by A. T Brennan
“That’s to remind me that the hardest things in life can only make you stronger. I guess it’s a way to remember that life sucks sometime, but there’s life after death.”
“Wow. I’ve always thought about getting one.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but I have no idea what I’d get.”
“It’s a big decision. I kind of wish I’d been a little more careful with my first few, but hey, at least they turned out good.”
I laughed and snuggled against him. The more I learned about him the more I could see Jay was a gentle soul and a really great guy.
“I should go,” I said reluctantly. “It’s getting late.”
He looked like he wanted to say something, but just nodded.
“I’ll walk you home. How about you find your underwear and I’ll get another shirt.”
“You know, I was so distracted I didn’t realize I’m still wearing my shoes.” I giggled. “Maybe next time I’ll remember to kick them off.”
“Don’t you dare. I left them on for a reason.”
“You like them?”
“I like heels.” He nodded. “There’s something so sexy about a woman leaving her heels on when she has sex. Maybe it’s the look, but they make me very happy in the pants, if you know what I mean.” He tossed a grin over his shoulder at me as he pulled a shirt out of his dresser.
“Then remind me to wear heels every time I see you.” I found my panties and scooped them off the floor.
“Next time you come over just bring a pair. You can leave them here.”
“Really?”
“Why not? It’ll be easier for you if you’re not balancing on toothpicks all the time, and I’ll get to see them when you’re not here and remember how incredible you look in them.”
“I’m a size seven, so if you have some fetish about wearing women’s shoes, you’re barking up the wrong tree, bigfoot.” I pulled my panties on and stood up straight.
He laughed and shook his head. “No fetish. I just like to look at them and remember.”
“Okay then. Next time I’ll bring my sexiest pair.”
“Thank you to every higher power out there. My prayers have been answered.”
I laughed and took his outstretched hand. I loved how things weren’t awkward or strained between us. We were still able to laugh and poke fun at each other. Maybe this friends with benefits thing would work out for us.
Chapter Six
JAY
Even as I was walking Paige home I was torn. A part of me had wanted to ask her to stay, not so we could mess around again, but because I wanted to spend the night with her.
I’d slept with girls before, but that was usually out of convenience and not desire. If it was really late, I was drunk, or crazy far from my apartment I’d sleep over and then leave in the morning. It was relatively early, I was barely buzzed, and Paige lived less than twenty minutes away if we took our time.
I wanted to know what it would be like to sleep next to her. To hold her all night. I wanted to wake up with her, cook her breakfast and not rush to separate.
I’d been worried about her not being able to separate things but it looked like I was the one getting confused. After learning about her relative inexperience a part of me had wondered if she’d be able to be physical without confusing things and thinking there was more going on. She didn’t seem to be having any trouble, while I was thinking about breakfast and cuddling.
I didn’t know what it was about her but I’d meant what I’d said. I wanted her to be different from the other girls I’d had. I didn’t just want to fuck her, I wanted to know her.
We didn’t talk much as we walked toward her place, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. I’d never been one for talking just to fill the silence, and it would seem she wasn’t either.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” I asked when we reached her building.
“Nothing so far.” She smiled up at me. “I have homework I need to do during the day but that’s all I have planned.”
“Do you want to do something?”
“Sure. I’d like that.” She flushed and bit her lip. “Any idea what you want to do?”
“How about I work on that and I’ll fill you in tomorrow?”
“Will I have a say in it?” she asked, raising her eyebrow at me
“Nope.” I grinned. “You said it yourself, you try to control everything around you. Tomorrow you’re going to let me have control.”
She bit her lip as she looked at me. After a moment she gave me a brilliant smile. “Deal.”
“Good. I’ll text you tomorrow.”
“I’ll talk to you then.”
I bent my head and gave her a sweet kiss. When I pulled away I could almost still feel her lips on mine and couldn’t stop myself from tracing my fingers over her cheek.
She sighed at the contact, tipping her head slightly so she pressed against my fingers and that simple move made me grin.
“Tomorrow.” I dropped my hand and stepped away from her. If I didn’t I wasn’t sure I’d be able to leave.
I watched as she made her way into her building, and when she was through the security door I stuck my hands in my pockets and turned to head back to my place.
I’d thought being friends with benefits would be simple, but it would seem that nothing involving Paige would ever be simple.
PAIGE
“And?” Jules asked the minute I opened the door to the apartment.
“You’re home?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t feeling the club.”
“Any reason?” I came to sit with her on the couch. Jules wasn’t exactly a bar star, but she liked to party and she didn’t come home early very often.
“I’m kind of not feeling the whole scene right now. It’s the same thing every time. You go out, drink, dance, flirt and then either find someone or go home alone. The next time it’s the same—lather, rinse, repeat.”
“Do you think you want something more?”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “I thought not settling down or being with one person would be better for me, that I’d be able to move on...”
“But it’s not working the way you hoped it would?”
