Being Cordial

by Meka James

  I sped up my movements, the final spurts of my orgasm landing on her with some dribbling down my hand. Spent, I clumsily stumbled forward and collapsed beside her.

  “Five stars?”

  She wiped her hand across her chest, coating her fingers in my jizz. “A bit messy. Four point five.”

  I chuckled and pushed off the bed, crossing the room over to the bathroom. I wet a washcloth and returned. Kneeling in front of her, I cleaned her off, leaned forward to give her a peck on the lips, and smiled.

  “Five-star service.”

  She took the rag from my hand. “May I?” she asked, inclining her head toward my bathroom.

  “Help yourself, Ma.”

  I had zero shame in watching the jiggle of her ass as she walked away. This wasn’t exactly how I’d planned to spend my evening, but I wasn’t complaining.

  By the time she returned, I’d redressed and had collected her clothes. The ends of her hair were wet like she’d done a quick wash job.

  Jutting her chin in the direction of the bed, Lana looked at the items then over at me. “Trying to get rid of me?”

  “Not at all. Just going the extra mile. But you’re free to walk around naked. Won’t get a single complaint from me. I like the view,” I added with a wink.

  She twisted her lips from side to side then shook her head and started to dress. “This is so out of the norm for me.”

  I sat at the foot of the bed. Watching her get dressed wasn’t nearly as exciting as her undressing, but I enjoyed the show all the same. “What is?”

  “Having sex—though technically we didn’t have sex—with someone I don’t even like.”

  My ego didn’t even have time to get bruised. No sooner than the words were out, they were followed by a loud gasp and her partially nude body turned bright red.

  “Shit. I...I didn’t mean it like that. Crap. Crap. Crap. It’s just that we’ve been antagonistic in our interactions up until now. Hell, we didn’t even know each other’s names before today...so. Shit. I’m sorry.”

  She kept her head down as she jammed her legs into her shorts. I wanted to be mad or even offended, but it wasn’t like she was wrong.

  Though the part about not liking me stung. I was a friendly guy. Got along with most people. But from the moment she’d moved in, it’d been eye rolls, frowns, or outright pretending she didn’t see me.

  “Why is that?”

  “Why I don’t go around getting naked with people that I haven’t had positive interactions with prior?”

  I chuckled softly and combed my fingers through my hair. “Uh, no. Why don’t you like me?”

  She stopped mid-pull before finally lowering her shirt down and lifting her hair that had gotten trapped. Her eyes widened and she puffed out her cheeks. “Oh.”

  “Yeah, oh. I think it’s a valid question. All things considering.”

  She ran her hand down her neck and licked her lips. Lips I wouldn’t mind having more quality time with.

  “Can I have a glass of water?”

  I let out a short laugh and nodded. “Smooth stall tactic, but sure.” Pushing off the bed, I headed out the door, but stopped and turned back. “Feel free to grab your computer.”

  “Um...what do I owe you?”

  I smiled. “I’ll bill ya later.”

  She had her laptop cradled against her breasts when she entered the kitchen. “Thanks,” she said, taking the glass from my hand. “And it’s not a stall tactic.”

  I rested back against the counter, crossed my ankles and folded my arms over my chest, and waited. She stared at the ice cubes in her glass before taking a drink. Setting both it and the computer down, she looked around my place before settling her eyes back on me.

  “This,” she said, stretching her arms out wide.

  “This what?” I glanced around the room trying to figure out what the hell she was alluding to.

  “This unit. I wanted it but before I could weigh all the pros and cons you swooped in and bought it.”

  I blinked once. Twice. No way I’d heard Ma correctly. “Come again?”

  She huffed and put her hands on her hips. “I wanted the end unit. That way I’d only have to share one wall. But I needed to make sure this was the best choice, so I had to lay out the pros and cons of this unit compared to the other two I was deciding on.”

  I rose to full height and frowned at her. “How in the hell is your indecisiveness my fault? And it’s not like this was the last end unit.”

