Roommate Material: A Valentine’s Day Romance

by Nicole Casey

  My heart was singing. I should have applied to work at this firm first. I might have been able to save myself the hassle.

  As promised, a very kind paralegal named Sarah showed me around and continued to give me a comprehensive tour. She showed me the office, which was bright and professionally decorated.

  “You like it?” she asked me.

  “It’s beautiful in here.”

  “If you sign on with the firm, they’ll even paint your name on your door.”

  I stifled a girlish squeal. My very own office with my very own door with my very own name. I could barely contain my excitement. None of this would have happened if it hadn’t been for Alex.

  Alex.

  I was counting my lucky stars when it came to him. Alex practically swooped in to save me. I never wanted to be that woman, the kind that needed a man’s help. But there was no denying that things started looking up for me when he entered the picture. And it was a mighty fine looking picture. In my desperate hour, Alex had me feeling confident and strong. He made me feel like he would have my back, no matter what happened to come my way.

  As if on cue, my phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a text message from Alex.

  [Alex] Can’t wait for you to come home, baby.

  I was exhilarated, a bubbly little giggle rising from my chest. My fingers flew over the screen immediately, like they had a mind of their own.

  [Tia] Any fun plans in mind?

  [Alex] Just making you cum over and over again. Does that count?

  I bit my bottom lip and took in a deep breath through my nose. I was already a little wet just thinking about what Alex was going to do to me.

  [Alex] And if you’re nice, I’ll treat you to dinner.

  [Tia] You were going to treat me to dinner anyways.

  [Alex] That’s true.

  I was about to text another reply when my phone started to ring. I frowned when I saw the caller ID, immensely confused. I smiled apologetically at the paralegal, who excused herself promptly to give me some privacy.

  “Hello?” I greeted.

  “Hi, Tia,” replied Jenna. I wondered why she was calling me. We hadn’t spoken since she kicked me out of her apartment.

  “Hey, how’s it going?” I was just trying to be polite. I really didn’t know why she was calling.

  “Yeah, it’s good.” There was hesitation in her voice, a waviness in her tone that made it sound like she was nervous. “Look, I feel awful about kicking you out.”

  Too little, too late, I thought.

  “I was just really stressed. You’re really sweet and I did enjoy your company. I just… I shouldn’t have freaked out. I just wanted you to know that.”

  I relaxed my shoulders a little bit. Jenna was trying to apologize. “It’s okay. We’re good, Jenna.”

  “I hope you managed to find a place on such short notice. I felt really, really awful.”

  “Yeah, I found a place. It all worked out.”

  Boy, did it work out great.

  Jenna sighed over the receiver. “Good. I’m glad. I hope we can still be friends.”

  “Definitely,” I answered. I guessed Jenna wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe she just wasn’t roommate material. “Maybe we can hang out some time,” I offered, a truce.

  “Sounds great. Talk to you later?”

  “Talk to you later.”

  The rest of the day went by fairly quickly. I met a number of future colleagues –because let’s face it, I was definitely going to accept this position—but I honestly couldn’t remember their names or faces. I was too distracted by thoughts of Alex, too eager to get back to him. I found myself practically skipping home, excited to tell him all about my day.

  Just as I was about to open the door, Alex beat me to it. He greeted me with a wide grin, scooping me up in his arms as he carried me into the apartment. I cupped his face with my hands and giggled as he pressed gentle, quick kisses all about my face.

  “I take it you missed me?” I asked, smiling like an idiot.

  “You have no idea,” he sighed.

  He started toward the bedroom, leaving me just enough time to kick off my heels and let them fall to the floor. He lay me down gently on his mattress, getting to work on undressing me. Alex took his sweet time, leaving little kisses on every inch of skin that he exposed. I grab him by the forearms and pull him on top of me, spreading my legs and wrapping them around his waist. He’s already half-hard and growling, his voice low and dangerous.

  “I’m going to make you scream, baby,” he teases. “I’m going to make you beg for my cock.”

