Cut Short

by Julia Wolf

  “For safety reasons, right,” Joe echoed.

  Pulling me onto him so I straddled his lap, Joe kissed me. My lips parted for him, our tongues sliding against each other. Kissing Joe had quickly become one of my favorite things in the world. Sometimes, when we were together, we kissed for what felt like hours, and when we stopped, my lips were puffy and swollen, my cheeks red from his stubble. I loved those times. I couldn’t get enough of his mouth.

  Joe flipped us over so I lay under him, my arms around his shoulders. He kissed his way down my body, stopping at my breasts to lavish them with his tongue. I ran my hands through his hair as he licked and sucked each nipple, going back and forth between them as if he couldn’t make up his mind. He circled his tongue around my areola, then softly bit the side of my breast, making me whimper. Seeing my reaction, he took care to do the same to the other breast, then kissed down my stomach.

  He moved between my legs, kissing and sucking my inner thighs. “Oh my god, Joe,” I moaned. Then he licked me, ever so slowly, right up the center. He parted my folds with his fingers and his tongue dove deep into my wet opening. He swirled it around, making my back arch and my legs quiver. Then he moved up to my clit, licking me firmly, up and down, side to side, over and over and over. He made me so out of my mind, I could barely see.

  Just when I thought I couldn’t take any more, that I had to come or I’d die, he flipped me over again, pulling my hips up so I was on my forearms and knees with my head resting on the mattress, ass in the air.

  He dove back in, sucking on my clit gently as he slipped two fingers inside me, hitting me from a different angle. He curled his fingers forward, massaging that magic spot inside me that sent me straight out of my mind, and I came with a scream, head thrashing against the bed.

  As I rested my head on the pillow, trying to catch my breath, I heard Joe searching in the bedside drawer. I rasped, “You don’t need a condom. I’m on the pill. I just want you inside me. I need you.”

  Joe sucked in a breath and closed the drawer. He pulled me toward him, and I felt him hesitate at my entrance. I wiggled my hips. “In,” I demanded. He slowly pushed forward, and I gasped, still not used to the feeling of absolute fullness he gave me.

  “You feel so damn good. Too good.” He groaned as he slid all the way in. He held my waist as he moved slowly in and out of me.

  “More, Joe,” I panted, circling my hips against him. He took my order and moved faster, the front of him slapping against my ass.

  “Mmmmm, I could look at your body in this position all day.” I looked over my shoulder and saw Joe watching the way my ass moved as he slammed against it. Seeing the way my shape and my skin next to his captivated him made me feel even sexier and even more turned on.

  I moaned, teetering on the edge again. I tugged on my nipples, rolling them between my fingers as Joe played me expertly, like one of his instruments.

  He grew impossibly hard inside of me and began taking long, deep strokes, holding my hips with one hand, his other pressing on my clit.

  He had me on my knees, chanting his name and worshipping the things he did to my body. When my orgasm came, it was a rocket through stained glass, breaking me into thousands of tiny, beautiful pieces. And Joe followed me over, his pieces blending with mine, both of us shattered together.

  I collapsed with him inside me, and he lay half on my back, half on the bed. We lay like that until our pants turned into soft breaths. Joe pulled out of me and rolled off my back.

  “I like this bed,” I said.

  “My bed is your bed,” Joe replied.

  I smiled at him and repeated what I had said earlier about the bathtub. “You better remember you said that. One day, you’re going to come home, and I’ll be here, sleeping in your bed.”

  He chuckled. “And I’ll be so angry, I’ll just have to spoon you until I fall asleep next to you.”

  I scooted over so I practically lay on top of him. We lay together for a while, Joe stroking my back and me just enjoying the feeling of his body against mine.

  “I wonder if I could find the constellations in your freckles,” he said softly.

  I smiled up at him. He studied the spots on my shoulders, playing connect the dots.

  “I’m glad you like them. They’re kind of an integral part of me.”

  “I love your freckles. I like every part of you.”

