Page 32

thirty-one

. . .

Avery

The margaritas that night are dangerously strong, and I’m buzzed enough to feel weightless, my worries about the interview momentarily shoved to the back of my mind.

The four of us sit around a low table, the rooftop lights casting a golden glow, the faint strumming of a guitar from the live band in the background.

“Alright,” Jake leans forward, grinning like he’s about to cause trouble. “Never have I ever… hooked up with a professor.”

Kayla groans, taking a sip. “Ugh, that was one time. And he was barely older than me!”

Griffin raises an eyebrow at me. “Well?”

I snort, shaking my head. “Sorry to disappoint. No sexy professor stories here.”

Griffin smirks, taking a slow sip of his drink. “Shame.”

I pretend I don’t notice the way his eyes darken slightly over the rim of his glass.

“My turn,” Kayla announces. “Never have I ever… had a one-night stand.”

Jake and I both take a drink, and so does Kayla.

Griffin?

Griffin does not drink.

Kayla pauses, mid-sip. “Wait. Wait. What?”

Jake narrows his eyes at him. “Knox, you’re telling me you’ve never?—?”

“A one night stand is when you sleep with a girl, and plan to never sleep with her again, correct?”

“Uh…yeah,” Jake says.

“Right then.” Griffin just shrugs, unbothered, and takes another slow sip of his drink. “No, I never had one of those. Never felt like it.”

Jake blinks at him. “Seriously?”

He raises an eyebrow. “What? Just because I have a reputation doesn’t mean I sleep around.”

Kayla leans in, wiggling her fingers dramatically. “Ooooh, Griffin Knox is secretly a romantic.”

“It’s not that deep,” he says, but he’s definitely fighting a smirk.

Jake tilts his head, considering. “Okay. Fine. But what about this?—”

He grins wickedly.

“Never have I ever…had someone go down on me.”

I take a sip without hesitation. Kayla does too. So does Jake, the cocky bastard.

But then—Griffin doesn’t drink.

A silence falls over the table. Swallowing down another nervous sip, I realize that we didn’t exactly get to that yesterday. We were so…preoccupied with many other things and positions.

Kayla freezes. Jake’s mouth drops open.

I pause mid-sip, blinking at him.

"Wait." Kayla sets her drink down, eyes wide. "WHAT?!"

Jake leans forward, pointing at Griffin. “Are you saying… that has never happened to you?”

Griffin shrugs again, looking completely unbothered. “Nope.”

“NOPE?!” Kayla shrieks. “Knox, I’m sorry, WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOPE?”

Jake is losing his mind. “Dude. DUDE.”

I stare at Griffin, giggling to myself. I mean, Kayla and Jake know we’re hooking up at this point. So what’s the use in me hiding it?

Griffin smirks slightly, shaking his head. “Why is this shocking?”

“Because YOU are YOU!” Kayla exclaims, motioning wildly at him. “Griffin freaking Knox!”

Jake slaps the table. “This is a CRIME. Who the hell were you sleeping with?!”

Griffin just laughs, shaking his head. “I’m selective.”

“Selective?!” Kayla grabs my arm, looking genuinely distressed. “Avery. Are you hearing this? Are you understanding the gravity of this situation? Is Griffin Knox like…a virgin?!”

I press a hand over my mouth, trying not to laugh. “I…I honestly don’t know how to respond.”

It’s Jakes business to share that he just lost his virginity—not mine.

“Not a virgin.” He bites his lip and looks directly at me, before letting his eyes flow back to Kayla and Jake. “No, definitely not.”

Jake leans back in his chair, shaking his head in disbelief. “Knox, you are literally one of the most desired men I know, and you’re telling me not a single girl in your past has?—”

“Guess I was waiting for the right person.”

His words are casual. Offhanded.

But the second he says them, his eyes flicker to me. Just for a second.

My stomach flips violently.

“Wait… was waiting?” Jake says. “Did you find the right person?”

“Guys…enough. This is getting kind of weird. So I haven’t had someone go down on me yet. Big whoop.”

Kayla, oblivious to the way the air just changed, smacks his arm. “Well, Jesus, Griffin. I hope whoever it is blows your mind.”

Jake snorts. “Or maybe Kayla, you should take one for the team.”

