Friends with Benefits

by Amy Brent

  My lips curled up into a smile as I saw his handsome face staring back at me. He looked amazing in a charcoal suit, green tie, and crisp white shirt that was now dotted with specs of blood, making him morbidly Christmasy.

  “Ben?” I asked to make sure I wasn’t just hallucinating.

  He rolled his eyes and reached his bloody hands up to touch my face. “Of course, it’s me,” he said in a very matter-of-fact tone as he examined me. “Did that prick hurt you?”

  Instead of answering his question, I asked, “What are you doing here?”

  “Saving your ass, of course.” His tone was a bit rougher, almost exasperated. Then, he looked into my eyes and repeated his question. “Are you okay?”

  As I stared back at him and felt the haziness of the booze clear out of my head, I took my first deep breath in several minutes. I brought my hands to Ben’s chest and ran a finger through the red spots on his shirt.

  “I am now,” I said with a nod. The words were barely out of my mouth, and Ben folded me into his arms and crushed me against his chest. Despite the calming feeling of safety after such a scary night, I couldn’t help but ask, “Did you punch him?”

  Ben’s chest trembled with a sound that was somewhere in between a humorless chuckle and a groan. “Of course, I did, baby. I punched him quite a few times. He was harassing you.”

  The matter-of-fact way he admitted to assaulting a guy was kind of scary, but since Dylan completely deserved to have his ass handed to him, I smiled thinking it was very endearing as well. Letting out a sigh of relief, I hugged Ben as tightly as I could while he delivered several kisses to the crown of my head.

  After long minutes of us reassuring one another that I was fine, he took half a step back to look at my face and said, “I know our situation is fucked up and that’s completely my fault, but what the hell were you doing in that corner with that guy, Jess? Fuck, baby.”

  The fear and care in Ben’s voice were more sobering than a triple shot of espresso. I considered telling him the whole story but figured we had more important things to talk about at the moment.

  I shook my head and said, “That doesn’t matter. What is important is what are you doing here? Why aren’t you at your party with my mom?”

  Ben stared at me in silence for a little while, as if collecting his thoughts. My heart pounded violently as the tension in his eyes turned into tenderness, and the hint of a smile curled on his lips. “I’m here because my place is with you, baby.”

  Those words made the air seem too thick to breathe. My head swam, and my chest ached with happiness and so many questions, but there was only one that seemed important enough to ask. “What about the company and my mother?”

  “They’re okay,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “A lot of things happened tonight, most of them were pretty shitty, but the one important thing was that Pam and I got a chance to talk. We talked a lot. Mostly it was about you and me.”

  Having him choose me was everything I had wanted for months. I had dreamt and fantasized about this moment since we first slept together. Now that it was here, the feeling was better than I could have ever imagined.

  “You told her?” I asked in a high-pitched tone that displayed my excitement.

  Ben raked a hand through his hair and said, “Yes and no.”

  His admission was like a bucket of cold water thrown in my head. My brows pulled together with confusion and hurt, but thankfully he was quick to explain. “She’ll want to tell you everything herself, but like I said, many shitty things happened tonight. One of them involved a drunk woman trying to get revenge on me by telling your mother I used to sleep with her.” My lips pursed with yet another reason for jealousy, but Ben smiled and added something that somewhat erased that feeling. “It was before we started seeing each other and she also disclosed that I used to call her by your name. As you can imagine, that was what ignited our lengthy conversation.”

  No longer feeling happy or chosen, I held my breath and steeled myself to check the last bit of necessary information I needed to know. “Is she divorcing you?”

  Still with that smile on his lips, Ben shook his head and in a very casual way, said, “No. She’ll fulfill her side of the agreement and stay out of our way. She wants you happy, Jess, and so do I.”

  He smiled at me like he had something to be proud of and I wanted to kick him in the nuts. Tears prickled my eyes as my dreams fell apart and this already terrible night turned unbearable. Hurt and silent, I turned around and walked away.

  “Jess,” Ben called frantically, but I ignored him and continued walking.

  Persistent as always, he followed calling my name in that demanding way he was so used to. Still, I continued to ignore him. I was almost at the end of the lawn when he stepped in front of me, forcing me to stop.

  “What the hell is going on?” he demanded exasperatedly. “I just said that everything is fine and we can be together. Why are you mad?”

  Anger that he couldn’t see how fucked up he was boiled in my veins. Crossing my arms and staring at him with fire glowing in my eyes, I said, “I’m mad because you only came here pretending that you were choosing me after the cat was out of the bag and you knew there wouldn’t be consequences. That was not what I wanted. I wanted you to choose me despite the risks and show me that I was more important than the company or my mother.”

  “You are!” he said emphatically. “You’re also wrong, Jessica.”

  I raised a petulant brow at him, but he ignored it and kept talking. “First of all, I’m not pretending anything. I’ve chosen you, and though I didn’t show you sooner, that choice isn’t new. I didn’t make it tonight.

