by Hazel Keys
“Aw, come on man. Can’t we stay?” One said, his words slurring all over the place.
“Hell no,” Isabella said, speaking up before giving Martin the chance to. “It’s our turn. Move it!”
This time none of the boys dared to complain, and they all silently filed out of the door and towards the exit. Martin looked over at Isabella, clearly impressed.
“Ye ever want a job in me bar let me know,” he told her. “First rounds on me.”
Giggling, the women took their seats and chatted while they waited for their drinks. A few minutes later, Martin came back with two cosmos and a beer. Rachel was shocked that he remembered, and thanked him for his consideration.
“Isn’t a problem,” he assured her. “I remember because Brad told me afterwards to never serve him a cosmo again.” He and the girls laughed, and then he hiked his thumb over his shoulder. “Do ye want me te let him know you’re here?”
The Bella’s immediately stopped laughing, and Rachel felt a stab to her gut.
“He’s here?” She asked, not bothering to hide her confusion. Martin nodded his head.
“Aye. He came in with a blonde about an hour ago.”
Martin continued talking, but Rachel couldn’t hear him anymore, not past the sound of her own hammering heart. Was Brad not as good of a guy as she thought he was? Who was he with? And why had he not even tried to call her to tell her he’d be late. On trembling legs, she stood up, and made her way to the back of the bar.
“Rachel,” Brad said, getting up out of an empty booth, looking genuinely happy to see her. “What are you doing here?”
“You never called,” she explained. “And the girls invited me out to pass the time. Why didn’t you call?” Her heart was so confused. She wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or upset, but she told herself to stay calm and hear him out.
“My phone died,” he told her, pulling her into his arms for a hug. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it until after I got out of work. I was feeling a lot of stress, so I decided to go to yoga and I ran into”-
“Me,” A familiar voice said. From behind Rachel stepped out Summer. She walked boldly over Brad, and put a claiming hand on his shoulder. “I hope you don’t mind,” she said, her voice dripping with cattiness. “I needed a shoulder to cry on, and Brad was more than happy to accommodate.” She leaned her head against Brad’s arms, and smiled challengingly at Rachel.
“I see,” Rachel bit out. Her heart was beating out of her chest and she was feeling short of breath. It was then that she realized that she liked Brad a lot more than she had thought. She didn’t want to share him, especially with a conniving woman like Summer. If Brad couldn’t see that she was playing him, she wasn’t going to try make him see either.
“Well,” she said, taking a breath. “I’m sorry for interrupting your date. I’ll let you two be.”
“Rachel, wait!” Brad said, shaking off Summer from his arm. “She just needed a friend, that’s all!”
Summer pouted, and stepped up to him again. “Oh come on, Brad. We both know that it’s much more than that.” She tried to move towards his face, but he stopped her with one hand and refused to let Rachel leave with the other.
“No!” He exclaimed, finally catching on to Summer’s little game. He looked back and forth between the two women, who both looked surprised at his outburst. Finally, after a confused moment, he spoke.
“You know Summer, Rachel tried to warn me about you. She did, and I brushed her off. I told her that you were a nice person, just lonely.” Summer tried to interrupt him, but he wouldn’t let her.
“You are married, okay? You’re married. That’s it. Final. I have no interest in you as anything more than a friend, and even if I did, that wouldn’t change the fact that you already belong to another person.” He turned to Rachel, his eyes imploring her to believe him.
“I want you, and only you, Rachel. I promise you I was only here to lend an ear.” He let go of Summer, and turned his full attention to Rachel. “I still want to spend this weekend with you,” he told her, taking both of her hands. “Do you still want to spend it with me?”
Rachel had two choices at that moment. She could either A, roll her eyes, flip her hair, and storm off back to her friends. The likelihood of her getting drunk and landing in another guys bed was likely, especially with the Bella’s spurring her on. Then on Monday she’d walk with her head high into the office and pretend that nothing between her and Brad every existed. She could become an ice queen, and rock it.
