Cruel & Beautiful

by A. M. Hargrove

  “I’m actually already late for a meeting. I have to run. Talk to my assistant if you can make lunch.”

  He steps into the elevator and is gone before I can respond. I walk over to the cube I’ve been using. Jeff is standing there flipping through papers. He glances up when I get close.

  “What’s the long face for?”

  I shake my head not wanting to get into the Ted debate with him. “I think this is my last day here.”

  “No, come work for me,” Jeff pleads dramatically.

  I smile. “I’m going to miss you all.”

  “We should do lunch.”

  I give him a tight smile. “I actually have plans. However, it’s not like my office is that far away. We can plan a lunch another time.”

  He leans in for a hug. “I’m going to miss you. I have to run to meeting, but promise you won’t be a stranger.”

  Then he’s off and I sit at my desk and boot up. While I wait to log onto the system, I dial Ted’s extension from the list posted on the wall. After short conversation, I learn that Ted is booked solid for the day and going out of town tomorrow. His only available appointment short of something late in the evening is lunch. The project deadline is tomorrow. I have no choice but to take the lunch meeting.

  Sighing, I make a call to Andy to give him the bad news.

  “Hey, I’m sorry but I have to break our lunch date.”

  “Something came up?”

  There’s hesitancy in his voice. I can’t get mad that he sounds as though he doesn’t quite trust me. I have been running from him the last few weeks.

  “I have a meeting that got rescheduled to lunch. However, that means I can probably swing leaving early. Why don’t I come to your place and bring dinner to make it up to you?”

  “You sure?”

  “Yes, I want to see you again.”

  His voice is more relaxed. “Then it’s a date. See you later.”

  “I’ll call you when I’m on my way.”

  The meeting with Ted turns out to only be two minutes. I end up e-mailing him the document at his request. He tells me he’ll be in touch if he has any questions and apologizes for breaking our lunch date. Our conversation almost seems sterile. Clearly, he’s moved on after my refusal to go to France with him, which isn’t a bad thing. I’m grateful we can remain cordial with no bad feelings either way.

  Ted makes up our missed lunch by paying for me, Jeff and the rest of the staff to go out instead. By the time I get to my office at the firm, Mandy follows me through my door.

  “You don’t call. You don’t write. I thought we lost you to Ted.”

  I turn and hug her. “I missed you too. How are things?”

  She spins in a whirlwind and sits in one of the chairs in front of my desk.

  “How are things? I’ll tell you how things are. Daniel is dating that redhead downstairs from the law office—Tammy. And she’s not good enough for him.”

  I sit on the edge of my desk and face her. “In other words, she’s not you.”

  “Exactly.”

  “I can’t say I blame him. You totally freaked after he spent that one night at your place. Then you pawned him off to other girls.”

  “Whose side are you on?”

  “Yours, but you have to see the part you played in this.”

  I have that déjà vu moment of saying words that have been said to me.

  “Fine,” Mandy says. “We’re going out Friday and finding me a new guy. And don’t say no. I see it in your eyes.” She holds up a finger. “You promised.”

  I sighed. “Fine. We’ll go out for drinks on Friday.”

  She stands and smirks. “I see someone isn’t in a dry spell anymore.”

  I open my mouth. She shakes her head. “Don’t say a word. Tell me on Friday. It will give us something to talk about other than Daniel. Anyway, I’m glad your assignment’s over. We missed you.”

  I spend the rest of the morning making sure my billable hours are in the system and I compose an e-mail to my boss about my two minute meeting with Ted. I currently don’t have any assignments, so I’m able to duck out a little early.

  At home, I take a quick shower and get dressed. When my cab arrives, I finish placing my takeout order to be delivered to Andy’s. The Thai place he recommended says it will be about forty five minutes. The ride to his place is just over thirty.

  I knock on his door and he opens it with grand smile.

  “Hey gorgeous.”

  “Hey you,” I say before lifting on my toes and giving him a quick kiss.

  When he asks me, “How was work?” it feels so domestic it’s as if I’ve arrived home.

