Calli rolled out of bed as soon as she was sure Brian was asleep. She was never one to hang around after the deed was done, only because it usually turned out to be awkward.

She slipped the fabric of her dress over her petite frame. Knowing her heels would be much too loud, she settled for carrying them rather than putting them on. She crept into the bathroom and cringed after looking at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was a complete rat’s nest and her skin was beginning to look oily from her makeup.

Sighing, she turned off the light and dug through the drawers of his desk that was located just across the room. After finding a working pen and a scrap piece of paper, she began to write her note.

Thanks again for last night.

She placed the note on his night stand and looked around until she found what she had been keeping tabs on all night. The shiny golden Rolex made Calli's eyes glint with mischief as she approached it. She slipped the watch onto her wrist and buckled it, grabbing the rather thick wad of cash that was beside it and taking it as well.

She crept out of his room and down the stairs, trying to avoid hitting any creaky spots.

Her last stop before leaving was his kitchen. She opened the fridge and took out an apple, thankful that he kept fruit in his house. She was nearly finished with it when Brian tiredly stumbled into the kitchen.

"Hey," he said as he reached into his fridge and grabbed himself a water bottle.

"Oh uh, hi." Callie tossed her apple core into the garbage. Remembering that his Rolex still hung from her wrist, she jerked her hands behind her back.

A silence lingered between them as Brian woke up and Callie debated on whether or not to just leave.

"Were you leaving?" He looked over at her expecting an answer. She didn't know how to respond without offending him. She'd never been stuck in this situation before.

"You can stay if you want. We can go get some breakfast later." His offer was quite generous but Calli knew she shouldn't stay. If there was a 'Stripper Handbook', the number one rule was to never spend the night. It just made things complicated most of the time and Calli wasn't looking for any complications.

"I really shouldn't," she replied quietly.

"Why not? Do you have a boyfriend or something?" Calli shook her head and shrugged.

"Then what's stopping you?"

"I guess I can stay until tomorrow." She smiled up at him and grabbed herself a water bottle from his fridge.

As he led her back to his room, Calli got butterflies in her stomach. No one had offered for her to stay the night, ever.

He took off his t-shirt and offered it to Calli. She changed into it quickly, dropping her dress and heels on the floor lazily.

She crawled back into his bed, exhausted and nearly dozed off without remembering to check up on Kacey.

"Hey, can I see your phone real quick?" Brian responded by reaching over and retrieving it from his night stand and handing it to her.

She quickly dialed the familiar number and listened as it began to ring.

"Hey Cal," Kacey said into the phone, her voice hoarse.

"Hey Kace, are you heading home?" Brian turned towards Calli and pulled her into him, clasping his arm around her waist.

"Mhm. Where are you?"

"I'm uh, staying over."

"Really? Are you okay?" Calli laughed quietly at her friend's statement.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be home for dinner. Please feed yin and yang." Kacey responded by promptly hanging up the phone just as she always did.

Calli snuggled closer to Brian and placed his phone on the bed. It was only a few minutes before she was consumed in sleep.

***

"So, can I have my watch back?" Calli glanced towards Brian who was getting out of bed.

"Of course," she said nervously as she unclasped the watch from her wrist. She had completely forgotten about having taken it until just then.

She set the watch on his pillow and slid out of the bed. Feeling instantly cold, she pulled her arms into her chest and felt goose bumps rise all over her body.

"Here, these are my little sisters. They'll probably fit you," Brian said as he threw a pair of jeans her way.

She pulled them on and buttoned them, finding that they fit rather well. After scanning the floor and finding her clutch, she pulled her makeup wipes and toothbrush from it.

She made her way to the bathroom and freshened up as best she could by removing her makeup and brushing her teeth. Still wearing the t-shirt he had given her earlier, she settled for tossing her tangled hair into a bun.

"Ready," he asked as she turned the bathroom light off.