“No.”
“Why don’t you take a break for a while? If you meet someone then test it out, see if you’re ready to date again. If not then enjoy the time alone. You have friends, you have me.” I grinned. “You don’t need a guy to be happy.”
“I know.” She draped her arm over my shoulder and hugged me close. “Some days I think I’ve got it all figured out and then it’s like I don’t know what the hell is going on in my own head.”
“I know. I get that.”
“How did your night go?”
“It was...interesting.”
“Oh really?” She gave me a gentle shake. “Don’t leave me hanging.”
“Jay and I played a drinking game where we told each other truths about ourselves.”
“And let me guess, it went dirty in about five seconds?”
“Oh yeah.” I laughed. “I told him some pretty embarrassing truths.”
“And were his shocking?”
“A few were, but not for the reason you’d think.”
“Oh?”
I didn’t feel right telling her Jay’s truths. I didn’t know if they were secrets, but even if they weren’t it wasn’t my place to repeat them.
“Then we went to his place.”
“Tell me everything.”
“We kissed, he went down on me and then I watched him jerk off.”
Jules let go of me as her mouth fell open in shock. “Wow.” She shook her head. “That’s hot.”
“Yeah, it was.”
“How was he?”
“My toes actually curled. I didn’t know that was a real thing.”
“Nice. Good job, Paige.”
“What do you mean?”
“Most guys aren’t into the foreplay. You told me yourself your ex was the same as pretty much
every guy I’ve ever taken for a test drive. A little touching, maybe some fumbling and then they either want you to suck them off or let them shove it in.”
“He wasn’t like that at all. He didn’t even want anything. I had to ask him to masturbate for me.”
“You’ve got one of the good ones then.”
“He is pretty great.”
“Why didn’t you have sex? Did you want to take it slow?”
“He did.”
“He wanted to take things slow?”
“Yeah. He said he didn’t want to rush into sex with me because that was his pattern. He wanted me to be different.”
“Wow. And you guys are still just friends who fuck?”
“What else would we be?”
“Oh I don’t know, a couple?”
“No. We’re not together like that.”
“Are you sure? It sounds like you’re at least dating.”
“No.” I shook my head. “It’s not like that at all.”
“If you say so.”
“Do you need me to stay up with you?”
“Nah. It’s fine.” She nodded to the TV. “I think I’ll watch a little Magic Mike so I can dream of Channing Tatum.”
I laughed and gave her a hug goodnight. The way Jules watched that movie, fast forwarding through all the non-dancing parts, she’d be in bed in half an hour.
JAY
Jay: tell me a secret
Paige: I’m excited to see you again
Jay: I said tell me a secret, not to guess mine
Paige: Lol. Okay then. I’m afraid of butterflies.
Jay: that is beyond adorable
Paige: now you tell me a secret
Jay: I dreamed about you last night
Paige: did you now. Were we studying for finals or something ;)
Jay: lol not exactly.
Paige: don’t leave me hanging. What did we do in the dream?
Jay: you sucked my dick and then I fucked you so hard you forgot your own name
Paige: mmmm. I like the sound of that dream
Jay: it was a great dream
Paige: did you do anything about it when you woke up?
Jay: I took care of things
Paige: were you thinking about me?
Jay: I haven’t stopped thinking about you
Paige: well, now that I have that mental image. Are we still getting together?
Jay: you bet your ass we are. Two hours enough time?
Paige: more than enough
Jay: great. Then put on something sexy and I’ll pick you up in two hours
Paige: can’t wait. Maybe I’ll spend a little time thinking about you too....
Jay: you’re killing me
Paige: I’ll see you in two hours ;)
I stared at my phone and tried not to think of Paige spread out on her bed with her fingers deep in her pussy as she moaned in ecstasy. Unfortunately, the more I tried not to think about it the clearer the image became. It was kind of like that saying, when someone tells you not to think about zebras and then all you can think about is zebras...only I was thinking of my fuck buddy coming so hard she was screaming.
Shaking my head I tossed my phone aside and went back to the textbook in front of me. As much as I wanted to picture her touching herself and maybe do a little touching of my own, I really had to study. There would be plenty of time to picture her later, and hopefully hear her scream for me in person.
* * * * *
“Wow.”
“What? Is this okay?” Paige looked down at her outfit with a slightly concerned look on her face.
When she’d opened her door my jaw had literally dropped. She looked great in leggings and a shirt, had looked really hot in the slightly loose and flirty dress she’d worn yesterday, but today she was beyond smoking hot.
She was wearing a shimmery silver dress where the top was loose and almost conservative with its short sleeves and high scooped neckline, but at her hips the dress turned into a gathered miniskirt that ended about two inches south of her panties. She’d put on a pair of black cage heels, a chunky black beaded bracelet and was carrying a black purse. She’d added loose curls to her soft blonde hair so it framed her face, and her makeup was both smoky and subtle.
