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[AVA]

Ava?” The guy stood there, utterly shocked, his eyes bulging out as if they might pop right out of his head.

Oh, great! This was definitely not part of the plan. At least not so soon.

"Is it really you?" he stammered, furrowing his brows and adjusting his rimless spectacles on his nose. "How... what... when... WHAT?"

To put it simply: I was in deep trouble. Like, really, really screwed!

After leaving the party, I had called a cab and headed to the address given by the client, although it was quite a challenge with my mom still nagging at me. It took about twenty minutes to reach the location and another five minutes to dodge the reception and slip into the (thankfully) empty elevator. But as soon as I opened the door to the designated room, expecting another meaningless encounter, my worst nightmare stood before me in a suit, his cheeks flushed.

As if that weren't enough to destroy my self-esteem, it turned out that this nightmare was none other than Sean Edwards, the brother of my arch-nemesis, Coraline Edwards.

"Shit!" I exclaimed for what felt like the thousandth time, watching with wide eyes as twenty-six-year-old Sean cringed at my choice of words and nervously bit his lower lip. "Shit! No, scratch that. Double shit. Actually, screw it, no amount of shit could be shittier than this shit."

"Could you please stop?" he grumbled, wiping sweat off his forehead. He was already tired of dealing with me. "That's enough shit for a lifetime."

"What do you even know?" I exclaimed, hiding my face in my hands, barely holding back the urge to burst into tears. I felt humiliated, my face burning with embarrassment, and sweat trickling down my forehead even though the air conditioner was working perfectly fine.

Why did this have to happen to me? I just needed to hold onto this job a little longer, but no, fate couldn't be that kind to me, could it? I completely forgot how unlucky the entire Monroe family had been lately. And now that I was caught by the guy I practically grew up with, this job was doomed from the start. To make matters worse, I couldn't even save enough money for my second semester before everything went downhill. For the past few months, I compromised my pride and values for absolutely nothing. Absolutely nothing!

"I guess I know a few things, but maybe I'm exaggerating how bad my experiences have been. I tend to do that a lot."

As I stood there staring at him, he rubbed the back of his neck and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Sorry. I tend to say nonsense when I'm stressed. Wait, why is it so hot in here?" He fanned himself and then returned to bed, taking a seat and fidgeting with his long fingers.

I groaned, rolling my eyes, and sat down on the cushioned chair next to the door, burying my face in my hands. "Sean, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question."

Sure, he had the right to ask, but it didn't mean he had to. I raised my head and gave him a sarcastic look. "Oh, why bother? Haven't you already figured it out?" I knew I was being rude and had no justification for it... but I couldn't control myself. If word got out about my job, I would be in serious trouble. Deep, deep trouble.

I couldn't bear to think how disappointed Dad would be!

"What's wrong with you?" He furrowed his brow in annoyance. "Do you think I wanted this? To get caught with an escort who happens to be a childhood friend of my sister? What the hell, Ava? Why are you mad at me?"

He was right. I shouldn't be angry at him. He didn't do anything wrong. Except for hiring an escort... but I was the last person to judge. After all, it was because of people like him that I still had a chance to graduate.

I sighed, rubbing my temples.

"I'm not mad at you," I said, which was partially true. "I'm... I'm furious with myself. This... was never supposed to happen. You don't understand..."

"Well, in that case, we're on equal ground, aren't we?" he remarked, frowning again. "Because you don't seem to be doing a great job of understanding me either."

"Does that mean something?" I asked.

"Of course it does. You're not the only one dealing with a crisis."

"What are you... What are you even talking about?" I clenched my fist and hissed, "How can you be in trouble?" From what I could tell, his family wasn't going bankrupt, his mother wasn't pressuring him to seduce the wealthy man next door, and his brother wasn't stealing from him, wherever he stashed it. So, no, I couldn't understand what kind of trouble he could possibly be facing.

But then I pondered it further, and another realization dawned on me. My shoulders slumped. "I won't breathe a word about this if you're worried. So, relax. Your secret is safe with me. I promise!"

