Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
Carley
When my best friend, Saylor, came up with the idea to go to Greece before starting my new job, I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure about tagging along.
I’m a planner, and committing to something this huge last-minute sends my anxiety into a tailspin.
However, I just busted my ass through grad school, got my master’s in business management, and landed a job at the largest private equity firm in the country.
Saylor told me I deserve a break and to let loose before I start next Monday, so I agreed to go.
Now that I’m sitting poolside with an ice-cold drink in my hand and plenty of eye candy to stare at, I can’t believe I nearly passed this up.
Even better is the fact that we settled into a cabana which happens to be directly across from one of the sexiest men I have ever seen.
He’s large and muscular with tanned skin.
He has a tattoo of a compass over his heart which has something written around it.
His head is covered in thick, dark hair and he’s got a beard I’d love to feel tickle my skin.
I catch a glimmer of silver at his temples from the light of the sun as he moves his head.
He catches my eye when he turns, and I thank God for dark sunglasses because they’re the only thing hiding the fact that I was ogling the shit out of him.
Despite having cover, I still tear my eyes from his.
Staring at him causes my stomach to churn, although not in a bad way.
His tempting stare conjures a heat deep down inside that I’ve rarely felt before.
“Holy hell, would you get a look at Captain Colossal over there?” Saylor exclaims, a little too loud for my taste.
“Saylor,” I hiss through gritted teeth. “He probably heard you.”
“Good, maybe he’ll come over here then,” she laughs and wiggles her eyebrows playfully.
My eye roll contradicts the voice in my head which agrees with her.
I spy a slight lift of the left corner of his mouth, as though he’s amused by our conversation, but he quickly continues perusing the rest of the guests on the pool deck. He must have been reacting to something his equally hot friend said.
“Quick, perk up your boobs or something,” Saylor commands. “Get his attention back over here.”
“Perk up your own damn boobs. You’re just as single as I am,” I counter.
“But yours are bigger than mine,” she explains.
“Bigger isn’t always better, you know.”
Saylor rolls her eyes, irritated I’m not playing along and throwing myself at a guy I don’t even know just so she can have an opportunity to talk to him.
“Besides, this is supposed to be a girls’ trip. We didn’t come here to meet guys.”
“Speak for yourself,” Saylor laughs, but I know she isn’t joking.
She’s the most boy crazy girl I’ve ever met. I love her to death, but sometimes she lets her mission to find a man get in the way of an otherwise fun, relaxing time.
“Besides, look at the girl they’re with. She’s absolutely breathtaking,” I admit, envious of her near perfect everything.
I say girl, but she’s all woman. Remarkable raven hair, perfectly round, perky boobs, a tanned and toned body, legs for days.
“Way out of our league,” I add once I finish assessing her.
The same goes for the guy Saylor has her eye on.
Everything about him screams wealth and status.
Saylor and I both grew up with wealthy parents.
We can recognize it in others, easily. But this guy exudes money and power as though he belongs in his own tax bracket.
There’s no way a man of his stature would ever be interested in me—I mean Saylor.
“And the guy, he looks like a Greek god who’s been carved from stone. He also looks closer to our parents’ age than ours. He’d never be interested in us.”
“Mmm…” Saylor practically salivates as she gawks at the poor, devilishly handsome man.
I’ve always had a thing for older guys, but those I’ve dated have only been a couple years older than me. Still very immature for my taste. I’ve never considered dating a man more than five years older than me, but damn…
Maybe I should.
The heat deep within me, which had started to dissipate slightly, fires up once more. As I shift in my seat, my thighs clench, applying mild pressure to my clit. I close my eyes briefly and let myself imagine for a split second it’s his thumb tracing light circles over it.
Speaking of immature boys, before I have a chance to get pulled too far under, I’m jolted back to reality by a group of three guys cannonballing into the pool like children.
They appear to be roughly the same age as Saylor and me.
Definitely not older and more refined like the devastatingly handsome god across the pool.
It’s probably for the best. I shouldn’t waste my time fantasizing about someone who would never even notice me. Before I can get sucked too far into my pit of self-deprecation, our server comes by with a fresh round of drinks for us.
“Strawberry daiquiri and a Cosmo.” I reach out for my drink when he hands it to me. “Can I get you ladies anything else at the moment?”
He stares at Saylor for a few seconds longer than is comfortable. Well, I would be uncomfortable anyway. Saylor’s eating it up, though.
“I think we’re … satisfied … for now,” she flirts, cocking her eyebrow at him.
Jesus, help her.
I take off my sunglasses and stare pointedly at her as she watches the server walk away from us. When she finally breaks her connection from his retreating ass, she turns back to me and shoots me a questioning look.
“What?”
“We’re satisfied for now?” I repeat her desperate words back to her.
“Oh, leave me alone. Just because you’re not trying to get laid on this vacation doesn’t mean I have to go without.”
“As long as you don’t bring them back to our room,” I declare, mildly disgusted.
“Well, I’ll do my best, but if you see the scrunchie on the doorknob, you know what that means.”
“Ew,” I snicker.
I can’t help but laugh. We may not see eye-to-eye on everything, but that’s what makes our friendship so exciting. We bring out different parts of each other and challenge one another to try things we normally wouldn’t.
She rolls her eyes playfully as I shake my head.
“But seriously,” I start again, “if you fuck a stranger on my bed, I’m leaving your ass in Greece.”