by Alisa Easton
“Good morning,” I said almost timidly, “Would you like some coffee?”
“That would be wonderful.” He sat up and smiled at me and my stomach fluttered. There wasn’t a single thing I would change about him.
I slipped out of bed without another word and quickly wrapped myself in a thread bare robe that I kept hanging on a hook by the bedroom door. I felt self conscious even though there wasn’t an inch of my body that he didn’t know intimately by this point. I caught a glimpse of myself in the full length mirror before I left the room and made a mental note to purchase a new robe. This one was long beyond being presentable with company.
The coffee pot gurgled to life as I tapped my fingers impatiently against the counter top. Should I make him breakfast, I wondered. I didn’t really have anything in the house suitable. It wasn’t like I had been planning for an overnight guest.
He startled me by coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around me. He was wearing only a pair of boxer shorts and I could feel his full length against my backside. I had to stifle the urge to turn around and continue where we’d left off last night. Unfortunately, I still bore the telltale traces of his late night snacking with sticky patches of dried chocolate syrup over parts of my belly and thighs. I needed a shower more than anything. I waited until the coffee pot finished, poured two cups, and handed him one.
“There is milk in the fridge if you want it,” I said going out of my way to not make eye contact with him, “I’m going to take a shower.”
“That sounds like a lovely idea.” He smiled at me again and I felt my knees go weak. I hurried out of the kitchen before I managed to say anything stupid that I might later regret and I went straight to the bathroom to begin running a hot shower. The sooner I stepped in and rinsed off all the evidence of last night, the sooner I could face him with a clear head. I stepped into the shower remembering that first night that he followed me home and the way he’d pleasured me then and felt the instant physical response. If he opened the door and stepped into the shower with me now, I wouldn’t be able to resist him. I wanted his hands on me. No, scratch that, I needed his hands on me. It’s the only thing that I could think about while I soaped my body and washed my hair.
By the time I stepped out of the shower, it was difficult to hide the disappointment that he hadn’t taken the opportunity to join me. Then a more terrifying thought came over me. What if he had slipped out the front door while I was showering without so much as a goodbye? After all, I could hardly expect him to sit around and chat. Conversations weren’t exactly our strong point.
I quickly ran a comb through my hair and wrapped a towel around me. I should have gone to the bedroom to find a fresh set of clothes but that could wait. I had more pressing issues on my mind. I went to the kitchen but there was no sign of him. His empty coffee cup sat in the kitchen sink. I went to the living room but he wasn’t there either. I felt consumed by frustration and utter despair. He’d left me without even having the courtesy to tell me that he was going, without giving me any means of being able to contact him if I wanted, and worst of all, without any idea of when I would see him again. I sighed and turned back to the bedroom. My only intention was to flop face down in my bed and spend the rest of the day hiding from the world. Why did it feel like I just kept sinking deeper and deeper no matter how hard I tried to pull myself back up again?
I opened the bedroom door and there I found him stretched out in my bed, completely naked, and still with that devilish smile on his face.
“What are you doing?”
“Waiting for you.”
“I thought you left.”
“Do you want me to go?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then I suggest you come over here because I’m not sure I can wait much longer.”
I let the towel fall to the floor before I crawled on top of him in my bed. I suppose I was so relieved by the fact that he hadn’t left me combined with the state I’d managed to work myself into in the shower, I knew that I couldn’t wait much longer either. I needed to feel consumed by him again. I needed to consume him. I shuddered as he melted into me and I came almost the instant that he was buried inside me. I reached down to wrap my hands in his as we blended together over and over until I cried out in release.
He flipped me onto my back without pulling out and we lay together that way for a long time just staring into each other’s eyes. How much further could I fall if I continued to be lost in him this way?
“You must have things you need to do,” he said. He planted kisses on my face and I felt his reluctance to let me slip out of his arms. I didn’t want this moment to end.
“Not really. Do you?”
“A few things, yes. I took the liberty of throwing our clothes in your dryer while you were in the shower. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” I said wondering if our recent romp in bed was merely a way to pass the time while he waited for his damp clothes to dry.
“I should probably get dressed.”
I wasn’t ready to let go of him so easily. “Tell me something about you.”
“What do you want to know?” He kissed me again.
“Anything. What do you do for living? Where do you live? What do you like to do in your free time? I don’t know anything about you, Reese.”
“This is what I like to do in my free time,” he said playfully stroking my body and running his hands down my belly and between my legs.
“I’m serious.” I pushed his hand away. If he kept touching me then inevitably I was going to want more and then we’d be right back where we started. Not a bad thing admittedly but first I needed to know something more about the man who had such a hold over me. He resisted.
“I’m serious too,” he said.
“What are we doing?” I pulled away from him to put some distance between us and he finally relinquished his game.
