Page 12 of Collide (Collide 1)

Chapter 5: The Many Layers

"Damn, Emily, how much did you pack?" Olivia asked, eyeing her friend's suitcase as she slid a backpack over her shoulder. "It's only two nights, chick. "

Emily's head snapped up. She tucked the last bit of her makeup into a bag. "You're not staying the whole weekend; that's why you packed less. It's really not that much. "

"It looks like you've stowed a small city away in there," Olivia laughed, walking over to her. Tossing her blonde hair to the side, she wiggled her brows. "But that's right - you're going to be around Gavin all weekend, so I'm sure you'll need enough clothing to change into. I've heard that he likes black lingerie," she winked.

"You're such a drama queen, Liv. Just stop with your future assumptions, okay?" Emily walked in the kitchen with her bag as Olivia followed, tickling her ribcage. She jumped and laughed, pushing her away. "Oh, and by the way, a whopping thank you for the warning about this being a two-night hiatus. I'm lucky Fallon was able to cover my shifts. "

Olivia held her hands up and shrugged. "Hey, I just assumed you knew about it. "

A quick knock came at the front door, and Dillon peeked his head in. "Is everyone decent in here?"

Emily made a slicing motion across her own neck, mouthing Gavin's name.

Olivia nodded that she understood and then piped aloud, "Actually, we're not. You know I'm into women now, so I have your girlfriend spread eagle across the kitchen table. "

Emily shook her head and laughed.

"That's right. I forgot about that, Ollie. . . I mean, Olivia," Dillon huffed, making his way into the apartment over to Emily. "The entire male species has banned you. "

"Fuck off, Douchepickle. . . I mean, Dillon. It's the other way around. I banned them," Olivia hissed, grabbing her backpack from the floor. "And my girlfriend's meeting me out there, so you better not say a fucking word, asshole. "

Dillon laughed and shot her a wicked smile. He then dropped a kiss on Emily's lips.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Is the limo here yet?"

Emily looked to Dillon confused. "Limo?"

"Like I said, babe, it's a crazy party from beginning to end. " He yanked Emily's suitcase from the ground, the heaviness of it apparent in the straining of his bicep. "Gavin sends one for us every year. And it just so happens that, yes, it's outside ready and waiting. Let's go. It's almost three, and it's Friday, so rush hour will be a bitch. "

Dillon led the way out the door and into the elevator.

Before stepping in, Emily widened her eyes at Olivia and whispered, "Is he in the limo?"

With two sharp shakes of her head, Olivia whispered back, "No, he would've slept there last night to get the place ready. "

Stepping out into the street, Emily took in the sight of the gray and black Hummer limousine. The chauffeur was holding the door open with a huge smile on his face. He retrieved everyone's bags and placed them in the trunk. As Emily and Olivia settled themselves into a seat, Dillon jumped in, popped a 30 Seconds to Mars CD in the player, and swiftly started making himself a drink.

"Always hitting the booze, Dickhead. . . uh, Dillon," Olivia remarked, studying her face in a small compact mirror.

He shot her a blank, frosty smile. "What are you now, my mother?"

Emily let out a deep sigh. "Would you two stop already?"

"She started it. "

Reverting to a second-grader's level, Olivia crinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue in Dillon's direction.

Shaking her head, Emily sighed again. "Okay, so how far is his place?"

"It's in East Hampton, so about three hours because of traffic," Olivia replied, getting comfortable and tossing her legs across the leather seat. "But so worth the drive, Em. It's a fucking paradise right on the beach. "

"Are we stopping to pick up Trevor?" Emily asked.

Olivia shook her head. "No, he's helping my parents with some bullshit at their house right now. He'll meet us out there tonight. "

"How many people will be there?" Emily probed.

Dillon pulled her across his lap and smiled. "Not that many tonight. It's just his pre-party with a few friends. " He took a sip of his whiskey on the rocks. "But tomorrow's a totally different game. There will be over a hundred guests, and each and every single one of them is flowing with money. "

Olivia laughed as she looked at Dillon. "Only you would know that since every year you try to gain a new account by snaking your way into some rich bastard's portfolio. I have to admit you work the party like a pro. "

His eyes hardened on Olivia, but Emily quickly placed her hand over his mouth to hush him. "You two are done talking for the remainder of the ride. "

Over the next few hours, while the anxiety of the weekend steadily built to unbearable heights in her chest, Emily watched as a suburban landscape replaced the disappearing concrete and steel of the city. Mature trees, grass, and smaller-sized homes flew past her peripheral vision, reminding her of where she had grown up. It was something she realized she missed since living in the city.

