"Yes," he said with a gruff chuckle.

"Okay." The answer came out far easier than she'd anticipated. "My next class isn't until two."

"I'll pick you up in five minutes."

Fifteen minutes later, Tarik was leading her to a table in the back of a small cafe not far from campus. They were handed menus and then left alone while the waitress scurried about, helping the other people already seated.

"I thought you and Phoenix were out of town," she said after scanning the menu quickly and deciding on what she wanted.

"We got back this morning."

"Where's Phoenix?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound as though she wasn't happy to be there with him.

"Home. He had a conference call. I thought I'd take advantage and get you alone for a bit."

Mia's heart skipped a beat - maybe two - as she stared into his golden eyes. The guy really was incredibly handsome. His hair was darker than Phoenix's, his skin a little lighter, not quite as bronzed as Phoenix's. She wasn't sure why she was making a comparison between the two, but as she stared back at him, she saw so many differences, and not only in their appearance. Enough that Mia was even more intrigued by him right then than she had been before.

When Tarik had called her cell phone and asked her to lunch on Thursday, Mia had nearly swallowed her tongue, but somehow she had accepted. She'd felt a little guilty, as though she were cheating on Phoenix, but she had reminded herself that she and Phoenix were only friends. That kiss - although mind-blowing - couldn't happen again. Without a doubt, Mia knew she wouldn't survive another relationship with a man like Phoenix.

Unfortunately, after that incredibly comfortable lunch where she and Tarik had talked about everything from where he was born to what classes she was taking at school, Mia had been even more confused than before. She'd given in to the idea that she was physically attracted to Phoenix and enjoyed his company immensely. But she'd had a very similar reaction to Tarik.

And that was the main reason Alex was on her way over. Mia needed a sounding board, and she hadn't had a chance to talk to Alex. So much had happened since the night of the charity ball.

But the waiting was over, because she was about to get a chance to chew Alex's ear off, and she hoped her friend was ready.

As far as she was concerned, there was nothing better than a bottle of wine shared between friends on a Friday night. She'd take that over going out to clubs any day of the week. Uncorking the wine, Mia took the bottle to the living room and set it on the small wooden coffee table along with the two glasses she'd placed there earlier. The music was playing softly, an upbeat playlist that Mia had been listening to for the better part of the afternoon in anticipation of her friend's arrival.

The doorbell chimed, and Mia smiled as she skipped to the door, flinging it open and coming face-to-face with a cheerful Alex.

"Girl, you're lucky you invited me over, because I was getting ready to crash your condo," Alex said as she walked in, hugging Mia briefly before looking around. "Holy shit. This place looks fantastic."

"Thanks. You wouldn't believe what bargains you can find online if you search long enough." Mia smiled to herself as she thought about the other things she'd uncovered when she'd been searching the Internet over the last few weeks.

"I love it."

Alex hadn't been to the condo since the day Mia had moved in. As was usually the case, Alex's schedule was tight, and their girls' nights generally had to be planned well in advance just so Mia could see her. Granted, back when Mia had been with Damien, they'd crossed paths more frequently at various functions, but now that Mia had reverted to a commoner, those encounters were less frequent. The blame certainly couldn't be laid at Alex's feet, though, and Mia felt a twinge of guilt for not spending more time with her closest friend.

"Sit," Mia suggested as she motioned toward the sofa. "I've got wine."

Alex walked toward the couch, still looking around the condo as she did. "I really like this, Mia. It seems so ... you."

"As opposed to?"

"That prison Damien calls a home," Alex said bluntly. "I never liked the fact that you weren't able to put your stamp on it. This is cozy and fun."

"Thanks. It definitely suits me."

Alex dropped to the sofa after kicking off her flats, then curled her feet up underneath her. "So tell me about school. How's the new semester going? What you thought it would be?"

"I don't know that I had any expectations," Mia admitted as she poured the wine into one of the glasses, then handed it off to her friend. "Quite frankly, it's boring. But I love it."

"I'm glad you decided to go. I'm so proud of how in control of your life you are."

Mia laughed as she took the other glass once she filled it. "I wouldn't say I'm necessarily in control. These days I feel anything but."

"Spill," Alex said, her eyes meeting Mia's when she lowered herself to the other end of the sofa, pulling her legs up so she could face her friend.

"I'm not sure there's anything to spill," Mia said, gauging her friend's reaction but unable to hide her grin.

Just as she'd suspected, Alex smirked, a knowing smile that told Mia far more than she wanted to know. Alex had always been able to read Mia like a book. "Well, let's see if I can figure it out. You know I wanted to be a private investigator in my past life."

Mia chuckled. She did know that. Alex prided herself on being a super sleuth, attempting to solve every mystery she came up against.

"I'll rewind back to the charity ball. If I recall correctly, you were sandwiched in between two incredibly sexy men. I also have it on good authority that the seating arrangement wasn't an accident."

"What?" Mia leaned forward, holding her wine away from her body to keep from spilling it on her shirt. "What do you mean it wasn't an accident?"

"You know I'm friends with a member of the board. She told me that someone specifically requested - at the very last minute, mind you - a change to the table arrangement."

"Are you serious? Why?"

"Well, at first I thought it was because someone smarter than the person who put the seating chart together realized they'd put you at a table with Damien."

Mia frowned. She hadn't known that.

"But from what I remember, the two men who were flanking you couldn't seem to take their eyes off you."

"That's not true," Mia said defensively.

Alex chuckled and sipped her wine. "Oh, honey, trust me. I had the perfect view. The way Phoenix Pierce was looking at you ... I thought a couple of times you might go up in flames."

Mia looked down at her hands, her face heating from her embarrassment.

"And the other guy... Crap. What's his name? He's the PR guy for the Austin Arrows."

