Jade is practicing her new routine for her dance to Lollipop. I don’t even know Jade’s last name or even if Jade is her real name, but she’s great to talk to and makes killer nachos.

I’m lying on the floor, watching her rehearse. She has mad moves, and I’m captivated. Even Oliver is entertained by it and watches her intently. It’s way past his bedtime, but he’s mesmerized.

“You don’t remember?” she finally asks, a little winded. I’d been discussing the recent turn of events with her and waiting for her to reply. “That sucks.”

“I wasn’t exactly in my ‘right mind’ that night.” I roll over on her wooden floor, propping myself up on my elbows.

“Well, from what I remember, you left shortly before I left with the football player. What was his name?”

I gasp. “You left with Aldon?”

“Not really the point here. You left with that Batman guy.” Her eyes widen that she remembers—Jade doesn’t remember shit. Last week I had to remind her which apartment was hers when she tried to unlock my door and started throwing a hissy fit when her key wouldn’t work.

“Do you remember what he looked like?”

“Not really, but Aldon said something about it being his best friend.” Then she tips her head. “He had brown eyes. I remember that.”

Holy shit! I did sleep with him.

With Oliver in tow, I run out of Jade’s apartment and into my own. I remember bits and pieces of that night. I practically raped poor Batman in the hallway. The only reason we made it in my apartment was because he stopped us and pushed me inside.

Too bad I don’t remember if it was good or not. Who am I kidding? It was probably fantastic.

When you think about it, I’m the whore, not him! I raped Batman!

“What do I do now?” I ask, looking down at Oliver.

He doesn’t answer me as he’s now fast asleep on my lap.

I smell like chlorine, so I take a shower before bed. When I’m out of the shower, I hear a commotion outside my door, so I open it. There is no one there, but when I look down to get Oliver back inside, fresh off a midnight nap, there’s a single red rose with a note attached to it.

Tathan isn’t in the hall, which throws me a wicked curveball of amazement. Oliver takes off with the rose and leaves me standing at the door with the note in my hand.

“I am a whore,” I tell Oliver, who sits next to me against the door, eating his rose.

He doesn’t answer me.

Why do I find the fact that Tathan wrote me a note so incredibly endearing and heartfelt? I hate to even say those words associated with Tathan in the same sentence, but I do.

Damn him and his note. It’s my breaking point, because how can I throw office supplies at a man who writes notes and gives me roses?

It’s two in the morning on Friday, but I call in the Crisis Campers, Casey and Zane. Though this is essentially a bad idea, I need someone to talk to who answers back.

We sneak over to the gas station across the street for ice cream, and return to my apartment just a few minutes later. I’m getting a piggyback ride from Zane through the lobby of my apartment complex. I’d convinced him my feet hurt from pole dancing with Jade and he needed to carry me.

“You fucked him?” Zane asks, snickering. “You lucky bitch, muff!”

I bite his ear. “Can you not act like a twelve-year-old for like five minutes? This is serious.”

“Not likely. Hey, look.” He points to a vending machine. “Do you have a dollar? And I’m staying up all night for you. Don’t bite me.”

Reaching into the pocket of my shorts, I retrieve a dollar and hand it to him over his shoulder. He takes the dollar where he inserts it into the machine as I lay my head on his back. He gets his peanut M&M’s and starts walking toward the elevators.

“I don’t see what the big deal is. So muff got some action and doesn’t remember. . .” He shrugs. “What’s the problem?”

Casey catches up with us after getting her own bag of M&M’s. “The problem is—” She opens her bag and pops two green ones in her mouth. “—she doesn’t want him to know that she doesn’t remember. Is that right?”

I nod. “Can you nosy nellies focus? What am I going to do? He wrote a note?”

Zane sets me down in front of my door so I can unlock it.

“Go out with him!” they both scream.

With the sound, Tathan’s door opens. It’s like two in the morning so his hair is all messy and he’s wearing just a pair of shorts.

I want to attack him. Which is not good for me.

