BBFs. It was a term coined by the media in reference to a group of young half-Greek scions, with each and every one of them blessed with devastating good looks, powerful sexual appeal, and – most importantly of all – trust funds worth billions of dollars.

Over the years, the men making up the BBFs had either gotten engaged or married. Derek Christopoulos, heir to a political dynasty, had been the first one to walk down the aisle. The blue-eyed Christakos twins, Nick and Jason, shortly followed with almost back-to-back engagements, and most recently the Prince of Darkness himself, Reid Chalkias, had fallen victim to Cupid’s arrow.

“And now it’s just down to two,” the female host of the Facebook Live documentary ended with a sigh. “There’s Nathan Callis, arguably the most successful male supermodel the world will ever come to know, and last but not the least, there’s Christien di Luca, our beloved half-French, half-Greek party boy who’s credited for single-handedly reversing his family’s fortunes.”

The host shook her head morosely. “It only seemed like yesterday when we had all six eligible and available for one-night stands. Then all of a sudden---” The woman snapped her fingers for emphasis. “Only two of them are left, and I don’t know about you girls, but in my book that makes them an endangered species. We need to be vigilant. We mustn’t give them an opportunity to fall in love so we can all continue hoping that we’re the next notches on their bedposts. We need to build our own version of that foundation with the panda logo – shit, I forgot what it’s called. Maybe WWE?”

Pause.

The host’s gaze veered towards the right, and she nodded. “Right, sorry, that’s the wrestling thing. What I actually meant was the WWF. We need to make our own WWF – which should stand for, umm, Wicked Women’s Federation? Yes, that’s it. We need to establish the WWF so we can keep them safe from selfish, predatory women wanting to drag them down the aisle. We can’t let them be domesticated. They need to remain wild and free.”

An audio recording of thunderous applause followed the host’s words.

“Endangered species like the last single members of BBFs must be protected at all costs. So let that be our battle cry, yeah?”

As Christien di Luca, one member of the said “endangered species,” switched the monitor off, the other men inside the nightclub’s VVIP room started coughing.

Nathan Callis rolled his eyes. “Just fucking laugh if you want to.”

Derek Christopoulos said right away, “Yeah. I fucking want to.” And as he threw his head back and laughed, the Christakos twins soon followed suit, with Nick and Jason doubling over in uncontrolled mirth.

Reid Chalkias, who shared the couch with the so-called endangered species of BBFs, pounded the backs of his friends, saying with sham solemnity, “I’ll do my part. I’ll provide you two with additional security so that your endangered species status remains unencumbered by any kind of commitment.”

Christien winced at the repeated use of the term, which he was beginning to hate. He and his friends had been called all kinds of weird shit, but he still hadn’t seen that one coming.

“I’m not sure what’s worse to be honest,” Nick said wryly. “Remember how much shit we had to handle the first time we were called BBFs?”

Derek grimaced. “Like anyone could forget.” At that time, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie had been at the peak of their popularity. The two reality TV stars had referred to each other as BFFs or best friends forever, and it was eventually what inspired a couple of wise-cracking paparazzi to modify the term and refer to Derek and his friends as ‘BBFs.’

“We got into a lot of fights the first few months, didn’t we?” Jason absently cracked his knuckles as he spoke.

“I never thought it would grow on us, but it did,” Reid acknowledged.

“I don’t think I can say the same about this new term, though.” Christien’s lip curled in a rare display of aristocratic dislike.

“Let’s just hope the term doesn’t stick,” Nathan said mildly.

Nathan’s tone had Derek grinning. “Ever the cool guy, eh, Callis?”

When Nathan only shrugged, Reid drawled, “Wait until he’s fallen in love. Endangered species or not, I’m betting he’s no different from any of us. They’re still going to act like idiots and assholes because they won’t be able to help---”

The sound of a choked sob coming from the hallway outside cut Reid off, and the six men looked at each other.

“You guys heard that, too?” Derek asked with a frown.

Instead of answering, Christien reached for the remote control on the center table. With one click of a button, the blinds slowly retreated from view. As with all VVIP rooms in the nightclub, the windows were tinted one-way, allowing its occupants to look without being seen.

Inch by inch, a rather awkward-looking scene outside the VVIP room was revealed to the men.

