I wake up feeling crushed, lost in a haze of fuzzy memories.

My mouth is dry. My forehead is sweaty. It’s warm. Too warm. I can barely breathe. I try to shift onto my side but that crushed feeling overwhelms me.

Wait…

I lay a hand on my chest, instantly touching skin that’s not mine. It’s thick, muscled.

An arm?

I open my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. The curtains are closed, blocking most of the LA morning sunlight but I can still make out the shape of the man lying next to me.

No…

Make that men.

One on either side. Max lies to my right, face down with his closed eyes pointed in my direction. And Thad on my left. It’s his arm draped over me, his palm purposefully cupping my right breast.

“Oh, shit,” I whisper.

Max stirs and I bite my tongue as he gently kicks his foot in his sleep. He doesn’t wake up. Thank god.

I have to get out of here.

I inch my hand up, wrapping my fingers around Thad’s thick wrist. It’s limp and heavy but I manage to move it to his side without dropping it.

I slink downward to the foot of the bed, inch-by-inch, pausing after every movement in the hopes they don’t wake up.

God, what happened last night?

No, wait. Don’t think about it. If you do, you’ll freak out. You’ll start to remember that recreated kiss with Max by the window. And Thad… the way he kissed me hard and fast. His hands on my skin as he unzipped my dress. Max’s lips on my belly, traveling down to my—

Oh, god. I really have to get out of here.

My body buzzes with each memory, flicking and twitching as I slide off onto the floor. I hit the hard wood with a soft thud. It echoes loudly in my head. I keep hidden for several moments before peeking up to make sure they’re still asleep.

So far, so good.

Clothes. Where are my clothes?

I find my bra by the doorway, along with my dress sprawled on the floor by the windows in the living room. As I clasp the bra into place and pull my dress back over my hips, I scan the place for my underwear. Nothing stands out. Maybe it’s under their suits…

I tiptoe back and forth, picking up their shirts and ties and pants around the bedroom but my underwear is nowhere in sight.

Ah, crap.

Thad rolls over, groaning in his sleep, and I freeze in fear. Total paralysis takes me over, every muscle clenches in place.

I pick my shoes up off the floor and bolt into the hallway.

My purse. Where is my purse?

I bite my lip, sliding softly into the living room area. I see it on the sofa and I breathe a sigh of relief as I rush over to grab it.

Time to go.

I twist toward the door, pausing in front of it beside the mirror hanging on the wall. My lipstick is smeared across my cheek, my hair is all over the place, and I’m a little too scared to smell my breath right now…

I tiptoe back to the hall and close the door to the bathroom behind me.

I had sex with Max Monahan and Thad Hemsley. Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it.

Don’t think about Max’s face buried between your thighs as you sucked on Thad’s—

No. No. No.

I splash my face with water before ripping off a few squares of toilet paper to wipe the old lipstick off my cheek.

They were incredible.

No.

I’ve never had it like that before.

Stop.

I run my fingers through my hair as I swish water throughout my dry mouth.

I orgasmed on Max Monahan’s face.

Girl…

Twice.

Here we go.

And I can’t even begin to guess how many times Thad made me come on his—

Shut the fuck up, Phoebe.

Another sweat breaks on my forehead. I spit the water out and wipe my lips, feeling more motivated than ever to get the hell out of here before they wake up.

I open the door and step out into the hallway.

“Phoebe.”

A gasp clenches my throat shut as I spin around to find Max standing in the hallway behind me. My eyes drop all the way down to his— yep. Naked.

He’s naked.

“You heading out?” he asks.

“Yeah. I have...” I force my eyes back up, “a thing.”

He nods. “Do you need a ride or cab fare?”

“No, I’m more than capable of paying for that myself. Thank you.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he says, moving up a step to stand in front of me. “You’re a big girl... and I mean that as in you’re an adult, not that you’re...” he gestures awkwardly at me, “a big girl.”

I shake my head. “It’s okay. I’ve been called much worse.”

“I’m sorry if I offended you. Just figured offering was the polite thing to do after last night.”

“No, it was. Thank you. I’m just...” I scratch an itch behind my head. “I’m feeling a little fucked up right now.”

He chuckles. “Yeah, that seems to be going around.” He points toward the kitchen. “You sure you have to leave? I can make some coffee and we can talk...”

“No, I don’t want to be late to my thing.”

“Must be important.”

“Oh, it is.” I keep my eyes raised. “It’s a very big thing.”

He smiles, melting my knees.

“Anyway...” I turn toward the door. “I guess I’ll just...”

“Phoebe.”

I pause. “Yeah?”

“You’re not wearing panties.”

I twist back around, my cheeks burning even redder as he opens his fist. My undies tumble down from his palm and hang from his hooked fingers.

“Right...” I exhale hard, stalling for an excuse that doesn’t come. “I couldn’t find them before, so I just… I wasn’t leaving them on purpose, I swear. That’d be just weird.”

“I know. I was sleeping on them. Saw them when I sat up, figured returning them would be the polite—”

“Thing to do,” we say together.

