Stuck in Between (Bound by Your Love)

by Bennett, Blakely

  Bond and Red followed me out.

  “Come in, the water’s great!” I said, splashing in their direction.

  They both stepped back to avoid getting wet.

  “I’ll join her,” Charlie said, putting out his cigarette.

  “No!” Both Red and Bond yelled. They looked at each other, and back to me.

  “Okay, no problem, guys. I was just trying to be friendly.” He strolled back into the house.

  “Get out of the pool, Jacqs,” Bond ordered.

  I floated on my back, looking at the stars. Maybe I was a bit more than tipsy because I completely enjoyed pissing off Bond, and, being completely honest, Red too. I had spent so many days and nights lamenting my relationship with Bond that my new found strength, alcohol induced or not, felt amazing.

  “There are many beautiful women in your house looking for a good time. Why don’t you boys go and have fun? I promise not to drown.”

  They both stood with their arms crossed like they were my father instead of my lover and a potential one.

  “We aren’t leaving until you get out,” Bond said.

  “Well then, pull up a lounge and have a seat.” Diving under the water, I did a handstand and circled around to the surface. After dipping my head back to smooth out my hair, I reached underneath the water. I pulled off my panties, squeezed out the water and threw them to Red. He caught them out of the air. Both Bond and Red seemed at a loss of what to do with me and I felt powerful.

  I swam to the deep end of the pool, pulled myself up over the rocks and slid into the Jacuzzi. Dutifully, they followed me around and sat on the edge.

  “Now you don’t have to worry about me drowning,” I said, smiling up at them.

  “Please get out and I’ll drive you home,” Red said.

  I liked that idea. It would give us a chance to make out again. “What about my car?”

  “You can get it tomorrow,” Bond said.

  “I’m supposed to be at Lainie’s by twelve,” I said, although I didn’t know for sure the final plans.

  “I’ll come get you in the morning,” Red said. He seemed to plead with me with his green eyes.

  “That seems like a lot of driving when I can just crash in your bed or you can sleep on my couch.”

  “Someone will have to hold your hair back,” Bond said.

  I splashed him in response. “I have no intention of getting sick.”

  “Red can drive us both to your house and pick us up in the morning,” Bond said.

  “Maybe I haven’t been crystal clear, but I have no intention of spending the night with you, Bond. You were silly to send Blondie on her way.”

  “I can drive you and Bond to your place,” Red said.

  My anger spiked and I thought I might cry. “Fuck you, Red and your ride. I’ll sleep for a couple of hours and drive myself home. Damn, I’m just a stupid woman, aren’t I?” I stepped out of the swirling water and stomped around Bond and Red to my clothes. I wrapped myself in the big, fluffy, white towel and took my clothing with me.

  Tears trailed down my face as I ran up the stairs to the bathroom attached to Red’s bedroom and locked the door behind me. I knew the guys followed because I could hear them arguing outside the door. I rinsed off in the shower and washed the last of the makeup off my face. After re-dressing, I inhaled deeply and opened the door.

  “Where’s Bond?” I said, looking around Red.

  “I told him to give you space, and he listened for a change.”

  “I’ve had my fill of you both.”

  “What I said was ill-conceived and stupid. I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t know what to think,” I said, shaking my head. “You hurt me, Red. Don’t do it again. Don’t think because I’ve been willing to put up with Bond’s crap that I’m willing to let another man make me feel less than I am. I can’t, I won’t.”

  “I promise you, that’s the last thing I want to do.” He hugged me, and I mellowed. Staring down at me he said, “You’re always beautiful, but I like you best without makeup.”

  “I don’t know if I should be pissed off or flattered. Why all those other women? Tall, heavily made up, adorned with the latest fashions and jewelry? I don’t understand you.”

  “That takes time, Jacqs. Let me take you home and tuck you in.” Stepping around me into the bathroom, he reached for a towel. “Your hair is still wet.” He wiped away a drop on my forehead and pressed my hair between the folds of the towel.

  “Thanks. And what happens tomorrow?”