Eventually, the middle-class pallet melted away as the road shifted to sprawling mansions lining the Atlantic coast. They were the types of homes in which Emily had seen in magazines. Her eyes widened at the absolute beauty of the scenery. Rolling down the window, she deeply inhaled the salty air of the ocean as the chauffeur pulled up to a winding, gated driveway. He spoke with someone over an intercom before the ornate metal gates slowly swung open, allowing the limousine onto the property. Beyond the gates, a sweeping lawn holding lush specimen trees lined the flagstone drive. A garden highlighted the front of the home with flowers of every color imaginable. Large pillars on both sides of the mammoth mahogany entry door caught Emily's gaze. Off to the side were sunken tennis and basketball courts. In the distance, a path from behind the home led to the serene ocean. The water lapping against the sand and the twinkling sun shimmering off of it brought Emily a sense of peace - if only for the barest second.

Olivia chucked a piece of ice at Dillon's face, stirring him from his alcohol-induced nap. She laughed along with Emily, watching him blink his eyes wide open. He then glared at Olivia with a look that promised retaliation in one way or another. With their bags already at his side, the chauffeur smoothly opened the door, and they each stepped out. Dillon stretched his neck from side to side, yawning. He reached in his pocket, patted the driver on his back, and handed him a tip, thanking him for his service.

Looking up to the home, Emily felt awestruck at its size. Albeit astonishing in every way possible, she wondered why one person would need a place of such magnitude. With that fleeting thought, the reason for her newfound anxiety - and her now rapid breathing - stepped out of the front door.

Shirtless.

Emily's heart nearly stopped dead. As Gavin made his way over to the group, she couldn't help but admire his barely there attire. Transiently, her eyes scanned his well-defined abs, segmented with definitions of hard muscle from his shoulders to his hips. A deep V that disappeared below white swimming trunks made her heart rate jump back to life again.

He wasn't bulky by any means; he had a body like a runner - long and lean - with just enough muscle to make any girl's tongue dance behind her lips. It was then that she noticed he stood a good six inches over her smaller frame. His golden tan had her unconsciously biting the side of her mouth, nearly drawing blood. To further add icing to the cake, he had an intricate black dragon tattoo that snaked its way up from those white swimming trunks and curled around his left ribcage.

The only thought running through Emily's mind at that very second: Where exactly does that tattoo begin?

Heat rose to her cheeks as she felt tension in her legs - the coils of lust that she knew she shouldn't have - making themselves acutely present throughout her entire body. She swallowed nervously, trying to get moisture back into her suddenly dry mouth, and immediately chided herself for having any reaction at all.

He was sexy, forbidden, dangerous, completely fuckable - and she knew it.

A contagious smile washed over Gavin's face as he stepped down from the porch. He shook Dillon's hand and gestured with his head over to the limo now leaving the property. "How was the ride? I hope my driver treated you all well. "

"He always treats us good," Dillon replied, grabbing for his and Emily's bags.

Olivia tossed her arms around Gavin's neck and leaned in to hug him. "What's up, my man?" she asked. She then whispered something into his ear and giggled.

Emily had a good idea what it was when his eyes flicked in her direction, a boyish smile tipping the corners of his mouth. Cupping his chin in the palm of his hand, he let a laugh roll from his lips as he looked down to the ground, shaking his head.

His blue eyes swung back to Emily. "I'm happy to see you could make it. Dillon said that you might not have been able to stay both nights. "

"I know people," Emily laughed, not by her attempted joke, but rather from her soaring nervousness at this point.

"Mmm, it's very good knowing people," he chuckled, taking an extra few seconds to stare into her eyes. Drawing in a deep breath, he tossed his hand through his hair. "Okay, let's go party the weekend away. "

As the two women followed behind the men, Emily shot Olivia a look, knowing that she'd said something to Gavin about their prior meetings.

Olivia laughed and batted her eyes like a true Southern belle as they made their way into the house.

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