  She stomped toward me wearing her favorite facial expression. “I’m not indecisive, I’m conscientious. A major purchase, like buying a house, takes some thinking to make sure it’s the right choice. Who does things like that all willy-nilly?”

  Shit, she was serious. I laughed. Hard and deep, I laughed.

  The scowl on her face deepened. “I don’t see what’s so funny.”

  I wiped imaginary tears from my eyes. “You, Ma. You’re hysterical. First, ‘willy-nilly’ seriously? More like I’m a man that knows what he likes and goes for it.” I gave her an appreciative glance to prove my point. “Second, you’ve been harboring resentment toward me for something that was totally of your own making.”

  She opened her mouth but closed it again without saying anything. With a deep inhale and slow exhale, Lana swiped her laptop from the counter. “Thanks for fixing it.” She turned on her heel and stalked toward the slider.

  I thought about stopping her but didn’t see the point.

  9

  Lana

  I sat at my kitchen table eyeing the decorative tin of cookies.

  “Why am I doing this, Yoda?” His lack of acknowledgment at his name being called was answer enough to my rhetorical question.

  An olive branch, or apology, or both wrapped up in cookie goodness.

  “Ugh!” I groaned and dropped my head onto the table. I’d stormed out of his place two days ago and had luckily been able to not see him, even in passing, since then.

  He’d been right.

  I hated that he’d been right.

  Sure, he was annoying in some ways, but my level of hostility toward him wasn’t all because of his actions. And goodness, I’d acted that way after he’d fixed my computer and...my body heated simply thinking about our sexual encounter. Damn, his mouth was good for more than making smart-ass comments. So much more. Emilio had totally wiped me out and we hadn’t made it to the actual sex.

  I groaned again. Yet another thing he’d been right about. I was curious, so fucking curious about how good he’d actually be. And my every instinct told me I’d be eating way more crow in that regard than I was about to for the upcoming apology.

  Scratching at my leg caused me to look down. Yoda whimpered, then sat, and I leaned to pick him up. He spent a good bit of time channeling a cat level of aloofness, but he did offer up the grace of his presence when I needed it the most. Like now.

  “I can do this, buddy. I’m an adult that can own up to being wrong.” He leaned back in my arms, presenting his belly for proper rubs.

  For two days I’d thought about the enigma of the man next door. Annoying, but helpful. Funny, and sexy. And talented. So very talented in so many ways. A smile pulled at my lips as I mentally cataloged everything he’d done and wondered what more he could do. And though I was damn near loathed to admit it—even to myself—hanging out with Emilio could be somewhat pleasant. When he wasn’t being overly cocky.

  “Okay,” I said setting Yoda back on the floor. “Don’t throw any wild ragers while I’m next door.” He trotted off, jumped onto the couch and promptly curled up on his favorite blanket.

  I grabbed the tin from the table and padded down the hall toward my front door, stopping to slide on a pair of flip flops. The ten-second walk to Emilio’s had my stomach in knots. Why in the hell was apologizing to him making me all nervous?

  I rang the bell. No answer. His door had a thin sidelight and as I peered through I saw no movement. I rang the bell again. Figures. I’d finally come ov
er and he wasn’t even home. I couldn’t stop the laugh that started. What was it about him that made me blame him for everything? Taking a breath, I shook my head and got my giggles under control.

  The deep roar of an engine stole my attention. Barreling down the street at a speed too fast for the narrow passageway, was a shiny deep black old school muscle car. The type I associated with guys who had way too much testosterone that I was sure had them overcompensating for other things. The metallic air intake thing protruding from the hood gleamed in the sunlight as the monstrous car closed in. The driver crawled to a stop and peered at me before breaking out into a large grin. I jumped when the garage of his unit rumbled to life and he eased the pristine vehicle into the driveway.

  I hugged the tin container against my abdomen. However, I knew for a fact he was not overcompensating for a damn thing. My face heated at the thought. The silence of the engine followed by the slam of a door made me look in his direction.

