Man Candy

by Ingro, Jessica

“Hey yourself. I wasn’t expecting you.” She set her drink and reading tablet down on the table next to her and sat up.

  “Wanted to see you.”

  “Mmm,” she hummed. Reaching behind her neck she untied her top and let it fall to her waist. “I’m glad you did.”

  My eyes honed in on her chest. Each rise and fall of it. The firmness of her breasts. The pebbled tips of her nipples. Within seconds, I was hard for her. It didn’t take much when it came to Rissa, so I wasn’t all that surprised.

  “That’s not why I came here. I thought we could talk,” I told her gruffly when her fingers started teasing the peaks.

  “Talking is overrated. All you need is sex,” she said as she lunged for my belt. She had it mostly off, when I pulled her hand away and pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration.

  “I believe the song is “All You Need is Love,” Rissa.” And that’s what I wanted from her—love—but she seemed to be more focused on the physical aspect of our relationship these days. When we weren’t sleeping together, I could feel her putting up a wall and holding herself back. I wanted more from her.

  “Ben?” She looked unsure when I opened my eyes. I hated putting that look on her face.

  A quick glance around her yard showed that none of her neighbors could see us.

  “Fuck it,” I mumbled before lunging at her. Her back hit the lounge chair, and I crushed my mouth on hers. Forcing her lips open with my tongue, I kissed her hard and fierce. I put all my frustrations into it, hoping she would take them away.

  My hands kneaded her breasts as I pressed my groin into hers. She wrapped one leg around my waist and the other around my thigh and lifted her hips to meet mine. The pressure of our bodies gliding together was exquisite. It spurred my thirst for her that was never satiated no matter how many times our bodies connected.

  Her hands deftly opened my shorts, reaching in to push them down over my ass. I fumbled for my wallet before kicking them down my legs. Rissa slid her bikini bottoms off and resumed her spot on the chair with her legs spread wide in an open invitation. One I was only too glad to accept.

  Sheathed, I settled between her legs and thrust in hard and fast.

  “Yes!” she cried out. Not wanting to draw attention from her neighbors, I covered her mouth with mine.

  Each thrust inside her was like heaven. She was tight and so very wet.

  More quickly than was acceptable, I found myself nearing my peak. Something about being out in the open where anyone could see us was like adding fuel to an already raging fire.

  Holding myself up with a forearm on the chair, my other hand went between us. I pressed and rolled her clit and had her whole body strung tight. With just a little more pressure she snapped. Her upper body bowed and her legs tightened around me.

  “Fuck!” she screamed as she convulsed repeatedly around me, squeezing me for all it was worth.

  With a bunch of garbled praise, I came too in a hard rush that had me feeling like the top of my head was going to blow off. My body jerked and I collapsed on top of her, sweaty and out of breath. My heart pounded rapidly and with smug pride I noticed that hers was as well.

  “Told you all you needed was sex.” She unwrapped her legs from around my waist and put pressure on my shoulder. “You’re crushing me.”

  I sat up still in a daze from my climax and set about to cleaning up. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rissa straightening her bikini.

  “That had to be the most uncomfortable place I’ve ever had sex,” I noted with amusement. My knees were starting to hurt from digging into the chair every time I thrust into her.

  “It wasn’t too bad for me.” The corner of her lips turned up into a smile when she shrugged a shoulder.

  “Then next time you get to be on top then.”

  “So sure there’s going to be a next time… Out here?” she added when I gave her a sardonic look.

  “Sweetheart, there’ll be a next time. You can’t say no to me,” I teased.

  “Mmmm. We’ll see,” she replied noncommittedly from where she was lounged in the chair again. She yawned and said, “I love how your orgasms always relax me.”

  “I love that to. If you’re tired, do you want to order a pizza for dinner?” I asked her as I buckled my belt.

  “I probably shouldn’t,” she mumbled.

  “Why not?” I lifted my head from where I was doing up my belt buckle to look at her.