All private rooms of the nightclub were located on the second floor, and its hallway was built like a wraparound balcony that offered guests a bird’s eye view of the dance floor below. At that moment, the hallway was empty save for one person – a petite and wonderfully curvy woman whose boyishly cut hair and olive green dress made her seem like an adult male’s sexual ideal of Tinker Bell.

Unfortunately, this woman wasn’t as cheerful as the animated fairy. Rather, she had her face hidden behind her hands, and it was easy enough to guess how hard she was crying, with the way her chest was heaving and her shoulders shaking with every shuddering breath she drew.

Something about her seemed strangely familiar, and Nathan wondered if he had met this woman before. Across the hallway, the door to one of the other VVIP rooms opened, and a strikingly tall black-haired man in an elegant Italian suit came striding out.

Nik Alexandropoulos, Nathan thought with surprise. The Greek billionaire was a few years older than him and his friends and had been rather infamous for his zealousness in protecting his privacy. Seeing Alexandropoulos advancing on the woman with a grim look on his face disturbed Nathan for some reason, more so when the other man demanded in a rather hard voice, “What the hell’s happening?”

The woman only shook her head.

“Alyx---”

Nathan frowned. Alyx? Why did that name sound so damn familiar?

“Go away.” The woman’s voice came out muffled.

The Greek billionaire’s jaw clenched. “Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”

“You can’t help me.”

“Try me.” Nik Alexandropoulos gently but firmly pried the woman’s hands away from her face.

Nathan’s eyes widened as soon as her features were revealed. A moment later, and he realized that all of his friends were staring at him. He stiffened. “What?” His tone was just the slightest bit defensive. Why the hell were they looking at him like he had something to do with the woman’s troubles?

“Isn’t she the woman Fredericka Spears tried pairing you up with?” Derek asked finally.

“Tried being the operative word,” Nathan clarified bluntly. “She stood me up.”

Outside the room, Nik Alexandropoulos and Alyx Marshall were staring at each other in what seemed like horrified silence.

Nathan’s gaze narrowed. There was something about the way Alyx was looking at the other guy---

Her lips started to tremble, and tears began to glisten in her eyes once more.

And just like that, understanding dawned.

Everything they had to know was in that one syllable, everything that Alyx probably wouldn’t want other people to realize was spelled out in the tremulous, hoarse way she uttered the other man’s name.

“Nik.”

The Greek billionaire flinched.

“I’m sorry.” Pain poisoned her tone, making it thin and weak. “I tried so hard to stay away. I never wanted you to know---” Her voice cracked.

Nik whitened.

And then he was taking a step back---

“We will never talk about this again.”

Releasing a broken little cry at the billionaire’s harshly spoken words, Alyx spun away and rushed towards the stairs.

A moment later, Nik stalked back to the other VVIP room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Inside their VVIP room, the silence amongst Nathan and his friends became strained and uneasy.

After a full five minutes, Christien said finally, “That was unbelievably…awkward.”

Nathan grunted. An understatement definitely, considering it involed Alyx Marshall.

Nick raised a brow at Nathan. “Aren’t you going after her? She looked rather distraught.”

Nathan slowly shook his head. “It would be better if I don’t.” Although he barely knew Alyx, he only had to be in her company for a few minutes to know that she was the type to abhor wearing her heart on her sleeve, much less appreciate strangers becoming aware of her heartbreak.

“Did you ever find out why she stood you up?” Jason asked curiously.

“I never cared to ask,” he answered honestly. He had his suspicions, of course, but at that time it had been too much of a hassle to bother asking.

Derek studied Nathan’s face with interest. “And yet you look like you care now.”

“Perhaps.” But this wasn’t exactly the truth because Derek wasn’t exactly wrong.

The first time he and Alyx met, Nathan found her gorgeous and sexy, but that had been it. She wasn’t the first to turn him on at first sight, and she was unlikely to be the last. When she had made her disinterest in him obvious, he had been more amused than annoyed, but he hadn’t even considered pursuing her.

As far as Nathan was concerned, she was just another pretty face, made just a little bit more interesting because she had been the type whose feistiness had been often misread as bitchiness.

But tonight changed things, Nathan thought. Alyx Marshall, you’ll be mine after all.