Built

by Amie Stuart, Jami Alden, Bonnie Edwards

  I’d barely gotten settled and snagged a sip of the beer she’d ordered me when a remix of Nellie Furtado’s “Promiscuous” had Cherise coaxing me out onto the dance floor. I ended up in the middle of a girl sandwich with her and Carlotta.

  No complaints, not a one.

  Later, back at the table, another man joined us, and judging from the enthusiastic way Carlotta greeted him, they were a couple. As dates and evenings went, it didn’t get much more normal than this. We danced, we drank a little, and we laughed a lot between Lexi’s construction job stories and Cherise’s travel adventures.

  After I stayed longer than I’d intended, Cherise walked me out to my car and gave me a searing kiss good night.

  “Get some rest,” she whispered, her lips against mine, “’cause tomorrow night, I’m gonna wear you out, baby boy.”

  4

  B y the time “tomorrow night” arrived, I’d nearly driven myself crazy wondering what Cherise had in store for us.

  I picked her up after dinner and a grilling from my mom. That woman always knows when I have a date. Or maybe she just knows when I’m up to something.

  Cherise stepped outside and stopped to lock the door. She had on some tiny pink halter dress with swirls all over it, and her hair was pulled up on top of her head.

  I should get out of the car. I should hold the door for her. But I can’t move. So, yeah, I’m a man and we’re dogs and we think with our dicks, but when the woman you’ve spent all day thinking about comes out dressed like that, it just hits a man low. Okay, fine, right in his crotch.

  She turned around, and I opened my door to get out, but she waved me off, insisting she had it. Instead, I leaned over and opened the passenger door for her.

  She snapped on her seat belt and leaned over to kiss me, her eyes blazing. Something wasn’t right.

  “Bad day?”

  Staring straight ahead, she blew out a heavy breath. “Tell me about Vivi.”

  If she was asking about Vivi, then “bad day” was probably an understatement. My mouth dropped a bit in surprise before I spoke. “Aw shit…you hungry? Did you eat?” I asked, thinking we could talk over food.

  She glanced down at her hands before focusing outside the car again. “Not really…no…I’m good,” she replied, shaking her head.

  “Vivi,” I drawled, backing out of the parking space, “is a bitch.” Lips pursed, I pulled out of the tiny complex and into the heavy evening traffic.

  “No shit? Three of my clients were no-shows, and two more showed up at the same time.”

  It wasn’t hard to make the logical jump. “You think Vivi—”

  “I KNOW Vivi did it! Fucking vicious bitch!” She shook her head in obvious frustration, but refused to look at me.

  “It’s okay.” I checked over my shoulder and changed lanes, prepared to pull into a Denny’s parking lot so we could talk.

  “No, it’s not okay! You don’t fuck with someone’s living.”

  I pulled to a stop and killed the engine. “I didn’t mean it like that. But I can’t talk to you when you’re upset, and I can’t help you when you’re upset when I’m driving.”

  “Sorry.” She sank into the seat, eyes on the dashboard, like she was no older than one of Vivi’s kids.

  “Did you talk to Aunt Glo?”

  “She left early…D’Angelo, I never double-book, ever!”

  I leaned over and tapped her chin, forcing her to look at me. “You have every right to be mad, and if there is anything I can do besides listen, you tell me. Unfortunately, you’re not the first person she’s tried to run off. Hell, I remember when she was a teenager, she ran off a couple of Aunt Glo’s boyfriends—even tried to run off my brother’s wife,” I added, smiling in the dark.

  “Tried?” She sniffled the tiniest bit, like she was trying not to, like she didn’t want me to know how upset she really was.

  “My sister-in-law, Shondra, kicked her ass.”

  “The idea has merit.” She nodded slowly.

  Chuckling, I leaned in closer until we were nearly face-to-face and took her hand. “If there is anything I can do, all you have to do is ask.”

  “Thanks.” She stared up at me in the dim light. I couldn’t tell what was going through her head, and now she looked more confused than mad. “What did your aunt do…about Vivi and Shondra?”

