Friends with benefits: Erotica

by Walker, Kelli

  “Of course,” I said. “That’s not a problem.”

  “Good,” he said closing his notebook. “I appreciate it. You all have a good night.”

  My father walked him to the door as I sat there in disbelief.

  “Is he gone?” My mother asked after the door shut.

  “Yes,” I said. “He’s gone.”

  “I can’t believe it,” my dad said as he sat down.

  “Me, either,” I admitted. I left my father to explain to my mother what the officer said. For now, I had a little girl that needed to be tucked in.

  “Hey, punkin,” I said as I entered the guest room where she slept when she stayed.

  “Why was there a police officer here?” she asked, her wide eyes looking up at me innocently.

  “He came to tell me that Daddy did something very bad,” I said softly as I sat down next to her.

  “What did he do?” she gasped.

  “He was being very naughty,” I explained. “And now since he was so terribly naughty, the police put him in time out.”

  “When will he be out of time out?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, sweetie. But don’t worry. I’m here and so is Grandma and Grandpa,” I consoled.

  “Okay,” she said nodding. “I wish Daddy wouldn’t have been bad.”

  “Me too, honey. But now he has to deal with his punishment.”

  “Like the time I drew on the walls of my room?” she asked.

  “That’s right. I made you sit in the corner and threw away all your markers, remember?”

  She nodded. “I wasn’t happy.”

  “No, you weren’t. But you learned that you weren’t supposed to draw on the walls, didn’t you?”

  She nodded. “I hope Daddy learns his lesson.”

  “Me, too,” I said softly as I stroked her hair.

  Chapter 21

  Sean

  Maggie had sent Dad and I home to shower and get some rest. I had objected but she ended up pulling me to the side and explained she wanted me to keep an eye on my dad. I finally relented and drove him home. The next morning, he was shaking me awake, ready to head back to the hospital.

  I don’t know what we expected when we walked in her room, but it wasn’t that she would be awake and laughing.

  “Good morning,” Maggie said as we walked in. My dad rushed to my moms side, tears in his eyes.

  “Oh, I’m so glad you’re awake. I missed seeing those beautiful green eyes,” he cooed.

  “I’m fine,” she said with fake annoyance. I could tell from the smile on her face she was enjoying the attention.

  “We know, Mom,” I said as I walked up to her bed.

  “Yes, Maggie filled me in,” she said softly. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. I just didn’t want anyone to worry.”

  “Little late for that,” I said. “You had us all worried.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t anticipate any of this. I thought I’d get it cut out and do the treatment and that would be the end. I never thought there might be side effects.”

  “But she’s not going to keep us in the dark anymore, is she?” Maggie said with conviction.

  “No, I won’t. I realize how much worse it must have been finding out this way than if I would have just been up front with you,” she admitted.

  “The doctor was by not too long ago. He said that as long as she keeps doing good, she can go home soon. He doesn’t anticipate any more problems, they just want to be sure,” Maggie said.

  “That’s wonderful news,” my dad said. He turned to me. “I’m sorry I had you rush over here.”

  “No, no. I wanted to be here,” I said. “Nothing could stop me.”

  “Can I have a moment with Sean?” my mother asked.

  Dad and Maggie looked from her to me before heading outside.

  “What is it, Mom?” I asked.

  “I heard some of what you said yesterday,” she admitted. “I was loopy, but it’s coming back to me now. I think you should go home.”

  “No, Mom. Why would…,” but she held her hand up and silenced me.

  “You have a life you’re trying to build. There’s a woman waiting for you. Go be with her. Just promise me you’ll bring her to visit. I’d like to meet her.”

  “I don’t know if I should go yet,” I admitted.

  “Pish posh, I’ll be fine. Maggie said she’s going to stay with us for a few days. That should give your father some peace of mind. I love you, Sean. Don’t keep dropping everything to rush to an old woman's bedside,” she insisted.

  “You aren’t an old woman,” I said. I began digging in my pockets looking for my phone. “I must have left my phone at your house.”

  “Please, son. Go. Send me a picture of the two of you.”

  I nodded. “Okay, Mom. I will.”

  She patted my hand. “That’s a good boy. Now go tell the other two they can come back in. You go.”

  I gave her a kiss on the cheek before doing as she said. I explained to my aunt and father what was going on. Maggie reminded me to talk to Lily about her jewelry and I promised to as soon as I got back. Now all I needed to do was grab my things and head back to Cottonwood Falls.

  Chapter 22

  Lily

  The next morning, I couldn’t wait any longer. I dialed Sean’s number. I held my breath as the phone rang, unsure of exactly what I was going to say. How do you tell someone that you’re leaving your husband for them and oh, by the way, he threatened to kill me?

  Eventually, his voicemail picked up. I almost didn’t leave a message but decided to at the last minute.

  “Hey, Sean. It’s Lily. Um, something happened. Call me back when you get this message.”

  I wanted to talk to him before heading to the police station. I thought that maybe by hearing his voice, I could calm these jitters I was feeling. Instead, I had to make due with the sound of his voicemail. I sighed and put my phone on silent before dropping it in my purse.

