Page 9 of Collide (Collide 1)

"You're a pretty funny girl, Emily," he remarked, shifting his body to face hers. "I'm really starting to regret Dillon getting his hands on you first. "

Emily's heart skidded across her chest at his declaration. Before she could answer, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder and assumed it was Dillon.

She turned and found Trevor flashing his winning smile, his thick blonde hair falling onto his forehead. "I'm here. Let the party begin!" he hooted, slapping his hand on Gavin's shoulder. He then gave Emily a hug and inched his way in between them to order a drink. "It's going to be a bender tonight!"

Emily smiled, happy to see Trevor. She'd grown close to him over the last few months. Besides the fact that he was Olivia's brother, he was an all-around good man. Even before she moved to New York, he would call to check up on her to make sure she was doing okay.

Trevor glanced around the club from behind his glasses. "Where's Dillon?" he asked, accepting his drink from the bartender.

"Think he fell in," Gavin smirked, motioning toward the restrooms.

"I know he left the office way before I did, but that sounds like something he would do, especially if he's drunk enough," Trevor laughed. He then turned to Gavin. "So how've you been, man? Feels like I haven't seen you in forever. "

"Good. Had to do some traveling for work, but I'm hunkered down for the summer. "

"Having your yearly Fourth of July party at your house in the Hamptons, right?"

"Absolutely," Gavin answered. "I'm actually heading out there this week to open up the place. "

Trevor turned to Emily who wasn't paying attention to the conversation. His laughing brown eyes were wide with excitement. "Yoo-hoo, Emily, you're going right?"

She looked puzzled as she scanned the club, knowing Dillon had been gone for a while. "Going where?" her voice trailed off as she looked away from Trevor.

"Gavin's party in the Hamptons on the Fourth of July. Dillon told you about it, right?"

She shrugged, bringing her attention back to Trevor. "He hasn't mentioned it yet, but it sounds like fun. I'm sure we'll be there. "

Dillon's voice broke through the conversation. "Be where?" he asked, leaning in to kiss Emily's neck. "I hope these guys weren't trying to proposition you while I was gone. "

Twisting her body to face his, Emily smiled. "No worries; they were entertaining me. You took a while. Are you okay?"

"I had to make a quick phone call. "

A mischievous smile tugged at Gavin's lips. "We thought you fell in, and we were actually about to assemble a search party. But don't get high on yourself though; we weren't going to look too hard. "

"Wow, you two are brutal with one another," Emily laughed.

Trevor took a swig of beer. "You haven't seen anything yet, Em. They're just getting warmed up. "

Dillon shook his head and eyed Gavin. "Once a wiseass, always a wiseass, Blake. Never fails. "

Gavin hung his head and laughed. He took a long pull from his beer, swung his eyes over to Emily, and then reluctantly looked at Dillon. "So how's about it? Are you two coming to the party?"

"I totally forgot about it," Dillon replied. "But, of course, we'll be there. "

Trevor cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean you forgot? Dude, you've been coming for the last couple of years. "

Dillon pulled Emily close to him, anchoring her body in front of his. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "I've been distracted by my lady here. I can't seem to think of anything else. "

Emily smiled and noticed a beautifully groomed blonde approach Gavin. She snaked her arm around his waist and planted a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "I thought it was you, Mr. Blake," she said, ordering a drink and letting the bartender know to put it on his tab. "Where have you been hiding lately?" Her words slurred as she clung tighter to Gavin, trying to keep her balance.

"Obviously not far enough," Trevor mumbled under his breath. The woman didn't hear his remark, but didn't need to. His expression told all.

Dillon's eyes narrowed on the blonde.

Gavin knew who she was and tried to play it cool. His smile was relaxed as he curled his arm around her waist, trying to hold her steady. "I've been away on business. How've you been?"

"Oh, I've been doing great. Thanks for asking," she replied, shifting her weight closer to Gavin. "Who do we have here?" she asked, glancing in Emily's direction. "I don't think we've met before. You're so cute. Are you one of Gavin's newest playmates?"

Emily's mouth dropped open, but she said nothing, not wanting to severely insult the woman. She thought the comment was ridiculous, considering Dillon had his arms around her.

Gavin smirked, gazing in Emily's direction. "No, she's Dillon's girlfriend. I'm trying my hardest to make a play for a girl named Molly, but unfortunately, she's already taken. "

Emily nervously bit her lip and looked away.

The pleasant expression left the woman's face as she shot Dillon a hard look. "Oh, really? I didn't know you were seeing anyone, Dillon. "

Gavin stood up and effectively caught the blonde by her arm. "Come on, sweets. We have a lot to catch up on. Take a walk with me. " He started leading her out of the club, and Emily watched the way the woman stared back at her while she tried to release herself from Gavin's hold.

"Who the heck was that?" Emily asked, turning to face Dillon.

"No one," he replied, giving Emily a wide-eyed smile. He dragged a hand through his hair. "Just some girl he went to college with. "

"One of his ex-girlfriends?" Emily probed.

Trevor looked to Dillon but didn't say a word.

"Yeah, just some girl he used to screw around with," Dillon replied after ordering a few shots. "Come on, let's get hammered, babe. "

Gavin made his way through the crowd of sweaty bodies. Walking the woman out of the club, he cornered her against a wall, propping his hand against it. Looking down to her, his expression tightened. "What are you doing, Monica?"

