Another One

by Aleatha Romig

Reaching for her hand, I pull her back to my embrace. “And then we’ll handle what comes next.”

  “But you don’t understand. I forgot about the nightgown. Now it’s too late.”

  I shake my head trying to figure out what she’s saying. “My lady, you are the most stunning woman I’ve ever seen. I personally think that Saks should consider a boyfriend’s T-shirt line. I mean, I know they’ll charge ten times as much as the real T-shirt, but damn, seeing you in mine and nothing else—it’s hot.”

  She cranes her neck upward. “But I bought it for you. And now...” Her forehead drops to my chest.

  Slowly, I release her and take a step back. “I’m still here and so are you.”

  “No. It doesn’t work like that.”

  “What doesn’t work like what?”

  “I’m supposed to surprise you and come out of the bathroom all sexy, not a snotty mess with tangled hair like someone who’s been sitting outside crying.”

  I palm her cheek as she tilts her head toward my hand. “Shana Price, you’re sexy every minute of every day and night.” I tease her hair with my fingers. “And I know how your hair got like that, which makes it the sexiest hairstyle you could ever wear.”

  “But...”

  “Yes, I love your butt and your tits. If you bought me a surprise, I don’t want to miss it.”

  “Now, it’s not a surp—”

  I touch my finger to her lips. “Should I wait out here or in bed?”

  Her tits push outward as she inhales, yet her blue eyes never leave mine. Finally, she replies, “It’s the middle of the night.”

  “No, my lady, it’s the middle of our weekend. You tell me, bed or here, or I’ll decide.”

  “Bed...but give me a minute first and promise me that you won’t fall asleep.”

  “There’s not a chance.”

  Shana slips through my fingers as her smile reemerges.

  While I give her the minute she requested, I close the living room window. Before I do, I glance out and up. The space between the buildings isn’t large, yet up in the sky is a full moon. I think of an old childhood story about wishes. I’m not sure what makes me think of it, but with my hands on the windowsill I look up to the moon. My mind tells me it’s children’s fables, that I used up my quota when I was young.

  For the first time, I’m not listening to my mind.

  My heart wants another one. I speak softly. “If wishes can come true, I want to fulfill every one of hers...and I don’t want mine to end.”

  When I reach the bedroom, I hear Shana in the bathroom as light seeps from under the door.

  Instead of thinking about why she was really out on the fire escape crying, I concentrate on whatever she has for my surprise. Each thought returns blood to my cock, reviving the erection that has been perpetual since she arrived here Friday night. I reach for the sheet, not wanting her to think that sex is my only thought. As I do, she calls out to me.

  “Trevor? Are you there?”

  “I’m always here.”

  Slowly the door opens. With the backlight surrounding her, she reminds me of the pictures they show you of angels. That’s what she is to me, and yet the negligee she’s wearing would probably prohibit her from entering heaven’s gates.

  “Holy shit...” I mutter as I sit taller, completely unaware that the sheet I used to cover me is now lifted like a tent ready for camping.

  Her cheeks rise as she comes closer, and her gaze goes from my lap to my eyes. “I guess that means you like your surprise?”

  “You’re fucking gorgeous.” Forgetting my effort to cover myself I reach for her hand and stand. Lifting our hands, she slowly spins as her beauty is displayed from every angle. “I’m glad you didn’t wear that one onstage.”

  “It’s only for you.”

  “My favorite kind of fashion show with my absolutely favorite model.”

  Letting go of my hand, she walks to the end of the bed and stops. Turning she continues around to the other side.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m giving you your own show.”

  “Oh, I’ve seen enough. Come back here.”

  “Are you telling me what to do?”

  “I am. Are you in agreement?”

  Her smile broadens as she does as I said and comes closer. Looking first at my erection and then back to me, she says, “Yes, Trevor. I’ve never been in more agreement in my life.”

  “What do you want right now, my lady?”

  “I want you.”

  “You’ve got me. Tell me more,” I say.

  As her cheeks grow pinker, she does. She tells me more.