  “What else are you going to do?” I tested him. I wanted him to keep talking dirty in my ear, keep telling me these wonderfully sinful things. But instead of saying anything, Alex showed me.

  He showed me all night long.

  9

  Alex

  Two weeks. I had known Tia for two weeks and I was in a constant state of euphoria whenever she was near. When she went back to work, I missed her terribly. When she was lying in my arms, I still weirdly missed her. I just couldn’t get enough of her smile, her laugh, the scent of her hair, the sensation of her soft skin against mine, the taste of her mouth, the gleam in her eyes, the vibration of her pleasurable moans, everything. I didn’t want to be without her. There was never a dull moment, never a few seconds where I needed to be alone. I didn’t need space, didn’t mind that she occupied every waking thought in my head. She had changed me, somehow, in the short time I’d known her. If she were anyone else, any of my previous flings, I would have been bored by now. But this wasn’t the case, because this was Tia.

  My grandmother’s ring sat comfortably in the inside pocket of my blazer, safe. At the ready, if I felt the time was right. There was just one hurdle that I had to overcome before I could pop the question. Molly wasn’t going to be home that night, and I had to get her approval above everyone else’s. I knew she was going to be mad. I could see our conversation quickly unfold from something civil to a screaming match. I needed to break the news to her gently, that I was in love. This wasn’t just some silly challenge to me anymore, I wasn’t trying to prove anything. I had promised Molly I wouldn’t go after any more of her friends, but that was all before I met Tia –sweet, beautiful, divine Tia—and before everything went out the window.

  So, I did the only thing I could think to do: invite Molly to dinner.

  I had everything set up already, the chicken entrée keeping warm in the oven. I had set the table for three, keeping the space clear of romantic tokens like candles to avoid making things awkward. Just as I was about to retreat to the pantry to pick out a nice red wine, I heard the front door to the apartment unlock.

  “I’m home, sweetie!” called Tia. Just the sound of her voice was enough to get a smile out of me.

  “How was your day?” I asked.

  “It was great. I’m helping your father with a company merger.”

  “Any companies I would know? Should I invest in some stocks before things are finalized?”

  Tia snorted. Adorable. “You know that’s illegal, right?”

  I shrugged, making my way back out into the kitchen. Tia walked over and kissed me quickly on the cheek as she took off her jacket. She glanced down at the table settings and whistled.

  “Dinner smells good,” she hummed.

  “I should hope so. It’s all catered.”

  “You could have taken the credit for yourself, you know. I would have believed you.”

  I shrugged again, grabbing Tia by the waist and pulling her up against me. “I’d rather not lie to you,” I admitted. It was the truth, too.

  “You could save a lot of money if you actually put some effort into learning how to cook.”

  “Yes.” I nodded, kissing her on her supple lips. “But I’d rather save the energy for the bedroom.”

  Tia smirked, a mischievously daring glint in her eyes. We were probably on the same wavelength, but I had to be sure. I reached down and grabbed her perfect
peach-shaped ass in my palms.

  “You know,” she started, “we have a little bit of time before Molly’s supposed to arrive. Do you want to–”

  “Say no more,” I cut her off with a kiss. I picked her up by the thighs as she held onto my shoulders. I carried her to the bedroom, desperately exploring the shape of her mouth with my tongue. She groaned against me, the sound going straight to my cock.

  I was in such a hurry to have her that I dropped her onto the mattress harder than I intended to.

  “I want you so bad,” I breathed.

  “Me too,” she admitted, equally as dizzy and rushed.

  There wasn’t any time to take off all our clothes. Molly would be arriving at any moment, and I quite frankly didn’t have the patience to wait for Tia to disrobe. So I unzipped the front of my pants, pulled my boxer briefs down so that elastic band stopped just beneath my balls, and I reached over to grab a condom.

  “Take your underwear off,” I ordered as I opened the condom and placed the rubber on my throbbing length. “Leave everything else.

