His name was Cori Oliver. He was tall, dark, and a total badass freestyle motocross motorcycle racer who had playboy juice written all over him. How could I decline him when he’d asked me out for a date last night? It was a bad omen to jump from one player to the next, but there was no harm in this one since I didn’t have hopes of making it into a relationship, just some good ol’ flirty fun.

After tonight’s date, I had two more scheduled during the week: Monday with Wade then with Mason come Friday. Juggling school and dating should be interesting, but hey, this was what nineteen-year-olds were supposed to do and not pine for that one guy who was clearly unattainable.

So here I was, nervously excited as I got ready for tonight’s date with Cory

My hair was bouncy and loose, cascading down my back, as I slipped into a short, red silk cocktail dress that stopped mid-thigh. It had dainty straps with an open front that stopped right above my cleavage and exposed my entire back. I paired it with my favorite gold, strappy Manolo Blahnik; smoky eyes; and with the red lipstick that made me feel like a different woman. With my tanned skin, everything seemed more striking.

We were meeting at La Sirena on 9^th Avenue at half past eight. With my clutch in hand, I was stepping out of my room when my phone beeped to tell me that Spencer had just texted me. Jackson and they were going somewhere tonight, and he was asking if I was going to come and join them.

Ever since that movie night, I hadn’t seen him.

I had already informed Jackson that I was going out tonight, much to his surprise. Like always, he had grilled me for more info, and like always, I had to stop him from being such a nag.

“Jacks, I’m going now!” I called out as I texted Spencer back, telling him that I had already made plans. Then the front door opened, and in came Drew, looking sinfully hot, more than ever.

“Hello.” Giving him a strained smile, I cleared my throat before nodding my head. “And, um, good-bye. Have a good night.”

“Where are you going dressed like that?” His eyes burned my skin as he scanned me from head to foot with his chest heaving, eyes darkening, befuddled and nonplussed.

“Oh, she’s on her way to a date with some biker dude.” Jackson came out of nowhere with only his towel wrapped around his hips and a smaller towel to dry his hair. “Shocking, right? Booger face is growing up fast.”

“You’re letting her out with a stranger, dressed like that?” Drew pointed to the hem of my dress then my cleavage, as if to make a blatant point to Jackson that I was indecently dressed. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Jackson!”

Not again.

“Stop it! I’m running late. You guys don’t hear me say anything about what you do with the girls you hook up with, so both of you kindly shut the fuck up!”

Jackson shrugged and muttered something about how it was totally different for them, but I wasn’t having it. I was ready to tackle both of them so I could get out of there and avoid running late for my first official date. Tonight marked my revival to a whole new me.

“Fine, but try to appease us by downloading this app called Glympse that tells us where you are at all times.” Drew blew out a breath as if he’d been holding it for far too long as he gazed at me intently.

I impatiently glared at him then toward Jackson.

“I’m all for that idea. I think it’d save me from worrying too much,” Jackson wholeheartedly agreed.

“Ridiculous! Stalking is fucking illegal! You guys are being so annoying!” Grumbling, I huffed out loud as I pulled out my phone, knowing I wouldn’t be able to win this argument.

Unlocking my phone, I grunted out some nasty words for the both of them while trying to locate this app. It took a few minutes to download and set up before I had to link everything.

When my phone beeped, indicating a message from Cory, I knew I had to dash. Without saying anything to the two nosy men in my life, I left, thinking of the most colorful words I could to describe how pathetically archaic they were both acting. For the most part, Drew was really trying to push my buttons, riling me up so that I would be too distracted to go out. Then I would be stuck at home all night while they both partied with the next bimbo.

Composing myself, I closed my eyes and counted to ten before stepping off the elevator. “I’m ready. I can do this. Yeah, I can do this.” Cory Oliver would be a mighty fine distraction. He would make me forget about Drew, even if only for a few hours.

I was living for myself and no one else. Progress, that was what this was all about.