  “Hmm?” she asked languidly as her body stretched out in the chair.

  “Are you falling asleep?” I asked in disbelief.

  She lifted her shoulders and gave me a dreamy smile. “Maybe.”

  Within seconds, she was out and I felt guilty for being annoyed by that fact. If she was working all these extra hours, she was probably stressed and not getting as much rest as she needed. I was a selfish prick if I couldn’t understand that. So what if we hadn’t spent any real time together lately? I needed to get over it.

  I didn’t want her to burn outside so I carefully picked her up, carried her into the house and laid her down on the couch. I grabbed a notepad and scribbled out a note telling her to call me when she woke up. Then I left her with a kiss on her forehead. We could always talk later.

  *****

  Something was definitely off with Clarissa. We had barely seen each other in the last two weeks. Every time I asked her to do something, she had an excuse. Whenever I tried to stay at her house or have her stay at mine, she typically declined. It seemed like such a contrast to how things were going when we first got together.

  She was still playful—teasing me and joking around—and she was constantly down for sex. But she hardly ever called just because or texted me to let me know she was thinking of me. And when I texted her to let her know I was thinking of her, it often went unanswered for hours or sometimes not at all.

  It seemed out of character for how we were around each other in the beginning. I didn’t want to be a pussy about it, but typically you spent more time together once you became a couple—not less. Not with Rissa though. She seemed to want less to do with me.

  Was I in a male version of He’s Just Not That into You? A girl had once forced me to watch it, and I remember being surprised by how spot on Justin Long’s character had it. If a man wanted to be with you, he would make it happen. Was I forcing her into something she didn’t want? Nah. She came alive under my touch. If she didn’t want me that wouldn’t be the case. Would it? I was going to have to think on that one.

  I still hadn’t worked up the courage to ask her about Cassandra, much to Cassandra’s dismay. The signing was just over a week away, and she wanted to know what was going on. I didn’t blame her, but it was hard to do when Rissa and I spent the limited amount of time we had together in bed. I didn’t think it was appropriate to ask her when I was buried inside her.

  Tonight she was coming over for dinner, and I was planning on finally broaching the subject with her though.

  I set the table, hoping to give her a romantic dinner. In the kitchen, I pulled the garlic bread from the oven and gave the sauce on the stove one last stir before turning the burner off.

  When the doorbell rang, I went and let Rissa in. As soon as she cleared the door, she was on me like white on rice. Her hands ran over my chest and her tongue tangled with mine. She pressed her body to mine forcefully letting me know exactly what she wanted.

  Carefully setting her away, I took her hand and led her into the kitchen. She set her purse on the counter and folded her arms. Her face showed wariness and confusion. I closed the distance between us and placed my hands on either side of her face.

  “Let me feed you first. I’ve missed you.” I placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

  “I’m not hungry. Not for food anyway,” she pouted.

  “I slaved over a hot stove for you. Humor me and eat a little bit.” I led her over to the table and held out a chair for her.

  “Okay. I guess.” She settled in her chair and watched as I poured her a glass
of the red wine I knew she liked and moved back to the stove.

  “How many meatballs do you want?”

  “Just one. I’m really not hungry,” she murmured as she did something on her cell phone.

  I plated the spaghetti and meatballs for both of us and set a slice of bread on the side of each plate. With flourish, I set them down on the table, making her smirk at me.

  “It smells delicious.” She inhaled with closed eyes before picking up her fork and digging in wholeheartedly. Not hungry my ass.

  A few bites in, I took a sip of my milk and proceeded to tell her about Cassandra’s offer. “How would you feel about me going to Denver with you guys next weekend?”

  She regarded me intently for a few moments. “Why do you ask?”

  “Cassandra called and asked if I would go to help her and Mer promote their upcoming book. I told her I needed to discuss it with you first.” I cut into my meatball and took a big bite. Fuck I did a good job on these. Maybe I did learn something from my mom after all.