  Tia managed to nod, slipping her red thong off with a level of grace that was unparalleled considering our time constraints. I grabbed her by the hips and pulled her to the edge of the mattress, kissing her hard as I pressed into her. Her pussy was warm and wet, delightfully slick and tight around my member. The noise Tia made drove me crazy, filling me with electricity and anticipation. She clung to me, digging her sharp nails into my back as I began to pull away slowly, only to shove my cock right back into her pussy.

  There was something incredibly sexy about being fully clothed, too urgent and full of lust to do anything else but make love. And that was what this was. I was making love to Tia, showing her with every movement, with every kiss, with every delicate touch that I was falling for her. I wanted to show her how she deserved the very best, deserved to feel good. And by the sounds of it, my message was well received.

  “Alex, baby, I’m going to–” she gasps. “Fuck, baby, I’m–”

  “You want to cum, baby?”

  “Yes, please, I just want to cum. Make me cum, baby, please.”

  Tia’s breathing became ragged, frantic. She clung to me like I was her only anchor as I thrust into her three, four, five more times. She screamed as she came, her body shuddering beneath my weight. I wasn’t too far off, either, thrusting through my own climax that left me thoroughly exhausted. I pressed my lips to her hairline, to her cheeks, chuckling in satisfaction as Tia slowly calmed down. There were three strong knocks at the front door. Molly was here.

  Talk about timing.

  Tia and I did our best to smooth out the creases in our clothing, did our best to fix our tossed hair. She was still adorably pink in the face from the exertion, but I prayed that Molly would be none the wiser. I took Tia’s hand and led her to the front door, where I peaked through the viewfinder to see my sister with her arms full of souvenirs from her trip to India. I opened the door, stepping back to give Molly a wide berth. She outstretched her arms and wrapped them around me, hopping up and down with excitement.

  “I’m back!” she cheered.

  “Welcome home,” I chuckled.

  “Hey, Molly,” greeted Tia. She nervously tucked a strand of her gorgeous locks behind her ears. She didn’t look too comfortable, like she was on the edge of telling my sister the truth about us, but couldn’t find the nerve to do it just yet.

  I took some of the bags that Molly was carrying and gestured for her to come on in. She made herself right at home, flinging her coat over the back of the couch. She rushed over to give Tia a hug, squealing happily to see her friend. She took a step back, and looked at Tia up and down.

  “I’m glad your staying here worked out,” she said. “I hope my brother’s been treating you well.”

  My ears burned hot. I’d certainly liked to think that I was.

  Tia giggled nervously. “Y-yes, Alex has been a great roommate.”

  “Shitty what happened between you and your old one, though.”

  “It’s all good now,” insisted Tia. “She apologized to me the other day, actually.”

  Molly clicked her tongue as she dragged Tia to the dining table. They each took a seat as I dropped off Molly’s trinkets on the living room coffee table and made my way over to the kitchen. I put on a pair of oven gloves and carefully pulled out the chicken entrees.

  “How are you liking the new job?” asked Molly.

  “Oh, well, er,” Tia stammered. “I was fired.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, we… We had a difference in opinion about professionality.”

  “No freaking way!” my sister exclaimed. She looked horrified on Tia’s behalf. “I’m so sorry to hear that, Tia. That’s terrible!”

  “It all worked out, actually,” she admitted. “Alex actually got me a job with your father’s law firm.”

  Molly pursed her lips into a thin line, a sudden silence weighing down on all of our shoulders. I awkwardly placed the chicken dish down on the table, watching the steam waft off of the food. Normally, I’d tell everybody to dig right in. But the uncomfortable silence prevented me from finding the right words.

  “That’s…” hesitated Molly. “That’s interesting.”

  I didn’t like her tone. Accusatory. Suspicious.

  She continued, squinting at me in deep thought. “You must get awfully sick of each other if you have to live and work together.”

  “It’s not so bad,” admitted Tia, shooting a warm glance in my direction.

  I managed to chuckle, “It’s not like I show up for work often, anyways. And besides, I really enjoy her company.” I reached over and took Tia’s hand in mine. “A lot, in fact.”