Or there was option B. She could see that Summer was a lonely, sad housewife, who not only needed someone to talk to, but someone that could actually love her, unlike her husband. She could dismiss the sad woman, take Brad’s offer, and though she might have some leftover bitterness about the whole thing, she could also potentially have some of the best moments of her life.
“Option B,” she said aloud.
Brad raised a puzzled eyebrow. “What?”
“Nothing,” Rachel quickly followed, shaking her head. “I meant yes. I still want to spend the night with you. Shall we go?”
Chapter 17
Bradley
Bradley reached over to his left and flicked the switch to the kitchen lights. The fan that hung above the small dining table illuminated instantly, and the blades of the fan started their lazy circles. Though she had been there the night before, Brad realized only then that Rachel was the first woman he’d ever brought to his home. He had girlfriends after his ex-wife, sure, but he would always go over to their places.
He took in the outdated 1950’s kitchen, the off white tile floors, and the teeny tiny table that he and Rachel had just eaten dinner off the night before. It wasn’t the cutest kitchen ever made, he decided, but it was clean and organized enough. If Rachel didn’t like it then, well, that was all right.
“What do you think?” He asked her, helping her out of her jacket.
“I think it’s been a hell of a night,” she replied with a dry laugh.
Bradley choked out his own chuckle and nodded his head. “Yeah, it has. But I was talking about my house. Is it- I mean, do you like it?” He wasn’t sure why, but he realized right then that it was very important to him that Rachel liked his home. He wanted her comfortable there.
She smiled, and took a look around the small room. It led easily enough into the living room and study, and then towards the back of the house was the staircase leading up to the two bedrooms and bathroom. She didn’t go upstairs, but she peaked up the case. Finally, after an achingly slow perusal, she came back to the kitchen, where Brad was pouring them each scotch.
“I like it,” she said at last. “It doesn’t even look like a boy lives here.”
Brad felt relief flood through him, and he smiled at her genuinely. “My mom taught me how to clean. My dad taught me how to cook. Between the two of them I was taught how to be a pretty self contained guy.” He paused to hand her her drink, then asked; “have other guys you’ve dated not been very clean?”
Rachel chortled, almost choking on the liquid fire. “Are you kidding? The last time I dated a guy it was fresh out of college. He had no idea what a vacuum was or the importance of putting leftovers in fridge. And the bathroom! Ugh. He was living with three other dudes. How they had so much pubic hair on the toilet, I have no idea.”
Brad shivered. The image of such a dirty bathroom almost made him gag, and he could practically smell the mildew and body odor that must have come from the place. Even in college he hadn’t been that unsanitary!
“So you’re saying this is a step up then?” He asked, sounding hopeful. Rachel giggled at him and nodded her head.
Her smile became contagious, and he found himself doing the same as he took her in. The dress she was wearing was beautiful on her. Accenting her toned figure, and highlighting the richness of her chocolate hair.
“You look really beautiful, Rachel,” he said, pushing his hip off of the counter. He closed the space between them and she wen
t into his arms willingly. Her head landed perfectly on his shoulder and he brought her in to a warm, intimate embrace. They stood that way for a long time, simply enjoying the feel of one another. When she finally looked up, he took her cue and leaned down to kiss her.
“I’m sorry about Summer,” he said, after they parted lips. “You tried to warn me that she was more than just lonely, and I chose to believe something else.”
Rachel didn’t hide her perturbed expression, so it surprised him when she said; “No, I get it. I mean, look at her. She’s a stay at home mom; she has the perky blonde ponytail, perfect nose and smile. She looks like the definition of innocence.” She smoothed her hands over Brad’s shoulders, and gave him a small smile. “Just don’t let it happen again, okay?”
“I swear it,” Brad promised her. He led her to his couch, each with their drinks in their hand. He pulled her down towards him and wrapped his arm around her as she curled up into his side. It felt normal, right. Like they’d been doing it every night for years.
