I opened my eyes to find myself in a bed that I didn’t recognize. Outside, I could hear seagulls. The salty air smell wafted in through an open window. I was as thirsty as someone who had just finished a desert walk.

I sprung up in bed and looked around to see myself in a mostly bare room with white walls and very minimal décor.

Where am I and how the hell did I get here?

My head felt like it had just gotten hit by a ton of bricks.

Dammit. It had probably been since college that I’d found myself in one of those figure-out-what-you-did-last-night adventures.

Last…memory…think…hard.

The bar! Right, I was at the bar with Amanda, and we met Marco. Marco gave me that free drink and then…

My heart pounded as I ran through worst case scenarios. Did Marco take me home? Is this Marco’s place?

I ripped the covers off and saw that I still had on the white pants from last night. My blue tank top rode up my waist. It comforted me to know I probably kept those on. Thank God for tight white pants that were too hard to rip off.

The doorknob rattled and I instinctively dove behind the bed. I looked for sharp objects, anything that could be used to defend myself. I saw an Italian dress shoe size fourteen beneath the bed, so I grabbed it in my hand and peeked my eyes over the top of the bed.

“I didn’t know you were a vampire, scared of the light and all.”

Corbin.

Apparently I couldn’t get rid of this man, no matter what I did.

I stood up and saw him in the doorframe wearing athletic shorts and no shirt, holding two mugs, his v-shape not going unnoticed. The aroma of fresh coffee wafted through the air. I breathed an audible sigh of relief and dropped the shoe to the ground.

I’d never been so excited to see an asshole.

“Did your feet grow in the night?” he asked, his eyes tracing my hand that dropped the shoe.

“Um, you know what? That’s a possibility given that I don’t remember much from last night. Did we…”

“Have sex? Funny. I like my women lucid and eager. Not drugged. Besides, those pants are so damn tight. I left you in the bed and slept on the couch. Coffee?”

I felt an overwhelming sense of both relief that we didn’t do anything, and embarrassment that I’d forgotten the night.

“I do have a few questions. A lot of holes in the night,” I said, and turned to look out the window. “Nice view by the way. We’re on the third floor? I’m surprised you got a place this nice right out of prison.”

Corbin cocked his head and gave me a funny look. “You don’t remember going on the balcony last night?”

“No.”

“We had this exact same conversation.”

A brick formed in my stomach.

“Looks like I have a lot of holes to fill in from the night.” I took a sip of the warm brown liquid in my hand. “My memory is hazy, but I remember someone giving me that drink compliments of Marco, and then...I think I saw you go home with a prostitute?”

“You don’t remember anything.” Corbin said matter-of-factly, a sip of his own coffee and nodded calmly.

I shook my head.

“Well, Ned sent me this text.”

He pulled out his phone and I read his screen.

Hi Corbin. Eva will be joining you undercover. Let’s come up with some possible undercover identities for her to go with you. Maybe your cousin who is looking to get in on the business?

I almost spit up my coffee.

“I’m your cousin who is looking to get in on the business?” I repeated aloud. “That’s about the dumbest cover story that I’ve ever heard.”

“You’re telling me,” Corbin agreed.

Corbin made a sipping sound and nodded at me. The cup looked tiny in his massive hand.

“Can I be frank with you for a moment?” I asked.

“I prefer you as Alexa, but you can be whoever you want with me. I do like role playing, and being Frank sounds like an interesting character choice. Let’s run with it.”

I rolled my eyes. “This is serious, Corbin. I can’t go undercover with you because I don’t trust you. I looked up your file. You didn’t even mention the fact that you were a convict when we hooked up the first night. Or that you killed a person. You lied to me.”

Corbin laughed out loud. “You’re getting mad at me for lying by omission? Might I remind you that you told me—ahem—a fake fucking name.”

“Touché. But that doesn’t matter. I did that for my own safety—so that you wouldn’t be searching for me or something on social media. I didn’t think we would end up going home together, I thought I’d only mess with you for a few minutes. Besides, a person’s name is different—you left out things about your character. It’s not the same.”

“Well it’s too bad you feel that way,” he said. “Because I was actually starting to enjoy the idea of bringing you undercover with me as my mistress sidepiece.”

My blood boiled, and I choked a little on my coffee. “Your mistress sidepiece? No no no. That is not happening. Absolutely not.”

“You’re funny,” he said. “Do you not remember me saving your ass last night from Marco by treating you as my mistress? That’s the only person you’ll be in front of Marco and his criminal associates from now on. Try anything else, and it will be incredibly suspect.”

I bit my lip and resisted grinding my teeth, because Corbin was right.

“I guess I’m still piecing together last night. Marco put something in my drink, I’m sure of it.”

