by Penny Wylder
“Well?” I ask, picking up the bottom of the blanket as I take a couple steps forward.
Doug's phone pings. “Oh, can you grab that for me?” he asks, ignoring me.
“Right now? You don't maybe want to talk first?”
“Yeah, now's good. Toss it to me. Maybe it's Jim with some good news. You really pulled it off last night. Eileen loved you. If we get this job, Jim might have to put you on the payroll.” He chuckles and smiles big.
This conversation is never going to happen. He's just going to pretend everything is fine and nothing is weird.
“Fine, here.” I wait for him to look over at me, and toss his phone to him. “I hope you get it too. Who knows when or if I'll find a job.”
“You will. I know you, you might get frustrated, but you never give up.” He opens his phone. The light mirrors in his eyes as he reads his message and cracks eggs blindly with his free hand.
“I better not have any shell bits in my eggs,” I say, giving up on any other conversation. One day we'll have to cross this bridge, he's just not ready right now.
“I'm a pro, haven't you learned that yet?”
“I've learned a few things recently about you, but you being a good cook isn't one of them.” I bite the tip of my tongue as I smirk.
We can both crack jokes about last night. Not just you.
“Well,” he says smugly, leaning against the counter as he whisks the eggs. “Maybe I shouldn't tell you that my message is from Jim. . .”
He looks up at me, and I expect to hear him tell me that they got the contract for the project. I lean over our island counter and arch my brows. Doug lets the silence linger between us longer than I want.
“And? You got the job?”
“That, and. . . to throw some icing on the cake, you got yourself an interview today.”
“A what?” I ask, straightening my back, and clutching the blanket tight.
“You better go put on something cute. Eileen wants to see you at eleven.”
“Wait. . .” I hold up my hand, brows furrowing into the bridge of my nose. “You're fucking with me, aren't you? You're just screwing with me because I busted your balls about your cooking.”
He turns the phone so I can see the screen. “See for yourself.”
“Oh my God, you aren't joking.” I snatch the phone out of his hand and read the message a couple more times. “I can't believe this. Why? Why would she want to hire me for anything? I don't know anything about movies.”
“Because you have an amazing personality, Lyl, and people love you. You have a lot more to offer than you think. Just because you don't know the movie business, doesn't mean you can't learn it.”
I lay his phone down on the counter and rest my forehead against my hand. “I'm shocked, Doug. I actually had fun last night at dinner with her, but I never expected it turn into anything.”
“It's called networking, Lyl. You know people who introduce you to people, and bang!” he calls out. “You get a job. You know what this means right?”
“What?”
“It means that we're going to have to keep up this act since Eileen thinks we're dating.”
“Whoa, wait a minute. We both agreed, one night, that's it.”
“Do you want a job? A better paying job?” He's scrambling the eggs in the hot pan as the toast pops up in the toaster, but his eyes are steady on mine.
“Of course, I do.”
“Then we need to keep playing pretend.” Doug lays the spatula down and turns off the stove. “So, I think it'll be a good idea for us to really get into our roles.” He takes two firm steps toward me, and around the counter to where I'm standing. “We need this to look one hundred percent real.”
“And how do you think we should do that exactly?” I twist, leaning my back against the counter, and gripping the blanket with both hands.
He walks his fingers across my hips, cupping both my sides. I'm looking up at him, up at this mountain of a man, with a rock-hard chest and steppingstones for abs.
He licks his lips as he steps between my legs. “With lots of practice of course.”
“Practice? What do you mean by practice?”
“How about I just show you what I mean?”
6
Douglas
Just say yes, I think to myself as I watch her suck in a shallow breath and hold on to it. It's as if she's afraid to let it go, like she might deflate and get shot around the room like a deflating balloon.
“We're still in control, Lyl,” I say, trying to help her see that this is all part of what we need to do.
If she wants this as much as I do, all she has to do is say yes. Yes to a new future. Yes to a new career, a new life, a new her. This isn't a complicated decision. This is our survival.
Her eyes flicker, moving back and forth so rapidly, I can't figure out what she's thinking. I know her so well, but right now, I feel like I don't know her at all.
I have no idea if she'll accept me. I have no clue if she just wants to run away and forget all of this. Could she really forget?
There's no way in hell I'll ever forget how amazing her body felt, or how tight and wet she was when I slid inside her. I'll never forget the way she looked at me, like I was the air she needed to survive and the axle she needed to keep her world spinning.
She looked at me like more than a friend.
These memories will stay with me forever. I'll take them to the grave. I went to bed for the first time last night with a smile on my face. So, in all honestly, I don't mind letting this little charade go on longer than we planned. We're playing real house right now, and not the same kind we did as kids.
Lyllian's eyes finally stop skittishly moving. They freeze on mine, and she bites her bottom lip hard. Uncertainty transcends her expression, making her golden eyes cloudy.
She can't bring herself to do it. This isn't what she wants at all.
I can see the worry and concern on her face about having to lie more. I can see the fear she feels of this going too far, and crossing that point of no return, digging ourselves so deep, we can never get back.
What we share is special. I don't want this to come between us, it's not worth it. I'm about to tell her it's okay, that we don't have to do anything she doesn't want to, but she surprises me.