  We were quiet for a while, then I sighed. “It’s late. I should go.” I started to sit up, but Joe pulled me back down.

  “Why would you go?” He had a puzzled expression on his face.

  “Um, I wasn’t sure…” I started, not knowing how to complete that statement. Maybe I should have said, I’m not sure, with a full stop. Because before tonight, Joe had slept at my place. I didn’t know what the protocol was for sleepovers at his house, and I thought I should leave before I wore out my welcome.

  “Do you not want to stay here?”

  I shook my head. “I do, but I didn’t want to assume anything.”

  He cupped my face. “Assume everything. I want you here. I don’t particularly like being apart from you. Most days, I have to stop myself from going to the salon, scooping you up, and bringing you back here.”

  I smiled tentatively. “I want to be with you all the time too, Joe. But this whole adult relationship thing is new to me, so I’m nervous about overstepping my bounds and scaring you away. I’m also nervous about diving head first into all this and not knowing when to come up for air. Basically, I don’t want to screw this up.”

  “I don’t either. Let’s just do what feels right, and I think we’ll be okay. And as someone who has had a few other ‘adult relationships,’ I think we’re doing pretty great so far.”

  I hugged him hard. He had said exactly what I needed to hear. I would try really hard to listen to my gut and to Joe. If he said he wanted me there, then I would stay. He had never been shy about assuming he could spend time at my apartment, and I loved that, so I would assume I was welcome at his house unless he told me otherwise.

  “You’re such a good boyfriend,” I said quietly into his ear.

  He pulled back to look at my face. “That’s the first time you’ve called me your boyfriend.”

  I let out a short laugh. “Huh. You’re right. Is it weird I called you that?”

  “Why would that be weird? I fucking love hearing you call me your boyfriend. I tell everyone I meet about my sweet, hot, redheaded girlfriend.” Joe wiggled his eyebrows at me.

  “She sounds great. Who is she? I’d like to meet her,” I joked. “And now I’m picturing you wandering around Main Street telling everyone you pass you have a girlfriend with red hair.”

  Joe nuzzled my hair. “You forgot the hot and sweet part. I always mention that.”

  I snuggled into his chest and stayed quiet for a moment. Then I asked, “Since we’re on the topic of your ‘adult relationships,’ I’ve been curious about you and Celia. I assume it was serious since you lived together.”

  He sighed and stroked my hair. “We were together for almost two years, lived together for one. I wouldn’t say it was serious, though. Celia and I liked each other, enjoyed each other’s company, but we had very separate lives too. I guess I would characterize what we had as a placeholder until we figured out what came next.”

  Joe’s description of his previous relationship startled me. That stupid niggling voice in the back of my mind wondered how he would describe us to a new girlfriend if he and I ever broke up. Just the thought of him having another girlfriend made me nauseous.

  Joe must have sensed where my mind was going. “That is not at all how I feel about us. This is the real deal. You know that, right?”

  I lifted my head from his chest and met his eyes. I nodded, because even though I didn’t have a lot of experience, I had a feeling what Joe and I were starting was going to be epic.

  Joe pulled me onto him and we dove at each other, showing each other with our mouths, hands, and bodies how real we really were
.

  Twenty-Six

  “Oh god, that feels so good,” I moaned quietly. “Mmmm, I needed this so badly.”

  “Easy there, tiger,” Frannie said.

  I laughed. “I can’t even tell you how long it’s been since I had a pedicure.”

  “Believe me, I know. I’ve seen you in flip flops. Your toes were tragic.”

  I leaned my head back. “Thanks for forcing me out of the house today. Since Joe is with his parents, I planned on being a hermit. But getting pedis with you was a much better idea.”

  Sticking with the promise I’d made to myself, I hadn’t let myself get completely lost in Joe. I still went to the wine bar with Eliza and Frannie after work, although admittedly a lot less than before. Joe had joined us once, and it had been gratifying to see how well he got along with my girls. I even had a couple crazy nights out in Baltimore with Frannie and Laurel, though sleeping on their couch wasn’t nearly as nice as sleeping in Joe’s big bed.