“So, what do you usually do on a Friday night?” He asked.
“Honestly?” Rachel asked, her eyebrows raised. Brad nodded his head.
“I um, I drink wine in jammys and I binge watch Netflix.”
Brad laughed, nodding his head. “That honestly sounds really great right now.”
“Really?” Rachel asked, sounding surprised.
“Come on, I think I have something comfy you can put on. Netflix and cuddling sounds like a great way to end this stressful day.”
“Are you sure?”
Brad smiled, leading her towards the stairs. “Absolutely.”
~
The first thing Brad noticed about the next morning was that the sun was shining bright and high through his bedroom window. The second thing he noticed was the warm, soft body that was wrapped around his own. He smiled before he even opened his eyes, and leaned his head down to bury his nose in Rachel’s hair.
He kissed the top of her head and she made a small, adorable sound, but otherwise didn’t move. She was still out.
Looking over to his alarm clock, he saw that it was eleven minutes past ten. Ten! He hadn’t slept in years, maybe even ever. He was always an early riser. Beside him Rachel stirred, and turned all of his attention to her. His pajama that he had leant her to sleep in swallowed her. The blue and white stripes of the shirt made her appear even more tan, golden even. Her hair, a mass of dark brown curls, was splayed all over his arm and tumbled down her back. She had washed her makeup before she had come to bed, but he hadn’t been aloud to turn the lights on afterwards.
Now that the sun had completely illuminated the room, there was no hiding in the darkness. Her face, with its clear skin and smooth complexion, looked just as beautiful naked as it did with makeup on. It was as he was studying the beauty of her cheekbones that her eyelashes fluttered and she opened her eyes for the first time.
“Good morning,” he greeted, his voice barely above a whisper. Rachel stretched her body slowly; letting everything pull and pop like a cat just waking up from a good seventeen hour nap. She did so with a smile on her face.
“Good morning to you too,” she whispered back. She settled back down into his side again and craned her head up and he lowered his down for their first good morning kiss. Instantly Brad felt a harsh tug in his pajama pants, and he bit back a groan. She tasted so good in the morning, he thought, pulling her closer. Between his legs, his erection began throbbing, and hardening to an almost painful size.
“Somebody’s awake,” Rachel teased. To make her point, she rolled on top of him and slid her mons seductively over the very apparent length of Brad’s cock. They both moaned at the sensation, and Brad had a feeling that they weren’t just teasing anymore.
His hands slid up beneath the oversized shirt, finding her small curves with ease. His fingertips travelled over her waist, her ribs, and up to her breasts, where the pads of his thumbs passed temptingly over her already hardened nipples. Rachel’s eyelids fluttered and closed at the sensation, and her beautiful mouth parted to let out a sultry gasp of pleasure.
Brad slipped the shirt from over her head with no protest from her. As soon as it was gone, he leaned up into a sitting position, and took her right breast into his mouth as his arms circled around her tiny waist. She moaned for him again, and this time he moaned with her. Together their hips began to grind against one another seductively.
There were words he should be saying, he thought, as they both worked to slide the pajama bottoms out from underneath them. There were words, but they were left unspoken. They both knew, on that perfect, quiet morning that they were both ready to make love. Their tongues danced and massaged one another as their hips continued to buck back and forth in a grinding motion. There was nothing between them but Rachel’s small black thong, and Brad wanted nothing more than to just pull it aside and slide himself completely into her.
“Yes,” she moaned, as if she was reading his mind. “Yes do it!”
Brad looked down between them, and he realized that his right hand was wound so tight around the thin strip of black lace on her hip that if he gave it even the tiniest of yanks it would have come ripped right off. And he was right. A quick but powerful flick of his wrist and the underwear was going, leaving nothing to stop them.
Reaching to his nightstand, he pulled out a condom, and with trembling fingers, ripped the package open and threw it across the room. Rachel smiled at him appreciatively for being prepared, lifted herself up just enough so that he could roll the condom on. They looked at each other one more time, making sure the other was okay, and then slowly, Rachel began to sink herself over the hard ridge of Brad’s cock.