She captures my face in her hands as she presses up on the tips of her toes and kisses me. She releases the breath she's holding in, exhaling against my lips as she slips her tongue inside my mouth. This is my answer. This is her telling me yes without having to say it out loud.
Like a wild beast, I grip her waist and lift her onto the counter. She kicks a stool with her foot, sending it crashing to the floor, but neither of us pay any attention to it. We're both lost in each other, giving in to the desire that's been building all these years.
I've felt it over and over again, but never acted on it. But it's undeniable, there's always been an attraction there, even if we both kept it at bay. The signs have always been there. The way the air gets thick when she's close to me. The way our eyes lock on each other in a way that doesn't happen when you're just friends. The subtle teasing and playful banter. The flirty comments and sexy little smirks. It's something I can't help but feel, and yet, I never took it any further—until now.
Her legs spread wide, making room for me to get closer. My dick is already hard, tenting my boxers. The blanket falls off her body, exposing her naked flesh. I grip her shoulders, breaking our kiss as I push her away to look at her.
She's beautiful. Her nipples are beaded, and I can smell her heat. Sweet and intoxicating, all I want to do is fuck her. Her belly trembles softly as I tickle my fingers up, circling her naval, then traveling up between her tits.
She rolls her hips, rubbing against the counter as her nipples turn into stiff peaks the second my fingers touch them. I keep moving my fingers, over her collarbone and up the front of her throat. I cup her neck, holding it tightly as I pull her forward.
Lyllian drops her head b
ack as I move my lips down her neck and over her tits. I suck her tit into my mouth, licking across the center of her chest, and flicking my tongue over her tender bead.
Her skin bristles, causing tiny bumps to ripple around the dark pink flesh of her nipple. I flatten my tongue against her hard nipple and glide it all around her plump breast. Another wave of shivers moves through her body.
“Mm,” she moans, raking her fingers through my hair and tugging at my roots. “Fuck,” she breathes out as her hands become more aggressive, taking fistfuls with each pull.
I can't wait. I need her now.
There is nothing to tame me. I've had her once already, how can I possibly resist her now? She's a drug I want to inject right into my veins. I need the rush as it surges through every inch of my body.
I pull my cock out of my boxers and slam it deep inside her heat. She's wet and warm, her walls bearing down on my length as I fuck her. This isn't slow sex. This is dirty, greedy, delirious sex. I'm starving, and there's nothing that can satiate this feeling except for her.
My fingers grip her ass and pull her right to the edge of the counter. She wraps her legs around my waist as she leans back, and rests on her hands. Bowing her back, her tits press higher, bouncing up and down with every thrust.
I piston my hips, watching her eyes as they glaze over and her lips as they part. She bites the very tip of her tongue, her nails scraping against the granite.
The sound of our bodies mashing together fills the room. Skin slaps against skin, her wet pussy splashes around my cock, soaking the hair at my base. She opens her eyes and watches my length as it disappears inside her.
“I fucking love that,” she says. “I love watching you fuck me.”
I grunt softly, driving my mouth onto her tit and sucking hard. Every thrust sends her backwards on the counter. Taking her by the hips, I hold her in place. I want her as close to me as I can get her, so I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her up straight, holding her against my chest.
Her heart beats against my chest, heavy and loud as a drum. Lyllian rests her head in the crook of my neck and bites me, suffocating the moan she lets out. “Yeah, fuck me, Doug. Harder, harder, don't stop,” her lips buzz against my skin, making me not only hear her, but also feel her words.
I give her what she wants, pulling my cock out to the ridge, and then thrusting back inside her. Her heels clutch the back of my thighs as she rocks with me, matching my pace with her own.
She's getting slicker, wetter, letting me know she's close. Making her come is my goal. Making her scream my name is my reward. My hips move faster, harder. I want to hear her call out to me. To sing the only song that matters; my name coming off her tongue.
“Mm, yeah, holy shit. Yes, yes, mm,” she coos.
“Say my name, Lyl. I want to hear you. I need to hear you.”
“Mm, Doug,” she says.
“Louder,” I demand.
“Doug.” Her voice is full, but that's not what I want. I want to hear it come out from the depths of her belly. I want to hear her lose control.
“Louder, I want to hear you as you come.”
The nails dig into my back as her hips roll with me. She grinds against my lower stomach, rubbing her clit. Her muscles going stiff as she throws her head back.
“Yes, Doug! Mm, Doug!” Her words travel around the room, coming back around, and hitting me in the chest.
That's it. That's what I want. That right there is enough to make me blow my load. Like a wound-up elastic, I snap in half. My balls draw up, and my muscles begin to shake as my cock hardens to stone in her pussy. Her nails scratch canyons into my back as she lets out a moan that almost sounds crazed.
My heart hammers inside my chest as the orgasm builds. I feel like I'm standing right at the edge of a cliff. And then I jump. A wave of tingles sweeps through my body, and my cock purges its life blood. Pump after pump of hot cum fills her pussy.
“Don't stop, just don't stop, I'm so close to coming again,” she groans softly as she rubs her clit up and down against my stomach.