  “Why would you need to discuss it with me? You’re a big boy. If you want to go to Denver, then you should go to Denver. Don’t let me be the deciding factor,” she said with a stony look on her face.

  Ouch. Her words stung a bit.

  “Okay. I guess now would be a good time for us to discuss what the hell is going on with you.” I braced my hands on the table readying myself for the argument I knew was about to come. I wasn’t one to mince my words or keep my mouth shut for too long when I felt like I was being slighted.

  “There’s nothing wrong with me. I just don’t understand why you need my permission to go to Denver.” She mirrored my stance as she spoke.

  “Maybe because we’re dating each other and that’s what you do when you’re involved with someone. Or maybe because I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable seeing as how Cassandra and I went out that one time.” My tone was filled with sarcasm.

  “Well I wasn’t thinking I should be before, but I am now.” She threw her napkin on the table. “Just how close are the two of you?”

  “That’s ridiculous. You have to know by now that I’d never do that to you.” She gave me a dubious look so I bit out, “I’m not doing this.”

  “You brought it up!” she said incredulously and then stood and grabbed her purse. “You know what? I’m not doing this either.”

  “Where the hell are you going?” I gripped her arm to stop her from leaving. Frustration had me bristling at the dirty look she gave me.

  “I think you might be expecting more from me then I’m willing to give. Can you just give me some space?” She jerked her arm trying to free it, but I held on tight.

  “Space? I’ve barely seen you in weeks unless we’ve been having sex. How much more space could you possibly need?”

  “Can we not do this?” she said in a patronizing tone that made me flinch.

  What the fuck was going on with her? This wasn’t the girl I fell for. The one who cared about people’s feelings and was open and giving. If these were her true colors then I had been duped and that just pissed me right the fuck off.

  “Just what is it that you think we’re doing, Clarissa?” I demanded to know.

  She glared at me with her lips pressed in a tight line. I willed her with my eyes to say something. I couldn’t stand this distance between us. We shouldn’t be arguing with each other. We should be enjoying the newness of our relationship.

  “Tell me damn it,” I bellowed.

  “I don’t know all right!” she yelled back.

  “Yes you do. Tell me what you think is going on here,” I tried again.

  “I don’t know,” she said defiantly. “I guess you could say we’re friends with benefits, but you keep trying to make it more. I told you I just got out of a relationship. I don’t want to be suffocated.”

  I stepped back as if her words hit me like a blow. All of this shit seemed to be coming out of left field. Never once before now did she lead me to believe we weren’t moving towards more. She seemed right with me every step of the way except for when I needed to convince her. Shit. Maybe she was right. I had been way too overbearing.

  “Wow okay,” I said in shock once my realization hit me.

  “I don’t want to hurt you, Ben. It’s just this is all I have in me to give right now.”

  “You know what, Riss. That’s bullshit. You gave as good as you got.” I didn’t like being wrong, but even knowing I might have pressured her into more with me, I knew she enjoyed every single joke, every touch, every date, every phone call. Everything. You couldn’t fake that kind of joy.

  “Why can’t we just be friends with benefits? What’s so wrong with that?” She kept at it making me want to scream.

  “Friends with benefits is another way of saying that I’m good enough to hang out with, good enough to sleep with but never good enough to be with.”

  She flinched at my words and remorse passed over her face. “I just don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to this... relationship.”

  “You don’t have to know. We can figure it out together,” I said softly.

  “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” she whispered.

  “I know and I didn’t mean to pressure you. You need to communicate better with me so we don’t end up blowing up on each other. If you had talked to me about this weeks ago, it wouldn’t have been such a big thing.” I drew her in my arms and held her to my chest.

  “It was meeting your mom,” she admitted guiltily.

  “What was?”

  “It pushed me over the edge. I just kept thinking that things were moving too fast. I just broke it off with Scott and I didn’t want to get too attached I guess,” she said into my shirt.

