“Can we get this to go? My friend here has to get to a practice.” I smirked at him, but he seemed relieved that I’d picked up on his worry.
“Before we head home, there is one final stop we have to make,” I said once we were outside.
“Where?”
“Just to the drug store. We need to get you some condoms.”
Liam stopped walking.
“Why?” I heard him say from behind me. “You said we wouldn’t be…”
I turned, and gestured with my eyes that he get his skinny ass beside me. He sighed, shoved his hands in his pockets, but obeyed.
“It’s all part of the illusion,” I said. “You don’t have to use them, but you absolutely should have some on hand. You’re an adult, Liam. It’s irresponsible not to have condoms at your age. She would think it’s weird if you didn’t have any.”
That sold him. Because of his social awkwardness, he was always afraid he wasn’t doing things the “normal” way. If a man in his 30s was supposed to have condoms in his drawer, then that is what he’d do.
On that conviction, he let me drag him into store and down the contraception aisle, where I picked up some pads that were on sale, much to his utter chagrin.
“Okay, what size are you?” I asked. He was looking down the aisle, anxious that someone one would see us.
“We’re not robbing a bank, Liam. Calm down. Now, what size? I suggest you get something ribbed.” I wiggled my eyebrows up and down but Liam seemed horrified.
“Size?” he said. “I don’t know. Just pick something.”
I frowned. “Liam, Liam, Liam. You can’t just pick any old random rubber and expect it to fit. Condoms are not an all size fits one.” It was clear he didn’t have any idea about this fact, and was embarrassed.
“Okay… um. Let me ask you this,” I whispered, “About how wide are you?” Every guy knew their length. Down to the millimeter, but it was the girth that mattered most with condoms. Too tight and they popped off like a top. Too loose, and well, hello pregnancy and STDs.
“I don’t know. Can we just get one and go?”
“Liam, this is important stuff.” I leaned in close. When you hold it in your hands, do your fingers overlap or not touch? Show me,” I said.
Liam gaped at me. “I am not going to show you my penis in the drug store!” he hissed.
“Oh my god. I’m not asking you to whip it out. Just mime it. With your hand.”
He ground his teeth, but he complied. Very quickly. This told me two very important things. One, he jerked off, because he knew exactly the right position to hold his cock. I did worry for a moment that I was going to have to teach him that, too. It was a relief that I didn’t. But two, and more importantly, it told me what size he was. Goldilocks size—not too big, not too small.
“Okay. Let’s go with the Trojan Groove. A personal favorite.” I couldn’t help but smile as I walked out of the aisle. Liam quickly followed but left before I paid. Chicken.
Outside, he was waiting for me. “Can we go home now?” he asked.
“Yes,” I promised. I had properly embarrassed him and protected him from getting Angel preggos, (again). I had done my best friend duty.
“Can I ask you something, Chloe?”
“Ask away,” I said swinging the bag in the hand that wasn’t holding his.
“How important is size to a woman?”
The quintessential fear of men. “Honestly?”
“Yes, please.”
“When you’re with the right person, it doesn’t matter. Seriously. You find a way to make sexual pleasure happen for each partner. On face value, the size of a man’s penis, his girth, really, is what is at play for a woman. The wider he is, the more stimuli he’ll bring to the clitoris. He can be as long as a truck, but if he’s thin, it doesn’t do her any favors. But, that’s when you exchange oral sex or do more fingering for her. Sex is give and take.” This was way too much for Liam to handle, but he wanted an honest answer.
“And what is a good-sized girth?” he asked.
I squeezed his hand knowing exactly what he was asking.
“Your penis will make Angel very happy one day.”
Despite the discomfort of the conversation, he smiled. From our make out sessions I’d already figured out he was a good 7-8 inches based on the feel of his erection, but now that I knew his girth, he was going to make that woman howl. Lucky bitch.
Chapter 7
Back at the apartment, Liam shrugged out of his jacket and draped it with his scarf on the back of my couch, then went to stand in the spot where we had done our first kisses. Clearly, he was ready for his lesson to begin again. His ego was inflated so I felt the need to knock it down a notch or ten.
