Friday came too fast.
I stood in front of my mirror, staring at the black dress I'd bought specifically for tonight. It hugged every curve, stopped mid-thigh, showed just enough cleavage to be sexy without being obvious.
Underneath, I wore the red lace set Dominic had sent over this morning with a note that said: "Wear this and nothing else underneath. I want to know what you're hiding while I pretend not to know you."
My hands were shaking as I fastened my heels. My stomach was in knots. This was it. The beginning of our elaborate lie.
My phone buzzed.
Dominic: On my way to pick you up.
Me: WHAT? We're not supposed to arrive together!
Dominic: Change of plans. James suggested I pick you up. Said it would be a good ice breaker.
Me: Fuck. I'm not ready for this.
Dominic: You're ready. Just breathe. We got this.
Me: Easy for you to say.
Dominic: Nothing about this is easy, baby. But we do it anyway. See you in 10.
Eight minutes later, my buzzer rang. I checked myself one more time, took a deep breath, and went downstairs.
Dominic was leaning against his car in dark jeans and a button-down that made him look like sex incarnate. When he saw me, his eyes went dark.
"Fuck me," he breathed.
"Not yet. We have dinner first."
"That dress should be illegal." He opened the passenger door for me. "You're trying to kill me."
"That's the plan." I slid into his car, very aware that I was about to spend the next hour pretending we barely knew each other.
The drive to Mara and James's house was silent. Tense. Dominic's hand kept drifting to my thigh, his fingers sliding under the hem of my dress.
"Stop," I hissed. "We're supposed to be basically strangers."
"I can't help it. You look too good." His hand went higher, fingers grazing the edge of my panties. "Are you wet already?"
"Dominic..."
"Answer me."
I was. God, I was soaking. The anticipation, the danger, the sheer recklessness of what we were about to do had my pussy throbbing.
"Yes," I admitted.
"Good." He pulled his hand away and brought his fingers to his mouth, licking them clean while keeping his eyes on the road. "Just making sure you're ready for tonight."
"You're insane."
"About you. Always about you."
We pulled up to the house too soon. I could see Mara through the window, moving around the kitchen. James was setting the table. They looked so happy. So innocent.
And we were about to lie to their faces.
"Last chance to back out," Dominic said quietly.
"We can't back out now."
"I know." He took my hand, squeezed it once. "Remember, we just met. We're curious about each other. Let them push us together."
"What if I slip up?"
"You won't." He kissed my knuckles. "But if you do, I'll cover. I promise."
We got out of the car just as the front door opened. Mara came running out, her face lit up with excitement.
"You're here! Oh my god, Scarlett, you look amazing!" She hugged me tight, then turned to Dominic. "And you! Look at you being a gentleman and picking her up!"
"James suggested it," Dominic said easily. "Thought it might be less awkward than showing up separately."
"He's so smart, my husband." Mara looped her arm through mine. "Come on, dinner's almost ready!"
Inside, James greeted us with beers for Dominic and wine for me. The house smelled incredible. Garlic, wine, something Italian.
"Hope you guys are hungry," James said. "Mara went a little overboard."
"I wanted everything to be perfect!" Mara protested. She looked between me and Dominic with barely concealed glee. "This is so exciting. My best friend and my brother-in-law getting to know each other!"
The guilt hit me like a physical blow. She was so happy. So genuinely excited for us.
And we were lying to her.
"So Dominic," Mara said as we sat down at the table. "Scarlett tells me you're a lawyer?"
He nodded. "Corporate law. Mostly mergers and acquisitions."
"Sounds boring," I said, playing my part.
His eyes flashed with amusement. "It can be. But I like the challenge. The negotiation. The art of getting what I want."
The double meaning wasn't lost on me.
"And what about you, Scarlett?" he asked. "James mentioned you work at a gallery?"
"Art curator. I help artists showcase their work, connect with buyers."
"Sounds interesting. What kind of art?"
"Mostly contemporary. Mixed media. Things that make people feel something."
"I like things that make me feel something," he said, his eyes locked on mine.