  Reaching for my cock, she runs her hand up and down my length. “This time, I want to be on top. I want to be the one who decides when you...”

  “When I come?”

  “Yes.”

  “Under one condition.”

  “What?” she asks.

  “Don’t take off my surprise.”

  Her blue eyes twinkle as she leads me to bed, directing my arms behind my head, I wait through the most exciting anticipation of my life. Staring at the ceiling, I expect her to climb on, to straddle and ride me until we’re both over our mountain and stars erupt.

  She doesn’t.

  When I lift my head, Shana is at the foot of the bed, crawling between my legs. Each movement ends with a kiss or a nip as she moves closer and closer.

  Fuck! It’s agony how fucking slowly she’s moving.

  “Shana.”

  Her tongue laps over my thigh and then the other. “Have I told you how sexy I think your thighs are?”

  Thighs.

  “I-I...goddamn it.” I grip my own wrist, fighting my need to pull her up. “You said you wanted to be on top. Get on top.”

  Her soft laugh sends electrical shocks straight to my dick. I look up, but all I can see is her golden hair as she’s inching closer. And then her lips take me in.

  “Oh fuck.”

  Her hands move in sync as she sucks and licks. My balls grow painfully tight.

  “I’m fucking serious, Shana.”

  “Not yet, baby,” she coos. “I want you to remember I’ve been here.”

  She’s using my words. My girl is using my words, and I’ve never been so damn turned on in my life.

  “Baby, it doesn’t work that way for men. You need to jump on...now.”

  Rolling my balls in her grasp, she takes one more long suck. The pressure is building, and I’m doing everything I can think of not to blow.

  I’m constructing bridges, doing math equations, counting from 100 backwards.

  100

  99

  98

  97...

  Nothing is working and then...

  Yes!

  “Fucking...yes...”

  Her lips pepper my neck with kisses as her tight pussy grips my penis and I’m propelled by catapult straight through the pearly gates.

  “Trevor. Trevor.” Her soft hand cups my cheek. “Open your eyes.”

  I don’t think my body has ever been this tight. I’m not sure I can control my eyes and cock at the same time.

  “Trevor.”

  Slowly, my eyes open to the most beautiful vision. Shana. Her hair is veiled over her shoulders, and her tits are covered in the white lace and right before my eyes.

  “Please, move your arms and hold me tight.”

  I will my arms to respond, reaching for her hips. As I do, she rolls herself forward and then back. “Baby, this is...”

  “Hold me,” she says as her movements grow faster. “I think we may be in for a rough ride.”

  Holy shit!

  The friction is...like nothing...

  My grip tightens as my fingers press against her hips. I can’t take my eyes off of her. The ecstasy of her expression as she moves, the way her hair teases my face when she leans down, and her hard nipples tenting the silk of the negligee...

  “Trevor...Oh, Trevor...”

  “I’ve got you.”
/>   Shana

  Kimbra meets us at the door of her apartment, eyeing me up and down, her smile growing as she scans.

  Looking down, I take a peek at the skirt and top I’m wearing, the ones I packed after talking to Kimbra. The skirt is long and flowing and the top is simple, yet chic. My shoes are a gladiator asymmetrical wedge, the soft straps fitting around my ankles. My hair is down with soft curls at the end and my makeup is minimal—especially compared to the day on the runway. And yet the way she’s looking at me, I feel exposed. Her grin makes me want to blush, as if she’s seeing beyond my well-thought-out outfit and knows every intimate thing Trevor and I have done since our last visit to her apartment.

  Maybe that’s what friends see when they look at you. They see what your words haven’t had the chance to share. It’s why Stephen knew I was having bunny-rabbit sex without my saying a word.

  As my other best friend briefly crosses my mind, I recall a few of his subtle hints that I’ve recently been too preoccupied to notice. Now that I think about it, if I didn’t know better, I’d say his sex life has improved too.

  “Come on in, you two,” Kimbra says with a wave. “Beth and Christopher are here.”

  Trevor’s hand warms the small of my back, giving me confidence as we move forward.