“Teeth first, then we practice. I don’t want any of that gross-ass avocado spread you had on your BLT in my mouth.”
“Avocado is very good for you,” he tried to rationalize.
“Yes, I’m sure it is, but if it’s all the same, I’d rather not suck it out of your teeth.”
“Fair enough,” he conceded after a moment.
“Oh, and take your condoms. Put them in your nightstand.”
I removed my pads from the bag then handed the rest to him.
He took it, reluctantly, and held it out from his body like it was a bag of poop.
“Back here with peppermint fresh breath in five, mister.”
Obeying, he went back to his place. That’s when I noticed that his cell phone was poking out of his jacket pocket. Unable to resist, I picked it up. It wasn’t password protected. Oh, Liam. Have I taught you nothing? It was none of my business, but I was dying to know what Angel said to him.
-Can’t wait to catch up over dinner Friday night. It will be fun to reminisce. I hate to admit it, but I kept all your old letters. I still read them from time to time. I’m glad we’ll have time to reconnect.-
Gag me. She was totally saying she’d made a huge ass mistake all those years ago. Yeah, you did. I scrolled down to see his reply.
-Great. See you at 7.-
“That’s it?” He didn’t seriously stop the conversation there? But, this was Liam. He didn’t know how to flirt. I sighed and opted to help him out, despite my hatred for Angel.
-Sorry I was brief before. I was in a meeting. I’m counting down the minutes until we meet again. I have missed you too. Perhaps dinner can lead to drinks?-
I read it over a few times making sure I sounded proper enough to sound like Liam but still hint that he was game if she was, and she totally was.
Liam walked in just then and I hit send, making sure to give him my best Cheshire cat grin.
“Why do you have my phone?” Liam asked.
Smirking, I took his phone and shoved it down my bra and walked to my spot, hopping on the counter and hooking my finger at him.
“Come get your phone and find out.”
I could see him start to object, but quickly realized this was to be part of his ‘training.’ Ever the good student, he listened to his teacher and agreed to instruction.
“Fine,” he said, walking over to his spot. He reached his hand out like he was going to grab the phone from out of my shirt.
“Um. No. You don’t just lunge at a woman like that. You have to warm her up. Make sure she wants you to put your hands on her. And that warm up starts with your next practice kiss.” I leaned back and licked my lips. “Now, come get what you want.” I looked down at the phone very easily outlined against my T-shirt.
He started to come in fast, but I held up my hand. “Slow and steady will win this race, and Angel’s desires. Remember…tease her. Don’t give it all to her on this first kiss. We want her to come back for seconds,” I whispered.
Liam backed off, considered, then started his approach again, much more slowly like I’d taught him.
“That’s right,” I said. “The ‘slow burn.’” He got close, nose to nose, and paused. “That’s right. Hover there a moment. Look into her eyes. Make her wonder if you are going to pull away
or go in for the kiss. It’s a dance, and you are in the lead.”
He stood there a moment, his eyes downcast, focusing on my lips. His breathing had picked up. Mine did too. This was scary shit even when you knew what you were doing. It didn’t matter that I knew the kiss meant nothing, the hormones did not. They reacted, not caring in the least that the man I was about to kiss was my best friend.
When his nose brushed alongside mine, I let out a soft moan.
“Oh, that’s good. Do that Friday,” I purred.
“What now?” he whispered. I could hear that he was nervous, and probably wanted to pull away or start over, but he was forcing himself to stay in the game.
“Put your hand on her face. Cup her jaw gently so you can position me—er—her, right where you want her.”
He did, and I felt myself lean into his hand. Just like Angel would. She would be helpless not to. My lips parted slightly in anticipation of his touch. I could feel his breath hot against my lips. I felt his erection spring up against my stomach, and I knew the fucker was going to bolt, so I latched onto his waist with my legs, locking him in place. Unable to wait for to him to refocus back on the kiss and not his erection, I kissed him instead.
