by Zola Bird
“What about me what?”
“Where are you staying?”
“Here, there.”
Why was he being so cryptic?
“Tom. Where are you spending the night?”
“I don’t have a place yet, so I’ve been couch surfing. A night in my car, then a night at your brother’s. I’d stay there again, but he has some kind of company right now. I guess tonight I’m back in old Betsy here,” he said, tapping the steering wheel.
“You’re not staying in your car.”
Tom looked offended. “In case you hadn’t noticed, Betsy’s not so bad. Her seats recline all the way down and she’s got a nightlight,” Tom said, indicating the dome light above.
Amanda laughed.
“Yeah, Betsy’s all right. But you can sleep on my couch.”
Tom dropped a hand on top of hers, but Amanda removed it.
“I said you can sleep on my couch. Not with me.”
**********************
Amanda opened the door of her flat. It was clean at least. She didn’t usually bring guys back to her place. But it wasn’t like that. Tom was a friend of her brother’s. She was offering him a place to stay for the night.
“Couch is there. I’ll grab you a blanket,” Amanda said with a smile.
“Sounds good.”
Amanda went to the linen closet and pulled out a blanket and sheet. She handed it to him.
“Bathroom’s at the end of the hall. If you need anything—water, food, whatever—help yourself.”
“Thanks.”
Amanda used the bathroom and went to her room. Wow. What a confusing night. Tom seemed like a nice enough guy. Even after what had happened, she was still kind of into him. But Greg? Greg was the real kicker. Why had he been looking at her the way he had all night? As if he was interested in her. As if he wanted her. He’d never looked at her like that before.
Amanda sat on the side of her bed and pulled off her heels. The strappy sandals were sexy as all hell, but it felt good to give her feet a rest. Then she got up and pulled off her dress. She laughed to herself. If her brother wasn’t a police officer who personally knew Tom, she doubted she would have brought him back to her place. Not that Tom didn’t seem all right, just that you never knew.
Amanda removed her bra and pulled on her long nightshirt, the cream satin one that felt so good on her skin. Even though it was Labor Day weekend, Sunday was a big shopping day, which meant they had work tomorrow. Time for bed. Darn. She should have offered Tom a toothbrush. Not to worry, his teeth wouldn’t rot in one night. Amanda pulled back her covers and shut the light. She was about to climb into bed when she heard a light knock at her door. Tom. What did he want?
“Tom?”
He opened the door.
It was dark except for a few rays of light entering her bedroom window from the outdoor security lamp. Tom stood in the doorway, his chest bare and covered in ink. He wasn’t nearly as tall as Greg or as wide, but he was sinewy and built strong, as if he was made to last. Seeing him there, Amanda felt a familiar ache spring to life within her. She pressed her thighs together, knowing full well that the comforting pressure would have to suffice. She wasn’t going to act on the feeling. Not tonight. The near accident had shaken her up.
“Amanda?”
“Yes?”
“Do you happen to have an extra pillow?”
“Sure.”
Amanda grabbed one of the pillows off her bed and stepped forward, handing it to Tom. His fingers brushed against hers and then, without warning, it happened. In an instant he pulled her near and she was in his arms. He kissed her. On the mouth. Hard, forcefully. At first it was just his lips, but then Amanda felt his tongue entering her mouth. Firm. Probing.
So much for not acting on it. Something about having Tom kiss her, his tongue in her mouth, made her forget about everything. Amanda thrust her own tongue out to meet his. She liked his raw taste, the swirling and probing. He ran his hands down her satin nightshirt, and she felt herself getting wet. Was this really happening? Yes, yes it was. His hands on her ass confirmed that. She ran her hands down his strong, muscled back to the hem of his jeans. He felt warm, supple. She could feel his stiff cock pressing against her. Amanda hadn’t felt that for a long time.
