Snap

RAE

The third and final installment of How Rae Ends Up in a Stranger’s Bed begins on the Smash dance floor.

Michael’s fingers are light on my hips as he moves behind me. I tear my eyes from the drink I am chugging and find Logan’s stare. His eyes are narrowed in irritation, but Purple Bitch was still by his side.

I was already Jake’s second choice. I wasn’t about to be Logan’s too, not when Michael clearly had me ranked first.

I shove my empty cup onto the ledge lining the edges of the club and twirl around until I am face-to-face with Michael.

“So, what’s this about not platonic ?” he asks, a wry smile on his face.

“I’ll show you,” I giggle, tugging on his shirt collar to bring his lips down to mine.

I’d rate the kiss a seven out of ten. Michael pulls me close. One hand presses my hips to his and the other is tangled in my hair.

I kiss him clumsily and hungrily, and he returns the enthusiasm, snaking his tongue into my mouth.

Our lips move in sync—mostly, I was too drunk to keep a steady rhythm, but I did my best—and I lean into his hard, muscular body as his hand traveled lower on my back.

Is this what a one-night stand is like? Before Jake, I was with Mark, and before Mark…nada. Mark was my first everything. Jake was my second everything.

Michael’s hand dips lower.

Fuck it. This isn’t bad.

I pull away just an inch. “Do you want to get out of here?” I whisper. “My apartment is a five-minute walk.”

“Yeah, definitely.”

With my free hand, I type out a text to Zoe, instructing her to not barge into my room. Before I hit send, however, I remember the approximately two thousand photos of Jake on my walls.

“Are you a serial killer?” I blurt out. Michael raised his eyebrows, but I wasn’t done. “Also, do you live nearby?”

“Uh, not a serial killer. And yeah, two blocks to the right. I’m at Elmwood Square. Why, would you rather go to my place?”

I suppress a laugh.

“What’s so funny, beautiful?”

“I live at Elmwood too. Yeah, can we do your apartment?”

“Oh, we can do my apartment,” he laughs. “Can I ask why you changed your mind on yours?”

I shake my head. “Nope. Top secret.”

“Alright, you sexy mystery. I’m in unit 315. What about you?”

My mouth pops open. “I’m in 415.” Oh, God. He’s probably heard me having sex with Jake.

If he had, he was too polite to say so. Too polite, or too distracted. We burst through his door in a tangle of limbs. He runs his lips up my neck, sending shivers down my spine and a surge of bravery through my veins.

“Fuck me until I forget him,” I command.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is How Rae Ends Up in a Stranger’s Bed.