“I thought we were enjoying each other’s company.”
“That’s all this is then? Just a way to pass some free time? I’m a hobby?”
He stared at me for a long time without saying anything and I wished that I could take back the words. I knew how needy and desperate I must have sounded.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that,” I said.
He pulled himself into a sitting position and turned his back to me to drape his legs over the other side of the bed. I just sat on my knees, naked and vulnerable but no longer caring.
“I should go,” he said quietly.
“I’m sorry.” I put my hand on his shoulder to stop him from walking away and leaving me like this. Moments ago we were tangled together and nothing had ever felt more perfect or right in my life. I didn’t want to let go of that feeling, and I especially didn’t want to think that I’d just pushed him out of my life just by the few thoughtless words that I spoke. He put his hand over my hand but he didn’t turn to look at me and this really bothered me. It was in that moment that I realized that there was some outside factor that stopped him from being with me. It wasn’t just that he had to go, he shouldn’t have been here with me to begin with.
“Am I going to see you again?” I asked but I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer. Whatever had happened between us had pushed things well out of control for both of us.
“Yes.”
My pulse doubled. “When?”
I felt his body tighten as he warred with himself before he could answer and I wondered what it was that he had to fight so hard against.
“I will return to you tomorrow night.”
I wrapped both arms around his shoulders and pressed my chest against his back. I wanted to tell him how much I wished that I could keep him there with me but I knew it wouldn’t make any difference to speak the words. He could feel it. He turned in my arms so that we were face to face and he kissed me, gently at first but then with more urgency. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him down onto the bed with me and I kissed him and clung to him with every once
of strength that I could manage. I felt him hard against me and I knew that we would give in to each other once more before he got dressed and walked out my door but just as he pressed his weight into me, I heard a knock at my front door. We both froze still reluctant to let go of the passion that overwhelmed us.
“Do you need to get that?” he whispered into my ear before replacing his words with his tongue. I moaned.
“They’ll go away,” I said thinking of nothing but the feel of him inside me to replace the aching need that burned there.
The sound of knocking became more insistent followed by the muffled voice that I knew so well on the other side. “Alex, I know you’re in there.”
“Shit,” I said, “It’s Sylvia.”
“I should go.” He started to pull back but I held him in place with arms and legs.
“No. Please don’t go.”
He groaned as he sank into me. I wondered if I would ever get used to that feeling of him and the amazing pleasure that it brought me when we were locked together. I closed my eyes and gave in to the feelings as I blocked out all sounds of the world outside us.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!”
I opened my eyes and turned my head just in time to see Sylvia backing out the bedroom door quickly. Reese stopped moving and collapsed against me on the bed smiling again.
“I think I really should go,” he said almost laughing.
“You don’t have to go. Just give me a minute.”
I got up and wrapped my robe around me knowing that Sylvia would be waiting for me in the living room. I ran through a list of plausible explanations as I approached her but I wasn’t prepared for the conversation that we await me.
“What are you doing, Alex?”
“I thought that might be a little obvious,” I said feeling my face flush, “Why did you let yourself in?”
“The door wasn’t locked and I knew you were here. I just thought you weren’t talking to me after what happened last night. I never thought in a million years that I would catch you in bed with a man… with him.”
“Relax, Sylvia, it’s not a big deal.”
“What the hell happened to Adam? Does he know about this?”
“Adam and I broke up last night.”
She looked at me stunned for a moment. I could tell that she was trying to put two and two together but I’d completely broadsided her with the revelation that she might find me in bed with anyone other than Adam.
“That dinner then really was just a big lie to get me together with Ben,” she said.
“No, I really did want you to meet him. I wasn’t planning on breaking up with him. It’s just the way things worked out, I swear.”
“You sure didn’t waste any time, did you?” she accused.
“You’re one to talk.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s not like you pick a guy and stick with him, Sylvia. Don’t play all prudish on me now.”
If looks could kill, I would be dead.
“You have a lot of nerve.”
I felt Reese walk up behind me and put his hand on my arms and my heart sank. He had gotten dressed and planned to leave. I still needed him.
“Sylvia,” he said by way of greeting and I could feel the tension in his body as he spoke.
“Reese,” Sylvia shot back equally as tense. I froze in panic. She didn’t make assumptions about who I was with, somehow she knew. I felt my heart fall to my stomach and twist and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer, especially after the reputation I just accused Sylvia of keeping. Was Reese one of her many cast-offs? Could I ever feel the same way in his arms again knowing that Sylvia had been there before me? I tried to find my voice to speak but nothing came out. I felt him kiss the top of my head lightly.
“Alex, I will be back tomorrow night,” he said before he walked out the front door. I was powerless to stop him. I couldn’t even utter a goodbye.
“It was him? All along it’s been him?” Sylvia said to me as soon as the door clicked.