  “I’ll have a reason to see you again.”

  “Hmm, how long can you stay?”

  A huge smile spread across his face and he stooped down to kiss me. He pushed me back against the wall and helped me to escape from my life and problems with his lovely soft full lips.

  “Hmmmm,” I moaned.

  He made it impossible for me to think. In his arms, I became emotion and sensation, and I wanted to see how far he could take me. His firm kiss left me mesmerized and titillated, and when he bent his knees and pushed his hardness against me, a louder groan unwittingly escaped.

  “Shh,” he said. “We better get moving or Bond will come looking for us.”

  “Okay, can you tell the gang we’re leaving? I’ll meet you out front.”

  “Sure.”

  I skipped down the stairs and headed straight for the front door. “Shit,” I said. My cell phone lay on the counter in the kitchen. Not really wanting to deal with anyone, most especially Bond, I begrudgingly headed back into the heart of the house.

  I practically ran into Red, who held my phone in his hand. “Thank you,” I said as he handed it to me.

  “Let’s go,” he said, clutching my free hand and pulling me along.

  We rode in silence on the way to my apartment and I praised the universe that I had the sense to clean earlier. It seemed like the longest day of my life.

  Once we arrived and I showed him where to park, he helped me down out of his SUV. I was grateful for the assistance.

  “Welcome to my humble abode,” I said as I unlocked and opened the door. I flipped on the hall light, and Red followed me inside.

  “It suits you. Cute and bohemian. And, by the way, that ass of yours—so round and sexy—I wanted to bite it, leaving my mark.”

  “I wondered if you’d noticed,” I said, pivoting to face him.

  “I’ve actually noticed for a long time.”

  “You didn’t come in and swim.”

  “I didn’t think Bond would appreciate it, but we will definitely do it together soon.”

  I smiled and pirouetted.

  “Ballet class?”

  “Years of it.” I backed up against the kitchen counter.

  “That must account for your high, round buttocks.”

  “Maybe,” I said.

  “I also noticed you sitting on my counter, your feet dangling. I wanted to do this,” he said, lifting me up onto the island behind me. He spread my legs bringing his clothed cock right up against the V in my jeans. “Perfect fit just like I imagined.”

  “You’ve had a lot of naughty thoughts, haven’t you?”

  “Too many,” he said. “You have been torturing me for years, I’m done waiting.”

  Curling my finger to beckon him closer, I said, “You’re not exactly done waiting. If you were, you would tear off my jeans, which you know have no underwear beneath them.”

  “You’re still determined to torture me, aren’t you?” he said, hovering close.

  “That’s the plan!”

  “It only makes it slightly easier with your jeans on.”

  I hopped off the counter, shed my pants and hopped back up. I giggled but could also feel my mind wagging her finger at me. That time, I banished her to the corner. Alcohol is a great liberator and I was having way too much fun to stop.

  The energy around us vibrated as he yanked my top over my head, leaving me naked. My nipples tightened when he pulled my pussy right up to the edge and lowered him
self down on his knees. Nipping his way from my knee, up my thigh, he spread my legs wide and breathed across my wet and throbbing pussy. He ran his thumbs around my labia as he gave my other leg the same treatment.

  Gazing down on him, in the throes of growing passion, I cupped his head in my hands and brought him to the promise land. “Oh lord, yesss,” I hissed as he licked my clit for the first time. Even his tongue felt huge. I forced his face closer so he would do it again. “Please,” I begged.

  “You don’t have to ask twice.”

  I couldn’t keep from wriggling while he ran his tongue from my wetness to my throbbing peak.

  “Your taste … your smell … so much better than I even imagined.”

  His hands kneaded my thighs and his fingers played at my opening while he kept his flicks and strokes slow and sensuous. I still held his head, but he needed no direction. The width of his tongue caused him to hit all the right spots. Gently and slowly he manipulated my clit as if savoring my essence. It had been so long since I had experienced that kind of attention, and I wished for it to last forever. The delicate dance of his tongue caused my climb to continue to greater heights.

