Oh, Naughty Night!

by Leslie Kelly

  He grinned wolfishly, trying to pull her down to the bed.

  “Go! Get outta here. I can’t be late, I’m too new to my job and I’m saving my few days of leave for the week before Christmas.”

  “Does that mean you don’t want to share a shower?” His tone was so innocent, somebody who hadn’t showered with him might be fooled into thinking he actually meant bathing. But the last three showers they’d shared had ended up with one or the other of them pinned against the tile wall while they had hot, wet, steamy sex. They’d always run out of water long before they were finished washing.

  “No. I’m finished for now. You have serviced me well,” she said, tossing her head and sauntering away.

  She began to walk away, but he leapt up and followed, grabbing her from behind and putting his arms around her waist. He pulled her back against him, nuzzling her neck, trying to seduce her. “Serviced you, huh? I don’t know, there might be a spot left on your body I haven’t tasted yet.”

  She quivered against him, memory assaulting her. “No. There’s not. Trust me on this.” Oh lordy, there most definitely was not.

  He turned her around and caught her mouth in a kiss. She wrapped her arms around him, indulging in the kiss for as long as she dared, then stepped out of his arms and shoved him away.

  “Now, beat it. Take that ugly yellow shirt of yours and go home.” She offered in a tiny grin. “I’ll meet you back here in twelve hours.”

  He nodded his agreement as he tried to find his clothes, which were strewn around her room. “What’s the matter with my shirt?” he asked as he dug it out from under her dresser and picked it up.

  “It’s hideous,” she said. “It makes you look like a bumblebee.”

  “Gosh, you’re so tender and romantic after you’ve been shagged for four straight nights.”

  She stuck out her tongue at him, loving that they could go right back to being playful antagonists after being such intimate lovers. The last thing she wanted, when all was said and done, was to lose her newly found friendship with Chaz.

  Of course, she didn’t want to lose him as her lover, either.

  Hell, she just didn’t want to lose him. She wanted him in her life, in every way.

  They’d pretty much agreed that was impossible, and had hidden out specifically so they wouldn’t have to admit to the world what they were doing. As if they could just have a hot, secret fling that was nobody’s business but their own.

  Now, though, she feared it wasn’t going to be that simple. Or that she’d be satisfied with just a hot, mindless fling. Amelia and Viv had pointed the truth out to her last weekend, that she wanted more than that with Chaz, she’d just been forcing herself not to think about it. Especially since he’d given absolutely no indication he wanted more. His world-traveling feet were probably already itching to get back overseas, and her job would only get more demanding as she got more involved.

  Still, she couldn’t change how she felt. She dreaded him leaving, dreaded going back into her regular life, pretending nothing was different.

  The truth was, everything had changed.

  He was a part of her now, he’d claimed her, body and soul, and she honestly didn’t know how on earth she would ever return to being just Lulu, singular, and not part of Lulu and Chaz.

  For all their agreements and discussions the other night...she wanted him in her life permanently. And not just as an old family acquaintance and neighbor.

  She was falling in love with her friend.

  Lulu let herself think it and accept it as she showered, glad he’d kissed her goodbye and left before she’d gotten in the water. She doubted she’d have been able to get out and face him without showing everything that was in her heart and in her mind. She needed some time away from him in order to try to decide how to handle this.

  She could let it ride, just float along with what they were doing until they were exposed and forced to decide, for once and all, what they might mean to each other.

  But that seemed risky, and a little dishonest. She’d just promised him she wouldn’t lie or keep secrets. Then again, she hadn’t agreed to reveal every emotion the moment she had it.

  No, this was too new, too fresh and vulnerable. She had to nurture her feelings, let them develop, and then she’d figure out what to do. After all, she and Chaz had done a really good job over the past few days of starting a clandestine affair. They could keep it up for a while longer.