“You know him.” It was all I could manage to say.
“Yes, you could say that.”
“Do I want to know how you two know each other?”
“You told me you weren’t going to see him again.”
“I don’t see the harm in a little fun.”
“Is that really all it is because the look on your face says a whole heck of a lot more.”
“Yeah, it’s really only a little fun. Is that so terrible?”
“Actually, in this case it is.”
“Do you mind telling me why?”
“He’s not your type, Alex, I guarantee you if you, you’re playing with fire. If you keep messing around with that man, you are going to get burned.”
“Just because it didn’t work out with you doesn’t mean that it isn’t going to work out with me,” I said feeling a little taken back by the strong words. All the years that I’d known Sylvia, she’d always taken a playful approach to dating and had never talked badly about a relationship gone sour. The curiosity was killing me. What did this man do to her? Was she in love with him the way I was certain that I was in love with him and he ultimately rejected her? The thought made me feel sick to my stomach.
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Well then why be all secretive about it? Why not just tell me what you really mean? If it’s so important that I stay away from this guy then give me a good reason and it’s done.”
“Just take my word for it on this one, Alex.”
I sighed. Whatever it was, Sylvia seemed determined enough not to tell me.
“What are you really here for?” I asked her feeling suddenly exhausted. The lack of sleep was catching up with me quickly now that Reese had walked out the door.
“I was going to come here to apologize for what happened at the restaurant last night.”
“But?”
“But I’m not sure you deserve my apology anymore.”
“Sylvia, that’s hardly fair.”
“You lied to me, Alex.”
“How?”
“You lied to me about him. You lied to me and you lied to Adam. You are probably even lying to yourself.”
“That isn’t true.”
“Are you going to tell me what’s really going on here?”
“I don’t think that’s really any of your business,” I said. She stared at me for a long time without saying anything, as though she were weighing her options before choosing what she would say.
“I can’t believe you broke up with Adam for this,” she said at last and then started heading for the door. I stood in shocked silence watching her leave. There didn’t seem to be much point in trying to reason with her. For whatever her reasons, she was ticked about my decision and I was feeling rather ticked myself that she found it necessary to keep me in the dark about her reasons why.
I fumed for at least a half hour after Sylvia left me that morning. I tried to conjure all the possibilities that made her so anti-Reese. I tried to imagine her dating him, sleeping with him and quickly steered clear of those images. I didn’t like imagining Reese with anyone other than me. I’d never felt this way about any man before, not even Ed. More than anything, I fumed because I wanted Sylvia to be as happy for me as I felt and I wanted her to encourage my relationship, however unusual it may be, simply because it was what I wanted. I’d always supported her even when I didn’t agree with her casual approach to men and dating. If she couldn’t do the same for me then I was faced with the possibility that Sylvia was not the friend that I’d always believed her to be.
This fact broke my heart and left me feeling lost and alone. Was it really worth pursuing anything with Reese when it meant that my best friend would never speak to me again? After all, even Reese wasn’t even willing to tell me about himself so maybe Sylvia was right. Clearly he had something to hide. It would hurt a lot less if I broke the ties now before I sank any deeper. The only problem was that I didn’t think I
would ever be capable of saying no to Reese.
Chapter 18
I scoured my dresser until I found the black silk panties and matching bra and garter that I had purchased for a special occasion. I enjoyed the feeling of the fabric against my skin and admired myself in the mirror as I waited for him. I felt a flurry of anticipation in my belly. No matter how many times Reese walked into my bedroom, it would always feel like the very first time, of this much I was convinced.
I heard the latch on my front door. It opened almost soundlessly except for a subtle creak. My heartbeat increased instantly. I didn’t move from where I stood in front of my bedroom mirror. I didn’t say a word. I knew that he would find me. I sucked in my breath as I heard his footsteps down the hallway and I felt more than saw his large form fill my doorway. I didn’t turn around to look at him. Every cell of my body felt alive with anticipation as he walked up behind me. Our eyes locked in the reflection of the mirror and I could tell that he approved of my choice of attire for this evening. The weather was warmer than usual, hot and sticky with a humidity that clung to the air but yet I shivered when he took my shoulders in his strong hands.
“You look beautiful this evening,” he whispered in my ear and my entire body trembled.
“Thank you,” I managed to whisper even though my throat was dry.
He lets his hands slide my arms from my shoulders to my hands and he took both of my hands in his as we continued to look at each other in the mirror. After a moment, he used his hands to place mine against my breasts. I was no stranger to touching myself. I had been doing a lot of it, especially since meeting Reese, but somehow with his hands guiding my fingers to caress myself, the sensation was alien to me and highly erotic.
He guided one hand down across my bare stomach to the outside of my panties but stopped just above my panty line.
“Do you like to touch yourself?” he asked me breathless.