  “Why didn’t you stay at Joe’s house and meet his parents? Not that I’m not happy to have you all to myself, but I don’t get it.” Frannie watched me from the pedicure chair next to mine, waiting for my answer.

  “He asked me to. But he’s just going to be busy working on a project with his dad, so I didn’t want to be in the way,” I told her.

  “Rachel…”

  “What? That’s the reason! Of course, the other reason is that the idea of meeting Joe’s parents terrifies me. That is a big step.”

  Frannie rolled her eyes. “A big step? Come on. You two practically live together, and you’ve said Joe is close with his parents. Of course he would want you to spend the day with them.”

  She was right. “Crap. Did I mess up?”

  Frannie shrugged. “Joe seems like a laid-back dude. I’m sure it’s fine. But I don’t want you running, Rachel.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want to run. I just get scared sometimes and live inside my head way too much. Being with Joe is so easy. What if his parents hate me? Then what?”

  “Girl, you’re looking for trouble. I have told you before, and I’ll say it again. You are sublime. Why in the world would his parents hate you?”

  My eyes welled up, so I rubbed them with the back of my hand. “You’re too good to me, Frananas.”

  She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Especially since you call me that all the time.”

  “Stop being so bananas and I won’t call you that,” I replied, smiling. “I don’t actually think Joe’s parents would hate me. Well, ninety-eight percent of me doesn’t. I guess I’m looking for excuses not to get closer to him in another way.”

  “You know I don’t mess with relationships, so all of this is confusing to me. But why, sweetie?” Frannie asked.

  “Maybe I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. How can everything always be this good?”

  “It won’t be,” Frannie stated.

  I snorted. “Well, thanks for the confidence booster.”

  Frannie laughed. “No, I just mean that even though you and I love and adore each other, we’ve still had spats and occasionally one of us gets annoyed. The same will happen with you and Joe, but you’ll still love and adore each other too.”

  “All done, miss,” said my nail technician brightly. I followed her to the drying table to make sure my newly pink toes dried before I left. Frannie joined me a minute later.

  I turned to my friend and picked up the conversation where we left off. “I don’t actually know if he loves me.”

  “I’ve seen you two fools together. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is,” she replied.

  “But wouldn’t he say it if he felt it?”

  “Have you said it?”

  I looked down at my feet and shook my head. “Well...no. But I can’t put my feelings on the line like that with him. He crushed me so badly before, and we weren’t any more than friends. If he doesn’t love me the way I love him, I’ll be devastated. Like not showering, not eating, binge-watching Gilmore Girls for days devastated.”

  “We can’t have that! So just wait, enjoy your man, and be happy.”

  “That is surprisingly excellent advice from someone allergic to relationships,” I told her. We left the nail salon and walked down the strip mall to Starbucks. I ordered my usual iced coffee and Frannie got a giant S’mores Frappuccino.

  I watched her in wonder as she licked whipped cream off her straw.

  “Enjoying yourself over there?” I laughed.

  “Mmmhmmm.”

  “So what have you been up to lately?”

  She took a big gulp of her frozen drink, looking a little nervous. “Don’t laugh at me, okay? I’ve been dancing.”

  My eyes widened in surprise, and Frannie looked incredulous at my reaction. “Did you think I meant stripping?” she asked.

  I shook my head vigorously. “Of course not, it’s just…”

  She laughed and held up a hand. “You totally thought I just admitted to being a stripper!”

  I hung my head in shame. “I admit it. I kind of did. What kind of dancing are you doing?”

  “Mostly modern and lyrical. I kind of danced professionally before I started doing hair,” she said.

  “What?” I whisper-yelled.

  This was all news to me! I knew she loved it, and I guess in the back of my mind I assumed she’d had some dance training because even when we went to clubs, her movements were graceful and fluid. I loved watching her move and was more than a little jealous of the control she had over her body.