I could feel his shock as I took the lead, but there was no way this jackass was going to deny me a kiss after a build up like that. I knew Angel wouldn’t, either. This would be a lesson within a lesson. Don’t be surprised when your dance partner takes over. Kissing was give and take. He needed to know that and not freak out if, no, when, Angel took over. And she would. She would grow hungry in his arms. This was for his own good. Liam had to learn how to deal with women like her.
Once I dug my fingers into his hair, he seemed to relax. His lips softened. He moved his hand down from my face to the nape of my neck on his own accord. Yes, do that. I was just about to break the kiss to tell him to grab ahold of my hair, but he did it on his own.
He shocked me then by yanking against my hair, hard. It broke the kiss. I gasped and then gasped again when he started kissing my neck. It was hot as fuck.
“Jesus, Liam,” I panted.
He stopped kissing and let me go.
“Did I do it wrong? I see guys do that on TV a lot…I thought it would be good. I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”
“No, that was a cry of pleasure,” I said, breathless. “Liam, that was fucking awesome.”
He smiled. “Really?”
“Oh my god, yes. You pull that move with Angel and she won’t know what hit her.”
“Right. Okay.” He seemed pleased with himself. “But how do I turn the heat down afterward?”
“Well,” I said, adjusting the cell phone under the cup of my breast to make this more interesting. “That answer doesn’t come until you get the cell phone…so let’s work on some boob action.”
He cleared his throat. “Define ‘boob action.’”
I smiled, loving how uncomfortable he looked. “Well, for right now, it means obtaining your cell phone. For Angel, it will mean a nice, solid cupping, perhaps a stroke of the nipple with the back of your thumb for good measure.”
His eyes grew wide.
“You mean, touch her actual breast? Skin to skin?”
I nodded. “Yep. And, shucks, darn, I think you’ll have to do the same to me as I don’t see any other way around this situation.” I looked down at my chest. “My bra is really tight. You’re going to have to go under it to get what you want.”
I made my voice as husky as I could to drive him as wild as I knew Angel would make him. This training was about testing his boundaries and making himself comfortable in his own skin. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I really needed him to touch me. Nothing. At. All.
I saw Liam assessing the ‘situation.’ He was calculating in his mind a way to remove the cell phone from my bra without actually touching my bare breast.
“Don’t math your way out of this one, Liam. You need to know what touching a breast is like, so you aren’t hyperventilating when it comes time to do it with Angel.”
“But is this sort of thing really needed for the first date? That seems a bit much…”
“We’re teasing her, remember? We want her to come back for a second date. She needs to know she can expect a good time with you, but more importantly, that you’ll be respectful and not demand anything more. You’re just giving her a taste of your moves, Liam.”
“But I don’t have any moves! You’ve been telling me what to do on this first date, but what do I do on that second date, Chloe? I think you are forgetting about that part!”
I waved his panic away.
“We’ll have a whole week, maybe even two if you just happen to be unavailable for that second date…that buys you time and makes her more anxious to see you. Don’t worry. I’m not going to leave you high and dry, Liam. Trust me. I want this to work out for you.”
Or at least, I keep telling myself that.
Liam took a few calming breaths. His silver-blue eyes narrowed as he seemed to be refocusing his energy on the task at hand.
“Get the cell phone,” he muttered.
“And flick the nipple,” I grinned.
His face scrunched up, not in disgust, though some might read it way. It took me years to realize that he wasn’t an asshole. That was just his face. So, I knew the look he wore wasn’t from not wanting to touch my breast, but a look of confusion.
“I’m not precisely sure I know what you mean by that. Flick it how?” he asked.
I hooked my finger to get him to come closer. “Like this,” I said, trying to reach my hand under his shirt. His hand jutted out and stopped me before I could.
“I’m not ready for that, sort of touch yet,” he said quietly.
Boundaries. He had them. I didn’t. Clearly.
“Okay,” I said, trying to keep the mood going. “Is over the shirt alright?”
