Summer's Temptation by Ashley Lynn Willis Read Free Book Online Page A

shut.
    “What about Mr. Westbrook?”
    I regret divulging the details of my instructor, but a man that good-looking is hard to keep under wraps. I spilled after the first day of class.
    “Oh?” Hannah says, eyeing me. “Who’s that?”
    “Her technical writing teacher,” Liz says.
    “Is he English?” Emma asks.
    I nod. “How’d you know?”
    “I heard all about him from my roommate last year,” Emma says. “He was a T.A. in her Lit class. She told me if she didn’t get to the T.A. tutoring hours thirty minutes early, she couldn’t find a seat. One time, two girls bickered over who got to sit next to him. In front of him.”
    I shrug, hoping they’ll drop the subject. “I’m not interested in Mr. Westbrook.”
    Hannah smiles. “Why would you need Mr. Westbrook when you’ve got a vibrator?”
    Emma squeals. “You have a what?”
    I groan. Emma’s going to tell everyone about my toy. Thank God it’s summer and news has to travel by phone as opposed to hollering across the hall at the sorority house. At least the girls know better than to plaster my business on Facebook. One mention of a sex toy, and the Kappa Beta council would freak.
    “It’s not a big deal, Emma,” I say. In this town, a woman admitting she enjoys sex might as well throw a window open and yell, “I’m a whore!” I give Hannah a dirty look. “You have one too.”
    She dismisses me with a wave. “Touché.”
    Emma already has her cell out, and her fingers glide over the keypad.
    “Don’t even think about it,” I growl.
    She smiles and drops her phone on the coffee table. I don’t so much mind her telling the girls in our house about my toy. What I fear is them telling their guy-friends. After the news travels, I’ll be the center of male attention I don’t want. They figure that a girl who craves orgasms any way she can get them is much easier pickings than a frigid one.
    We all return our attention to the TV and go silent for a few minutes. Ed Westwick is doing his dapper thing on Gossip Girl , and we love him. As Liz likes to say, he’s the ultimate bad boy: rich, hot, and redeemable .
    When he exits stage left, I eye our four wine glasses. “Anyone want more?”
    Emma and Liz chime, “Me!”
    Hannah places her palm over her half-full glass and shakes her head. She’s driving, and one is her limit.
    As I stroll toward the refrigerator, Emma says, “Who wants to go to Jack’s Trap on Friday?”
    I falter mid-step and nearly trip. Jack’s Trap is a popular restaurant and bar next to campus. Wyatt and I shared our first kiss in the parking lot. I haven’t been near the place since we broke up, and I don’t plan to go anytime soon. Too many memories.
    “How about we go to Billy Bob’s instead?” Liz asks.
    Emma whines, “Their cheese fries suck.”
    I stroll into the kitchen, still listening to the conversation.
    “I’ll sneak you a beer,” Liz says.
    “Dos Equis?” Emma asks.
    “Whatever,” Liz replies.
    I’m relieved Liz has Emma on board because I hate turning down a girls’ night out just because I’m a simpering mess who can’t get over her ex. I open the refrigerator and grab the wine bottle, a magnum already half gone. Call us a bunch of lushes, but we’re young with nothing else to do. A random Tuesday and a Gossip Girl rerun marathon are the perfect excuses for a few drinks and a nice buzz.
    I head into the living room where Liz is leaning back against the couch, knees curled to her chest. She smirks at something witty Blair says to Chuck. I tip the wine bottle and pour a glass for her.
    With her eyes on the TV, she lifts the goblet and, before taking a drink, says, “I think you need a fuck buddy.”
    At first, I’m sure she’s mocking Blair because she’s not even looking at me. Then she peers up at me, and a Cheshire cat grin spreads across her red lips. I’m so surprised she is referring to me that I forget I’m filling Emma’s glass and pour wine on the coffee table.
    “Wine