  I placed my finger under her chin and tipped her face up to mine. “Do you even see a future with us?”

  “I don’t know,” she whispered, and I saw tears welling up in her troubled looking eyes.

  “What are you so afraid of?”

  She shrugged but didn’t answer. I was so damn frustrated with her, but at least we were finally getting somewhere.

  “I know I only asked for a chance but you actually have to give me one, sweetheart. I’ve never wavered from who I’ve said I am. I’ve always treated you with respect and showed you how beautiful and special I think you are. I’ve never given you a reason to think I was going to screw you over or become something I’m not. What is it going to take?”

  “I don’t know. I just know that if I let myself believe this time is different and it’s not, I won’t be able to handle another letdown.”

  “I care about you... deeply. Just give me a chance. A real one.”

  “I want to be impulsive. I do. I don’t want to overthink every little thing.”

  “So don’t.”

  “It’s not that easy, Ben.”

  “Sure it is. Just don’t do it. I asked you before and I’ll ask it again. Be in the moment with me? Don’t worry about the future or what might have happened in the past. Just be with me. Here. Now. Will you do that?”

  “I’ll try.”

  “That’s all I’m asking for.”

  TWENTYTWO

  Being at a signing with Tanner was actually better than I had anticipated. We seemed to feed off each other’s energies. He was fun and drew most of the attention to him, which allowed me to be center stage without having to be center stage. It was the perfect balance, and I always enjoyed hanging with him even when he drove me crazy, so in the end it worked out.

  The four of us had flown into Denver together the day before when I was able to score a last minute ticket on their flight. Things seemed to be less strained between Rissa and me since our blow up. I didn’t pressure her for more of her time, and in turn she found ways to free herself up from work. It seemed like a nice compromise, and I was content with the results. I had faith that we would figure it out. She just needed to trust me a little more, and I needed to make sure I didn’t unintentionally smother her independent streak
.

  “Can I get a picture with the two of you?” a younger woman asked eyeing Tanner and me with equal amounts of lust.

  “Go get ‘em stud,” Rissa joked from where she stood in between Cassandra and Meredith at their table and patted me on the butt.

  My eyes promised her retribution, but my face smiled as I walked over to where the woman was draped over Tanner. He seemed to be in his seventh heaven having so much female adoration in one room. He didn’t seem to mind that they knew nothing about him or even his name in some instances. He was ready with open arms to accept anything they were offering him.

  I shot a glance at Meredith to see what she thought of it, but her face gave nothing away. Other than the few eye rolls I saw aimed at him when he was being particularly obnoxious for attention, she barely spared him a glance. It made me wonder yet again what the hell was going on with the two of them. I couldn’t quite get their pulse.

  The rest of the afternoon flew by in a whirl of pretty ladies, shy ladies and overly zealous ladies. Whenever I got a chance, I teased Rissa who had surprisingly seemed to have taken the closeness Cassandra and I had in stride. Considering her past with fools like Scott, I was surprised by this. Maybe she finally realized there was nothing to worry about. She was it for me. Now that we were together, I wouldn’t look at another woman let alone get intimate with one.

  After the signing, we freshened up before heading out to the roadside steakhouse that Cassandra insisted we try while we were there. It was a rougher place filled with bikers, but everyone was friendly and Cassandra knew many of the staff so it was easier not to feel too much like an outsider.

  “I have a proposition,” Cassandra announced halfway through our meal.

  Conversations stopped and all eyes turned on her.

  “I have one more signing this year and six lined up for next year. Our book releases next month and if it does well I’d like to hire you on, Ben, as my full time cover model extraordinaire. What do you think?”

  Taken aback by her request, the answer no immediately formed on my tongue. Before I could say it, she hastily added, “Tanner is going to be with Meredith and we are at most of the same signings together. It will be fun. And of course Rissa will be there too.” She shot Rissa an encouraging smile. “We had so much fun today and I doubled the amount of books I usually sell at a signing with you there.”