Amanda thrust her tongue deeper into his mouth. Tom was about five foot ten, just a few inches taller than her, and positively rippled with muscle. She felt her nipples harden against the satin of her nightshirt as she pressed against him. The dull ache between her thighs had grown more urgent and her panties were sopping. She felt his hand slip down her leg and reach up under her nightshirt.
“How do you like it?” Tom asked.
“Hard,” Amanda whispered.
And Amanda felt his fingers plunge into her willing crease. She wanted him. She reached down his strong chest for his dick. She found it there, standing at attention, and Amanda freed it from his jeans. She could feel her own juices wetting her inner thigh as she ran her hand over the silky head of his rigid member and down the shaft. She’d seen bigger, but it would do the job.
“You said you like it rough,” Tom said.
She stared into his eyes.
“I said I like it hard.”
He pushed her against the wall forcefully, and Amanda felt a familiar heat welling within her. She watched as he stepped out of his jeans and stood naked before her. Swirls of black and blue ink accentuated the line of his rippled muscles, as if he had the coiled strength to burst right out of his skin.
Tom placed his strong hands on the satin of her nightshirt, kneading her breasts below it, toying with her nipples beneath the thin fabric. She wanted his mouth on them. Wanted him to suck them hard. She was breathing heavily, anticipating what would come next. Tom looked her in the eye and he felt feral to her, part animal. He reached his fingers under the collar of her nightshirt and smiled. Then he ripped it open in one powerful movement.
“Fuck me,” Amanda whispered.
He pulled her near with one hand on her ass and cupped her ample breast in the other, sinking his mouth around the entire aureola, the nipple, everything. He sucked it back and Amanda felt an electric current pass through her veins. His tongue still around her nipple, he grabbed her close. She could feel his cock, ramming into the fabric of her panties, making a mockery of the hollow that existed just below the thin, damp fabric.
He placed his other hand on her ass, tugging the nipple between his lips and she thrust her mound forward, feeling his cock standing there. Tom licked across her cleavage and took her other breast into his mouth. He swirled his raspy tongue around it and she moved her clit up and down on his cock. She was so wet now she was soaking, the ache within her grown to a need. She needed him inside of her. Her slick channel needed filling.
“Do me now,” she said.
She reached down for his cock, already sleek with his desire.
“Put on a condom and fuck me hard.”
Tom reached down for his pants and pulled a condom out of his pocket.
“Give me that,” Amanda said.
He handed Amanda the condom and she tore the wrapper open between her teeth, pulling it out. She didn’t want him fumbling around. Besides, she liked putting it on. It let her make sure the job was done right. She squeezed the end and rolled the rubber down over his rigid cock. Oh my, she could feel his engorged member pulsing.
Tom picked her up and turned her roughly around, positioning her against the wall. He spread her legs and Amanda pushed her ass out. She glanced over her shoulder at him. Amanda thought she heard him growl as he reached up under her panties for her pussy. He ran a thick finger through her dripping petals before pulling her panties to the side. Then she felt his hands on her ass as he entered her in one powerful thrust.
“Ahhh!” he grunted.
She was wet enough that he slipped right up inside of her. The angle was perfect, just the way she liked it.
“Harder,” she said, thrusting her ass out to meet him.
“
Harder?”
“And deeper.”
He thrust into her again and they fell into a punishing rhythm. Amanda pressed her fingers into the wall as he plunged into her. It had been a long time since she’d had it like that. Uncommitted. No strings attached. She liked the way his cock slid up inside her. Every time a little deeper. Every time bringing her a little closer.
He reached up from behind her, grabbing her tits, and she felt his hard chest on her back. Oh yeah, do me like that. Then he took her nipples between his fingers, squeezing them roughly, and Amanda felt the first tremors building. An electric jolt shot out from her core. She kept the rhythm up, his balls slapping against her ass, his heavy breathing in her ear. She knew she was getting close, but she didn’t know how close until he squeezed her nipples again.
“More,” Amanda moaned.
He tugged on her nipples while ramming into her, and Amanda felt another electric jolt run through her.