  “You can do this, Lily” I told myself in the rearview mirror. “You are strong and independent. Don’t lose your backbone now.” I took a deep breath and tried to calm my nerves. It was nice to know that Avery and I could go home. If anything, we could pack up our stuff. I didn’t think I could continue to live there after what all had happened there. But with Chris in jail, we were safe. At least for now.

  As I sat in the parking lot in front of the police department, I realized I was stalling. I was secretly hoping Sean would come swooping in to save the day. I remembered when we worked together and there were two guys that kept saying sexual things about me when I would work around them. I’d almost forgotten until the memory came rushing back. He’d come to me and told me exactly what they had been saying. He’d even convinced me to go to our boss when I was hesitant.

  “You can’t let them get away with this,” he’d said. “If they’re doing it to you, who else will they say that stuff about?”

  He was right then and he was right now. I had to take back my power. Chris had robbed me of it for so long and I hadn’t even realized I’d let him. It was time to go in there and tell the officers everything. How he’d threatened to hit me, all the drinking and reckless things he’d done. Even charging after Sean at the barbecue. He was a danger to himself and others. I had to do something about it.

  Taking a deep breath, I climbed out of the SUV and headed for the door. My back was straight, my shoulders squared and my confidence high. I would be a victim no longer.

  Chapter 23

  Sean

  I’d been driving for a while before I finally checked my phone. When I picked it up, I realized I had missed a call from Lily. It had to have been one of the time I’d stopped at a gas station for a bite to eat and to fill up.

  As I drove down the highway, I dialed my voicemail.

  “Hey, Sean. It’s Lily. Um, something happened. Call me back when you get this message.”

  I could hear that something was wrong in her voice. We may not have
spent much time recently together, but I’d known her well enough from before to recognize the sound in her voice. She was scared. I quickly dialed her number and listened as it began to ring.

  “Come on, pick up,” I said. I could feel my heart rate climb. I looked over at Cash who was asleep on the seat. When her voicemail picked up, I hung up.

  “I’ll try back in a little bit,” I said aloud to myself. “Maybe she’s just busy.”

  Fear began to lace up my spine as I remembered the look on Chris’ face when he charged me at her parents barbecue. That look of pure anger… was he capable of turning that on her? What if she told him she didn’t want to be with him and he decided to do something drastic? I knew I was speculating, but I knew people like that when I was in prison. They all seemed perfectly normal until one day they had just snapped. That’s exactly how they explained it, too. One seemingly simple thing drove them over the edge. What if Chris was the same?

  I felt my foot lowering on the gas pedal. I didn’t want to risk getting a ticket, but I was worried. I sped up to a still somewhat reasonable speed and set my cruise control so that I wouldn’t be tempted to go any faster.

  After a short time I tried calling again. Still no answer. This time, I left a message.

  “Lily, it’s Sean. Please answer. I’m worried sick. I had to make an emergency trip to see my parents but I’m on my way back. Over halfway there. Call me when you get this so I know you’re okay,” I said before hanging up.

  I was glad I’d filled the tank at my last stop. I shouldn’t have to make anymore stops between here and home. Now all I had to do wa just get there.

  I reset the cruise control to go five miles faster and sat back as the landscape sped by.

  Chapter 24

  Lily

  I left the police department feeling empowered. Rather than heading back to my parents house, I went to our home we’d shared for the past five years.

  Pulling up in the driveway, it felt almost surreal. I walked up the sidewalk only to find the house unlocked. Apparently, Chris had been too drunk to think about locking it when he left.

  I sat my purse down on the table and listened to the deafening silence. I was exhausted from spending so long at the police department but I was too wired from all the coffee they’d given me to nap. I walked to the bedroom and began sorting through my clothes. I tossed all of Chris’ things in a pile on the bed before heading back to the front room. I had started taking pictures off the wall when I heard a buzz from my purse.

  I had forgotten I’d silenced my phone when I’d gone in hours ago. I dug around until I found it on the bottom. Sliding it open, I saw I had three missed calls from Sean. I was just getting ready to listen to his voicemail when I heard the rumble of a familiar truck pull up outside. I went to the door and pulled it open just as he was running up the sidewalk.

  “Oh, my god,” he exclaimed. He rushed in the door and lifted me off the ground, something I was shocked he could do. “I was so worried. Where’s Chris? Are you okay?”

  “He’s in jail and I’m fine,” I began but as soon as the words were out of my mouth, his lips were on mine.

  This kiss was different from the others. There was no softness here. Instead, it felt as though he were claiming me. He wrapped his arms around me and spun me until my back was against the door. His mouth plundered mine as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

  “I hadn’t realized just how much I had needed him unitl that moment. His hands gripped my bottom and lifted me off my feet, pinning me to the door as his kisses moved along my jawline. I felt his teeth on my neck as he nibbled. I held onto him and he turned once again, carrying me to the bedroom while my legs were wrapped around his waist.

  Carefully, he laid me down there before pulling off his shirt and dropping his pants. I quickly did the same. This wasn’t going to be slow and passionate. No. This time we were taking one another.