  The moment we enter the living room and his parents come into view, my anxiety wanes. Trevor told me that his parents were in their early sixties. I should have known that the couple who donated their genes to Trevor and Duncan Willis wouldn’t be the epitome of grandparents in the making. No white-haired people with rocking chairs.

  Beth, Trevor’s mom, is absolutely beautiful in a comforting but not overpowering way. She’s petite yet curvy. Her hair is a mixture of Duncan and Trevor’s, not as dark as one or as light as the other. And right away, it’s her eyes that I notice, the same stunning green as her sons’. What makes them even better is the way they’re smiling at me, sincere and loving, with little fine lines crinkling their corners.

  “Shana, it’s so good to meet you again,” she says.

  I fight with the again in her sentence, and then I recall Kimbra’s wedding. “Yes, Mrs. Willis, it’s nice to see you again too.”

  “Oh, dear, my name is Beth,” she says as she wraps me in a hug. Over her shoulder I notice Duncan’s and Kimbra’s smiles. When she pulls back, she looks me directly in the eye. “Now, I want to hear all about how you caught my son’s attention.” She lowers her voice. “And I can’t tell you how happy we are that you did.”

  I glance over to Trevor, who comes to the rescue, securing my hand and tugging me back toward him. “Mom, yes, this is Shana. Can you please let her breathe?”

  Beth laughs, reaching for Trevor and giving him a hug. “I can’t believe that I had to learn about this beautiful—and from what I hear, successful—woman from someone besides my son.”

  Trevor’s gaze goes to Duncan and back to his mom. “Yeah, I was surprised about that too.”

  “Hey,” Duncan says, “I didn’t say a word.”

  Without shame, Kimbra raises her hand. “It was me. It was all me. I just couldn’t contain myself, and well, Duncan got tired of listening to me go on and on, so I called Beth.”

  A handsome man, an older version of what I decide is more Trevor than Duncan, steps forward offering me his hand. “It’s always the dad who’s the last to know. Nice to meet you, Shana. Since no one is introducing me, I will. I’m Christopher Willis.”

  “Hello, Mr. Willis.”

  “And that makes you, Miss Price?” he says with a wink.

  “Christopher,” I correct. “It seems like you all know all about me.”

  It’s Kimbra’s turn to speak. “First and last name. Occupation. Current job status as well as the possibilities for the future. Most sharable information from our living together.” She smiles my direction. “With emphasis on your affinity for shoes. I love the ones you’re wearing, by the way. Oh, and I didn’t mention cannoli.”

  “Oh, do you like cannoli?” Beth asks.

  Duncan, Kimbra, Trevor, and I all turn her way as the blood drains from my cheeks. I feel faint as the life-giving circulation seems to still. If it weren’t for Trevor’s hand returning to my back, I think I may fall to the floor.

  “If you do,” she goes on, totally oblivious to my discomfort, “I have the best recipe. Do you bake?”

  Letting out a breath, I answer with a nod, “I-I love to bake, but honestly, I don’t do much since I live alone.”

  “Oh, let me send you my recipe. The best part is you can freeze them, and then you don’t have to eat them all at once.” She laughs as we all find seats around Duncan and Kimbra’s living room. “I know for me personally, if I don’t use some self-control, I can overindulge on cannoli.”

  Kimbra leans back in an oversized chair—or maybe a baby loveseat, I’m not sure—next to Duncan and grins. “Death by cannoli. Not a bad way to go.”

  “So, Dad,” Trevor says, trying to change the subject, “how’s work?”

  “Should I share with the competition?”

  “Dad and I work for different engineering firms,” Trevor explains.

  A few minutes later when Kimbra stands, I do also. “Maybe I could help you in the kitchen?” I ask.

  Beth stands too. “I’m all for letting the men do the cleanup—well, your men,” she adds with a laugh. “Christopher and I will be off to the Philharmonic. But for now, we can help Kimbra get the dinner ready.” She puts her arm around my back. “So you and Kimbra lived together here in New York and now you live in London? I’ve always wanted to visit London. What should I see first? Buckingham Palace? The London Eye? Big Ben? There are just so many options.”

