a loud banging outside her front door, like something falling against it. She squealed in surprise and gripped his dick so hard, he let out a shout.

“Jesus, it's fucking attached to me, you know!” he hissed. There was more thumping, then someone talking. Tori gasped, then pulled her hand free of him and quickly did up his button and zipper.

“Genevieve!” she whispered. “She got home today! I totally forgot. You have to stop.”

Landon glared down at her and added a second finger to the mix. She went cross eyed for a second, then grabbed onto his wrist again.

“Maybe if you ask me nicely,” he whispered back.

“Please,” she begged. “Please, I'll go on your trip. I'll do anything you want. Just please don't let her see us like this.”

At the sound of a key in the lock and the door knob turning, Landon stared Tori dead in the eye while he slowly dragged his hand out of her panties. By the time Genevieve Stone was walking through the front door, Landon was standing about five feet away from Tori, staring coolly down at her.

“Hey!” Vieve said brightly, glancing between them. “I came home a couple days early, surprise! How are you guys?”

She thinks I'm Liam.

“Uh ... good,” Tori managed to stammer.

“Peachy keen. I'll take off now,” he said, smiling at Vieve before turning to face Tori. “I just stopped by to grab something to eat.”

Tori stared back at him as he slowly put his dewy fingers into his mouth, then she watched while he sucked them clean.

“Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt! Please, Liam, stay and finish up,” Vieve encouraged. Tori let out a strangled laugh.

“Nah, I'm good. For now. Tori, I'll talk to you tonight,” he said, still staring at her while he walked out the front door.

“Um, yeah, tonight.”

“I'm making those plans for us.”

Everyone paused for a second, Vieve's eyes bouncing between the couple, obviously wondering what the charged moment was all about. Then Tori took a deep, shaky breath, and she nodded her head.

“I hope you do. It's gonna be a fun New Year's.”