“Oh!” Rachel gasped, feeling her walls stretch deliciously. Brad made a sound much like a growl, his own pleasure quickly reaching an intense level. He let her take her time, taking him into her inch by inch until he was completely inside of her.
Together their bodies began to move, undulating with their own primal rhythm as Rachel suckled and squeezed Brad’s cock with her tight walls. He loved the way Rachel clung to him as they made love, her arms wrapped around his shoulders while his fingers stayed buried in her hair.
At first he had thought foreplay would be best, but now that he could feel Rachel’s juices dripping down him, he knew that it hadn’t been necessary. She had wanted him as much as he had wanted her. Together they road the wave of passion they had created, moaning and sometimes even growling (from Brad) as their pleasure intensified.
“Brad,” Rachel gasped, her orgasm coming close to the surface.
“Yes, baby, yes,” he rasped, trailing kisses down her neck. With strong arms he quickly rolled them both over, letting Rachel’s back sink into the soft mattress as he began to take longer, faster strokes within her. He could feel her walls quivering in anticipation, and he wanted nothing more than to feel her pleasure well up and explode.
Her beautiful eyes closed tight as her grip on his shoulders and hair tightened, and he felt the incredible clench and spasm of her orgasm. Her cries of pleasure were like music to his ears, and brought him to his own finish soon after. For several moments they laid in a tangle of arms and legs, their chests heaving to catch their breaths.
“Bravo sir,” Rachel breathed at last. She snuggled her head into the crook of his arm and shoulder. “Very well done.”
Brad chuckled, and leaned over to kiss the top of her head. “You were pretty amazing yourself,” he told her. “Sorry if I was uh, ‘quick on the draw’. It’s been a while, and you’re really, really beautiful.”
Rachel smiled, and rolled until she was lying on top of him. “The timing was perfect,” she assured him. Her foot touched his something wet, and he watched as her cheeks flushed that cute red again.
“I should be the one that’s sorry,” she added. “I soaked your sheets.”
“Have mercy,” Brad grinned, “I’m never washing these sheets again!”
Chapter 18
Rachel
Rachel wasn’t sure why she had never tried shower sex before, but after what she and Brad had accomplished in his bathtub she decided that it was her new favorite thing. Brad was strong, much stronger than she had realized. She had never seen herself as an overweight or large woman, but still, the fact that Brad could pick her up and pin her against a wall as they made love was something that was she was in awe of. Because she was five- nine, and wasn’t used to feeling small and precious. She loved that Brad did that for her. In fact, she loved a lot of things Brad did for her.
“So, you like to cook?” Brad asked. After their shower they had made it down into the kitchen, but not before round three on the table, which she was now spraying down with disinfectant while he whipped them up some banana nut pancakes.
“I like to cook what I know,” she told him, throwing the dirty paper towels into the waste bin. “My parents taught me all the tradition Jewish dishes, and I’ve been told I make them quite well. But I’m not very good at just getting into a kitchen and winging it, you know?”
She sat down in a chair, the oversized shirt once again draped around. Brad came to give her cup of coffee and a kiss, and he was back at the stove again to flip the pancakes.
“Do you like to cook?”
Brad shrugged. “I don’t hate it. I’d much rather go out to eat when I’m patient enough for it.”
Rachel smiled, and peered at him over her coffee cup. “So you’re too impatient this morning?” She asked.
Brad nodded his head seriously. “Yep. This hot chick snuck into my bed last night, gave me a wild morning, and now I’m just too famished to go out and wait for my breakfast.”
Rachel giggled. She liked Brad’s humor, and that she could be playful with him. It was a whole other side to him that wasn’t always made apparent at the office.
“What is it?” Brad asked her, catching her expression. He pulled the final pancake out of the pan and sat the stack in the center of the table.