  We step into the kitchen to the wonderful aroma of whatever Kimbra is cooking.

  “Kimbra, this smells divine. What is it?”

  She waves me off. “It’s just a pork loin. We have potatoes and some vegetables.”

  “Honey,” Beth says to me, “I brought an apple pie. However, if I’d have known you loved cannoli, I would have brought my homemade ones.”

  Shaking my head, I look past Beth to Kimbra’s smile, and it takes all of my restraint not to break out laughing.

  “Beth,” Kimbra says, “I left my glass of wine in the living room.”

  “Oh,” I say, “So did I. I can go get them.”

  “Nonsense, girls, I’ll go get them.” Before Beth makes it to the door, she turns back. “Shana, I promise, I’m not always this overwhelming. It’s that I’m so happy you’re here and that you and Kimbra are friends. It’s every mother’s dream.”

  “I’m happy to be here.”

  Once she’s gone, I turn to Kimbra. “Death by cannoli?”

  “Technically, we’ve already tried her homemade ones.” Her eyebrows dance.

  My nose scrunches. “Oh my God, will you stop?”

  “She is their mother. She made them.”

  I shake my head, wondering how long it will take for Beth to return with our wine.

  “Fine,” Kimbra says. “How was your no-plan weekend?”

  “It was wonderful.”

  And then reality hits me like a subway train, and my laughter disappears as tears prick the back of my eyes.

  Kimbra reaches for my hands. “Babe, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable with the cannoli. It’s just that Duncan is still giving me a hard time about it.”

  “A hard time? And you’re complaining?” I shake my head as I look down with a sigh and continue before letting her speak. “No. It’s not that. It’s that I really like Trevor. I like him a lot.”

  “If that’s a secret, you’re not doing a good job of hiding it.”

  “I think he likes me.”

  “You think?” she asks.

  I take a deep breath and wipe away a renegade tear that escaped down my cheek. “Five more days and it’s over.”

  “Stop. It’s not. According to Stephen you killed that fashion show. Even you have told me that the numbers have exc
eeded speculation. I know enough about the running of a business to know that numbers speak louder than anyone’s opinion. Have faith.”

  “I want to.”

  Before Kimbra can reply, the kitchen door swings inward and Beth enters with three large goblets of moscato. I move toward her, trying to ease one from her hands.

  “Oh, don’t worry about me,” she says, “A long time ago, I was a waitress.”

  “You were?” I ask, surprised.

  “Working my way through college, I could carry three platters on one arm.”

  “Wow,” I say, impressed.

  Kimbra bumps her shoulder into mine. “I told Beth all about you, but I didn’t have a chance to fill you in on Beth. Did Trevor?”

  My cheeks warm. “We didn’t get the chance to talk...”

  Beth and Kimbra laugh in a way that makes me blush while at the same time feel like I’m talking with two friends instead of just one.

  “I’m not that exciting,” Beth says.

  “Don’t let her fool you. Beth is a teacher. She works for a public-school system upstate, specializing in reading comprehension.” Kimbra gives her mother-in-law a knowing smile. “When it comes to patience, she’s right up there with Job.”

  “My boys gave me all the practice I needed.”

  Her boys.

  Earlier she’d said your men.

  It’s funny to think they’re the same.

  While the three of us talk and laugh, I realize that Duncan’s success and wealth isn’t the status quo of how and where he and Trevor were raised. In many ways, the Willises are similar to the Prices or even Kimbra’s family, hardworking and loving, wanting nothing but happiness for each other.

  As Kimbra fidgets with the last of the dinner preparations, Beth fills me in on some stories about Duncan and Trevor as children. She mentions how they coexisted but were never as close as she’d wanted. Being two years apart in age, they were more competitive than she would have liked.

  “Christopher and I did our best to keep the competition to a minimum. It was pretty obvious early on that they had different interests and strengths. We tried to promote those strengths in each one.

  “Trevor is more like his dad,” she says after refilling her wine glass.

  “He’s quieter than Duncan,” Kimbra explains.