  Molly stared at me, and then at Tia, and then back to me. Her face was pale, as white as snow. “What…” she mumbled. “What’s going on here?”

  “We’re together, Molly,” I stated flatly.

  The moments that followed felt like they were simultaneously recorded in slow motion and high speed. Molly slammed her hands on the table and stood up, glaring at me with a burning anger behind her eyes. Tia jolted at her sudden movements, prompting me to give her hand a reassuring squeeze. But I was nervous. I was undeniably anxious about how Molly was about to blow up about this whole situation.

  “What the fuck are you thinking?” she screamed.

  “Molly, what–” Tia tried to calm her down, but Molly would have none of it.

  “I told you I didn’t want you seeing any of my friends, Alex.”

  I took a deep breath, prepared for the worst. “Molly, listen, I’m not just fooling around with Tia. I–”

  “You always do this!” she roared over me. “It’s just a game for you, isn’t it? A challenge. The moment I told you I thought Tia wouldn’t fall for your dumb little routine, you decided that you just had to have her.”

  “Alex, what’s she talking about?” The hurt on the edge of Tia’s words was enough to start to tear my heart in two.

  “And you,” hissed Molly, pointing a finger at her. “I thought you were smarter than this. But no, you just had to sleep with my brother. What about your career? What about your debts? A guy does something nice for you for a change and suddenly you just spread your legs and get on your back?”

  “Enough!” I snapped. “Don’t you ever talk to her like that again.”

  My sister threw her hands in the air, frustrated and clearly unable to stomach anything further.

  “This isn’t just a fling,” I protested. “I lo–” I stopped myself. Was it too early to say that I loved Tia? Would that scare her? Would it push her away? “I’m not just doing this to piss you off, or whatever fucked up thing it is you think I’m trying to do.”

  But Molly wouldn’t listen. Just as quickly as she had come in, she left through the front door, slamming it behind her. The frame of the apartment shook violently. I was definitely going to get a complaint from my neighbors.

  10

  Tia

 
; I sat there, stunned. I opened my mouth just to close it again. Molly had left the air unbearably cold and still, perfect for silently stewing in. I didn’t know how I felt. Was I sad? Was I angry? Maybe a little of both. But I knew for sure that I felt stupid and embarrassed and betrayed.

  “You’ve…” I hated how shaky my voice sounded. I was a proud woman. A smart woman. How dare I sound so pathetically weak? “You’ve done this before?”

  “Tia,” Alex breathed. He turned to me, brows furrowed with worry. “Tia, what she said before… I–”

  “She said you thought it was a challenge.” I chewed the inside of my cheek, biting down hard to fight off the numbness that was starting to take hold of my body. “Was I just another notch in your belt? Is that it?”

  It made sense. I thought back to our first encounter. I thought back to how he deliberately greeted me at the door, half-naked and wet from the shower. It really was a power play, a tactic to get me to want him. The apartment, the job… They were all ways for him to get in my pants. And like an idiot, I allowed him in. I allowed him in because I thought he was a genuinely sweet and caring man.

  “How many of her friends have you been with?” I muttered through clenched teeth.

  “Tia–”

  “Answer the question.”

  Alex sighed. He ran his fingers through his hair, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth.

  “Well?” I urged. I crossed my arms in front of my chest, as though I thought this would somehow protect my heart from his answer.

  “A few.”

  A few. His words echoed in my mind. He had done this before. The feelings I felt for him, they were all in my head. To Alex, this had just been about sex, nothing more. The realization hurt me, made my heart twist in my chest. I genuinely thought that there was something special between us.

  I stood up, grabbed my purse and jacket, and started toward the front door.

  “Tia, wait!” he called after me.

  I didn’t listen.

  I exited the apartment complex in a hurry, damn near knocking an elderly pedestrian off of her feet in the process. My mind was spinning. My eyes were stinging with the threat of tears. I didn’t want to be here anymore. I didn’t want to see Alex. The mere sight of him alone would surely trigger an uncontrollable flood of sobs. I pulled my cellphone out and stared at the screen blankly.