Zac

The next morning, I decided to save our trip to the Met for another day because, the night before, Cate had suggested for us to go shopping. She needed a swimsuit for Wes' barbecue, and I was more than ready to take her.

My boy Wes really pulled through for me when I told him that Cate was visiting New York. Not only did my best friend secure the dinner reservation for us at The Grand Salon, but he also helped me set up the barbecue. More than any of my other friends, Wes knew how much I wanted Cate to meet our crew.

Ever since I admitted to the guys that I liked her—like, a lot, a lot—they started busting my balls at every opportunity. Cheap shots like "pussy whipped virgin" and "king of simp nation" fired out of their mouths like cannonballs. It was annoying as hell.

The second Cate confirmed her ticket to NYC, I figured the quickest way to force my idiot friends to eat their words was to show off my badass goddess in all her glory. I intended to help those dumbasses understand, once and for all, that I wasn't chasing after some second-rate bae. Caterina Donati was one of a kind. Period.

For better or worse, she always sucker-punched people in the face with her unflappable composure and bad bitch charisma. I felt confident that the sheer level of her awesomeness was going to knock everyone flat on their asses. I hoped, then, my friends might finally understand why I remained so hopelessly "pussy whipped."

Initially, Wes offered to throw a party for us at his mom's townhouse. I couldn't do it at my place since my mom wasn't exactly the biggest fan of Cate for some stupid unknown reason. I asked Wes if he could move our little get-together to his dad's penthouse on 78th Street. Bonus points for the hot tub on the rooftop.

Now, thanks to Wes and his dad's hot tub, Cate and I were headed straight to the swimwear section in Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue. I'll be honest. Little Zac was so fucking ready for this.

The interior of Bergdorf Goodman was pristine and grand. Crystal chandeliers hung above us. Marble floors stretched as far as the eye could see. I had always found this department store to be the epitome of luxury, a treasure cove that housed the spoils of capitalism for the elite and powerful.

In all honesty, there was actually another reason why I didn't like to come here with my mom: It reminded me too much of my dad. Something about the extravagance. The never-ending supply of bigger, better, more beautiful things. Before my dad went to prison, he worked his ass off at Wyman & Rimmel so that my mom and I could shop at stores like Bergdorf Goodman. The fucker had wanted that lifestyle so badly for us, it seemed, he was even willing to commit—

I stopped myself. I didn't want to think about my dad right now.

Today, I wanted to focus on Cate—and only Cate.

Tomorrow, though, I told myself that I would ask her the hard questions about my dad and Lily's dad and what we might have uncovered together at Ashton Wellesley.

That conversation could happen... tomorrow.

Or maybe even the day after?

There was no rush, right?

My girl was going to be here all week. For now, I simply wanted to enjoy my time with Cate. With her hand tucked snugly in mine, we went up the elevator to the sixth floor of Bergdorf.

After the doors dinged and slid open, still hand in hand, Cate led me past enclaves upon enclaves of brightly lit shelves and racks. Shoes and coats were on display all around us like works of art. Normally, this store was one of my least favorite places to be, but, today, I was all smiles and happy as a clam.

I eyed Cate with interest as she suddenly pulled away from me. I let go of her hand. My girl needed to do her thing. Cate started combing through the selection of swimsuits. She looked like a soldier on a mission. One of the sales associates approached us, offering to help, but Cate waved her away politely.

A few moments later, Cate held up a modest white and navy blue one-piece suit and asked, "What do you think of this one?"

I tried really, really hard not to imagine how the stretchy fabric would probably hug all of her curves.

My mouth felt a bit dry as I replied, "I-I like it. Did you wanna try it on?"

Cate pulled out another one-piece. This one was solid black and looked like it might show a lot more skin. "What about this one? Is it too plain?"

I gulped. Damn. That would look hot on her, too. "It's, uh, really nice. I think you'd look amazing in it. Want me to hold it for you?"

She grinned. "Why don't you pick something out for me?"

My eyebrows shot to the ceiling. "You're gonna let me choose?"

"I'm not saying that you'll get the final say, but, I mean, I'll at least try them on."