“Again.”
He drove into her, the tension within her building.
“Harder.”
She thrust her ass out and he plunged into her again.
“Yes.”
He was all the way inside her now, her slick channel sucking at his dick, begging for more.
“Again.”
And he pulled out, driving into her one more time, tugging on her nipples as he hit home. Her insides quivered. It was too much. The dam broke. She felt the earth move like a landslide.
“I’m coming,” Amanda moaned.
Tom grunted. She felt him let go within her, groaning his release. Her pussy grasped at his cock as he continued to thrust, the waves of pleasure radiating outward. Damn, she had missed that feeling. The release. It was electric, and the waves of pleasure kept coming and coming. He pulled out of her, her orgasm subsiding. He wasn’t the best she’d had, but he still hit the spot.
“You good?” Tom asked.
“Oh, I’m good,” Amanda said, catching her breath.
“Do you mind if I…” He pointed to the bathroom.
“Yeah. Go clean yourself up.”
Amanda adjusted her panties and pulled her ripped nightshirt back together. She watched as he loped off to the bathroom. That had been a hell of a ride, she thought. Both in his car and afterward. She only hoped that things wouldn’t be awkward between them in the morning.
Chapter Four
Greg got into work early, so he decided to run a mop across the showroom floor. The cleaners were off for the Labor Day weekend, but he didn’t see that as an excuse for why the showroom couldn’t be as bright and shiny as it always was. The white marble gleamed under the halogen lights as he swished the mop back and forth. Looking good. People began to arrive for work.
“Hey, Jada,” Greg said.
“Morning, Greg.”
Jada stepped past the wet part of the floor. “How’s your head?”
“Better than your voice,” Greg said with a laugh.
Greg put his back into his work. He had a lot to catch up on this morning, and mopping the floor was just his way of getting his blood moving. Brandon strode in.
“Morning, dude,” Brandon said.
“Good to see you minus the beer bong, Brandon.”
“You know we have people to mop the floor, right?” Brandon said.
“Not today we don’t.”
Greg mopped the floor around the tires of the red Ferrari California that sat in the middle of the showroom floor. Out of the corner of his eye he recognized Tom’s car as it pulled up in front of the showroom. The sight of it made him think of Amanda. Greg needed to talk to her. Tom Cooper aside, something had been off at the barbecue yesterday. It was the way Amanda had looked at him. He didn’t remember her looking at him like that before. It was as if she was seeing him in a whole new light. The entire evening had left him feeling strange and a little hollow inside.
Tom’s car stopped at the side of the building and Amanda got out. Greg immediately felt a stab to his heart. He had seen Amanda with men before, but he had taken it in stride. Now, however, after seeing the way she had looked at him, seeing her with Tom made him livid. He watched as Tom parked out back and sauntered back to the wash shack. Just watching him walk was enough to make Greg’s bear growl. Greg wanted to punch Tom in the jaw. To slap him right off the lot. He cursed his poor judgment in hiring him in the first place.
“Hey, Greg.”
Amanda click-clacked in on a new set of platform heels. Greg had been noticing Amanda’s footwear of late, in spite of himself. The woman liked her shoes. She wore a flowing summer dress and she had a bit of a glow about her. Greg’s look was closer to a glower. He tried to put on a cheerful face.
“Hey, Amanda.”
“Um, what’s wrong?”
Damn it. How did she know something was wrong? Was it that obvious?
“Beer ache?”
“Maybe a little.”
“I’ll call Bailey at the deli. Get her to put on a big pot of soup for you for lunch.”
Amanda click-clacked past. Damn, he loved that woman. But as a friend, he reminded himself. The time for anything more had long since passed. Still, the way she had looked at him last night. It had lit something up inside of him. It had awoken his bear from a long hibernation, and he wasn’t sure it would ever want to go back to sleep. What to do but clean up? Greg finished mopping. Then he picked up the bucket to empty it out back.