"Ava, it's not what—" Sean was interrupted by the ringing of his phone. He scowled as he retrieved it from his pocket and grunted a few words. "Damn it. Why are they so early?"

I frowned, a shiver running down my spine. His words filled me with fear. "What's going on?"

"Ugh... this is bad!" He ran a hand through his dark hair, leaping out of bed and going into full panic mode. "I did something really stupid. Please try not to be mad."

"Enough with the nonsense, Sean. What the hell did you do? Who's early? Wait. Did you contact another escort? What the hell, Sean? Are you some kind of sex addict that I'm just finding out about?"

I wasn't even sure why I felt offended. But screw it. Who really cared?

"What? No! How could you even...?" He appeared equally horrified and terrified.

"What else am I supposed to think?"

Instead of answering, he shook his head. "Forget it. We don't have time for this!" He turned and headed towards the door, grabbing his jacket from the bed. "Come on, I'll drive you home."

However, before he could even touch the doorknob, we were interrupted by a knock.

Sean's hand froze. His eyes widened, and he almost let out a whimper as he glanced back.

But he wasn't the only one.

Sean and I exchanged a glance as my heart pounded against my chest.

He gave me an apologetic look while I shot him a bewildered one, wondering what the hell was happening.

"I can explain," he said quietly, using his hands to implore me to calm down.

"You better start right now," I whispered, keeping my voice as low as possible.

Sean walked across the room, grabbed my arm, and pulled me to the far corner, away from the main entrance.

"Alright. It all started yesterday when one of my friends teased me about not having a girlfriend. I tried to convince them that I wasn't interested. With all the workload, I had very little time for anything else. You know my dad, right? He can be a real pain in the ass. He's incredibly meticulous and-"

"Sean!" I scolded. "You're rambling. We don't have time for this!"

He winced. "Sorry. Nervous. As you can see. Well, here's what happened... I told them I didn't have time. They didn't believe me. I told them the truth. They still didn't believe me. They labeled me as gay. And not in a supportive or understanding way, but in a derogatory manner. They were mocking me. It was too much to handle. So, I sort of lied..." He took a deep breath after blurting it all out. "I told them I was hooking up with a girl I met online, and she wanted to keep it a secret."

"WHAT?"

"Yeah, it sounds terrible, I know."

"WHAT THE FUCK?"

"Yeah, that too."

"Are you saying they came to watch you hook up with some mystery girl?" I could feel bile rising in my throat. "What's wrong with your friends? Are they all this disgusting?"

"Well, more like they came to catch me in my lie, but yeah, now that you put it that way, they make me sick too." He actually had the audacity to shudder.

This had to be some kind of twisted joke. Not only did Sean know about my part-time job, but now his friends were about to be witnesses to my downfall as well.

Another tap on the door interrupted any words I was about to say.

"What are they doing outside? Are they going to barge in and yell 'surprise' or something? How does this even work?" Confusion overwhelmed me. It felt like my skull was on the verge of imploding.

"No, they're just waiting for my signal," he said meekly.

"What?" His ability to astonish me left me speechless. I used to think my life was a disaster, but after witnessing this, I wasn't so sure anymore.

"They wouldn't believe me. And when I mentioned that I was seeing someone, they wanted proof. They just want to prove that I'm gay."

"Are you?" I raised an eyebrow and asked bluntly.

“Are you going to judge?” he averted his eyes to the door.

I scoffed. "Why in the world would I do that? I have far more important things to do than pass judgment on someone's sexual preferences."

"Well..."

Another knock.

"Ugh. This is driving me insane. Give them the signal." I had reached my limit. This had to come to an end right now. I couldn't continue living like this, consumed by dread. Whatever awaited behind that door, I would have to face it head-on, no matter how bitter it tasted.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, stepping back with his hands held up. "What? Are you crazy? I'd rather they keep knocking just for the sake of it. Maybe they'll get bored and leave."