Under the table, his foot found mine. Slid up my calf. Higher.
I nearly choked on my wine.
"You okay, Scar?" Mara asked.
"Fine. Just went down the wrong way."
Dinner was torture. Every time Dominic looked at me, I felt it everywhere. Every brush of his foot against my leg sent electricity through me. Every smile, every laugh, every casual comment had layers of meaning only we understood.
"So how did you two actually meet?" James asked. "I know you were both at the wedding, but did you talk?"
"Briefly," I said. "At the reception. You introduced us, remember?"
"Right! And what did you think of each other? First impressions?"
Dominic leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving mine. "I thought she was beautiful. Captivating. The kind of woman who stays in your head long after she's gone."
My breath caught.
"And you, Scarlett?" Mara was practically vibrating with excitement.
"I thought he was arrogant," I said, playing coy. "Too confident. Too sure of himself."
"And now?" Dominic challenged.
"Still arrogant. But maybe that's not such a bad thing."
He grinned, that cocky smile that made me want to slap him and kiss him in equal measure.
Mara squealed. "Oh my god, there's definitely chemistry here! I can feel it!"
If only she knew.
"More wine?" James asked, reaching for the bottle.
"I'll get it," Dominic offered, standing up. As he passed behind my chair, his hand brushed my shoulder. Casual. Innocent.
Except his fingers slid under my hair, found my neck, and squeezed. Just for a second. Just enough to remind me who I belonged to.
I nearly moaned.
"You okay, Scar? You look flushed," Mara observed.
"Just warm. Maybe I should use the restroom. Splash some water on my face."
"Down the hall, first door on the right," Mara directed.
I excused myself, my legs shaky. In the bathroom, I stared at myself in the mirror. My cheeks were flushed. My pupils dilated. I looked like someone who'd been thoroughly fucked.
Or someone who desperately needed to be.
There was a soft knock on the door.
"Occupied," I called.
The door opened anyway. Dominic slipped inside, locked it behind him.
"What are you doing?" I hissed. "They'll know!"
"Don't care." He backed me against the sink, his body pressing into mine. "Been sitting there all night watching you, wanting you, pretending I don't know exactly how you taste."
"Dominic, we can't..."
"Can't we?" His hand slid up my thigh, under my dress. "You're soaking wet. Have been all night. I can see it in your eyes. Feel it in the way you keep squirming in your seat."
His fingers found my panties, pushed them aside, slid into my wetness.
"Oh god," I breathed.
"Quiet," he warned. "Unless you want them to hear."
He fingered me right there in Mara's bathroom, his other hand over my mouth to muffle my sounds. It was wrong. Reckless. Insane.
And I'd never been so turned on in my life.
"You like this, don't you?" he whispered in my ear. "Like the danger. Like knowing they're right outside while I finger fuck this greedy little pussy."
I nodded, too far gone to care anymore.
"Come for me," he commanded. "Come on my fingers while your best friend is twenty feet away."
The wrongness of it pushed me over. I came hard, my body shaking, a muffled scream against his palm.
He pulled his fingers out, brought them to his mouth, licked them clean while maintaining eye contact.
"Delicious. As always."
"You're going to get us caught," I managed.
"Worth it." He kissed me hard. "Go back out there. I'll follow in a few minutes. And Scarlett?"
"Yeah?"
"After dinner, we're leaving together. I'm taking you home. And I'm going to fuck you so hard you forget your own name."
He left first, leaving me trembling and wrecked in my best friend's bathroom.
When I finally composed myself enough to go back out, Mara gave me a concerned look.
"You were gone a while. Everything okay?"
"Fine. Just needed a minute. The wine hit me harder than I thought."
We finished dinner. Dessert. Coffee. The whole time, I felt Dominic's eyes on me. Felt the promise of what was coming later.
Finally, mercifully, the night started winding down.
"This was so fun!" Mara declared. "We should do it again soon!"
"Definitely," James agreed. He looked at Dominic. "So? You going to ask her out or what?"
Dominic smiled. "Actually, I was thinking about it." He turned to me. "Scarlett, would you like to have dinner with me? Just the two of us?"