  She was smiling about that as she let herself out of her apartment and locked the door. He was meeting her in front of his house in a few minutes so they could take their usual walk to the train station. She looked forward to walking past the regulars at the station and on the train, knowing the two of them shared a secret unsuspected by anyone else in the world.

  “So, you and Chaz, huh? Figured that was coming.”

  Lulu almost dropped her keys as she spun around to see Peggy on the landing of the stairs, right down the hall. Dressed for work, the other woman had arrived at the perfect time to shock Lulu into utter stillness.

  She tried to brazen it out and play dumb. “I beg your pardon?”

  “Was it pardon you were begging for at about two o’clock Saturday morning? Because, I heard you yelling ‘please’ but I wasn’t sure what, exactly, you were asking for.”

  Lulu willed the floor to open so she could sink into it, but the damned wood and carpet remained in place.

  “I guess you were also praying for whatever it was you wanted, because I also heard a lot of ‘Oh, God’s thrown in there as well.”

  “I hate you.”

  The woman snorted with laughter. Someone else chuckled, too, and she watched as Marcia descended behind her wife, her smile just as broad, her wink knowing.

  “Did you two even come up for air over the past three days?” the petite brunette asked.

  Lulu buried her face in her hands. “This sucks.”

  “In case I haven’t made it clear,” said Peggy, showing no mercy, “your bedroom is sandwiched between ours above and Florence and Sherman’s below. And this old house has some thin walls.”

  “Has everyone been discussing my sex life this weekend?” she wailed.

  “Well, I don’t think the neighbors in the next building have mentioned anything, do you Marc?”

  Marcia tapped her finger on her cheek, as if in contemplation, and shook her head. “No, pretty sure they haven’t. But the day’s early yet.”

  Lulu’s eyes narrowed. “You do know that sounds travel both ways, but I’ve been far too polite to mention it.”

  “Hey, we’re married,” said Peggy. “Perfectly respectable. You... Damn, girl, if good old Chaz could make you scream that way, I’m half curious about what it would be like with a dude.”

  Marcia frowned.

  “Kidding honey,” said Peggy, slipping an affectionate arm around the other woman’s waist.

  Finally relenting, Marcia came over and took Lulu’s hand. “I’m sorry, she’s such a matchmaker, and we wanted you and Chaz together. We were so happy...but we shouldn’t have teased you.”

  “Please, don’t let on to him that we had this conversation, okay?”

  “Are you kidding? I want to give him a cigar or something,” said Peggy.

  “Oh, no, I’m begging you. He is adamant that nobody can know about this. It’s just so...complicated.”

  Marcia nibbled her lip. “Um, Lulu, there’s no way anybody who was sitting at that dinner table on Thursday didn’t know.”

  “That’s impossible.”

  “Well, maybe Heather. She’s as dumb as a brick,” said Peggy. “I don’t think Chaz’s hints that she should leave could have been any broader if he’d said, ‘Hey, girl, I want the other one, get out.’”

  That made her smile. She hadn’t asked Chaz about the specif
ics of what had happened after she’d burst out of his house the other day. But she was glad Heather wouldn’t be coming around anymore.

  “The others, though, well, everybody made a pretty obvious assumption about why you skedaddled, and why Chaz got so quiet afterward. Even his jabber-jaw sister shut up and hid her giggles.”

  “Oh, no, Sarah figured it out? She’ll tell his family, and his mom will tell my mom, and then they’ll start making in-law jokes, and then when Chaz and I fall apart, they’ll start trading insults and defending us. It’s freaking Sarah and Lawrence all over again.”

  Marcia hugged her. “I wouldn’t worry. I think your brother and Chaz’s sister are staying busy enough to keep their noses out of your business.”

  That probably shocked her more than anything else. Lulu’s jaw unhinged. “No way!”

  “If they didn’t crawl out of bed to come to Thanksgiving dinner, I’ll cancel my membership in the L-club,” said Peggy, snorting with laughter again.