  “I chose you when I went against your mother’s warning simply because I couldn’t stay away from you. I chose you earlier tonight when I went after you wearing nothing but sweatpants. I chose you when I spent thirty minutes banging on your door, with tears in my eyes and my heart in my throat, begging you to stay even though Pam was about to come home. I chose you when I told Juanita to return your stuff to our bedroom despite our fight and your mother being across the hall. I chose you when I told your mom that I loved you even when I could have made an excuse for Vanessa’s words and saved my ass.

  “I’ve chosen you then, and I’m choosing you now, not because there were no consequences, but because any consequence is better than losing you. You’re the love of my life and the only woman I’ve ever loved, Jessica. I want to be more than your secret lover or your Daddy. I want to be your man, your partner and so much more. My life is fucked up right now, and my past mistakes make me unable to give you all that you deserve and all I want to give you right now, but I’ll be better. For you, I’ll be better, and I’ll always choose you. Just please, say you’ll forgive me and come home with me, baby. Please.”

  Happy tears rimmed my eyes when Ben finally stopped talking. Every word he said was exactly what I wanted to hear and after all the months, the secrets and the heartbreak, I could barely believe this perfect moment was true. But it was, and the honesty in his face assured me of it.

  “You love me?” I said overwhelmed.

  The apprehension in Ben’s face finally slipped away, and he smiled a real, broad, loving smile. He took a step closer and brought his hands to either side of my face. “Oh, Jess . . . I love you so much it hurts, baby.” I bit my bottom lip and smiled as he leaned closer still. “I love you so much, I want to kiss you even though you just puked all over those poor flowers.”

  Unable to help myself, I laughed at his words and folded my arms around him as well. “Then do, because I love you too.”

  The words were barely out of my mouth, and his lips were pressed against mine. Our kiss was slow, passionate and made me remember about the first day we met.

  When Mom and I arrived at Ben’s house, I knew that my life was the one that would be forever changed. And I was right. My life was changed, and it was a change I would cherish forever.

  Epilog – Ben

 
Five months later . . .

  I licked my lips and felt my cock grow instantly hard as I walked into the bathroom and saw Jessica standing deliciously naked underneath the stream of steaming water. She had been feeling queasy in the mornings lately, but I just couldn’t keep myself away when I knew she was naked, wet and hungry for an orgasm—to my delight, orgasms were like coffee for Jess. She never started a morning without it.

  With my gaze shifting between the alluring serenity on her face as she washed her hair and her killer curves seemed even fuller and sexier this morning, I dropped my pajama pants and quietly made my way toward the shower.

  I walked into the glass stall and came to a stop right behind her. The tip of my cock pressed against her round ass and my hands instantly found her heavy tits. A soft, erotic moan echoed through the room as I started massaging her breasts and playing with her nipples. She arched her back, resting her head on my chest and pushing her ass even more toward my fully erect cock.

  “I was wondering when you were going to come join me,” Jessica whispered as I brought my lips to kiss her neck. “If you had waited two more minutes, I’d have gotten my morning orgasm without you.”

  My lips curled into a smile at her cheekiness, but I still bit the curve of her jaw for good measure. “You wouldn’t dare,” I whispered as my right hand started drifting down her wet body. “Your pleasure is mine, baby. If you want to rub your sweet little pussy into a good morning, you’re more than welcome to do it, but only when I’m here to enjoy the show.”

  Another moan reverberated through our bathroom as my hand finally cupped Jess’s pussy. With my cock teasing the crack of her ass, I rubbed the heel of my palm against her clit and circled her opening with my index finger. As always, Jess was already deliciously wet, and my finger easily slid inside her. She gasped and dug her nails into the skin of my ass as a result, and I couldn’t help but smile and intensify my efforts.

  Today was a special day for us, and I wanted to make every second of it absolutely perfect for Jess. Therefore, instead of taking charge and tailoring our lovemaking to the fantasy in my head, I did something different. I gave her a choice.

  “You want me to make you come this way or fuck you?” I asked in the sultry tone I knew she loved.

  She groaned before answering. “I don’t know . . .”

  “Yes, you do,” I assured her with a smile. “Today is all about you, baby. So tell me, what do you want? My hand, my tongue or my cock?”

  Another throaty groan echoed around me, but this time Jess came up with a reply. “Your cock. I always want your cock.”

  Those words alone could have brought me to an orgasm, but I held back. I always refused to come unless she did as well.

  “Your wish is my command, baby girl.”

  Still kissing my girl, I turned her around and quickly grabbed the back of her legs. A little squeal of delight sounded around me as I carried Jess to the other side of the shower and pressed her back against the glass wall that separated us from the rest of our master bath.

  Holding her firmly in my hands, I positioned her over my cock and with a combined movement of my hands and hips, impaled her with one, powerful thrust. Jess screamed my name and clawed at my back, leaving streaks and bumps on my skin, but I didn’t mind. Wild Jess was always my favorite, and I was determined to enjoy every second of this moment to fullest.

  Kissing and nibbling her soft skin, I continued to bounce her up and down my cock. Her gorgeous tits danced in front of my face, making my mouth water and my mind wonder if they were fuller than before. The way her lips parted to desperately call my name told me she was close, which was great because so was I.