  He penetrated my pussy with his thick finger and swirled it around as he continued his oral saltation. Removing it he said, “So exquisite, you must taste for yourself.” He held his finger up to my mouth and I licked it clean. The desire flared in his green eyes, and he said, “Oh, Jacqs, I’m so hard it hurts.”

  As he resumed his lovely oral torment, I didn’t feel rushed to climax. He allowed the sensations to rise and overtake every inch of my body. Trembling swept over me as he edged me ever closer to my orgasm.

  “Oh, oh, oh,” tumbled uncontrollably out of me. “Oh Red, please don’t stop. Oh, it’s so, so good.” I finally yelled, “Pleassseee,” as my release escaped and exploded with such fierce intensity that my eyes watered. I could hear myself shout, but it sounded like it came from someone else. Transported away from myself, I floated in the ethers, never wanting to come back down to earth.

  As I crumbled forward, he stood, catching me up in his arms. He allowed me the time to recover before he lowered his mouth to mine, sharing the juices that still lingered on his lips.

  “Hmmmm,” I moaned into the kiss.

  “We must stop or I’ll take you right here, right now. Have I mentioned how much I like your little moans when we kiss?” Lifting me into his arms he carried me to the bedroom.

  “I can walk, you know,” I whispered.

  “I’m well aware. Let me take care of you. I’ve wanted to for so long. So much so, that I’m betraying the man who has been my best friend since childhood.” Folding the covers down, he placed me on the bed and tucked the sheet around me.

  “You haven’t completely betrayed him,” I said, curling on my side.

  “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

  “Probably not,” I said, yawning.

  He sat down beside me, pushing my hair away from my face. “In the morning, you might regret what we’ve done … when the alcohol has worn off, but at the very least, be interested in getting to know me, as a man, aside from my friendship with Bond. I know I’m asking a lot, given our past, but we need each other.”

  “Mmmhmm,” I said, drowsy from the day, the alcohol I’d consumed, and the exquisite orgasm. I melted into the bed and started to drift off. “I get to see you tomorrow,” I mumbled, smiling and then yawning again.

  “That you do.” He kissed my forehead and let himself out.

  As soon as the door shut, I realized I needed to pee. I shuffled to the door, locked it and plodded back through the bedroom to the bathroom. After peeing and brushing my teeth, I collapsed into my bed and slept soundly.

  *****

  “Oh hell!” I said as I sat up and looked at the clock, 9:34 a.m. My head pounded, and I needed water desperately.

  I barely had time to shower, dress, and eat before Red would be back. Red? Shit what had I been thinking? A rush of pleasure shot through me when I remembered his kisses and the way he had made me come. So, so hard.

  Before Bond, I didn’t think I could orgasm with a man. I never had, and it even took months for Bond to accomplish it. I figured I must have a finicky clit that only I knew how to work. Bond never cared for cunnilingus, and I usually felt self-conscious letting someone new go down on me. I had to assume that my lowered inhibitions from the alcohol worked in Red’s favor. At any rate, it was one of the best orgasms of my life, and it would be hard to forget.

  My gut twisted in guilt over the thought of Bond finding out. Part of me wanted to hurt him in the ways he had hurt me over the years. At the same time, I loved him more than a brother or best friend and knew there was something in his past that kept his heart locked away. Could I stop thinking that I held the key?

  I slogged to the bathroom, downed two cups of water and three ibuprofen and waited for the shower to warm up.

  Afterwards, I dressed and sat on the couch with a bowl of cereal. The ibuprofen had kicked in, lessening my headache, but I would still need my shades thanks to all the hard lemonade I had consumed.

  I had no idea what to do about Red. It seemed unwise to date within our group, let alone Bond’s best friend. I should have had him drop me off at Lainie’s the night before. My common sense screamed, “Stay away from the big oaf.” My confused emotions told another story. The kissing, the orgasm, and the tenderness he showed me swirled in my brain, leaving me totally confused.

  I heard a familiar pounding on my door and thought, Fuck! Bond had come too.