  “Chewed Vivi’s ass out. Told her to mind her own business. The problem is, she thinks everybody’s business is her business.”

  “Well, she’d better stay the fuck out of mine, or I’m gonna do a lot more than chew her ass out.”

  “What now?”

  “Now we party,” she said with a smile.

  Cherise hadn’t been kidding when she’d said she’d wanted to party. We’d left the bar shortly after one in favor of something more private. I’d had my reservations, but she’d brushed off my protests, assuring me I was more than ready to get into trouble.

  About twenty people mingled around, making themselves at home in the loft of one very rich dude. The owner in question was nowhere to be seen. He’d disappeared with his wife and another couple after ordering everyone to make themselves at home. We’d taken him at his word.

  I sat slumped on the couch, watching Cherise flirt with another woman, wondering if anything would come of it. Especially since this was the third one tonight. Cherise had her fingers hooked in the deep V of the other woman’s shirt. They were both laughing and checking each other out. And every once in a while, they’d touch, fingers in each other’s hair, hips accidentally brushing up against each other, lips to ears, saying things no one else could hear.

  Men had nothing on women when it came to flirting. The way they flirted made me want to see them kiss, to see them naked, see them touch each other. I was enjoying the living hell out of it and had the hard-on to prove it.

  A pretty Cuban girl with tiny breasts and a tiny waist and built thick from the hips down came and sprawled across my lap. We’d done a shot together earlier in the kitchen. “Elise, right?”

  “Want to go upstairs?” Elise smiled up at me, showing off straight white teeth.

  She didn’t waste any time. Apparently she’d noticed my hard-on, and even though the party reminded me of some of the ones I’d gone to back in high school, the kind where someone’s parents are out of town, I didn’t feel like saying no.

  I glanced at Cherise again, who wiggled one eyebrow at me as if to say “go ahead.” She hadn’t been kidding when she’d stuffed those condoms in my pocket earlier and suggested I put them to good use—if I wanted.

  What the fuck…I wanted.

  I nodded and helped Elise up. I was just drunk enough to not care, but not so drunk I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.

  I patted Cherise’s ass on the way by and let Elise lead me upstairs, down the hall, and into someone’s bedroom where we found a threesome going on; but I turned down their invitation to join them. I couldn’t hold back a grin, though.

  With a tug of my hand, Elise led me through the adjoining bathroom to what looked like someone’s office. She never hesitated, just stripped off her long red dress and matching panties and bent over the desk. The view was heavenly.

  No sooner had I gotten the condom on and slid into her than the door behind me opened, a soft purr of laughter assuring me that it was Cherise.

  She cupped my bare ass and squeezed, then pressed herself against me, her hips moving with every thrust I made, as if we were fucking Elise together. Her fingers slipped under my shirt, digging into my shoulders and the soft material of her dress pressed against my bare skin, pulling a moan from the back of my throat. This was good. This was very good.

  Underneath me, Elise arched up on her toes, pushing her ass higher. My fingers itched to smack it and watch it jiggle like it did every time I slammed my cock home inside her.

  Cherise moved away with a soft order to not stop. Trust me, the thought never crossed my mind.

  She circled the desk, collapsing in a chair and pr
opping one long leg on the desk, her skirt pulled up around her waist. Legs spread, she watched us and played with herself. Her eyes at half mast, her lips curved in the tiniest hint of a smile.

  My balls twitched and tightened as I moved that much closer to my climax. The sight of her sitting here watching me didn’t intimidate me at all. It turned me on a lot more than I thought it would, even more than watching her flirt earlier had. And, apparently, it turned Elise on too.

  “You like watching me fuck your man?” she panted, and then squealed when I thrust extra hard.

  Cherise swung her leg down and leaned forward, holding out a wet, red-tipped finger to the other woman. “I like it a lot.”

  “He’s got a big dick.” She laughed, then groaned, a loud happy sound that registered somewhere deep in my gut.

  I smiled at the compliment.

  “I might have to steal him away from you.”

  Now was not the time for a damn cat fight. I stopped smiling.