"Yeah." Calli found it odd that she felt so comfortable around Brian but there was just something about him. His laid back attitude about everything seemed to set her at ease. Calli usually found herself having sex with ignorant rich men who use their money to their advantage which just made her all the more curious about Brian. He was gorgeous to say the least and obviously held quite a lot of money to his name, yet he doesn't have to make that known every five minutes.

Warmth spread throughout her body as her bare feet touched the hot cement just outside of his door. Wearing shoes wasn't really necessary this time of year in Huntington because it was surf season and nearly everyone was at the beach.

"Do you mind if we walk? It's just a few blocks." Calli shook her head and smiled, knowing she would enjoy the fresh air.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Shocked at the fact that he even asked, Calli chuckled lightly.

"Go for it."

"What are those dates really for?" Her heart dropped into her stomach and her eyes suddenly found the ground interesting.

"They're dates of death. My mother on my left, father on my right." She hadn't been asked much about her parents since she moved here so when she was asked about them, it was hard to answer.

"I see... I'm sorry for your loss." She shrugged and continued staring at the pavement. Brian's calloused hand gently laced her fingers in his as they continued walking. It was nothing serious, just a simple friendly gesture that caused a grin to form on Calli's lips once again.

"How old is your sister?"

Calli listened carefully as Brian went into depth about his complicated family and how old they all were. He seemed so happy as he spoke of each one of them as if he were recalling fond memories. Letting the vitamin D soak into her skin, she found herself taking pleasure in the conversation that was bouncing between them. She realized during that conversation that she enjoyed talking to Brian and he seemed like a genuinely kind person; maybe even someone she could see herself being friends with.

They arrived at their destination after about fifteen minutes of walking. It was a small bakery that was serving quite an array of bagel, muffins, and doughnuts. They ordered up front and Brian paid the small fee for their breakfast.

"This is amazing. I can't believe I've never been here before," Calli exclaimed after her second bite of the blueberry muffin she had picked.

"Yeah, I love this place. I stop in about once a week when I'm in town." He had chosen to have an everything bagel that looked like it had just been baked this morning.

"You're not always in town?"

"No, I travel a lot with my friends." She nodded in understanding and continued eating her muffin.

Her phone started vibrating in her pocket and she pulled it out, seeing Kacey's name light up the screen.

"Sorry," she said to Brian as she answered it.

"Hey, where are you?"

"Kacey, I told you this morning that I was staying over." She watched as Brian finished his bagel and took a final sip from his coffee. Somehow, he had managed to get cream cheese on his nose and Calli had to refrain from bursting out in laughter with Kacey on the phone.

"I know but we have work later tonight and I was hoping we could go out for a little bit. Plus, your dogs need to be walked." Calli knew that Kacey was just throwing out random reasons for her to come home. They did nearly everything together so it was probably boring Kacey to death to be stuck at home alone.

"Well, we're having breakfast but I'll be home later."

"Okay, love you and I can't wait to hear all the details of the amazing sex you had with mystery man!" Heat flooded Calli's cheeks and she glanced at Brian, wondering if he had heard Kacey's loud mouth on the other line. It took a lot to embarrass Calli but Kacey had mastered the art a long time ago.

"Do you need a ride home?" She slid her phone back into the pocket of the borrowed jeans and nodded towards him.

"I think my roommate wants me home more than my dogs do." He chuckled and stood up, taking her hand once again.

After making their way back to his house, Calli changed back into her dress and heels. She placed the wad of cash back on his dresser and collected her clutch before deciding she was ready.

"That's yours, for last night." He tried to hand her the money she had just set down but she pushed his hand away.

"It's on the house." He threw her a smirk which she returned.

He dropped the money on the dresser once again and led her into the garage where his car was. She climbed into his black Escalade and quickly buckled her seatbelt over her body.

The drive was short. She only lived about ten minutes away from him. They had light conversation on the way there about the places they passed or the things they saw that stirred up old memories.

"I had a lot of fun, we should do this again."

Calli leaned in and kissed him, pulling away after only a few seconds.

"Yeah, we should."