Maybe he did have a beer ache, as Amanda had put it. He certainly had drunk his fair share, which was not generally recommended at staff parties. But the people at Wild Alpha Auto were more than staff. They were pretty much family. Greg decided that he would let this ache he felt for Amanda run its course. He’d been there before. He dumped the mop water into the grate in the concrete.
“You should have heard her, bro.”
Greg looked up. He recognized Tom’s voice. What was he talking about?
“She squealed like a piglet as I plowed into her.”
Greg wasn’t sure he could believe what he was hearing. He walked into the wash shack, putting the mop into the corner. The mechanic Tom had been talking to left the shack.
“Tom,” Greg said.
“Greg.”
“A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.”
“I never said I was a gentleman.”
Greg turned away from Tom. Was he going to do this? No, he wasn’t going to do this. His bear might, though. His bear might definitely consider ripping Tom’s head off. Yup. Turned out his bear didn’t need to debate the matter at all. Greg pivoted on his heel and went straight for Tom with both hands, lifting the smaller man up by his collar and thrusting him against the wall.
“You don’t talk like that about her! You hear?”
But Tom didn’t look intimidated. He stared Greg in the eye. “No. I’m not sure I do.”
Greg didn’t back down. “You’re not in Wild Summit to wash cars and you don’t give a shit about Amanda. What do you want?”
“Like I told you. One race, bro. Just one race to settle this thing between us. Winner gets bragging rights.”
“And the loser?”
“Loser leaves town.” Tom smirked. “For good.”
“What do you care if you have to leave town? You have no roots here.”
“But you do,” Tom said. “And I’ve got a feeling those stakes are a good way to motivate you.”
“You want me to win?”
“I want to know you’re giving it your all. When I beat you, I want it to count.”
“If I agree to this, you’ll never talk to her again?” Greg said.
“I lose, you never see me again. Come to think of it, both ways you never see me again.”
Greg kept Tom pinned against the wall, his biceps straining under the load.
“What is it about racing me?” Greg said. “Why do you care?”
“It’s simple. Because I don’t lose. Not to you. Not to anyone.”
Greg let go and Tom dropped back to his feet.
> “One race,” Greg said.
“Hey, guys,” Amanda said, entering the wash shack with a bright smile. “What’s up?”
“Nothing,” Greg said. And he walked out.
**********************
Amanda watched Greg go. Something was definitely wrong. Combined with the way Greg had been looking at her at the party, it was making Amanda wonder how he really felt about her.
“Hey, Amanda,” Tom said as he filled his bucket up.
“Hey,” Amanda replied. “So, I was wondering.”
“About what?”
“If you’d like to go out to dinner sometime? You know, on a proper date?”
“Why not?” Tom said.
“Great. I’m slammed for the next few days, but say Wednesday? Eight o’clock? There’s a restaurant called Romeo’s on the main drag. I’ll reserve a table for two.”
Tom finished filling the bucket. “Romeo’s it is. I’ll meet you there.”
Amanda turned on her heel with a smile.
“Come hungry.”
**********************
The next few days passed in a blur. Amanda hadn’t planned on being intimate with Tom. But it had happened. And she saw no reason not to see where it went. Even if what had transpired between them proved to be just sex, she wanted to know for sure. After all, Amanda wasn’t getting any younger. She wasn’t interested in drama, and more than that, she wasn’t interested in imagining where she stood. She wanted to know. Amanda knew she was a big, curvy woman. But she also knew that some men went for that. And not just for a lark. That’s why she had taken the initiative to ask Tom out.
Strangely, though, the question that preoccupied her wasn’t where she stood with Tom, but where she stood with Greg. That was the weird one. For four straight days, he had continued with his odd behavior, being quiet in her presence but joking with Jada and the others. It was like he… liked her.
Amanda had half a mind to corner him and ask what his problem was. But the other half of her mind was focused on her date with Tom. She hoped that he had found a place to live. More than that, she hoped that she hadn’t been too forward.