  “You don’t have to steal him. I’ll share.”

  Elise drew Cherise’s fingers into her mouth and sucked them clean. Then Cherise did what I couldn’t; she leaned over and kissed Elise.

  The sight of their lips locked while I was still fucking Elise pushed me over the edge and I felt as if I were being turned inside out. As if it were more than semen I was filling that condom with. Something that, once lost, I couldn’t ever get back.

  Hands propped on either side of Elise’s hips, I tried to catch my breath while offering up a silent thank-you for the condom. For the protection from more than just the obvious.

  Feeling a little overwhelmed, I pulled out, smacked her on the ass, and yanked my jeans back up. Ducking into the bathroom, I leaned against the counter, almost afraid to look at myself in the mirror. Instead, I glanced at the the threesome going on in the bedroom.

  A sultry brunette with smeared red lipstick lifted her head from between her partner’s thighs. “Join us?”

  “No thanks,” I said with a shake of my head, closing the door behind me.

  Knowing my latest fuck was bisexual, that she’d flirt with women, that I’d seen her kiss women, that she’d have sex with women was completely different from seeing it in action. And watching two strangers was different; it gave the sex a definitely pornish quality.

  Back in the office, the green lampshade on the desk illuminated the two women who didn’t even notice my return.

  I knew Elise hadn’t come but hadn’t really cared. And here was Cherise, taking care of business for me. Elise lay sprawled on the desk, her heels propped on the edge, her fingers playing with her smallish breasts. Tight nipples just a shade or two lighter than milk chocolate stood at attention.

  I stopped just above her head to watch and listen. All I could see of Cherise was the top of her blond hair and the occasional twinkle of her bright blue eyes. Her lips were buried deep in Elise’s pussy, and judging from the other woman’s sighs and wriggling hips Cherise knew exactly what she was doing.

  “I might have to steal her from you,” Elise sighed, her head rolling from side to side in pleasure.

  I leaned over and sank my lips into hers, the taste of pussy, Cherise’s pussy, filling my mouth. I kept kissing her while watching Cherise in fascination. She liked it—obviously. And something about watching the two of them really turned me on, deep and low in my gut. Something twisted, tightened. I didn’t really understand the why of it all but didn’t particularly care at that point either.

  5

  S inking deeper in the bed, I stretched and flexed my legs. After we’d left the party last night, I’d brought Cherise back to my place. I hadn’t been up for another crick in my neck or a night on her couch.

  I checked the time, slammed the clock back down on the nightstand, and rolled onto my back, one arm thrown over my eyes against the early morning sun coming through the windows. It was just after nine, and I didn’t have anything to do or anywhere to go today.

  I needed sleep, especially after last night. I smiled at the memory, then immediately frowned when it hit me that I was alone in bed. A noise penetrated my hungover brain. Footsteps, and I’d be damned if that wasn’t toast and coffee I smelled. I knew I couldn’t have done that—I never set the coffee’s automatic timer. It was some sort of perverse punishment for needing caffeine in the first place.

  More footsteps. It had to be Cherise. A day in bed with her sounded like a great way to waste a Sunday. I threw back the sheets and sat up, wincing slightly as my feet made contact with the bare wood floor. Standing and stretching again, I worked out a few more kinks before stepping out from behind the divider that separated the loft’s living and sleeping areas.

  Apparently, I wouldn’t be dragging Cherise back to bed anytime soon.

  Dressed in one of my wife-beaters and her tiny black panties, Cherise sat on the couch surrounded by all my photos—and I had a lot. Baby pictures my mom had given me, photos of me and my brothers J. J. and Marcus, growing up, my parents. All of them lined up on the coffee table and the floor at her feet or laid out on either side of where she sat in the middle of my couch.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” I crossed the floor and stood at the foot of the couch. I wasn’t angry as much as baffled and a little irritated. Some of them had been stored under the coffee table with my photo albums, all four of which were also scattered around her.

  “Eatin’,” she muttered around a mouthful of toast. “Nice do.”

