Mateo had parked just outside the café, and he was leaning against the car fiddling with his phone until he saw me. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a grey jumper, the sleeves were rolled up, and I might have drooled. God, why were men's forearms such a big turn on for me? I couldn't be the only one who thought so.

He tried to hide his laugh behind a cough when he first saw me come out of the café in my uniform. I should've definitely asked him to pick me up at my apartment instead.

"The dress is awful, you can admit it," I said when we'd gotten in the car and settled in the seat for the short drive to my place.

"Okay, it might not be the best outfit out there, but you would look good in anything, even bird poop," he stated.

I laughed, "Bird poop?"

"It was the first thing I could think of!" he chuckled.

Mateo was the one I felt more relaxed with out of the three of them. There was just something about his personality that spoke to mine. We could talk about silly things and have a good laugh. Then again, the other guys had something else to offer that Mateo didn't. A taste of danger; Gideon. A steady rock to lean on; Callan. It was like they all tugged at different parts of me– different needs fulfilled by different men.

He parked the car by the building door and got out. Before he could get on my side and open my door for me, I stepped out.

"As much as I love the gentleman thing you guys have going on, I need to hurry out of this dress. It's itchy," I explained when he looked a little disappointed.

"I can help with that," he teased, and I smiled at the glint in his eyes. I didn't think he was joking at all when it came to that offer.

Unlocking the door to the building with my new set of keys, we walked inside. He didn't hesitate to go into my apartment when I held it open for him. I, on the other hand, was a little nervous to see how he would react to the tiny space I called my home.

He surprised me when he turned in a circle, took in the room, and smiled softly. The first thing that really caught his attention was the family photos I'd hung on the wall over my desk. I had printed out several pictures of me and my parents; it made this crappy place feel homier. I even had a picture of Kevin and me as well.

I watched as he walked up to the photos and looked at them. The soft smile never left his face.

"You were such a cute kid," he commented.

"Every kid is cute," I claimed as I made my way to my closet.

"Ha! You would've never said that if you'd ever seen a photo of me. I was so round; I rolled instead of walked," he chuckled.

"I seriously doubt you'd be anything but cute." Mateo couldn't possibly have been ugly. "What clothes should I wear to dinner?" Was it something fancy or more casual?

"Hmm, let's have a look at what you have." Mateo came up behind me and looked over me at the clothes. The heat of his body so close to mine almost made me sigh in content. These men always brought out a reaction from my body, as if it craved them more than I would admit to. I'd never experienced this with anyone else.

Mateo's hand reached forward and grabbed a beautiful yet simple sundress. It was lavender with white flowers on it. Lavender had always been my favorite color, which was probably why many of the dresses–and clothes in general–I'd gotten from Mom was in that color.

"This one will do nicely," he stated and took the dress off the hanger.

Seeing no fault in the clothing, I nodded. "I'll be right back." I grabbed the dress from his hands and made a move towards the bathroom, but a gentle hand around my wrist stopped me.

"Or, you can change here. Besides, there's nothing I haven't seen before." Mateo's smirk was cheekier than Callan's cocky one. If anyone held me at gunpoint and asked which smile I liked the most, I couldn't have answered; they both made me want to do naughty things.

Not dropping out of a dare–which this clearly was– I let him hold onto the dress as I moved out of his touch.

I held his eyes as I slowly unbuttoned the dress, starting from the top.

The buttons were at my chest, and, as I continued popping them open, the more he could see– my collarbones, upper chest, the swell of my breasts... The more I showed him, the more hunger I saw in his eyes and the more empowered I felt.

His Adam's apple bobbed while he watched me undress, and his hands clenched by his sides. I was almost giddy, knowing he wasn't unaffected by this– by me.

Unbuttoning the last one, I let the hideous thing fall to the floor, leaving me standing in a bra and panties. I was glad I'd chosen a matching set today with lace details, all in black.

My eyes dropped from his face to the hard length hiding beneath his jeans; I'd definitely gotten a reaction from him.

"Would you be a dear and come give me the dress?" I nodded at the one in his clenched hand; I didn't mind if it might have gotten wrinkled.

Mateo did one better and held it over my head, helping me put it on. That action made me think of Callan and how, before them, no one had ever helped me get dressed– they had only helped me out of it. These men were sinful gentlemen.

He pressed a kiss to my cheek before he stepped back. The fabric swished around my thighs, loose and breezy– short, but not indecent. I liked his taste.

"I'll just grab my bag before we go," I commented, but he stopped me again.

"You don't need to bring anything with you. I got whatever you might need back at my place, and if I don't, I can have someone bring it over."

I almost laughed at the absurdity of this unfamiliar situation of mine. "Don't tell me you bought me a whole closet like Callan did?" I asked jokingly, but when he didn't answer, I knew that was precisely the case.

"I don't need any of that. I have clothes of my own," I insisted.

"Emma, you need to get used to us taking care of you. We're the ones who want you to stay at our place, so we should be the ones to make sure we have what you need." I'd gotten so used to him calling me gorgeous that I almost got a shock when he'd said my real name. I didn't think he'd ever said my name before.

"I don't like people spending money on me," I admitted; in fact, I hated people spending money on me. I'd always been independent. As soon as I got my first job in Greenport– a summer job with crappy pay– I'd been adamant about paying all my expenses– which probably weren't all my expenses. I had been fourteen and didn't consider costs like education, medical, and dental. Nevertheless, I paid for everything I bought for myself; candy, movie tickets, clothing, and the likes. My parents actually complained, saying they wanted to spoil me now and then, but when I'd decided on something, I stuck with it. The only exception was on my birthdays and Christmases.

The point was, I had a hard time accepting stuff like what Mateo and Callan offered– well, with Callan, he more demanded than offered. Either way, that wasn't something I could just shake off, the sense that I was receiving something I hadn't earned. What was more, I felt guilty over it. I told Mateo as much.

"I can understand that. You're independent, and I like that about you. But can't you see that we just want to make this whole thing as easy as possible for you? Not only that, but we like taking care of what's ours, and we show that by buying you stuff we think you might like, among other things. It's just who we are. We have enough money to go around, and what we spend on you don't even make a dent. You're ours, Emma. Let us take care of you as we know how."

My chest kept tightening as he talked. Some emotion I didn't want to identify squeezed a piece of my heart.

For now, I thought.

I was theirs, for now...