I choke on my drink.

Griffin’s entire body goes still.

Kayla wheezes with laughter. “JAKE!”

“What?!” Jake grins, looking at me. “You were bragging about it yesterday! Or…Avery?!”

I drop my head into my hands. “I hate you all.”

Griffin just grins, swirling his drink, eyes locked on mine. “Let’s just keep playing the game. I’m sure when it happens it will be mind blowing. For both parties.”

And that?

That should not have made my entire body burn.

But it absolutely does.

Kayla clutches her chest like she’s personally offended. “I just—I don’t even know what to say. I feel like this is a tragedy. A crisis.”

Jake points his drink at Griffin. “Are you in a cult? Are you secretly married? Mormon? Do you have a very specific oral allergy we need to be aware of?”

Griffin just laughs, shaking his head. “It’s really not that deep.”

“IT IS, THOUGH.” Kayla leans forward, her voice dropping like she’s revealing classified information. “Griffin, babe. Sweetheart. Darling. I’ve seen girls throw themselves at you.”

“Okay, but maybe I have standards ?—”

“STANDARDS?” Jake shouts. “MY brOTHER IN CHRIST, SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE?—”

“—CHANGED YOUR LIFE BY NOW,” Kayla finishes dramatically.

Griffin just sips his drink, completely unfazed.

“I’m sorry,” I finally manage, still recovering from the mental whiplash of watching this all unfold. “Are we seriously making it our mission to ensure Griffin gets head?”

“YES.”

Kayla and Jake say it at the same time.

I burst out laughing, pressing a hand to my forehead. “This is actually the most ridiculous conversation I’ve ever been part of.”

“Oh, but it’s not over,” Kayla says sweetly. “Because it’s your turn, Avery.”

I blink. “My turn for what?”

Jake grins. “Your turn to ask a question, obviously.”

I narrow my eyes. “Oh, I see. This is a setup. You’re expecting me to target Griffin.”

Kayla shrugs innocently. “You do whatever feels right, babe.”

I exhale dramatically, then smirk. “Fine. Never have I ever…”

I pause for effect, watching Griffin over the rim of my glass.

Then—I go for the kill.

“Never have I ever had sex in a public place.”

Kayla sips immediately, winking. Jake drinks, nodding like a proud degenerate.

Griffin?

Griffin doesn’t drink.

Another horrified pause.

Kayla’s jaw literally drops. “EXCUSE ME??”

Jake is now holding his drink mid-air like the world no longer makes sense. “What the fuck, Knox? Are you a VIRGIN? Like, really?”

Griffin snorts. “No, Jake.”

“ARE YOU SURE?”

Jake leans forward, grinning. “So, let me get this straight?—”

“Oh, here we go,” Griffin mutters, already bracing himself.

“—you’ve never had a one-night stand.”

“Correct.”

“You’ve never had someone go down on you.”

“Correct.”

“You’ve never had sex in public.”

Griffin leans back in his chair, arms crossed. “Also correct.”

Kayla throws her hands in the air. “So… WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU HAVING SEX, SIR??”

Jake nods aggressively. “Is it in a basement? In an underground secret lair? Do you have a very nice bed you refuse to leave?”

Griffin just smirks. “I believe in a controlled environment.”

“CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT?”

Kayla is fully standing at this point.

“GRIFFIN.”

I shake my head, laughing. “You are actually the biggest fraud I’ve ever met.”

Griffin chuckles. “Oh yeah?”

“YES.” I set my drink down. “You have this whole bad boy, heartbreaker image, and meanwhile, you’re just…over here, carefully scheduling your sex life like a very diligent tax-paying citizen.”

Griffin tilts his head. “So…what you’re saying is, I should be more reckless?”

I raise an eyebrow. “I’m saying, maybe you should lighten up.”

Griffin leans forward slightly, lowering his voice. “Maybe you should offer to teach me.”

My stomach flips violently.

Kayla gasps. Jake covers his mouth like he’s watching a reality TV show finale.

“Oh, she walked right into that one,” Jake whispers.

I open my mouth, but absolutely no words come out.

Because—holy shit.

Griffin is watching me like he’s already decided this is happening.

And now?

Now I’m the one who should have never started this damn game.