He thought about it, then nodded.
I could tell that he was nervous but trying to remain calm. Slowly, I ran my hand up his torso, which I could tell was hairy based on the texture through the fabric. Why was that a turn on? I didn’t like guys with hairy chests. Forcing myself to focus, I cupped his peck gently, which was more formed than his loose-fitting shirts let on. He was no Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, but he was no Pee Wee Herman, either.
“You cup the breast like this,” I said, “though you’ll have more to hold than I do. Give it a few gentle squeezes,” I demonstrated. He swallowed once, but stayed focused. “Then, with your thumb, graze it over her nipple, which will be nice and erect by this point. It’s a super sensitive spot.” I rubbed my thumb against his own pebbled nipple, which was visible through the shirt. His eyes closed with seeming delight. Was I turning him on? The idea got me all hot and bothered. I withdrew my hand reluctantly, even though my hands begged to linger.
“That’s all you need to do,” I said quietly. “Just that much. Gentle cup, a rub, and then retreat. You can break the kiss off after that, maybe rest your forehead against hers and tell her that you should call it a night.”
“And she’ll leave willingly?”
“She will if you don’t invite her to your place, or accept an invite to hers. Even if it’s just for coffee. Unless, of course, you want to screw her, then by all means, accept the invite.”
He swallowed, “I’m not ready for that.”
“Of course you aren’t,” I said, perhaps selfishly. “You need more practice. Which is why you have to be firm and solid in the plan. Thank her for a wonderful evening, let her know you’ll be in touch, and then, this will be the hardest part of the night…You walk away.”
“Why will that be hard?” He frowned. “I’ve walked away from her hundreds of times. I don’t see why walking away from her after one dinner will be any different.”
I shook my head. “Because it’s not just a smile on your face you’ll be walking away from her with. You’ll probably also have an erect dick. It’s going to want to stay and play with her. That bra
in,” I looked at his crotch for a moment, “can override the one up here.” I said touching his forehead. “This will be the first time you’ve gone on a date with someone you are interested in. It’s not like with the bimbos. This woman has a piece of your heart. It’s going to be agony leaving her. Especially after you’ve touched her so intimately. But you have to, Liam. You have to be able to walk away from her. Or, you have to be ready to sleep with her.”
His expression was one of either fear or concentration, it was hard to know the difference sometimes.
“Don’t worry about Friday. We have lots of time. Right now, all you need to do is focus on the phone. Unless you don’t you want to read the text I sent Angel on your behalf?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t.”
“Oh, but I did. Now, come find out what I said.”
Liam looked at me, clearly annoyed by my actions, but determined. His hand reached for my shirt as though to lift it up. I stopped it.
“No way, big guy. You have to start from the beginning and work your way there.”
He let out a slow breath. I couldn’t tell if he was grumpy because he had to kiss me again, or that I’d interfered with Angel. I tried to make this easier for him by offering a suggestion.
“Look, just imagine I am Angel. You’ve just had a great meal together. You’ve longed to have your hands on her all night. You’re finally alone with her. Can you see her?”
His eyes found mine. “Yes, I see her.”
Jesus, his eyes could be unnerving. “Good. Now—” I was going to say ‘go after the phone,’ but he’d already started his decent. He was coming in fast, so I braced myself for another head butt.
The only thing I felt, however, were his lips, pressed urgently against my own. His hands cupped my face, exactly as I’d taught him, and my feet looped themselves around his waist, not to cage him, but to welcome him back. He didn’t resist when they pulled his body closer. This proximity no longer seemed to bother him.
He still needed to work on overall rigidness, but damn, he was getting better at this. I ran my hand against the back of his neck, signaling him to do the same. His fingers dug into my hair in a wild frenzy. My tongue danced against his. He was reciprocating, and it was sending so many mixed signals to my brain. He’s your best friend, Chloe. I know, but I still want to fuck him. There was an all-out war raging in me and feeling his tongue against mine wasn’t helping matters one little bit.
The First 100 Kisses Page 6