  She nodded. “Yeah, I danced with a modern company for two years after high school. Dancing didn’t work out professionally, but I’ve missed it so much. An old dance friend opened a dance school in Baltimore and I’ve been taking classes a few times a week. It feels really good to be doing it for love, not money. I’m just happy.” She shrugged nonchalantly.

  I leaned over the table and hugged her. “I can’t believe you never told me any of this! But I’m happy you’re happy. Do I get to come to your recital? Will there be tutus?”

  She laughed and shook her head. “No recitals! I will wear a tutu if you’d like to see that, though.”

  When I got back to Tiber City, I impulsively headed to Joe’s house instead of my apartment. I rang the doorbell nervously, not sure what his reaction would be to my surprise visit.

  A tall woman in khaki shorts, a 5K race T-shirt, and bare feet answered the door. She smiled questioningly and said hello. Then her smile stretched across her face, and she reached out her arms for me. “You have to be Rachel!”

  I grinned and hugged Joe’s mom. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Silver,” I said when she pulled back.

  She laughed lightly. “Oh come on, I’m Linda. Mrs. Silver was my mother-in-law.” She led me inside, and called out, “Joe, there’s a surprise here for you!”

  She turned to me. “Joe told us you were busy with a friend today. I was really disappointed I wasn’t going to meet you.”

  I pointed to my toes and wiggled them. “My friend Frannie and I went for pedicures and coffee this morning. If you would have seen my toes, you’d understand why I had to go.” We laughed. “I’m glad you’re still here, though. I’m happy to meet you.”

  We talked about Joe’s house and how much she loved the furniture I’d helped him pick out. I told her a little about Tiber City and my favorite stores, which I promised to take her to another day. Joe’s mom reminded me of him: friendly, laid-back, and quick to smile and laugh. I liked her immediately.

  “I guess Joe didn’t hear me call. Let’s go surprise him,” Linda said. Joe and his dad were in the kitchen putting up a backsplash he and I had picked out together. When we walked into the room, both men’s backs were to us, and Joe leaned over the counter, pressing the tile into the wall.

  “Jo-Jo, look who’s here,” his mom announced. My heart warmed at the nickname. I’d have to remember that for another time.

  He turned around, and when his eyes met mine, a huge grin split
his face. “Rachel!” He walked over to me and pulled me into a hug. He held me as if he hadn’t just seen me that morning. “I’m really fucking happy you decided to come back,” he whispered against my ear. I pulled back and nodded, also feeling really fucking happy with my decision.

  “Awww, you two are adorable,” said Linda. “Rachel, this is my husband, Perry.”

  “Glad to meet you, Rachel,” boomed Joe’s dad. Even taller than Joe, he had the same blue-gray eyes and olive skin as his son. He patted me on the back with his baseball mitt of a hand.

  “I’m happy to meet you too, Perry. Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked.

  He shook his head and said in his baritone voice, “I think Joe and I have it covered.”

  “I can’t grout until tomorrow, so I think we’ll be done pretty soon,” Joe added.

  Linda put her hand on my shoulder. “I was ironing the drapes for the guest bedroom. Want to keep me company?”

  I sat on the guest room bed as Joe’s mom ironed the curtains. We discussed the fact that she ironed most of her clothes. She told me if she felt ambitious she even ironed her sheets. I had left my iron behind in the divorce, so I lived on the edge without one.

  “You know, I remember Joe talking about you a long time ago,” Linda said, without looking up from her task.

  “Oh, you mean in the spring?” I was puzzled about what she meant.

  She laughed. “No, no. When Joe was in college, he talked about you a lot. I got on him for spending so much time at the computer when he came home for the summer, typing away until all hours of the night. I guess he was talking to you?”

  I smiled sheepishly. “My mom threatened to unplug my computer many times if I didn’t get off. I can’t believe he talked about me to you. That’s really funny.”

  “I’m glad he had you to talk to. That summer was rough for all of us.” She shook out one of the drapes. “I always wondered what happened when he didn’t bring you up anymore, but I’m really excited for the both of you that you found each other again. And I’ve got all my babies in one state again.”