  “Boring. I’d much rather have spent the day with you. What did you do all day?”

  He takes my coat and my skin feels electric everywhere he touches me.

  “I went to the gym, did some laundry, picked up my dry cleaning, boring stuff. I would have preferred being with you as well.”

  He kisses me as his hands slide down and rest at the small of my back. He pulls me closer and I can feel how happy he is to see me.

  I pull back far enough to say, “I ordered dinner on the way. It should be here in about fifteen minutes.”

  He grins. “I can accomplish a lot in fifteen.”

  “Is that a challenge or a dare?”

  His eyes twinkle and before I know it he’s kneeling before me. I run my fingers through his blond hair liking his blue eyes radiating up at me.

  We don’t speak. Holding eye contact with me, he pushes my skirt up my thighs. It might have been more practical for me to wear jeans since we didn’t have plans to go out. But I wanted to wear the garters because they make me feel sexy.

  When my skirt is bunched up at my waist, he tugs a little at the garters that hold up thigh highs. “You know I like these.”

  I bite my lips because I remember all too well.

  Then his mouth is on me. First through the fabric, then his breath heats my bare skin before he feasts on me. He’s good, so very good and easily gets me there. I let out an unladylike scream seconds before a knock sounds on the door.

  I cup my hands over my mouth as my eyes widen. My face gets hot as Andy grins at me, still on his knees. I point at him and then at the door.

  He laughs and gets to his feet. My feeble attempt at angry face is a massive fail because I’m flaming hot from embarrassment.

  “Just a minute,” he calls out and heads to the kitchen to wash his hands. He uses the towel to wipe his face and I duck in the shadowy hallway.

  I don’t worry about coming out of my hiding place because I’ve already paid by credit card over the phone. Andy only has to give the guy a tip. When the door closes, his guffaws have me narrow-eyed. He sets the bag down on the counter and comes to the hallway.

  “It’s not funny,” I try to say straight faced but blow it.

  “There is nothing to be embarrassed about. So you like sex. Who doesn’t?”

  “I screamed,” I say, feeling a little silly.

  “So what? You’re vocal about it. I like hearing you scream knowing I can do that to you.”

  He silences further protest with a long kiss. I can taste myself on his tongue as he presses me into the wall. His rigid cock rubs against me and I moan, wanting him inside me more than the delightful smells of the food.

  I reach behind me and unzip my skirt. I let it fall to the ground unceremoniously. Andy is in the process of undoing the button on his jeans when a knock sounds at the door.

  Andy frowns. “Maybe he gave me the wrong credit card copy. Stay right here.”

  I nod. I’m no longer embarrassed by the scream. I’m turned on to the point of not caring who sees me. Andy has a way of doing that to me. I curl a finger into my unders to take them off, ready for what’s to come. A man barrels past Andy.

  “Drew, my boy. I haven’t heard from you for over a week. That woman has you tied into knots. And you need to get out that funk. I brought food.” He holds up a bag. “And beer.�
� He holds a six pack of Yuengling with the other hand. “We can watch the Capitals play the Blackhawks. Or I have a hook up with a set of twins who live not too far from here if you’re ready to finally get laid. If we hurry, I can make that call and get them over here.”

  The guy finally looks up and even though the hallway is shrouded in darkness, it’s clear I’m not wearing pants. For a moment, I’m the deer and this stranger is hunter. I’m not sure who is more surprised.

  “Oh, you have company.”

  Everything happens so fast; Andy is already moving to block the guy’s sight of me as he was speaking. I have a vague memory of him the two times I briefly caught sight of him. I’m pretty sure he’s one of the friends Andy was with the night I was too plastered to get home by myself and at the masquerade ball.

  I crouch down and step in my skirt while six foot plus of Andy hides me somewhat. I’m so mortified I know I resemble a ripe tomato. When my skirt is zipped, I step up behind Andy. He glances over his shoulder before reaching for my hand and tugging me to step forward next to him.

  “Is this the one?” the guy asks. “She looks like the one we ran into twice. It’s her isn’t it?”

