by Amy DeMeritt
Janae smiles and pinches my chin. “Ok, honey.”
While I shuck corn, Janae pulls ingredients out of the fridge. I watch her wash potatoes to add to a pot of water to boil, then she works on slicing vegetables to put on the grill. She drizzles the vegetables with oil and sprinkles them with salt and pepper.
“I’m done with this corn. What should I do with it?”
“Can you add it to that tall pot?”
I put the corn in the requested pot, then Janae sprinkles it with sugar and salt before pouring hot water over top of it. She puts a lid on the pot and pinches my side.
“Ok, honey, go get the grill going for me. I want to give the coals times to set.”
“Can I have a kiss first?”
She smiles and places her hands on my cheeks as she rises up on her toes to kiss my lips. She holds it for several moments, then pats my cheek a few times.
“There you go.”
“Thanks, babe.”
After I grab the box of matches from the spice cabinet, I walk out to the backyard. I grab the bag of charcoal and tools needed to make the fire out of the shed, then get to work. I prefer to use a gas grill because it’s easier, but Janae and her parents prefer the flavor of a charcoal grill, so I had to learn how to be competent at this task.
Janae is better at this task than I am though. Somehow, she can do this without getting messy, but not me. By the time I have the hot coals in the grill and grill grate overtop, my hands and arms are coated in soot.
“Hey, babe! Can you open the door for me?”
Janae comes to the backdoor and starts laughing hard. “Honey, you look like you just cleaned a chimney. What the hell were you doing out here? It’s even on your face. Come in here so I can clean you up.”
My face spreads into a big goofy grin and Janae giggles. She tugs on the front of my shirt and pulls me to the bathroom. Even though I’m quite capable of washing my own hands, arms, and face, Janae leans over the sink and thoroughly washes my hands and arms for me. I just can’t stop smiling at her through the mirror. As she looks up at me, she laughs and kisses my lips.
“I love when you take care of me.”
“Is that why you got so messy out there?”
“No, my lack of talent with charcoal is just a beneficial flaw.”
She laughs hard and kisses my lips. “You’re adorable.”
“See, highly beneficial. I get cleaned up by the most beautiful and wonderful woman in the world, and she thinks I’m adorable.”
She inhales deeply as she looks in my eyes and scans down to my lips. I pucker my lips and she firmly presses her lips against mine. She runs a hand through my hair, getting a firm grip on it, and then sucks my bottom lip, causing my arousal to flare. I lean into her, and she giggles and pushes me back.
“Control, honey.”
“You damn tease.”
She gives me a beautiful proud smile as she grabs a towel to dry my hands and arms. She dampens the towel and cleans my cheeks and forehead for me.
“There you go – all clean again.”
“Thanks, babe. What should I do now?”
“Come help me.”
Janae pulls me out to the kitchen, and as she slides up to a cutting board, she tugs my arms to wrap around her. I smile really big and wrap my arms around her waist while I rest my chin on her shoulder.
“Finally, a task I’m an expert in.”
Janae giggles and kisses my cheek. “Just behave. Don’t make me have to swat you away.” I laugh and nibble her neck, making her laugh and squirm in my arms. “Behave, honey.”
“Ok, I’ll be good. So, what are you making?”
“Your potato wedges.”
“Oh, I’ll definitely be good then. I don’t want to distract you from making those amazing.”
Chapter Nineteen
I help Janae into her house with her bags, and as I set them down on her bed, she pulls me into a tight hug and kisses the side of my neck.
“When are you going to move in with me?”
Janae laughs and gently bites my neck before lifting her head off of my shoulder. “You know when, honey.”
“But it was so nice going to sleep with you, and waking up with you, and eating meals with you. This ‘with you’ detail is really lacking from my day way too much.”
“I agree, but you’re still a dirty little tramp.”
I laugh hard and kiss her smiling lips. I release a defeated sigh and hang my head, but she lifts my chin to kiss my lips again.
“I had a wonderful time with you too, honey. I love going home with you.”
“Me too. I love your parents. I wish they had agreed to move here, but we’ll keep working on them. We should go visit them more often. Maybe we can try to make it up there every other weekend.”
“We can try that.”
“Will you come over tonight for dinner?”
“Yes, but it probably won’t be till after seven. After I throw these clothes in the wash, I need to go to the bakery.”
“Ok. Do I get a goodbye kiss?”
She pecks my lips with a grin, and says, “There you go. Now, get out of here. I have to get to work.”
“Ok, babe. I love you.”
“I love you too. I’ll see you later.”
Lindsay texted me this morning to see when I would be back in town, so before I pull away from Janae’s house, I send Lindsay a text to let her know I’m on my way home and will be there soon.
Lindsay: Are you in the mood for company?
Me: Yes, bring your sexy ass over.
Lindsay: I’m on my way.
As I walk in the house, Carrie comes jogging into the foyer with a huge smile on her face. Before I can set my bags down, she throws her arms around the back of my neck and pulls me into an intense kiss.
“It’s about time you get home.”
“I was only gone for two days.”