"Tarik Marx," Mia said quickly, realizing a second too late that she'd fallen right into Alex's trap.

"That's exactly what I thought. So, of course, me being the overprotective friend that I am, I did a little investigating of my own."

"I take it you've figured it all out?" Mia teased, hating that Alex knew her so well.

"I guess you haven't seen the tabloids, huh?"

Mia shook her head. She'd purposely been avoiding recent events on the online gossip sites, and she did her best never to read the magazines at the grocery store. After her research spree, she'd found enough information to keep her busy for a lifetime without having to delve into things that had happened in the last few days.

"Let's just say you've looked pretty happy in the pictures they've snapped of you over the last couple of weeks. But what's with them walking you to school?"

Mia leaned forward and poured more wine into her glass. "It was only one day. On the Monday after the charity ball, when I left for school, I swear someone was following me. They'd never done that before, so it kinda freaked me out. I ran into Phoenix - literally - around the corner, and he insisted on walking me to school. He insisted that his driver took me the other days."

"Are you sure it was nothing?" There was concern in Alex's stern tone.

"I never saw anyone, so I figured I was being paranoid. If there was someone, I'm sure it was a reporter, anyway."

"Never assume, Mia," Alex said gravely. "You're a single woman now, and that's a widely known fact. You need to be careful. There are some serious nut jobs out there."

Mia waved her off. "I'm careful, I promise. And Phoenix and Tarik aren't letting me go far without one of them with me."

"So, tell me more about them. By the way, I think it's incredibly hot that you've got two guys catering to your every whim."

"It's not like that," Mia stated cautiously. "We're just ... friends."

"Yeah? So why're you blushing?"

Mia didn't say anything, but she couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

"Did you kiss them?"

"What?" Mia exclaimed. "No! Well, not both of them. No."

"Which one?" Alex's curiosity caused her to lean forward, her eyes fixed on Mia's face.

"Phoenix."

"How was he?"

"Oh, God, Alex, it was ... incredible. I've never in my life been kissed like that." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Mia realized how she sounded.

Alex giggled, her grin splitting her face from ear to ear. "I know you're probably expecting me to give you a hard time. And I would, except I'm so happy to see you smiling."

"It's been a while, huh?" Mia looked down at her lap again. Truth was, there for a while, she hadn't been sure she'd ever smile again. When Damien had cheated on her, she'd stood tall and done what needed to be done, but her heart had been ultimately broken.

"Too long. So what about Tarik? You didn't kiss him?"

Mia laughed. "Why in the world would I kiss two guys?"

"I don't know. Maybe to see which one is the better kisser. That'd be why I'd do it."

"Oh, my goodness, Alex. Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack."

"Do you think that's really okay?" Mia asked, her voice soft.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Alex questioned excitedly. "You're not married. Good grief, woman. You need to live a little."

"I've never dated two guys at one time. Not that I'm doing that now," Mia tacked on.

"Well, it sure looks like it to me. So, they're walking you to school. They both danced with you at the charity ball. According to the tabloids, you were seen at dinner with Phoenix, then yesterday having lunch with Tarik. What else have you done, you little minx?"

"It's much more innocent than I'm sure they made it sound. I don't see them much. Really. They're out of town most of the time."

"Away games," Alex said. "By the way, Johnathan is a little jealous. He wants to know when you're inviting us to dinner with Phoenix."

Mia laughed. "I'm sure he is. I don't know that I'll be having dinner with Phoenix."

"So why don't you ask him out? Or, hell, ask 'em both."

Mia couldn't believe her friend was suggesting she do such a thing. It felt like a betrayal even though she had her suspicions that they would be all for it.

"Oh, come on," Alex stated. "They know about each other, right?"

"Well, yeah. But..." Mia wasn't even sure what her argument was going to be. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Are..." Mia paused to take a swig of her wine, tempted to down the rest of the glass just so she could get the question out. "Are threesomes really that common?"

Surprisingly, Alex didn't laugh in her face, which was what Mia thought would happen. Instead, she smiled. "More common than you think."

"Have you ever...?"

"No," Alex answered immediately. "Johnathan is far too possessive for that. And I can guarantee you that I'm never letting another woman touch my man."

"So is it a bad thing if a man wants to share a woman with another man?"

"No. To each his own, Mia. And yes, I know where you're going with this. I've seen the stories about Phoenix. I'm nosy like that, which is the only reason I even bother to read that crap."

Mia knew her friend was quite fond of the gossip magazines. They used to sit for hours and make fun of the stories, and the people, that they read about.

"Do you think there's something going on between them?" Alex questioned, surprising Mia with the direction she'd taken the conversation, although it was something she'd wondered herself.

Mia frowned. "What do you mean?"

Alex held out her empty glass, and Mia moved to refill it, anxious to hear what Alex was getting at. She wasn't disappointed. Well, she was and she wasn't. It was all in how she took what Alex said next.

"Phoenix is a very newsworthy guy. He's been known for his bedroom's revolving door over the years. But I also recall a story about-"

"Him and Tarik together," Mia said, completing Alex's sentence. "I read that, too. Seeing them together, sure, it seems like there might be some ... chemistry there."

"But they clearly like women, too."

"I think so. Hell, I don't know," Mia said, exasperated. She laughed, a hysterical sound that announced her discomfort with the conversation, although she'd been the one who wanted to talk about this. "I really don't know how any of that stuff works. I thought that was just something they did in porn. Or erotic books. I had no idea that normal people did that stuff."

"Normal people?" Alex asked, laughing. "There are all kinds of kinks out there, Mia."

"Well, I didn't know that," she said a little sensitively. "Remember, I was a virgin when I met Damien."

"Oh, right. The sweet little innocent virgin."