  “What can I do for ya, Ma?” He leaned lazily against the car and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Cocky smirk firmly in place on his heavenly lips.

  That name. Damned if it wasn’t annoying and unexplainably arousing at the same time. The grin on his face got bigger.

  “Took you longer than I expected to come back for another taste, but your crap-ass poker face is giving you away. Come on in, and I’ll hook you up.”

  The wink at the end of the statement flamed indignation at him being so pompous and presumptuous. And right. Damn it all to hell.

  Ignoring that fact, I lifted my chin and drew my brows together. Stretching to pull every inch I could out of my height I squared my shoulders and glared at him. “Slow your roll, buddy. I only came to make a peace offering, but not sure I will now.

  He laughed. Outright laughed as he turned his back to me and headed into the house with me fast on his heels.

  “Only you would renege on a peace offering. So, what, pray tell, am I not getting?” He called out over his shoulder.

  Emilio waited patiently for me to cross his threshold before he shut the door. He dropped his keys and wallet on a small side table and continued down the hall as if me being there and annoyed by him was an everyday occurrence. Into the kitchen and straight to the fridge. He pulled out two beers, popped the tops off both and handed me one. I didn’t miss the smile on his face as he tipped his to his lips.

  I set the tin on the counter and gave it a push so it slid towards him. “Cookies.”

  His eyes widened and I took a drink of the beer to cover the laugh threatening to escape. He put his down and picked up the offering.

  “You...baked me cookies?” He opened the lid and inhaled before pulling one free. The sweet treat was suspended mid-air in front of his mouth. “Wait, did you poison these?”

  I took another pull from my bottle and kept my gaze leveled at him. “You really believe me capable of that?”

  “Without a doubt,” he replied, then took a giant bite.

  The drink I’d just taken ungraciously sputtered past my lips and dribbled down my chin as I choked on a laugh.

  He finished his cookie and licked his lips while handing me a paper towel. “You good?”

  I nodded and cleaned my face. “Why would you do that?”

  “Do what?” He nabbed another cookie from the tin.

  I focused on the treat then looked up at him. “Eat something you thought was poisoned?”

  He grabbed the tin and his beer and headed toward his living room. “Eh, there are worse ways to go, Ma. Besides, it’s bad manners to turn your nose up at a gift.”

  Emilio settled his long limbs on his couch, put down the tin, picked up the remote, then patted the space next to him. Silently I complied with his unspoken request.

  “I’m waiting,” he said, keeping his eyes firmly on the TV.

  “Waiting for what?”

  He turned to look at me and gave me a total body once over before his attention settled back on my face. “The apology that goes along with those delicious cookies.”

  I faced him and crossed my arms. “Who said I was apologizing?”

  The side of his mouth kicked up into a half-smile. “You did when you were standing outside my door looking like a creeper and holding a tin of baked goodies.” He reached forward and retrieved another cookie to make his point.

  I shot up from my reclined position. “I was not looking like a...a ‘creeper.’ You act as if you caught me peeping in your windows or something. I rang the bell, like a normal human. I was leaving when you came roaring down the street in your obnoxiously loud car.”

  Emilio laughed. Deep, rich, and hard. A laugh that should have pissed me off, but instead rolled over me like warm caramel. Damn it, how did he manage to annoy and yet put me at ease all at the same time?

  “Relax, Ma. Have a cookie. It’ll make you feel better.” He leaned closer and licked his lips. “Unless you want to work out some of that stress some other way.”

  Gracious be, he was close. And tempting. His mouth. Yes! Everything in me screamed yes, but I refused to give him the satisfaction. I moved forward. His smile broadened. I licked my lips. His Adam’s apple bobbled. Closer.

  “A cookie will do.” I smiled as I leaned back with my prize in hand.

  Confusion sparkled in his dark eyes before amusement took over. “Suit yourself, Ma.”

  I chomped down on my treat but didn’t taste any of the sweet goodness. It was a poor substitution for what I actually wanted.