“It’s almost too perfect.” I could feel my cock hardening and was grateful my black pants were a little tight in the groin area so I didn’t pitch a tent. I’d figured I’d be popping boners all night so I’d dressed appropriately.
She flushed happily and glanced over her shoulder.
“Don’t you two make a pretty pair.”
“Hi, Jules,” I greeted when I looked behind her and found her roommate standing by the couch grinning knowingly at me.
“Hey, Jay. So what are you crazy kids up to tonight?”
“It’s a secret.” I grinned.
“Well, you two have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, and please do everything I would.” She winked at Paige and gave me sly grin.
“Later, Jules.” Paige laughed and looked back at me. “Ready?”
“Let’s do this.”
“You look really good.” She looked me up and down. “You’re the only person I know who looks amazing in all black.”
“Most people comment that it looks like I got dressed in the dark, or I look like I’m the lead singer of a goth metal band.”
She giggled and shook her head. “Maybe if you were wearing black eyeliner and polish I’d buy the musical frontman idea, but I know how much of a nerd you are.”
I laughed and reached out for her hand almost without thinking.
She smiled as she held my hand in hers, and I couldn’t help noticing how soft her skin was.
“So, where are we going?”
“I told you you’ll find out when we get there.”
“You’re killing me.”
“Now you know how I felt all day.”
She laughed and looked around as we left her building. “Are we walking or cabbing?”
“Neither.”
“Bus?”
“Nope.”
“Teleporting?”
“Driving.” I laughed at her blank expression and nodded to the car Jax and I shared. “You know that thing people do when they take their car somewhere.”
“You have a car?”
“Jax and I share one. It’s nothing fancy but our parents gave it to us so we could come home for holidays. Matt and Logan split one too.”
“Wow. My parents barely let me get my license. The only time I’ve ever driven was during my driver’s test.”
“That’s weird. Did they like being your chauffeur?”
“They preferred that I didn’t go anywhere.” She shrugged.
“Where’s home?” I asked, realizing I’d never asked.
“Roswell.”
I burst out laughing and she rolled her eyes.
“I promise you there’s nothing you can say that I haven’t already heard a thousand times.”
“Sorry, but for some reason it never occurred to me that people can be from Roswell. It always seemed like the place you go to, not come from.”
“Okay, that’s a new one. What about you?”
“Olympia, it’s about two hours away.”
“I haven’t left Seattle since I started here. Big town?”
“Big enough.” I shrugged. “It has everything you need and then some.”
We stopped in front of my car and I unlocked and opened the door for her.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked when I was settled in the driver’s seat.
“Sure.”
“You and Jax, where did you get your...”
“Complexions?”
“How did you know I was going to ask that?”
“A lot of people do. Matt and Logan are clearly Caucasian, and so are our parents. Jax and I obviously aren’t.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. I honestly don’t care I was just—”
“It’s okay.”
I smiled as I pulled out of the parking spot. “It doesn’t bother me and I know you don’t care. Our dad was Colombian and our mom was Puerto Rican. Our birth names are Jason Gael Martinez and Jaxon Enrique Martinez.”
“And you go by Robson now?”
“We tacked it onto our names. Martinez is now a shared middle name and our last names are Robson.” I glanced over at her. “You have a middle name?”
“Cornelia.” She laughed at my expression. “It’s a family name.”
“It’s...unique.”
“That’s one word for it.” She looked around as I drove. “Where are we going?”
“I told you, you’ll find out when we get there.” I grinned.
“Fine.” She huffed, looking absolutely adorable as she did.
“We’ll be there in ten minutes, then the torture will be over.”
“Okay. I can wait ten more minutes.”
We fell into casual conversation for the rest of the drive, and I was a little ashamed to say I spent far too much time looking down at Paige’s legs as I drove. Thankfully it was an easy drive, but I’d have to be more attentive to the task at hand on our way back.
“I’m confused.” Paige looked around as she stepped out of the car. “Where are we?”
“Parked.” I laughed and came around to her side of the car. “We have to walk a few blocks. You good to do it in heels?”
“I can run in these things if I need to.” She grinned and reached for my hand.
“Impressive as that is, I’m not planning on doing any sprints tonight so you shouldn’t need to demonstrate.”
A few minutes later our destination came into view and I glanced at Paige to see if this was either a great idea or the dumbest one I’d ever had.
“A burlesque club?” She glanced at me, her face blank.
“Yeah.” Okay, now I was leaning toward this being a stupid, stupid idea.
“Awesome.” She grinned, her entire face lighting up. “I love burlesque! I’ve always wanted to take a class.”
“Why haven’t you?”
“I have the rhythm of a baby elephant and the coordination of a newborn deer.”
I laughed at the mental image of her stomping and stumbling around and shook my head. “Well, you certainly didn’t seem to have any trouble when we danced.”
“Maybe not, but you were leading.” She grinned. “So that was your skills rubbing off on me.”
