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The text from Ashley read: Making new friends – hurry. The message was accompanied by a selfie in which she posed with two attractive young men. As expected, Ashley wasn’t wasting any time. She’d found some boys. Cute boys, too.
    Damn, she couldn’t even remember the last time she’d gone out on a date, her social life was pretty much non-existent nowadays. Suddenly nervous she got into her Nissan Sentra and studied herself in the rear-view mirror. She looked like crap. Doing her best to ignore the bags under her eyes, she straightened her hair while she re-did her make-up. She was wearing jeans and a stylish blouse. Not her hottest outfit by a long shot but she didn’t want to waste time heading back to the house she and Ashley rented twenty minutes outside of downtown Sierra Nogales. The town was located right near the US-Mexican border and counted a population of 9000. She’d moved here right after she wrapped her nursing degree at the University of Arizona. The place was a sleepy, close-knit community, a far cry from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles where she’d grown up.  
    She had found something in Sierra Nogal that had eluded her back home. Peace. Maybe even the possibility of future happiness.
    She started the Nissan and drove to Hal’s, a local dive bar located only twenty minutes from the hospital. Aerosmith blared from the jukebox as she set foot in the crowded bar. Ashley was in the back, busy playing pool with the two guys from her selfie, completely at ease with all the male attention. Sometimes Nicole wished she shared her confidence when it came to boys.
    Here we go, she thought.
    She ordered a Budweiser, took a deep sip and headed over to the pool table. Her roommate enthusiastically waved her over. “There she is. Save any lives today?”  
    “No, but I did clean out a couple of bedpans… And spent fifteen minutes trying to find a vein.”
    “Okay, gross, too much information. By the way, this is Paul, and this is Rob. Fellas, meet my roommate Nicole.” The two men were tall, fit and handsome. Nicole drained the rest of her beer, made eye contact with the bartender to indicate she would need another drink, and joined the game. Part of her would rather just sit down and chill out, but the odds were good she might nod off, despite the blaring jukebox and raging pheromones. The adrenaline of the game combined with the masculine energy around her kept Nicole on her toes. By the time the last ball clacked into the pocket, she had enjoyed her second beer and was starting to feel pretty good.
    God, I needed a night like this. Nevertheless, she experienced a pang of anxiety when Ashley suggested that their two new friends join them at their place, for a round of drinks. A buzzed Ashley winked at her conspiratorially and whispered, “Live a little, girl.”
    Nicole grinned. Tonight she’d follow Ashley’s advice. Lately her life had been reduced to work, work, work. Time for her to come up for air and have some honest-to-God fun.
    They stumbled into their two-bedroom rental home, laughing. Ashley offered everyone shots while Nicole plopped down on the couch. On second thought, bad idea. She was hit with a wave of drowsiness. Rob sat down next to her. Within seconds, his strong arm was wrapped around her shoulders and she was wide-awake again. Ashley squealed playfully as Paul disappeared with her into her bedroom.
    Nicole wasn’t big on casual hook-ups. As a nurse she was a little too aware of the various diseases floating around out there. But between the alcohol and her long period of celibacy, she decided she might make an exception tonight. Rob smelled great and she could feel the play of hard muscles under his tight shirt. He kissed her face, his tongue tracing her neck while his hand unbuttoned her blouse… Whoa, this was happening fast. But she was enjoying herself and decided to go with the flow.  
    Rob opened her shirt, his hand slipping inside, brushing over her skin…
    And