The agreement

Ari pulled back from the heated kiss, her chest heaving with exertion. She fixed Jake with an intense stare, cheeks flushed and eyes dark with lust. “If we're going to do this, really do this... you can't tell anyone. Especially not Joe. This stays between us, understand?”

Her hands slid down his sculpted chest, fingernails dragging lightly over his skin. The heat of his naked body pressed against hers made rational thought difficult, but Ari knew the stakes. She needed assurances before fully surrendering to the temptation.

“I mean it, Jake. Our friendship, your relationship with Joe... it all depends on this one secret. Can I trust you to keep this quiet?”