  I shoved the pile of stuff off to the side as I settled onto my back. He climbed between my legs as his fingers began to stroke and probe between my legs.

  “Mmm, you’re already wet,” I moaned before kissing me some more.

  “I can’t help it when you’re around,” I said smiling.

  He growled as he slid his arm beneath me and tugged me lower on the bed. “I need you,” he said breathlessly.

  “Then take me,” I said.

  With that, he plunged his cock deep inside me. With one movement, he buried himself to the hilt in my sheath. I gasped at the intrusion before grining up at him.

  His expression was one of worry at first but as I smiled, so did he. Slowly, he withdrew from me almost completely before ramming it back inside.

  “Oh, yes,” I cried as he continued.

  “You like that?” he asked.

  I bit my lip and nodded. He did it over and over again, each time moving a bit faster than the other until finally he was pounding into me with intensity.

  I could feel myself getting drenched in sweat as we continued to screw like our lives depended on it. My fingernails dug into his back as I felt myself swiftly growing closer to orgasm.

  “You going to come for me, my love?” he asked, panting.

  “Yes,” I cried. “Yes.”

  He gritted his teeth as his thrusts became more erratic. I tossed my head back as I felt the pressure building until it finally popped like a balloon. My body shuddered beneath his as he found his completion.

  I pulled him down to me and he collapsed to the side. He landed on some of the stuff I had deposited on the bed earlier.

  “What is all this stuff?” he asked as he shoved it out of his way.

  “Chris’ things,” I said. “He’s in jail.”

  “Seriously?” he asked as he positioned himself. “What happened?”

  I told him all about what had happened. When I told him about the way Chris had threatened me, I saw his fists clench.

  “Easy,” I said. “Don’t worry. I left not long after that. I guess he went to the bar and started running his mouth there. He threatened the bartender because he was too drunk and she refused to serve him anymore. He told her something along the lines of ‘I’m going to do to you what I’m going to do to my wife’ or something of the sort. He did this gun thing with his fingers and pointed it at her like he was going to shoot her.”

  “Jesus,” he exclaimed.

  “I know. What’s worse is somehow he’d actually gotten hold of a gun and had it in his car. It was loaded and everything. The police told me this morning that he admitted to planning on finding me and shooting me where I stood.” I leaned in toward him and gave him a kiss. “But I guess he thought he’d get good and drunk at the bar first.”

  “That’s nuts,” he said as he pulled me closer. “I’m glad he did, though. Otherwise, you might not be here with me.”

  “I know,” I said softly as I laid my head on his chest. I could hear his heart beating softly in his chest. “The police say that he won’t be getting out for a while but I just want to put it all behind me. I want this house gone, everything.”

  “Shhh,” he soothed. “It’s okay. I’m right here. We’ll take this one day at a time.” he rubbed his hand up and down my back. “I have an idea. Let’s get dressed.”

  Both of us hopped up out of bed and tugged on our clothes.

  “Grab a few trash bags. You want his stuff gone? We’ll get it gone,” he said with a grin.

  “What are you thinking?” I asked.

  “You’ll see,” he said grinning.

  Chapter 25

  Sean

  After loading up all of Chris’ belongings in the back of my truck we climbed in and started driving.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “Well, since they tend to frown on fires in the city limits… we’re going outside of them,” I said.

  “Your property?” she asked and I nodded.

  “I’ve got starting fluid in my truck box. We’ll light all of his crap on fire and you can feel f
ree of him.”

  She grinned. “Now all I have to do is find a job so I can support Avery and myself.” She turned and watched the road go by. “It all looks so different in the daylight.”

  “Oh!” I said, remembering my talk with my aunt. “I almost forgot. I know someone who wants to talk to you about your jewelry.”

  “Are you serious?” she asked, turning back toward me. “Who?”

  “My aunt. She runs art galleries in a few surrounding states,” I said.

  Her brow furrowed. “Why would she be interested in my stuff? Does she want a necklace? I won’t charge her much, probably just for supplies,” she began.

  “No. She think you’re jewelry would be a hit if she showed it as wearable art. I showed her the pictures and she loved them. She wants to do a show with them but she wanted to know if you’d have enough pieces to do one.” I could see the shock as realization set in.

  “What kind of art galleries?” she asked.

  “I’m not really sure, to be honest. I know they’re in big cities and she makes a ton of money. I would assume they’re higher end,” I said shrugging. I turned off the highway onto the gravel road.

  “But my stuff isn’t worth that much,” she said softly.

  “That’s another thing. I think she wants to help you price them. Like she feels you’re charging too little. I’m not sure about all the ins and out’s of it. I’ll give you her number after while and you can call her yourself. Actually,” I said, remembering. “She’s going to be staying at my parents for a while. My mom, she’s been sick. She’d been hiding it from us until something happened. That’s where I went. She showed up, too. She’s going to help my dad out for a while so I don’t have to keep driving over all the time.” I rubbed the dash of my truck. “This old girls done a good job but I wouldn’t want to keep doing it.”

  “I can’t believe this,” she said. “That’s amazing.”