I grinned. "Suddenly, I feel like a kid in a candy store."

Cate laughed. "You better not come back with a piece of dental floss."

Smirking, I taunted, "Don't give me any ideas."

Much to Cate's surprise, I didn't dive straight for the skimpiest, tiniest bikinis. Nope, I instead went for color. Bright reds. Dark reds. In-between reds. I liked my girl in red. Red just seemed to complement Cate's personality and her looks to a motherfucking T.

I found her a few one-pieces, some two-pieces that weren't really all that revealing, and, finally, a couple of bikinis that would definitely show off my girl's perfect tits and ass in a way that Little Zac very much approved of. I tried to get a little bit of everything so Cate could pick the one that she felt most comfortable in.

Cate called over one of the associates to set up a fitting room. I found a chair outside and sat down to wait. My knee bounced with anticipation.

Two minutes passed by before I heard Cate's voice float through the fitting room walls, "I kinda like this one. You wanna see, baby?"

I responded eagerly, "Fuck, yes."

Cate emerged from her fitting room in one of the one-pieces I had picked out.

My eyes traveled down and up and down her body again, drinking in the happy sight like thirsty motherfuckers. Cate looked fine as hell. Long legs. Hourglass figure. The neckline of the red one-piece dipped low in a V shape. Swells of perky cleavage peeked out in between that V, teasing and taunting me to trace those flawless curves with my mouth and hands. I couldn't drag my eyes away from her.

Cate glanced at me expectantly. "What do you think of this one? Yay or nay?"

I tried to use my words, but her tits kept distracting me. "Um..."

"Well?"

I barely managed to speak, "Your, ah, boobs look nice."

"Just nice?"

I wanted to face-dive into them. "More than nice."

They were gravity-defying.

She blushed slightly. "Should I get it, then?"

I coughed. "You don't wanna try on a few more? I don't mind waiting."

"You're not getting bored?"

Little Zac answered for me, "Not at all."

Cate stepped back into the fitting room and proceeded to model several different looks for me, each one hotter than the one before, while Little Zac partied away in my pants. Eventually, she strutted out in a solid red bikini with wide white straps along her shoulders and hips featuring the CK logo. The cut was more sporty than scandalous, but my jaw dropped. Little Zac started misbehaving like a rebel without a cause.

I shifted uncomfortably in my chair.

The top of the bikini covered most of her boobs with only a hint of cleavage. Cate's entire midriff was bare, and that tiny waist of hers flared out to a nice round ass in the red bikini bottoms. This swimsuit made me want to cancel our plans for the afternoon and, instead, spend the rest of the day back in her hotel room.

I blurted out, "I think you should get this one."

Cate popped her hip and struck a silly pose for me. "Only if it's a ten out of ten."

"Babygirl," I drawled, "you're a ten out of ten with or without a fucking bathing suit."

"I mean, you're not wrong."

"So humble, too."

She winked. "It's not easy being perfect, you know?"

Utterly smitten, I insisted on gifting her the swimsuit. Cate fought me on it at first. In the end, however, she caved with a small, pleased smile. I paid for it, not with my stepdad's credit cards. Instead, I used my winnings from poker night with the guys. It felt weird to spend Jared's money on my girl. I wanted to be the one to take care of Cate.

After a quick lunch, Cate and I headed back to her hotel to get ready for the barbecue. We both showered. Not together, sadly. She went in first. Then I followed.

I threw on my swimming trunks and white long-sleeved dress shirt. Cate put on some makeup and slipped a cute loose-fitting dress over her new swimsuit.

Babygirl looked so good that, not surprisingly, the two of us ended up messing around in bed for another half an hour before heading out. I didn't mean to smudge her makeup during our hot and heavy make out sesh, but it happened, and Cate had been a little annoyed that she needed to redo everything. She was obsessed with being on time to everything, and we were already running late for the barbecue. I apologized for making us late, but Little Zac wasn't sorry at all.

Wes' place was located on the Upper East Side. We arrived around 4 pm. The barbecue had started around three. The doorman let us in, and we took the elevator straight up to the penthouse.