“What’s going on out here?” he asks, rubbing his beautiful eyes. His hair is all over the place, sticking up on one side as he lazily rubs his stomach. My eyes automatically dip south, and I think that’s by design. He wants my eyes down there.

All three of us are gawking at him, me more so, actually scratch that. . . I’d say Zane is giving him the biggest once-over, judging by the fact that he now has drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.

“Oh, hey, Amalie.” Tathan smirks and steps outside his apartment.

Zane and Casey push me forward and into him.

I, in turn, push Tathan inside his apartment and follow him. I’m sure Casey and Zane are on the other side of the door, listening.

We stare at each other for a few moments before he smiles. “Did you get my note?”

“Yes. Oliver liked the rose.”

His hand rises, and he scratches the back of his head, his eyes closing slowly and then reopening like he’s trying to stay awake. “I guess that’s a good thing then?”

I want to shake him and scream in his face, why are you so adorable?

“Oh, yes, flowers are good for his diet,” I tell him and lean back against the wall of his living room. I feel safe in here, and it makes me want to run away. “Keeps him regular and happy.”

His eyes are on the floor, but then he looks up at me and asks what I know he wants to know. “You didn’t know it was me that night, did you?”

“No,” I answer truthfully, and he nods once, his eyes sad. “I barely remember that night.”

Way to go. You made Tathan sad, you jerk.

“But it happened.”

“Spill the details then,” I tell him eventually, not wanting to waste any more time.

“What do you want to know?” He shifts his stance, crossing his arms over his chest, and yawns.

“We left together that night?”

“Yes.” He gives a nod. “I asked you out. You said no, but took me back to your apartment where you attacked me.”

“I’m sure.” He senses the sarcasm and gives a chuckle. “So when you moved in, you knew then?”

“Yes. . . but let me finish. You kicked me out after we had sex that night.” Tathan continues and takes a step toward me. “I didn’t see you again until I started with Madsen Construction. Imagine my surprise when I saw that you sat right next to me.”

“I’m sure.” My sarcasm is even thicker. “Now, why do you come into the office? Clearly, you don’t need to.”

“I told you. Because I get to see you every day that way.” His tongue darts out and licks his lower lip, shrugging. “You’re sexy.”

I ignore the sexy remark. “Why me?” I ask, watching the way he’s watching me. It makes me nervous. “You could have anyone.”

“I don’t want just anyone.”

“Okay.” I consider what Paul said and everything he’s been telling me. “So you’re not a manwhore.”

“Have you ever seen a girl at my apartment?” I shake my head, because I haven’t. “I haven’t slept with anyone since you.”

“Really?” I draw out. “That’s hard to believe.” I give a little nod to his body.

Tathan chuckles and leans to one side. “It’s the truth.”

You probably know this, but watching him lean is like watching porn. I fan myself. I can’t handle the leaning.

His eyes twinkle when he speaks. “I’ve had two girlfriends in my life and never—up until you—have I ever slept with someone outside of being in a relationship with them.”

Sigh. Just fucking sigh.

“I’m not interested in sleeping around. Sure if I wanted to, it’s available, but I wasn’t raised that way. When I’m with a woman, she’s gonna know that it’s just me and her.”

I don’t say anything. I’m not sure I can after this week and everything I’ve been schooled on.

“I want you.” He takes a step closer, and another until he’s backed me up against his door. “Why can’t you give me a chance?”

Nothing comes out. I guess in some ways, I’m not protesting it.

“When I’m with a woman, I’m only with her, and she’s going to know exactly who she belongs to, every single inch of her. I don’t share.”

Panties feel free to melt now.

His stare, so serious and relaxed, searches mine, waiting to see my reaction. I close my eyes, unable to reply, and his hands move to my face.

“Do you believe me now?” He asks so quietly I almost can’t hear it. I hear him swallow, and when he pulls me closer, his heart is pounding in his chest, or maybe it’s mine, but I think it’s both of ours, one drowning out the other, but neither able to determine who’s is beating the loudest.

“Yes.”