“This huge house is lonely and kind of scary without you. Did you eat lunch? I was going to…”
The doorbell rings, and she looks at the door confused.
“It’s Lindsay.”
“Fucking jerk.”
She shoves me backwards, causing me to drop my suitcase and laptop bag and my back slams into the door.
“Carrie, wait.”
“No.”
I take a deep breath and push my bags aside so I can open the door. Lindsay steps inside with a smile, but it falters and her brows pinch in concern.
“Are you ok?”
“Yeah, I just need to talk to Carrie about something. Do you want to wait in the living room, assuming that’s not where she went?”
“Yeah, that’s fine, but if you have something going on, I can just leave and we can do this another time.”
“No, I want you to stay.”
She smiles and accepts my hand so I can lead her inside. The living room is empty, so I give Lindsay a soft kiss on her lips then sprint upstairs.
I knock twice on Carrie’s bedroom door and she opens it immediately.
“Can we talk?”
She steps aside, allowing me to enter the room, then closes the door. With her arms crossed over her chest and her lips pinched in anger, she stares in my eyes, just waiting.
“Why are you mad at me?”
“You just got home! I wanted to make you lunch and spend the day with you. I thought you would want to be with me. What’s so special about her that you just had to see her as soon as you got back?”
“This is why I said it might not be a good idea for you to live with me if we’re fucking. You can’t handle it.”
I reach for the doorknob, but she shoves me backwards, looking really hurt.
“Don’t just walk out like that. I just want to know why you had to see her first, knowing you were coming home to me. I’m already here. Why did you have to call her?”
“Not that it matters, but she texted me to see when I would be home. I don’t remember you texting me asking if we can hang out today. You can’t
just assume that because you live here that you’re always going to come first. That’s not how this works. We’re not a couple.”
“I know we’re not a couple. I just thought you would be happy to see me.”
“I am happy to see you and I was happy to be greeted with a kiss when I got home. I enjoy your company, but also enjoy Lindsay’s company. You and I can be together later.”
“So, you’re just going to fuck her a dozen times, then fuck me, like we’re just riding down a conveyor belt for you?”
“That’s an interesting thought.”
Her face flares red with anger, and she shoves me backwards again. I grab her shoulders, spin her, and throw her onto her bed face down. I pull her hips down to the edge of the bed, and she releases a moan of arousal as she grips her comforter in anticipation.
“This is lesson three. You do not get to beat on me when you don’t like what I’m about. You accept it, or you end our arrangement. Are you ready for your lesson?”
“Yes.”
I pull her pants and panties down and firmly grip her ass before delivering a stinging slap to her cheek. She gasps in shock and tightens her grip on her comforter. I spank her several times, eliciting a gasp or whimper from her each time. After her cheeks are red, I give both cheeks a couple of kisses and gently caress them, eliciting a sighing moan from her. After I correct her pants and panties, I pull her up into my arms.
“Do we have an understanding now?”
Her lips curl into a cute smile and she nods. “Yes. Can you spend the rest of the day with me after she leaves?”
“Yes, but Janae will be over for dinner – probably after seven.”
“Ok.”
I give her a short kiss, then jog back downstairs to get to Lindsay, who is patiently sitting on the couch.
“Is everything ok?”
“Yeah, all good. Can I get you a drink?”
“Sure.”
Lindsay follows me to the kitchen and I make us a couple of drinks with amaretto, chocolate liqueur, and cherry brandy.
“Wow, this is delicious. It tastes like a chocolate covered cherry.”
I take her hand to lead her back to my den. We kick our shoes off at the door before I lead her to sit on a loveseat.
“How was your trip?”
“Really good. We helped get some chores done around the house that they were having a hard time keeping up with, but we mostly just visited. How was your weekend?”
“Stressful. A co-worker threw a big party Friday night and she was literally trying to set me up with every fucking man at the party, even though she knows I’m gay. I left after only two hours, and then she spent nearly all of Saturday blowing up my phone, trying to convince me to give these guys a chance because they really liked me. I ended up cussing her out and she left me alone yesterday. I’m glad we have off today. I’m not looking forward to facing her again.”
“I’m sorry. That sounds like hell.”
“I’m just so tired of people treating me like I’m only gay because I just haven’t found the right guy. Or trying to set me up with anyone for that matter.”
“Why don’t you want to be set up with a woman?”
“I don’t like blind dates or setups. They just never work. People don’t try to set me up with someone they think I will like. They set me up with someone they like – which is never the same thing.”
“What do you like?”
She smiles as she runs a hand through my hair to cup the back of my head and pulls me into a short kiss. “I like you.”
“Yeah, but I’m not relationship material. Don’t you want a relationship?”
“Yes, eventually. I like our arrangement, a lot. I feel like I can completely be myself around you without you judging me or expecting more from me. It’s very liberating.”
“Well, that’s what I’m here for – to help you feel liberated and relaxed.”
“And you do an excellent job of it. Are you sure you’re in the mood for this today? You look like you have a lot on your mind. We can just hang out if you don’t want to have sex.”
“Are you in the mood to go swimming? I could use a bit more time to unwind after some things.”