Once the doors sprung open, I grasped Cate's hand and led her into Wes' foyer. We walked across gray slate tiles into the common area. A large white sectional couch and an ivory-colored baby grand piano anchored the space. Everything was white—the decor, the walls, the furniture—except for the massive floor-to-ceiling arched black steel windows that surrounded Wes' living room. Stunning views of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline greeted us.

I glanced over to Cate and squeezed her hand. "Ready to meet everybody?"

She grinned back. "As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."

About a dozen or so of my friends were already here. Wes and his sister, Ashlynn, were the hosts. Ethan Alexander and his boyfriend, Todd. Both of the Sebastian's were present as well. Seb Jr. was flirting with the Pearson twins, Livie and Liz, while Bast was messing around with Quentin, Troy, and Simon. These kids were part of my inner circle. More of my classmates would be coming later.

The moment Cate and I entered the living room, everyone's heads turned in our direction. I could feel their curiosity digging into us.

Wes smiled and waved. "Mazur, you made it! Sweetness. And I see you brought your plus one."

I tilted my chin at him. "Come say 'hi' to my plus one."

Wes made a beeline toward Cate and me, but Ash pushed past him and scrambled up to us first. Instinctively, I pulled Cate a little closer and slipped my arm around her shoulders. Maybe I was being a presumptuous ass, but I couldn't shake the feeling that Ash still had a tiny bit of a crush on me, and she was the kind of person who thrived on drama. I didn't want her to give Cate a hard time.

"Hey, Ash," I said. "This is Cate. Cate? Meet Ash, Wes' little sister."

She smirked. "Oh, my God! Cate! I'm so excited that you're here! I've never met anyone from DC before. Or public school, for that matter."

I frowned. "Um, I went to public school."

Ashlynn wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, well, that's different because you used to go to Ashton Wellesley, right?"

"I've told you a dozen times already. Cate used to go to Ashton Wellesley with me. That's how we met, remember?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, I must have forgotten," she chirped without a shred of remorse.

I glared. "Be nice, okay?"

Ashlynn cooed flirtatiously, "Aw, baby, you know I'm only nice when I feel like it."

Irritation pricks me. "Please don't call me 'baby.'"

"Why not?"

I glare. "Because Cate's my girlfriend. Not you."

"I don't see the problem. It's just a fucking word. Your girlfriend should learn to share the English language. Free speech is a thing, you know," Ashlynn retorts before turning back to Cate. "Anyway. Tell me more about yourself, bestie. Where are you going for college? A state school, I assume? I'm applying to Harvard."

Right as I was about to tell Ash to put a sock in it, from the edge of my eye, I noticed Cate's gaze locking onto Wes' sister like a sniper who was about to take aim. I winced inwardly. I could practically imagine the floating red dot on the poor girl's head.

Cate smiled and murmured sweetly, "Hey, Ashlynn?"

"Yes, Cate?" Ashlyn replied in equally sugary tones.

My girl narrowed her eyes. "Let's clear the air. First of all, there's nothing wrong with public schools. Capable people know how to get shit done no matter where they get an education, and idiots are still idiots even if their daddies buy them an Ivy League degree. Second of all, next time you forget something that Zac has shared about our relationship—don't be shy, okay? Ask me. I won't bite. I'll be happy to give reminders since you clearly have the memory of a goldfish. Good luck getting into Harvard, though... bestie."

Ashlynn's mouth parted with shock.

Mine did, too.

Suddenly, I realized that I probably didn't need to protect Cate from any of my friends. I probably needed to protect them from her. The corners of my mouth quirked up with amusement.

To Ashlyn, I muttered sympathetically, "Didn't I tell you last week not to mess with Cate? I don't think you can keep up."

Ashlynn scoffed angrily, "You're such a dick, Zac!"

I grinned. "I know."

"At least he's not a goldfish," Cate muttered under her breath.

Unable to help myself, I chuckled, pulled Cate even closer, and pressed my lips to her temple in adoration. "That's my girl."

Then, before Ashlynn could stir up any more drama, I hauled Cate away to meet my other friends.