“Exactly.” He smirks. “And you wouldn’t want to go commando to your very big thing.”

“No. No, I wouldn’t.” I snatch them from his hand, quickly palming them out of view. “Thank you.You’re much more... polite than I remember.”

“And you’re a lot more fun than I remember.”

“You’d be right about that.” I shrug. “Pretty sure the fun didn’t kick in until my mid-twenties, honestly, but better late than never, right?”

“Right.” He nods.

I step back again. “Anyway, I’ll just be on my way...”

“Phoebe.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re still not wearing panties.”

My nose crinkles with shame. “You mind if I just hop back into your bathroom for a sec?”

He flattens against the wall. “Not at all.”

“Thank you.”

I pass by him, wanting so badly to stare at his dangling manhood but I successfully fight the urge as I rush into the bathroom and slam the door behind me.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck…” I whisper repeatedly to myself as I bend down and step into my underwear. “Keep it together, Pink. Fuck, fuck—”

I pull them up under my dress and yank the door open again.

“So…”

I gasp at Max, now standing right outside the door. Still naked. Still… dangling.

“You live in LA, right?” he asks me.

“Yeah,” I say, nodding. “Not in this area, though. I tend not to stray too far from Burbank anymore, mostly.”

He nods. “That would explain why I’ve never seen you around.”

“Oh, I’m sure we hung — hang — in very different circles.” I chuckle awkwardly, my neck stiff to keep my gaze as upward as possible as I pray he didn’t hear that slip.

If he did, he doesn’t bring attention to it. “Well, I’ll be keeping an eye out for you anyway.” He steps to the side to let me pass. “I’ll see you around, Phoebe Pink.”

I swallow the saliva building on my tongue. “I’ll see you around, Max Monahan.”

His lips curl.

The bedroom door opens behind him and Thad slumps out with one hand rubbing his eyes and the other scratching at his— yep. Naked.

Also naked.

“You leaving?” he asks me, mid-yawn.

I bite my inner cheek. “I have a thing.”

He pauses next to Max. “Need some cab fare?”

Max holds up a hand. “Already asked her. She’s fine.”

Thad smiles as his eyes travel to my toes and back. “Yes, she is.”

My chest twinges, growing tired from the constant palpitations. “I’m gonna go now,” I say weakly.

“You sure you don’t wanna stick around?” he asks. “I’m up for round two. Well, not right this moment but give me a few seconds...”

He reaches down to his groin and I rush away to shield my view.

“Nope! Sorry! Gotta go.”

“She has a thing,” Max tells him.

“Ahh, right,” Thad says. “Maybe some other time, then.”

I turn the corner, bashing my knee against an end table. Cursing under my breath, I keep moving with wide eyes, hoping I don’t break something.

“Phoebe, wait...”

I stall out by the door, giving Max plenty of time to catch up with me. “Yeah?” I ask.

“You’ll have to excuse Thad,” he says, leaning on the closed door and filling my vision with his perfectly chiseled chest. “I’m pretty sure he’d stick his dick in a toaster if he caught his own reflection in it just right.”

I laugh. “You don’t say?”

He reaches for the lock and slides it free before twisting the doorknob. “Have fun at your thing.”

My heart stalls for a brief second as I look back into his soft, kind eyes. “I definitely will. Thank you.”

Max smiles once again and opens the door for me.

I walk out into the cool hallway, pausing to get my bearings before seeing the elevator at the end of the hallway on my left. My knees buck and my ankles twitch with each step but the destination never feels any closer the more I move.

“Hey, Pheebs.”

Oh, god. What now?

I cringe as I turn around to face Thad. He walks out into the hallway, seemingly without a care in the world that he’s still very, very exposed. He picks up his pace, making his penis flop against his thigh and I bite my lip to distract myself.

“What’s up, Thad?” I ask, stopping at the elevator.

He towers over me with his hands on his hips. “I like to check-in a little bit with my various conquests post-business, if you know what I mean.”

“… I really don’t.”

I rapidly tap the call button.

“On a scale of good-to-awesome, how are you feeling this morning?”

I blink. “What comes between good and awesome?”

“Great, dandy, and excellent,” he says as the doors slide open.

“Uhh…” I weigh the options as I step onto the empty elevator. “Dandy, I guess?”

“Hmm.” He bites his cheek in thought. “That’s a little low. Did you find the inclusion of a third partner hindered or advanced your sexual pleasure? With me, specifically. We’ll get to Max in a minute…”

My cheeks burn. “I…”

“You know what, I’ll email you.” He waves a hand. “You seem to be in a rush right now.”

“Yeah, my thing,” I spit out.

The doors start to close but he reaches out to block them. “One last question.”

“What?”

“Go ahead and give me your Goldilocks rating.”

I raise a brow. “Goldilocks rating?”

He gestures downward and winks. “Too big, too small, or just right?”

I let myself look at it for one long second. “It’s just right, Thad.”

He smiles and releases the elevator doors. “Nice.”

I watch him walk away, silently admiring his tight rear as he swiftly heads back into Max’s condo.

What the hell just happened to me?