  “Yes. Mitch, meet Cate. Cate, this is Mitch, one of my friends from undergrad.”

  Mitch is slightly shorter but broader than Andy. He’s a decent looking guy with deep set dimples. However, he stands as if he has a chip on his shoulder. I’m not quite sure if he has a problem or if that’s his personality.

  “Nice to meet you,” I say reaching out a hand to him.

  Mitch just looks at it. Awkwardly, I drop my hand back to my side.

  “Cate, the one that left you in Charleston. Cate, the girl you came to Baltimore to forget. Cate, the girl you just happened to run into in DC. That Cate?”

  Even if he hadn’t said those words, the way he looks at me says he’s not my biggest fan.

  “Mitch, don’t start.”

  The guy looks dumbstruck. “Seriously? We don’t hang out much since undergrad. You show up in DC needing a place to stay for a while. Dave and I get you good and drunk and we hear this whole story about a girl who up and left you high and dry in Charleston. It takes a while to get your head out of your ass and move on, only for you to run into that girl again.”

  I should be insulted he’s calling me a girl, but everything he’s saying about me is true.

  “Now, she’s leading you around by the balls. If your mood is shit, I know she’s playing games with you. If you are in a good mood, then I knew she’s leading you around by your dick.”

  “That’s enough, Mitch. What I choose to do with Cate is my business.”

  “No, he’s right Andy,” I say.

  Mitch’s brows shoot up into his hairline. “Andy? What the fuck is up with that?”

  “Drew,” I say instead. “Maybe I should go.”

  “You should,” Mitch says.

  Andy cuts in. “No Mitch, you should go.”

  I don’t want to be the cause of problems with his friends. Mitch has a right to be angry. “No, I have work in the morning. I should leave.”

  “Unfortunately, nobody is going anywhere. Some freak storm that was supposed to miss us is pounding DC and headed to Baltimore to ram us up the ass. Maryland has declared a state of emergency. I’d already taken the exit off the highway when the snow started. I turned off Sirius to listen to local radio station and knew I was fucked. You’re stuck with us both.”

  I walk over to the window and I’m surprised by the amount of snow on the ground. It has only been less than a half an hour I’ve been here and the roads are already coated. Under the lamps that line the street, you can see that its coming down so thick it will be nearly a white out situation.

  “There’s a hotel in walking distance,” I hear Andy say, as I watch the snow with fascination.

  “So that’s how it is now. I put you up when you first get into town and you’re sending me to a hotel.”

  “I’ll pay for it.”

  I turn from the window. “No, Mitch should stay. I’ll go to the hotel.”

  “No fucking way,” Andy growls.

  Mitch and I both stare at Andy. It’s not often I’ve seen him angry. His stubborn jaw has nothing on the narrow eyes he gives Mitch.

  “Look,” I begin. “Mitch, you’re right. I made some poor choices with Drew.”

  “You’re damn right.”

  I breathe and let Mitch’s comment go for the sake of Andy. “I don’t want to be the cause of a disagreement between you two. Friends before lovers,” I offer like a peace pipe.

  “Bros before ho’s you mean.”

  “Fuck Mitch, stop being an asshole. Cate’s not going anywhere. If you want to stay, you’re going to be nice to her. You should start by apologizing. I’m a big boy. If I want Cate to keep my balls for me, that’s on me.”

  His words might have been comical if not for the tension that’s created a wall between Mitch and him.

  “I’m not wrong, so what am I apologizing for?” Mitch declares.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry to both of you.”

  I head toward the bathroom because I have nowhere else to go and I’m not crying in front of Mitch. I won’t give him that satisfaction. And If I leave the apartment, I will be running again and I promised Andy I wouldn’t run. I close the door and stare at myself in the mirror. I want to cry, but I won’t. If I plan to be with Andy, this won’t be the last time I have to deal with hard feelings. This will be only the beginning.

  I straighten my clothes by glaring at my reflection. I splash water on my face before I feel strong enough to go face the music. When I open the door, Mitch is there with his fist poised to knock.