  She sat happily chewing on her toast and rearranging photos like pieces on a checkerboard.

  I scrubbed at my head and turned toward the kitchen, aware but uncaring that I probably looked like I’d stuck my finger in a light socket. I fixed myself a cup of coffee and liberally doused it with brown sugar and creamer before practically collapsing on the countertop. What the fuck was Cherise doing with my pictures? “You gonna put all that shit back?” I asked, pointing at the mess she’d made.

  “Is that the Eiffel Tower?” she asked, ignoring my own question as she flipped the photo album around and held it up.

  “Yeah.”

  “You don’t really look like the Paris type.”

  “Thanks,” I drawled. I crossed the room and sank into the easy chair across from the couch, propping my feet on the coffee table and silently watching her flip pages.

  “Switzerland?”

  “Yup,” I replied before she could even show me the photo. “Italy too.”

  “You like to travel?”

  “My dad’s older brother lives in Italy; guess I got it from him.”

  “Italy. You like Italy?” She finally looked up at me, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on with her.

  “Go every two years,” I said with a smile. “Ever been?”

  “Never made it out of the States.”

  “At least you made it out of Texas, though, huh?”

  “How do you figure?” she asked, returning her attention to the photos.

  “Your stories from the bar, remember?”

  “Oh, yeah. I get around a little. Nothing like this, though.” She put the album back and started rearranging the photos again.

  “You are going to put all those back, aren’t you?”

  “Sure, sure. Is this Shondra?” She held up a photo of my brother Marcus and a pregnant Shondra, taken on Mother’s Day.

  “Yup.”

  “She’s pretty.”

  “Shondra’s a sweetheart. Puts up with my brother’s stupid ass.” I laughed.

  “Your brother travels too?”

  “Used to. Not so much now with the baby on the way.” Standing, I crossed to the couch and cleared a spot beside her. After I shoved the albums back under the coffee table, I pulled her onto my lap. Even with no makeup and crumbs on her face, she was pretty. I brushed a few of the crumbs away and kissed her, teasing her tongue until she pushed me away.

  “What about the pictures?” she whispered, pointing toward the table.

  “
You can put ’em up later.”

  Laughing, she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled my head down.

  The weeks after my mid-July hookup with Elise were crazy. I started blowing off Kevin and even my weekly dinners with my parents. I felt bad, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.

  Every date with Cherise was a trip to the bar or another private party in some unspoken agreement to find a third, so I wasn’t surprised when she called and said that Elise would be meeting us for dinner at P.F. Chang’s.

  I opened Cherise’s car door and offered her a hand. “So what exactly is the plan?”

  “The plan?” She stood up and hooked an arm around my neck, a smile on her lips. “We have dinner, we talk, and afterward we see if she’s still interested in going back to your place—”

  “Your place,” I corrected, leaning down to nuzzle her bare neck.

  “You don’t want Elise at your place?”

  “I have rules, babe.”

  Laughing, she slipped away. I slammed the door, set the alarm, and hurried to catch up with her. I had a feeling I’d spend a lot more of the summer trying to catch up with her.

  We joined Elise in the bar for drinks while we waited for a table. It was crowded and loud, but they still managed to find a way to flirt with each other. I’ll be honest and tell you it was a little intimidating knowing I wasn’t the only interested party at that table. Once we were seated, I sat there watching two pretty ladies laugh and tease and flirt with each other over lettuce wraps and Mongolian beef.

  That’s when I realized how little it was about me. Not that I wasn’t wanted or needed, but if I hadn’t been there, they still would have ended up in bed together. Only I wouldn’t have gotten stuck with the bill.

  Trust me, no complaints.

  “So, D’Angelo”—Elise leaned forward and Cherise scooted around so they sat next to each other—“what do you think?”

  I sat there, trying to look relaxed. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I knew the answer to her question. Distracted at the sight of their pretty faces pressed cheek to cheek, I laughed. Cherise was almost darker than Elise. And where Cherise looked smart, I almost wanted to say cunning, Elise just looked like your average party girl out to have a good time. “I think we need to get the hell outta here.”