  Lulu wanted to throw her head back and groan in frustration. That was all she and Chaz needed—more Sarah and Lawrence drama to get the families drawing up battle plans again.

  Then she thought about it a little more. If their younger siblings had resumed their relationship, they wouldn’t be anxious for anybody to hear about it, either. Meaning they’d have to do some quid pro quo. They couldn’t out Lulu and Chaz without risking their own secret.

  She hoped and prayed her brother would keep Sarah’s gabby mouth shut. Lawrence was very aware that his and Sarah’s breakup in high school had nearly ended a whole bunch of friendships, from grandparents on down, since everybody was friends with everybody in their small town. It had practically started a war.

  No, he wouldn’t risk it. And he’d keep Sarah quiet.

  Which meant she and Chaz should be safe for a little while. At least long enough to figure out what on earth they were doing and where they were headed.

  * * *

  CHAZ HAD NEVER been more tired...or more happy.

  For the past two weeks, he’d been working his usual schedule, but his nights had been very active and pretty sleepless.

  He just couldn’t get enough of Lulu. He tried, several times, to go home and spend a normal night, alone, to regain some distance and some sanity. He’d tell himself one night off wouldn’t kill him, that she had to be exhausted and getting tired of sex—women did, he’d heard.

  But not Lulu. Every time she had him, she wanted him again. Just as he did her. Maybe someday the intensity would wear off and they’d be able to go a few days without touching...but he had no idea when that day might come. For right now, neither of them were anywhere close to sated or tired of their intimate games.

  No matter how good his intentions, just the sight of her smiling at him from across the Metro train, or the sound of her laughter as they chatted during their walk home, would be enough to rev his engines. They’d part ways, pretending to be just commuting buddies, going into their respective buildings. Then one or the other would call, and he’d be at her place, or, more often, she’d be at his. They’d fall into bed, or on the floor, or on the kitchen table, and would lose themselves for hours in the kind of intense eroticism he’d never experienced before in his life.

  He just couldn’t get enough of her. When they weren’t in bed, all he thought about was getting her back there.

  Like right now.

  “Are you sure you don’t just want to go home and get naked?” he asked her.

  “No,” Lulu said, her tone scolding. She cast a look around to see if they’d been overheard in the store where they were shopping. “We have to get this done tonight. I don’t want to come back out in this again.”

  She’d invited him out to do some Christmas shopping. He’d said yes, even though he’d rather be back in the Middle East interviewing terrorists than braving a D.C. mall ten days before Christmas.

  Still, it had to be done. Plus he’d figured it would be a good chance to do something normal and nonsexual with Lulu. He loved spending time with her no matter what they did, and this seemed pretty laid-back and easy—in contrast to the rest of their relationship.

  And then she’d made the mistake of walking that sexy walk right in front of him. And she’d licked that Ben & Jerry’s ice cream cone, looking damned orgasmic with every taste.

  Hell, she just had to glance at him with that secretive, dark-eyed stare that said she was thinking of something she wanted him to do to her and shopping became the last thing on his mind.

  “I’m Christmased out,” he told her. “Why don’t you just get your mother a gift card?”

  “Stop whining, you big baby.”

  He sighed and shut his mouth, wondering how anybody could be expected to be cheerful here, in this high-end shopping mall filled with desperate-to-get-a-deal revelers.

  Cheerful music erupted from every speaker, bells rang, costumed elves darted about giving away prizes and breaking into carols at the least provocation. And the decorations...good grief, it looked like Christmas had crawled in here and died.

  But Lulu was smiling. Oh, that amazing Lulu smile.

  She passed money to the bell ringers, stopped to listen to every jingling elf’s song, had a smile and a “Merry Christmas!” for every clerk and salesperson. She loved the holidays, always had, as he recalled. While he was sick of being here, and bored to tears trying to offer an opinion on whether her mother would like the blue sweater or the gray, he couldn’t deny he was enjoying watching her.