I pretended to consider it, even though my answer had been yes six months ago. "Okay. Yeah. That sounds nice."
"Nice?" Mara screeched. "NICE? Girl, he's asking you on a date and all you can say is nice?"
"I mean, yes. I'd like that. A lot."
Dominic's smile was genuine. "Tomorrow night? I'll pick you up at seven?"
"Sounds perfect."
Mara was practically bouncing. "I KNEW IT! I knew you two would hit it off!"
As we said our goodbyes and headed to Dominic's car, I felt the guilt weighing on me like cement.
She was so happy. So convinced she'd done something good.
And we'd lied to her. All night. About everything.
The second we were in the car, Dominic's hand was on my thigh.
"That was hell," he growled.
"Complete hell."
"Your place or mine?"
"Yours. It's closer."
He drove faster than he should have, his hand creeping higher, his fingers teasing. By the time we pulled into his parking garage, I was ready to explode.
We barely made it to his elevator before he had me pressed against the wall, his mouth on mine, his hands everywhere.
"Been wanting to do this all night," he groaned. "Been sitting there watching you, pretending I don't know every inch of your body."
"I know. I felt it."
The elevator doors opened on his floor. He lifted me up, my legs wrapping around his waist, and carried me to his apartment while kissing me like his life depended on it.
Inside, he didn't even make it to the bedroom. Pushed me against the door, his hands already pulling at my dress.
"Off. Get this off now."
I helped him strip me, desperate, needy. When I was finally naked except for the red lace, he stopped and just stared.
"Fuck. Look at you."
"You've seen me naked before."
"Every time feels like the first time." He dropped to his knees. "Spread your legs."
I did, my back against the door, my hands in his hair as he buried his face between my thighs.
"Already so wet from earlier," he noted. "Such a dirty girl, coming in your best friend's bathroom."
"Your fault," I gasped.
"I know. And I'm about to make it worse."
He ate me like a starving man, his tongue and fingers working in tandem, driving me higher and higher. When I came, it was with his name on my lips and tears streaming down my face.
"Bedroom," he commanded, standing up. "Now."
I went, my legs barely holding me. In his bedroom, he stripped quickly, his cock already hard and leaking.
"On the bed. On your back."
I obeyed, watching as he climbed over me, positioning himself between my thighs.
"Been thinking about this all night," he said, sliding the head of his cock through my wetness. "About being inside you. About making you mine again."
"I'm already yours."
"I know. But I need to feel it. Need to be buried so deep inside you that you forget where you end and I begin."
He pushed inside in one smooth stroke and we both groaned. So full. So perfect. So right.
"Fuck, you feel incredible," he panted. "So tight. So wet. So mine."
He fucked me hard, each thrust deep and punishing, like he was trying to erase the memory of tonight. The lies. The pretending. The sitting across from each other and acting like strangers.
"This is real," he growled. "This. Us. Not that bullshit dinner. This."
"I know," I sobbed. "I know."
"Say it. Say this is real."
"This is real. We're real. I love you."
"I love you too. So fucking much." He thrust deeper, harder. "You're mine, Scarlett. Mine. No matter what lies we tell, you're mine."
"Yours. Always yours."
When we came, it was together, explosive, both of us crying out, both of us shaking from the intensity of it.
After, we lay tangled together, both breathing hard, both emotionally wrecked.
"That was hell," I finally said.
"Complete hell," he agreed. "But we did it. We pulled it off."
"For now. What about next time? What about when they want to have dinner again? What about when this lie gets bigger and bigger?"
"We handle it. Together."
"I hate lying to her, Dominic. She's so happy. So convinced she did something good."
"I know." He pulled me closer. "But what's the alternative?"
"I don't know."
"Neither do I." He kissed my forehead. "But I know I'm not giving you up. So we figure it out. We make it work."
"And if we can't?"
"We will. We have to."
I wanted to believe him. Wanted to think we could pull this off.
But lying there in his arms, the guilt weighing on me, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was going to end badly.
Very badly.
And there was nothing we could do to stop it.