I rolled my eyes. "Trust me when I say this. I've encountered my fair share of jerks in life. Your friends outside are no different. They won't leave until they get to witness the spectacle."

"Shit!" Yep, that was more like it. "You're right. What are we going to do? I knew this was a terrible idea."

"It's too late for regret now." I contemplated jumping out of the window or hiding in the closet—desperation was taking over—but Sean's words kept resonating in my mind. Stupid conscience. He was right. I had been too absorbed in my own problems. I thought my suffering was the worst, but I was wrong. He was just as messed up as I was.

"Say something! I'm completely blank here. Do you have any ideas?"

I bit my lower lip. I had an idea, but I wasn't sure...

"How important is it for you to keep your sexuality a secret?"

"Huh?" He looked confused.

"You heard what I said!"

"I'm not sure," he shrugged, uncertain. "As long as I'm not ready to face my parents? I guess? Is that enough?"

"More than enough. Come on!" I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the bed, starting to strip off my clothes.

His eyes widened, and he quickly backed away. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What on earth do you think you're doing?"

I narrowed my eyes as I pulled my shirt over my head. "Don't act like you're so innocent right now. Get your ass back here and strip down. We have to give them the performance they came for."

"No!"

"Yes, Sean! Now, please, take off your clothes. We'll have plenty of time to freak out later. Both of us." I threw my top on the floor, pushed my skirt down, kicked off my heels, and climbed onto the bed. There were four pillows. I tossed two of them onto the floor in different directions and messed up the bedsheet to make it look like Sean had been involved in some wild action.

I let my hair down and slipped under the sheet to cover myself. Sean hesitantly joined me within a minute. Unsure of what to do, he stayed on the side of the bed, his eyes filled with fear and a battle of morals.

"Come on over!" I beckoned him, and he looked even paler.

"I think we should-"

"Just come over, Sean, before I change my mind and leave you to deal with this on your own."

Thankfully, he stopped resisting and followed my instructions.

"Okay," I said, adjusting myself beneath him. It was the first time I realized how strong and muscular he was. Damn, he was heavy too. "Give them the signal."

"Are you... are you sure?"

"Just do it. I know what I'm doing." I didn't. But he was already in a panic, and I couldn't tell him that or he'd run away.

Reluctantly, he nodded and dialed his cell phone before setting it aside.

I furrowed my brow. "That's it?"

"Yep." But then he raised an eyebrow. "What did you expect?"

"I'm not sure. For you to imitate a crow or a crane?"

He let out a startled gasp, and I did too. But even with my heart racing, I could hear the click of the latch and the steady creak of the door.

They were approaching.

Taking a deep breath, I surprised him by swiftly rolling us over, straddling him. The impact of the sudden move was just as I anticipated.

Sean let out an exclamation. "Oh, shit!"

I pressed my hips against him, ran my hands up my body and into my hair, and moaned loudly. "Oh, Sean. You're incredible. So good."

"Yeah?" Sean whispered, looking at me with a mix of shock and awe. "Do you like it, baby? Riding me like that?"

"Damn, I love it," I replied, leaning down to kiss his neck. "I'm so close, baby. Fuck me harder."

Even with my back turned to the door, I could hear muted chuckles and whispers.

Idiots!

But I kept moving with him, making sure the sheets concealed our lower bodies, hiding his boxers and my panties.

To add a bit more to the performance and make it appear more convincing, I reached behind my back and unclasped my bra. The sound of someone gasping reached my ears, and I couldn't help but smirk.

Sean continued to caress my hips while thrusting upward with his own movements.

Not bad, I thought to myself.

We heard the footsteps fade away and the door close, signaling that his friends had finally left.

After a few moments, I disengaged from him and flopped onto the mattress beside him, both of us breathless and panting as if we had just experienced mind-blowing sex.

Sean was the first to burst into laughter, and once he started, he couldn't stop.

"I can't believe we pulled that off!" he exclaimed, turning to face me. "And they actually bought it."

A wide smile spread across my face as I joined in his laughter.

For now, everything seemed to be okay.

At least, that's how it felt...