“Sure, we can go swimming. You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”
“I didn’t, but it’s nice to know.”
“I know this is just a casual thing, but I’ve grown to care about you, Jack. If you just need a friend, I want to be that for you. Even if we stop having sex, I still want you in my life.”
“Really?”
She gives me a kind smile as she leans in to wrap her arms around me and kisses my cheek. “Yes. Is it really so hard to believe?”
“Well, yes. When the sex ends, probably seven out of ten women disappear, if not more than that. It’s as if they become ashamed of what we had before.”
“I’m not going to do that. So, what’s on your mind?”
“Let’s get in the pool. It’s very relaxing for me.”
“Ok. I’m guessing you probably don’t have a bathing suit I can borrow?”
“You can just go naked. I typically swim naked.”
“I think I’ll stick to wearing my underwear this time since Carrie is home.”
“Ok.”
I return our empty glasses to the kitchen, grab two bottles of beer, and as we walk into the living room to go outside, Carrie looks up from her laptop with confusion. She scans our bodies, and her lips curl into a small smile. Our eyes meet for a moment, and she licks her lips with a smug grin before looking back down at her computer.
Lindsay and I shed our clothes at the poolside, and we slip into the water in our underwear. She releases a long sigh and does a few breast strokes and back strokes before wrapping her arms around the back of my neck. She gives me a slow soft kiss, and then hops up to wrap her legs around my waist.
“Ok, talk.”
“Does it bother you that I have sex with other women?”
“No. I know you enjoy being with me, and I know you’re not going to give me any diseases.”
“Did you always feel like that, or did it take time to accept that this is just a casual thing?”
“I understood from the beginning what this is, and I have been completely fine with it. I mean, I would definitely take you for my own if that was an option, but I’m content with how things are. Why are you asking me these things?”
“I think I might have screwed up, majorly.”
“You fucked Carrie, didn’t you?”
My head droops to rest on the top of her chest, and she rubs my head and back in a soothing way that feels really good.
“I kept fighting it because I knew it would be a bad idea. She insisted she can handle it. I just don’t know.”
“She got mad that I’m here, didn’t she?”
“Yes. She thought I’d come home and be with her. I told her you got to me first and just because she lives here she doesn’t have first dibs or whatever. Her reaction just proved the concerns I had before – she’d view us as more than just friends engaging in casual sex.”
“Well, to be fair, if you and I had started out as friends, and I had become attached to you before we started having sex, I might feel a little bit of jealousy as well. When we first met, I really wanted to date you, but I accepted your offer because at least I’d still get to know you and enjoy your company. You may think you’re not relationship material, but you really are. The only thing you’d have to stop doing is sexing up every other beautiful woman you meet.”
I laugh as I lift my head to meet her smiling beautiful face. She gives me a kiss on my lips and runs her fingers through my hair, slicking it back.
“How old is she?”
“Twenty-six.”
“Oh, she’s just a baby.”
I laugh and pinch her sides, making her fall forward laughing hard. “You say that as if you’re old. You’re only twenty-nine.”
“Yeah, but I’ll be old in two months. Oh, god, I’m go
ing to be thirty! I’m over the hill. My life is over.” I laugh hard, and she giggles as she bites my shoulder and neck. “Stop laughing at me being old.”
“Are you calling me old? I’m thirty-one.”
“Yeah, but you’re hot, so it doesn’t count.”
“And so are you, so it doesn’t count.”
“Thank you. So, what are you doing about Carrie?”
“I guess I’ll have to see how it goes. But I have to fuck you today.”
“Why is that?”
“Because, did you see that grin on her face when we walked by? It’s like she thinks she beat me down or something and convinced me not to have sex with you today. I can’t let her think like that.”
“But didn’t she? Isn’t that why we’re out here talking instead of in your den getting wild?”
“That’s an interesting point. Maybe we should just make some waves out here.”
“Do you want to have sex in the pool to have some fun, or to flaunt me in front of her?”
“Is it ok to say both? I mean, you’re really beautiful and I really want to fuck you today.”
“Flaunting a partner in front of another one doesn’t seem like something you would do though. You’re very considerate and compassionate.”
“See, this is why I hate jealousy issues. It makes things complicated.”
“That’s true. So, are you going to offer me one of those beers, or are they just going to bake under the sun?”
I laugh a little as I walk us over to the side of the pool with her wrapped around me. I grab the beers, then sit on the steps of the shallow end with her straddling my lap.
“This is nice.”
“Even though we’re not getting wild?”
“Yes, Jack. I like spending time with you. I like talking to you.”
I set the beers on the poolside so I can run my hands up her back and pull her in closer. She gives me a sweet smile as she accepts me to fully kiss her. Heat flares hot in my chest and my desire to pleasure her mounts. I grab her ass, pulling her in harder against me, and she releases a quiet moan and firmly palms her hands over my head and back. I release her mouth and latch onto her neck, sucking firmly, but I’m careful not to mark her. Her breathing increases, and her hips start swirling on my lap, grinding down against my groin in a slow firm dance.