  Happiness oozed from her, she radiated good cheer, and looked more beautiful than ever. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, and noticed just about every man they passed reacted the same way. He wanted to stake his claim on her, but as what? Her boyfriend? Her lover? Her friend with benefits? He had to get her out of the mall and back to the only place their relationship made sense—the bedroom.

  “Come on, babe, we’ve been here for hours. You must be wiped out.” He leaned close, putting his hands on her shoulders and gently kneading. “After such a long day of work, and fighting these crowds, don’t you want a nice back rub and a hot bath?”

  She sighed with pleasure, dropping her head back to lean on his shoulder, and for a second, he thought he had her.

  But she quickly jerked away and glared at him. “Stop tempting me! I have to finish my shopping. Lawrence and I are leaving Friday to drive out to my parents’ for the holidays, and I don’t want to even try to find gifts once we’re there.”

  He understood why, knowing the finest shopping establishment in their tiny hometown was a dollar store. But her comment reminded him of something else. “Are you sure you don’t want to wait until Saturday and ride out with me and Sarah?”

  She glanced away, studying a cashmere scarf, avoiding his gaze. “I think it’s better if we arrive separately, don’t you?”

  “Not really. Why wouldn’t we car pool? The families might think it more strange that we didn’t.”

  Meeting his eyes, she admitted, “I’m not sure I can sit in a car with you for four hours and not let on to Sarah and Lawrence that I’m imagining you naked or remembering what your mouth tastes like.”

  He swallowed hard. Her tone was utterly sincere, she was genuinely worried. But he couldn’t even think that far ahead. He could only think mouth, Lulu, and taste, and then wanted nothing more than to drag her out of here. He’d maybe get her as far as the car before he had to kiss the taste right out of her mouth.

  She read his mind, her face grew flushed, then she turned and grabbed a sweater—blue—and strode to the checkout counter.

  After that, she shopped with less enthusiasm, and he knew she was thinking naughty thoughts. She confirmed that when she led him, casually—but with definite purpose—toward a back corner of the high-end store in which they’d ended up. Chaz followed, seeing that look in her eye—
the daring look she’d worn on Halloween night. The look that said she was in the mood to do something outrageous, something dangerous. He could hardly wait to find out what.

  They got to a section of the store laden with racks of nightgowns, sexy panties, bras and other undergarments and he began to get the picture.

  “We’re not shopping for your mother anymore, are we?”

  “No, I’m all done. But I might have to buy you a present.”

  “I’ll have...this,” he said, gesturing toward a green silk teddy. “As long as it’s the wrapping and you are the present.”

  She ran her fingers across the teddy, and Chaz’s heart skipped a beat. When she tested the fastening of a garter belt, attached to a silky pair of hose on a mannequin’s leg, he gulped down a hearty helping of want.

  But then she picked up a filmy nightgown that had a front, a back, a bow connecting them on each hip, and absolutely nothing else. When she headed for the changing room, he walked after her like a panting dog.

  It was late on a weeknight, near closing time. The mall had been crowded—packed, actually—with holiday shoppers earlier in the evening. But the place had thinned out a lot in the last half hour. And this lingerie area, in the back corner of a huge anchor store, was deserted, the nearest register closed, the next a whole department away.

  Interesting possibilities presented themselves.

  “I think I should see that on you,” he said as he followed her around a corner and into the changing area. There was a lounge, with sofas and mirrors, where women could come out and view their selections from all sides. Or, he suspected, so men could view them—because the furnishings were masculine, and a sign said men were invited to sit and wait for their companions, but shouldn’t proceed past a certain point.

  He didn’t sit. He proceeded.

  Lulu glanced over her shoulder, spying him coming after her, correctly reading his expression, as he correctly read hers.

  “Can you help me unzip?” she asked, so innocent, so coy.

  “I’ll help you out of anything you care to take off.”