  Dragging myself to the door, I opened to find both Bond and Red. Red stood behind Bond, looking apologetic.

  “You ready to go?” Bond asked, strolling into my apartment and looking around.

  I wondered if he expected to find someone there with me.

  “Let me grab my sunglasses and bag,” I said.

  Bond decided to use the car ride to talk me into going to his family’s shindig.

  “I already told Lily that you might come next Saturday and she really wants to see you.”

  “That’s not fighting fair, Bond,” I said from the back seat of Red’s vehicle.

  “All is fair in love and war.”

  “I think we disagree on which we’re in.”

  “Very funny, Jacqs. Come on, you’ll be doing me a huge favor, and we can escape early and go to Red’s afterwards.”

  I could see Red through the rearview mirror, and couldn’t decipher his expression.

  “Fine,” I said, mostly out of guilt. Part of me wanted to rub Red in Bond’s face, but the other half of me felt ashamed by my behavior.

  We rode the rest of the way in silence. I planned to leave Red’s place immediately, putting off having to deal with either of them. Lainie might not be thrilled with me showing up early, but I had no idea what to do or even what I wanted to do. Hanging around them, with my head pounding, seemed like unwarranted torture.

  Once we arrived at Red’s, I said, “Thanks so much for driving me home and back. I really appreciate it.”

  “Will you be here on Wednesday?” Red asked.

  “Yeah, she’ll be here. She’s driving me,” Bond said.

  “I haven’t decided yet, Bond.”

  “Wait a minute—” Bond said.

  Ignoring him, I carefully climbed out of the SUV and walked down the street to my car.

  *****

  Lainie lived on the second floor of a walk-up condo on the Intracoastal about ten minutes away from Red’s house. Settled in her life, or it seemed that way to me, the only thing missing for her was the illusive good man. But unlike me, she seemed undaunted in the quest. She managed to keep a positive regard for the possibilities. I imagined she would one day make a brilliant wife and an even better mother. She loved kids and had the abundance of energy necessary to raise them. I had real doubts if I had it in me to be a good mom. My experiences with my sister left me unenthusiastic.

  “Wake up!” I said, banging on Lainie�
�s door. I waited and pounded again.

  “Who is it?” Lainie said, and I could hear from the tone in her voice that she was not happy.

  “It’s me, Jacqs.”

  “What the hell, girl!” she said as she unlocked the door and held it open for me.

  “I’m so, so sorry to wake you,” I said, skirting passed her. “Go back to sleep and I’ll just hang out in the living room until lunch time.”

  She kept her place immaculate, not a pillow out of place, but it still managed to have a relaxed and lived-in feel. Over the years, it had become my second home.

  “What time is it?” she asked.

  I checked my phone and said, “Ten forty-five.”

  “Are you okay? You don’t look okay.”

  “It’ll keep for another hour. I just didn’t want to hang out at Red’s until we were supposed to meet.” I put my bag down on the counter.

  “I thought you were sleeping there.”

  “Yeah, well that’s part of a long story.”

  “Well, I’m up now,” she said, entering the kitchen and starting a pot of coffee.

  “I need you to promise to stay calm and not ream me out.”

  She turned to face me with her hands on her hips. “That doesn’t sound good. Not good at all. Please don’t tell me you fucked Bond again.”

  “No, but he wanted to, well sort of, I don’t know, it’s a big mess and I need help sorting through it all.”

  “But I’m not going to like it?”

  “Not in the least,” I said, shaking my head.

  “Let me get some coffee into me first.”

  “Damn that smells good. Yeah, I could use a cup myself.”

  We settled ourselves on the overstuffed, beige couch, and I huddled in the corner facing her.

  Lainie took a sip of her coffee and said, “Okay, spit it out already.”

  “I’m not sure where to start.”

  “The beginning is always good.”

  I told her about Samantha and how Red came to get me. “Wait, I have to back track a bit.”

  “That sister of yours needs a good ass kicking. So her boyfriend blamed you for her going off the wagon?”