Marcus and Nicole were having passionate sex.
She moved above him in a primal rhythm, her dark hair cascading down her bare shoulders like midnight rain, her fingernails leaving crescent moons against his chest as she arched her back and claimed what was hers.
As they both were about to come together, Marcus got cock-blocked by a familiar buzzing ringtone.
Shit! He sat up on his bed and checked his mobile phone.
It was a message from his wife, Priya: Returning to you soon, my love.
Nicole was still shuddering from the railing Marcus had given her. "I can't stop coming."
"I'm done."
Perhaps for the first time during intercourse, Marcus's dick had gone limp.
**
"It's done!" Drake, Ray's new boyfriend, announced.
The team erupted in applause, champagne flutes clinking against designer watches as afternoon sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Ray's Milan office.
The Italian branch occupied the top three floors of a renovated 19th-century palazzo, where Renaissance frescos shared wall space with cutting-edge digital displays tracking global markets in real-time.
Ray wasn't pleased like his subordinates. "Yes, but how did she disappear before the police had arrived?"
Drake gave Ray a side-hug. "Who cares? We read her text to Marcus. She's coming back so we can all go home now."
Ray still had a serious expression on his face. "She's definitely planning something. It's not like her to do anything without a plan."
Drake planted a soft kiss on his cheek then his earlobe. "You wanna take this upstairs?"
Ray smiled.
He was on the hunt for Priya for six months now. He had known Drake for five of those months. But even then it took time for him to accept being in a new relationship since last month. Especially given what had happened with his former partner.
"Let's go." He replied.
But Priya was still on the back of his mind.
**
"What are you doing here?" Helena asked.
"Hello to you too." Stephen teased.
Helena blushed. She wasn't surprised Stephen still had that effect on her. He was practically in her dream last night fucking her brains out.
"You know we've broken up right?"
"Yes, but I miss you." Stephen uncrossed his arms. "Is there some place we can have coffee? I want you to hear me out."
Helena thought about it for a moment then agreed.
**
Marcus had no idea what to do about his situation. So, he called on two people who were in that predicament.
"Hi dad-in-law." Damien said.
Shawn was more serious out of the two. "What can we do for you, Marcus?"
The Alpha was bent over a map like he was about to arrange for a war with the vampires again.
"Oh, great." Damien frowned. "Aren't we on a truce with the original vampires?"
Shawn stepped on Damien's toe to silence him.
"Ouch!" Damien yelled.
"I called both of you here because I need to rectify a situation." Marcus explained. "You've both been in this predicament before, like me, so I thought it would be best to ask you both for advice."
Damien started smiling. "So you're not getting it up?"
Marcus uncharacteristically blushed. "What?"
"There's no motion in the ocean?" Damien asked. "Or are you coming too fast?"
Shawn cleared his throat. "Alpha Marcus. Just say the word and I'll go to the nearest pharmacy."
Marcus banged his fists on the table in front of him. "This isn't about that!"
Damien and Shawn were both brought to attention like soldiers being given orders from their superior.
"How do I handle two women at the same time?" He asked.
Damien opened his mouth but Marcus interrupted. "Not in that way."
**
Helena and Stephen sat across from each other at a scratched laminate table in the university cafeteria, the air thick with the competing aromas of burnt coffee and greasy pizza.
Around them, students shouted over one another while a nearby group of freshmen erupted into laughter, their noise bouncing off the industrial tile floor.
Stephen's leather jacket hung casually from the back of his chair, while Helena's fingers drummed the table, her untouched latte growing cold between them.
"So which major did you choose?" Stephen asked with a smile on his face.
"English Lit." Helena replied with her eyes on her untouched coffee.
"Really?" Stephen now shifted further into the table. "I thought you were going with History."
"I changed my mind."
At a close table littered with half-eaten fries and crushed napkins, Jake and Holly kept stealing glances at the former couple, their textbooks forgotten.
Jake leaned toward Holly, whispering something that made her cover her mouth to stifle a giggle, her eyes darting back to Helena's tense shoulders and Stephen's easy smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
Helena wished she had chosen another place to converse with Stephen.
She also wondered what her original best friends, Ray and Priya, were doing while she sat embarrassingly with her ex.