I stared at the tattooed man in front of me, feeling infuriated. No one in my life had managed to make me that angry while still wanting to jump on top of him. It wasn’t fair.

Corbin took a step toward me and ran his hand through my hair. “On second thought, it’s probably best that you don’t come with me. I mean I’d love to go undercover with you. It would be a fun few days, but I just don’t think you could handle it. You wouldn’t be able to get in the role. You just wouldn’t last. It’s alright. Not everyone is cut out for this type of work.”

“Goddamn it, I can’t fucking win, can I,” I shook my head, feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place. I could either go undercover as a man’s arm candy, or I could say no, turn down the role, and who knew when Ned would offer me another chance to go undercover?

I looked toward the window. Corbin walked over to the venetian blinds and yanked them up, allowing light to stream in. “I don’t get why you’re so offended. This has nothing to do with your education. You’re a smart fucking girl—that’s obvious. A lot fucking smarter than a non-college educated thug like me. But you got so damn angry last night at me for just making sure those guys knew you belonged to me, so they wouldn’t fuck with you. I’ve been around these types of people my whole life, and they are experts at seeing through bullshit. So no, I don’t think you would last. And I don’t want you to get hurt.”

I rubbed my face with my hand. I hated to admit it, I had freaked out a little last night, even before Marco had (probably) drugged me. And it wasn’t that I had really been offended by anything he said. Maybe I freaked out because I really liked hearing him say those things.

“Wait a second,” I said, echoing Corbin’s last comment in my mind. “Did you just give me a compliment about my intellectual ability?”

“Yeah, it’s hot that you’re smart. Probably much too smart for a thug like me. Don’t go and get all uppity on me though, okay?”

I let a smile escape my lips. In spite of Corbin’s lack of formal schooling, the DEA had rated him one of the most intelligent criminals around today. But I decided it was best not to share that information. I didn’t want his ego getting any bigger.

“I need to shower off. Where’s your bathroom? Do you have a towel?”

He pointed me in the direction of the master bathroom. I entered and turned on the water to heat it up. Corbin fetched a towel from his closet and brought it to me.

“You’re right about last night,” I said, wiggling out of my pants. “I freaked. But it wasn’t because I can’t perform under pressure. I’m just feeling a little weird about the whole me-and-you thing. We never talked about it. To me, you were just supposed to be a one night indulgence. I can’t have this affecting my career. Ned or anyone.”

“What me-and-you thing?” Corbin winked. “What happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico. Never happened. I’ve forgotten all about you kicking me out.” I noticed Corbin’s eyes were following me.

“Oh stop it already,” I said. “You act like you were going to try and wife me up, and then I kicked you out to end your fantasy. I was just some club girl who you got your rocks off with on the second night out of prison. Admit it.”

“Maybe,” Corbin said with a wry smile. “But now I’ve decided I’m not done with you.”

“That doesn’t matter. Because I’m done with you. Seriously.”

I took off my bra and hung it up. I was getting ready to take my panties off when I noticed Corbin was still staring at me, slowly hanging the towel up on the rack next to the shower.

“What are you looking at?” I said. “It’s not like you haven’t seen me naked before.”

“It was dark that night,” Corbin smirked. “You’re sexier in the light. Plus, one time is not enough with you, Alexa.”

He took a step toward me so his body was inches from me. I could feel the heat radiating from his body.

I wanted him to touch me so badly. Just take me again.

“Don’t do this,” I said.

“Do what?”

“Dammit, Corbin, you know exactly what. Don’t.”

He took hold of my hips and pressed his bare chest into the flesh of my breasts, his eyes staring into mine, lips curved upward in a slight smile. I thought of all the reasons why this couldn’t happen again. Reasons like my career and my future. Good, solid reasons. I tried to picture anything but the criminal forcing his body onto mine, making me moan. But I could feel him through his shorts, growing harder, and it was making me salivate.

“All I’m doing,” he said, stroking my hair, “is checking to see if you’re able to convincingly play my mistress undercover.”

“And?” His big hands moved from my hips to my ass, and he palmed my cheeks.

“Seems to me like you could do a pretty good job. But you’d have to step into the role a little bit more.”

“Corbin, no,” I put my hands to his chest and pushed him off. “I can’t go undercover with you. Now please leave me so I can shower, and then you’re taking me home.”

“Fine,” Corbin finally backed off, turned around, and began to walk out of the room. Before he closed the door, he turned to me. “I’ll be waiting outside in the car to take you home. Have a nice shower.”

With that he was finally gone, and I breathed a sigh of relief at being able to resist his charms. I took off my panties before stepping into the shower.

They were as wet as if I’d gotten in with them.