  Wanting our finale to be mind-blowingly great, I pressed her firmly against the glass and moved my pelvis in pounding motions against her pussy. I fucked her hard and deep, and seconds later, her screams filled the room. “Yes, daddy. Yeeeeess!”

  As I felt her juices squirt from her center and coat my length completely, I looked into her green eyes and found my own release. I kissed her and whispered promises of the eternal love I felt for her until both our hearts slowed and our consciousness returned.

  When Jessica’s feet finally hit the ground again, she smiled at me. “This is the kind of morning I love.”

  “Good, because you’re in for a lifetime of them.” Her smile widened, and I gave her a quick peck before moving under the water for my shower. “No dizziness today?”

  She groaned. “Not after puking my guts out,” she said casually as if having wild shower sex after puking was no big deal. Before I could suggest we slowed our sexual endeavors until she was better as I did every morning, she added, “We’ll be at the hospital for a lab today, so I’ll talk to Dr. Lewis about it. Maybe have him run some tests or something.”

  “Okay,” I said with a nod. “Want me to go with you.”

  Tenderness filled Jessica’s eyes as she shook her head at me. “No, you have the big day today. Your head should be there and nowhere else.”

  “Impossible,” I quickly said. “My head and every other piece of me are always with you, baby.”

  Jessica giggled and gave me a quick peck on the lips, then said, “Look at you all love-struck. I like it.”

  Surprisingly, so did I.

  We finished getting ready in between kisses and loving words as we normally did. Way too soon, as per usual, I was walking Jess to her car and waving goodbye as she drove to school. Then, I got into my car and drove to the office equally worried about Jess’s health and excited about the big day ahead.

  From eight to eleven, I sat at my desk trying to read some papers but failing and drumming my fingers on the table instead. My anxiety level was high and understandably so—I had been waiting for this day for a long ass time and, now that it was here, I was eager to get it over with. For that reason, when the intercom finally rang at ten past eleven, my fingers were numb and impatient was the only tone of voice I could muster to answer the call.

  My secretary sighed at my tone. Normally, sighing was the kind of bullshit that got people fired, but after ten years working together I no longer cared about Lisa’s disagreeing reactions and she, thankfully, had given up on complaining about my mood swings.

  “Your wife is here to see you, sir,” she informed with detached politeness.

  Although informing me of any arrivals to my office was policy, I rolled my eyes with exasperation that she hadn’t simply sent Pam in. She was, as Lisa herself had pointed out, my freaking wife.

  “Just send her in and hold all my calls.”

  “Yes, sir,” she said from the other side of the line, and I quickly hung up the call. Moments later, the door opened, and Pam entered my office.

  She was wearing the navy uniform, sensible red heels and the same chic bun she wore the first time I ever laid eyes on her. Although I had seen her dressed like that many times, this time I couldn’t help the wave of nostalgia that washed over me. My mother used to say that endings always make you circle back to the beginning, and this moment felt exactly like that.

  Pushing my chair away from my desk, I got up and walked toward her. For the first time since saying goodbye to Jessica this morning, my lips curled into a real smile, and my heart slowed to an almost normal pace.

  As I approached, she looked around and blurted out, “Wow, this is an impressive office.”

  I chuckled realizing for the first time that even after a year of marriage she had never visited me here. “It’s a remarkable job at an impressive company. One I’ve only managed to have because of you, so thank you. Again.”

  It didn’t seem possible, but Pam’s smile widened even more. She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and waved a dismissive hand as she pulled away from me. “You’re turning me into a multi-millionaire and making my baby happy. You’ve got absolutely nothing to thank me for.”

  Although I disagreed, I decided against arguing with her. This was a happy day, and I was categorical about not letting anything detract from it.
>
  We talked as we made our way toward the lounging area of my office and sat on my plush white couch. There wasn’t any particular subject to be discussed. We just talked about work, her upcoming flight to Brazil and the plans Jessica and I had to go visit her and Jacques in the summer. Still, talking to Pam was fun and comfortable. Somehow, through this crazy marriage we became best friends and, thought we were about to sign divorce papers, Pam was still the second person I cherished most in the world.

  Once we were all caught up with each other’s news, she pulled in a deep breath and asked, “So, are we doing this or what?”

  “I sure hope so,” I told her with a chuckle and reached for the stack of papers waiting for us at the coffee table. “Having you as a fake wife has been great, but I’m anxious to finally make your daughter my real wife.”

  Although I had shared with her my intentions of marrying Jessica many times, Pam still laughed a real, belly laugh. “That’s not a sentence you hear every day.”

  “No, it isn’t. But, it’s not the craziest thing I’ve ever said to you either,” I replied in a playful tone as I handed the stack of papers to her.

  “True,” Pam agreed in between giggles as she reached into her bag for a pen. “That marriage proposal was pretty bananas. And, don’t even get me started on the whole you-used-to-call-your-mistress-by-my-daughter’s-name thing. That was fucking insane.”

  I rolled my eyes and signaled where her first signature should go. “Technically, I’ve never told you that. Vanessa did.”