I pull my cock free and drop to my knees. I felt her once today, now I want to drink her pleasure like a fine wine. My tongue licks up her center. I can taste the salty flavor of my load, but I don't give a shit. I want her to come on my face. I want to feel her clit swell and pulse as I bring her to the brink of insanity.
Making her come back to back is like finding a four leaf clover. You don't find one often, but when you do, you take it. You claim it as yours and yours alone, branding it with your scent, your name, your very existence.
The tip of my tongue flicks against her tender bud. I suckle her clit with my mouth, making her scream out with pleasure. She wraps her legs around my neck and squeezes the sides of my head with her thighs.
Her nails rip at my hair as she pushes my face harder against her pussy and grinds her hips up and down. A shiver runs through her body, rippling through her muscles, and making her clamp down harder on my head.
My heart stops in my chest, giving me the perfect silence to enjoy this moment. There's no sound in my body right now as I eat her pussy like a three-course meal. A mix of her juice and my cum drips down my chin.
And then it happens. She sucks in a deep breath and screams my name. “Doug! Fuck, Doug!” Her pussy seeps with arousal, salty and warm as her muscles finally release and she falls back on the counter. I can feel the orgasm as it moves from her body to mine like ripples across the surface of a still lake.
“Holy shit, Doug. Did that just happen? Did you really just fuck me, eat me out, and make me come twice?”
I stand up and wipe my mouth with the back of my wrist. “You certainly aren't dreaming,” I say as I suck the last of her off my lips.
“I can't feel my legs, they're completely numb. And they're shaking. Feel them,” she says, grabbing my hand and placing it on her inner thigh. “Can you feel that?”
“That's what sex should feel like, Lyl. Just like this.” My eyes drift to the clock on the stove. “I hate to cut this short, but you need to get going soon. Let's finish breakfast and get you ready for your big interview.”
I watch her as she quickly demolishes her food, and then pops the dish in the sink. She doesn't bother covering up this time. “All right, I'm going to go get ready. Should I dress fancy or casual?”
“It doesn't really matter,” I say. “Either way you're going to look stunning.”
“Thanks, but looking stunning doesn't secure the job for me.”
“No, but the point I'm trying to make is that the clothes don't matter, it's what's inside the clothes that does.”
“I hope I can even concentrate now. You made my mind go all mushy, I can't even think straight.”
“I'll call that a win, then. If you don't get the job, we can blame it on hot sex.”
“Let's not think about me not getting the job. Let's think about this as a pregame to celebrating me getting the job.”
“I like the way you think. I couldn't have thought of a better way to put it.”
She gives me a blushing smile, then disappears inside her room. I go and get cleaned up myself, putting on some fresh clothes and throwing some gel in my hair. A few squirts of cologne, and I'm ready to go.
I relax on the couch and start flipping through my emails. My eyes keep going to the little digital clock in the corner. We need to leave soon, and I'm starting to get a little nervous about her being late for the interview.
“This is your twenty minute warning!” I call out to her.
Her door creaks open, causing me to look up. “Well?” she asks, holding out her hands and spinning in place.
Her hair is down and she’s curled the ends. Her makeup is subtle but highlights her eyes and cheekbones perfectly. A hint of pink on her skin makes her look like she's been in the sun, and the shade of gold on her lids makes her eyes sparkle like an Egyptian goddess.
Lyllian is wearing a silky orange blouse that hugs her curves with black dress pants and o
range heels. She looks gorgeous, just like I knew she would. There isn't a thing she ever puts on that doesn't look good on her. She can be in crappy old jogging pants with a ratty shirt and messy hair, and she'd still look like she walked off a runway.
“You look perfect.”
“Thank you,” she says as she looks up at the clock. “I should probably go.”
“I'm coming with you.”
“Are you sure? I mean, you don't have to.”
“They think we're together, remember? Keeping up appearances is good. Plus, I need to go the office anyway. I can look over a few things for myself.”
“Right, okay, then let's get going.” She's nervously fidgeting with her hands. She runs them down the outside of her thighs, then braids and unbraids her fingers in front of her chest. Using the pads of her fingers, she swipes sweat off her forehead as she groans with nerves. “I'm so nervous.”
I push myself up from the couch, reaching out with both hands as she walks by me, and grabbing her by the wrists. Pulling her in, I hold her hands in mine. “Lyl, you're going to do great. Eileen has already seen what I know. You're smart, you're funny, and you're trustworthy.” I release her hands to grab her face, giving her a tender, reassuring kiss on her forehead. “Trust me, you've got this.”
“Thanks, Doug. You're always good at getting me to calm down.”
The smile she gives me makes the world disappear and my body warm.
Why did I ever fight this? I've always wanted this with her.
The sleepless nights knowing she's right across the hall. The daydreams in school. The wandering thoughts and stolen glances. I've already taken all the little bits of her I can, while knowing that she just wants to be friends.
It's getting harder and harder to remember why I fought so hard to ignore what I want. I can't pretend that the thoughts haven't always been there, and the dreams were just a lie of what I can never have.
Why can't I have both? Why can't we give in to what we feel, and still keep the unspoken boundaries we've established over the years?