Lifting her chin in defiance, her hazel eyes glassed over. "What do you mean, Gavin?" She pushed her hands through her hair. "He thinks he can just fuck me like that and then go off and start fucking someone else so quickly?"

Letting out a sigh, a muscle tensed in his jaw. "You and Dillon were exactly that and nothing more. Fuck buddies, Monica. Get over it. "

Her gaze narrowed on him. "No, Gavin. If that's what I was looking for, then I would've just fucked you," she huskily replied, trailing her finger across his chest. "Want to take me home tonight? I could add another notch in your bedpost. "

"Not a chance and you know it," he quickly noted, grabbing her by the wrist. "The two of you have been over for a while. Now stop the bullshit. "

"What a joke! We never stopped!" she snapped. "I was just fucking around with him upstairs. "

Dipping his head, Gavin forced her to stare into his eyes. "Upstairs, huh?"

"Yeah, maybe I should tell the goody two-shoes he's here with," she replied, trying to push her way past him.

"Don't even think about it, Monica," he growled. "So help me if I find out you get within five feet of her. "

Widening her eyes, her voice rose as a curious grin stretched across her mouth. "What? Do you have a thing for her?" She paused for a moment and continued when he didn't answer. "You do, don't you? Some friend you are, Gavin Blake," she laughed, tossing her hands through her hair again. "All of you guys - every one of you in your rich little group - are a bunch of fucked-up assholes! I'm just sorry our parents are friends!"

Gritting his teeth, Gavin stared down to her for a second. He then signaled for the bouncer. "Here's a hundred bucks. Call her a cab and get her out of here now. "

"No problem, Mr. Blake. " He reached for the money and Monica. She struggled against the beefy man, causing a further spectacle as she called Gavin every name in the book.

Finally, she was put

into a New York City cab and sent on her way.

Letting out a weighted breath, Gavin turned and headed into the club. He would have to do some damage control in the morning, considering Monica Lemay was indeed the daughter of one of his father's closest friends. Making his way back to the bar, Gavin wondered how true her statement was. He didn't put it past Dillon. Dillon was known for it, God knew he was. On the other hand, he didn't dismiss Monica lying to try and make her way back to Dillon. This wouldn't be the first time she made a desperate move to get back together with him.

Dillon spotted Gavin as he approached. Turning to Emily, he let her know he'd be right back. He stalked over to Gavin, tossing his arm around his neck. "Everything taken care of?"

Crossing his arms, Gavin took a step back. "Yeah, she's gone. What the fuck are you doing? Are you still messing around with her?"

Dillon shrugged nonchalantly. "I was, but I'm done with her now. She kept calling and harassing me. You know how she gets. "

Dillon went to walk away, but Gavin grabbed his arm. "Man, seriously, you have a pretty cool woman now. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Laughing, Dillon pulled his arm away. "There you go again concerned about what I'm doing. You just worry about yourself. I told you that I'm done with the whore. " He tossed his shot down his throat. "Come on, I don't want to waste anymore of my night on her. " He started to walk away and then turned back. "Oh, I told Emily you used to fuck around with her. "

Before Gavin could say a word, Dillon walked back over to Emily, a smile twisting on his lips as he kissed her. Gavin watched as his friend played the smooth Jekyll-and-Hyde he'd come to know over the years. Gavin couldn't help but notice the way Emily stared at him as he lounged back into his seat.

"You really do know how to pick them, Gavin," Emily laughed, tilting her beer to her mouth. "The library - don't forget the library. "

Gavin finished his beer before leveling an icy look at Dillon. His eyes then flicked to Emily as he rubbed at his chin absentmindedly. "Yeah, I've had my share of troubled women I guess," he said, motioning for the bartender to bring him another. "I'll definitely start with the library as you've suggested, Emily. "

Over the next few hours, Dillon became mindlessly hammered. The many beers and shots of tequila had caught up with him. By the end of the night, both Trevor and Gavin had to help him out to Trevor's SUV. Having lost all patience by that point, Gavin tossed him in the backseat and closed the door behind him.

Trevor shook Gavin's hand and got into the vehicle.

Emily stood in the parking lot, feeling embarrassed by Dillon's drunken stupor. "I'm sorry about this. He gets a little out of hand when he celebrates a new account. "

Gavin leaned against the vehicle, his eyes coming to rest on her lips. "There's no need for you to apologize on his behalf," he softly remarked, his eyes shifting to meet hers. "I've known him long enough to know how he gets. "

Drawing in a deep breath, Emily held her hand out. Trying hard to appear relaxed, her voice sounded unnatural and shaky. "Well, it was good officially meeting you, Gavin. I guess I'll see you around. "

Closing the space between them, he reached for her hand. He felt momentarily frozen as he stared deeply into her green eyes. He simply shook her hand and gave her a smile. "It was good to have finally met you, too, Emily. I'll see you at the Fourth of July party. "

Slipping into the front seat, she nodded and smiled in his direction. "Fourth of July. "

Standing in the parking lot, Gavin watched them disappear into the heavy traffic of Manhattan while the shock of the evening from discovering who Emily really was washed over him.

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