  He sighs. “Cate, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

  I hadn’t cried. He’s mistaken my flush from rinsing my face, but I don’t correct him.

  “Drew was in a bad place after you… Anyway, you aren’t the bitch I thought you were. You could have called me all kinds of assholes out there. Instead, you took it. And that takes balls. They might be Drew’s that you’re holding.” He chuckles at his own joke. I say nothing. “All I ask is that you really consider what you’re doing. Guys have feelings too. He’s a good one. He deserves a good woman. If that’s you, well, all I ask is that you prove it.” He holds out his hand. “Deal?”

  I could have been a jerk and left him hanging like he’d done me earlier. However, I want to be with Andy. Mitch is his friend and it would be better if we could at least get along. I take his hand. “Deal.”

  Guys are strange. After our talk by the bathroom, Mitch sits down on the couch as if the last fifteen minutes hasn’t happened. Obviously knowing his way around, he’s made a plate of the Chinese food he brought and some of the Thai I ordered. I say nothing and watch the guys eat and drink with the game on after they ask if I would mind. How could I say no after being put in my place earlier?

  Andy has my legs draped over his lap so my feet rest on the middle cushion between him and Mitch. My thighs become his plate as he eats.

  While I struggle to chew the lukewarm food, they watch the hockey game take shape on the screen. Andy and Mitch banter about good and bad calls as I continue to force myself to swallow.

  “You see that Cate? We’re going to pull a win out of this one.”

  Mitch’s whole demeanor has changed. He grips my ankle as if we are the best of friends while his eyes remain on the screen. He squeezes before letting go and jumping to his feet as the buzzer sounds.

  Andy looks so alive, his face serene. The contentment of having me and his friend over is clear in his expression. I like the look there, so I smile when he faces me. His eyes darken and I sense he’s forgotten about the game and wants to focus on me.

  “You know where the other bedroom is,” Andy says as he stands up with me in his arms. “I’ve got rounds in the morning.”

  “You have to work,” I say dumbly. Of course he does. Hospitals never close.

  I’ve al
ready received a text from the office emergency system letting me know the office will be closed tomorrow.

  He glances down at me with a huge smile on his face. “Doctor’s work is never done. Why don’t we go play doctor?”

  Mitch snickers. “I bet all that doctor play you did as a kid influenced your job choice.”

  “I was good at it,” Andy says with a laugh and carries me into the bedroom.

  He sets me down on my feet and his face is sober. “My office will most likely be closed. However, the hospital won’t. In fact, because I live closer, I might get called in.”

  “Like you said, a doctor’s work is never done. But I didn’t bring a change of clothes.”

  His grin widens. “Great! You can sleep naked.”

  He’s already working on the buttons of my blouse.

  “Mitch is here,” I say playfully slapping at his hands.

  “I locked the door and he’ll probably fall asleep on the couch. I don’t have a TV in the other bedroom. He’ll stay out there watching Sports Center most of the night.”

  “Andy.”

  “Cate,” he says taking my hand and placing it on the hard length of him though his pants.

  “I don’t think I can knowing he’s out there.”

  Andy groans and lets his head falls back on his shoulder.

  The idea of me screaming with his friend in the other room is mortifying. “I do have a solution,” I say as I get to my knees and work his jeans down to his ankles.

  I do my best to suck him to the moon and back with hollow cheeks and humming noises. I know I’m doing a good job when he begins to lose control. He fists my hair in his hands and starts to fuck my face. It’s so hot, I decide to use my free hand to work out the pressure that builds in me.

  “Cate, baby, I’m coming.”

  His release is hot and salty and I take pleasure in swallowing it as I hold in the noise from my own pleasure. He frees himself from my mouth and pulls me to stand up.

  “Did you just get yourself off?”

  His eyes are husky on mine. I nod.

  “With this hand?” he asks as he takes my wrist.

  I nod again.

  He lifts my hand to his mouth and sucks my fingers.

  “Fuck, you taste good.”