  “How’s your computer?”

  “It’s good. And I brought an external hard drive thingy to back up stuff.”

  He chuckled under his breath and took a swig from his beer. “‘Thingy’ that’s…” He stopped talking when he saw the frown on my face. Emilio cleared his throat. “Let me know if you need any help.”

  “Why? Another excuse to get me over here?”

  He arched a brow. “Hate to break it to you, Ma, but I’ve not had to use a single excuse. You’ve come knockin’ at my door all on your own.”

  I closed my eyes and took a slow breath. Damn if I didn’t walk right into that. “I guess you’d be correct there.”

  “You guess? Damn, Ma. What do you do?”

  “Huh?”

  “That job you stressed that some people had.”

  I inwardly cringed remembering that statement. “Oh...um I’m an Accounts Payable Manager. Why?”

  “Cuz, I’m trying to figure out what in your daily life makes it so hard to admit when you’re wrong.”

  Once again his offhand comment flamed my indignation. “I wasn’t wrong.”

  He stood and grabbed both empty beer bottles. “Well, you sure as hell wasn’t right. Want another?”

  I pressed my palms against my eyes and shook my head. The heat creeping up my neck let me know that it was probably bright red, a shining beacon of my frustration. I’d come over here to apologize and being around him threw all those intentions out the window.

  Pushing off the couch, I ambled down the hall for a goodbye and to go home before I shoved my other foot into my mouth. “So...enjoy your cookies, I’m going to head out.”

  Emilio shut the fridge door and turned. “Running out before I get my apology.”

  “Why are you hung up on that?”

  “Why are you avoiding it?”

  “I’m not.”

  He placed the bottle on the counter then hopped up and took a seat. “You are, but it’s okay, Ma. Your secret is safe with me.” He winked before picking up his beer and taking a drink.

  I rolled my eyes at the continued use of the freaking moniker he insisted on calling me, and stepped forward, challenging his nonsensical statement. “What secret?”

  “The fact you have to hang on to something so you have a reason to come back.” He licked his lips and smiled.

  Smug bastard.

  10

  Emilio

  Pushing her buttons was almost too easy. Ma was way too high-strung and needed to learn to relax and
simply enjoy life. As annoying as her somewhat uppity attitude could be, the peeks at the free spirit clawing to get out had me enjoying her random visits.

  She crossed her arms and pushed her lips into a pout while frowning at me. “You are awfully full of yourself.”

  I eased off the countertop and stepped to her. “Play your cards right, Ma, and you can be full of me.”

  Her eyes widened and she dropped her arms to her side. I advanced and she moved backward until she hit the wall. She tilted her chin up to look at me and rolled her tongue along her bottom lip.

  “You’re a cocky jerk. I’m not sure I like you.” Her words were delivered with a lot less bite than she probably hoped for.

  I ran my thumb across her cheek and leaned closer to her ear. “You like me well enough to get you off, let’s start there.”

  Ma sucked in a quick breath and snapped her head to the side. With our faces inches from each other, I waited to hear what smart ass thing she’d have to say next. Instead, she connected her mouth with mine. Her hands clenched my shirt as she pulled our bodies together.

  I thrust my tongue forward as I pushed her against the wall, my hand at her throat keeping her in place as I drowned myself in the kiss. She moaned, giving as good as she got while rubbing herself along my dick which was quickly growing hard from the contact. I broke away from her soft lips and nipped along her jaw. Her warm hands ran up my back beneath my shirt.

  Continuing to kiss the side of her neck, I licked and suckled the soft flesh while letting my fingers journey south. I stroked her through the thin leggings she wore which elicited another low moan from her.

  “Tell me whatcha want, Ma,” I whispered before gently grabbing her lobe between my teeth.

  She responded by pushing her hips forward, her nails dug into my back. I made a tsking sound.

  Her breath caught when I slipped my hand inside her pants. The dampness of her panties brought forth the memory of how sweet she’d tasted. My mouth watered for more.