I couldn’t argue with her point, but that didn’t mean I wanted to continue playing along. Oh, who the hell was I kidding? I hadn’t played along since the beginning. So really, I could simply continue with what I’d been doing all along, and once we admit that there’s something serious between us—because I wholeheartedly believed that was a real possibility—then I could just “give it up” then.
After taking my last bite, I set my plate on top of hers on the coffee table. “Okay. So we keep it going until we decide enough is enough, or until it’s fulfilled, whichever comes first.”
“Yup.” She smiled and then shifted on the cushion, moving closer to me. “So, tell me, Corbin…when did you realize you liked me?”
The way she asked, as if she were in middle school, made me laugh. It was adorable and cute while turning me on at the same time. “If I had to pick a moment, I’d say the second time we met for drinks—the time after I met up with you and Nellie when you guys roped me into this scheme of yours.”
She squealed when I took hold of her hips and moved her to straddle my lap.
“What about you?” I asked, relaxing into the back of the couch so that she had to lean over me, causing her hair to fall over her shoulders. “When did you start to see me as more than Nell’s older brother?”
Her eyes lit up with her smile, even though she shrugged as if to say she wasn’t sure. She was. Her eyes had given her away. “Probably the first time we met up for drinks…the time Nellie and I roped you into our genius plan.”
“Really? That soon?”
She glanced over my shoulder and then returned her attention to my face. “Well, I guess at that point I still saw you as my best friend’s brother, just a really hot one.”
“You didn’t think I was hot when we were younger?”
“I’m afraid not. Maybe that’s because you used to tease us all the time, or possibly because I always thought you hated me. But you can’t be upset about that. It’s not like you found me attractive all those years ago, either.”
“Of course not…you were a kid.”
And just then, she rolled her hips, reminding just how much she’d grown up.
I slipped one hand between us, to test the waters so to speak, and before pushing my fingers inside her, she was practically dripping with desire. “Damn, Bridge…you’re so fucking wet. That’s such a turn-on, such a boost to my ego.”
“Well, how’s this for an ego boost…” She steadied herself with her palms against the cushion behind my head and brought her lips to my ear. “No one has ever made me as wet as you do.”
Her body stiffened, and I could tell that admitting that had set off her insecurity bells. Not that she was an insecure person, but from what I’d gathered about her, I assumed she lacked a lot of experience with men—especially if she’d stayed with her ex, the douchebag, for as long as she had.
Feeding into her confidence, I growled and pumped two fingers insider her, just enough to make her take the lead and ride my hand. But she didn’t let it go on for long before pushing away. Just as I started to worry that she was putting an end to this, she surprised me by putting her hand between us, freeing my throbbing cock from my boxers, and lining it up with her entrance.
Releasing a slow and steady exhale, she lowered herself onto me until she impaled herself with my erection. I wanted to drag this out, but she had other plans. As soon as she sat fully seated on top of me, she began to buck her hips in urgency, lifting herself up and down over my cock. I enjoyed her assertiveness immensely, but I could only let it go on for so long before taking some of the control. With a firm grip on her hips, my fingertips digging into the bare flesh of her ass cheeks, I started to rock back and forth, lifting her and then slamming her onto my dick so that we were meeting thrust for thrust.
“Oh, God. I’m so close.” Her cries turned to whimpers as she rested her head in the crook of my neck. Her hand snaked between us, and she began to rub herself frantically, her breathing growing more ragged.
Her muscles tightened around my shaft and made it nearly impossible to hold on much longer. Thankfully, I didn’t need to worry because she took that moment to let go and come. Her entire body spasmed, and that, along with her vocal enjoyment, enhanced my orgasm.
I’d wanted to sit like this, keeping myself inside her while we both came down from the high of round two, but she pushed away and wiggled off my lap, regardless of my obvious protests.
“Wait,” I begged and reached for her hand. “Let me look at you for a minute. I can’t get over how beautiful you are.”
She shifted on her feet, drawing my attention to the mixture of our cum slipping down her inner thigh. It was obvious it made her uncomfortable, but I’d be willing to bet she wouldn’t feel that way if she knew what a turn-on it was.
“I wish I was an artist; I’d capture this moment forever on canvas, though I doubt there’s a single color that could do you justice. Or hell, if I had any skill with a camera, I’d snap a picture and frame it. You, my dear, are a work of art.”
Suddenly, a wave of laughter rolled through her, breaking me out of the spell she’d put me under. I wasn’t sure what she’d found so funny until she said, “I’m sorry, but that just gave me major flashbacks of the movie, Titanic.”
“Oh, you’ve seen it? I was hoping that was before your time.” Honestly, that hadn’t crossed my mind, but at least it saved me from looking like a silly sap, talking about turning her into a work of art.
“Corbin, Titanic is like Ghost or Dirty Dancing…they’re timeless. I’m just surprised you’re a fan of the movie.”
I stood and stretched, not caring that my now flaccid dick still hung out of my boxers. “Why wouldn’t I be? Like you said, it’s a classic.” Then, I took her hand and pulled her toward my room. “Come on, gorgeous, let’s go clean you off in the shower.”
Chapter 16
Brooke
My muscles were sore and my body exhausted. But I wouldn’t have changed a single second of last night.
Well, maybe I would’ve changed one thing—sneaking out of Corbin’s bed at two in the morning. I hadn’t wanted to leave him that way, but he had looked so peaceful that I couldn’t bear to wake him. We’d had prior conversations about wakeful nights, and I knew sleep didn’t come easily for him. His mind would wander, mostly about work and the numerous things he’d left unfinished. I doubted staying up so late with me had contributed in a positive way to his sleep situation.
My mind was all over the place today. I’d hardly been able to pay attention to the students’ antics—a fact they’d fully taken advantage of. They had run all over me, and I’d let them. It had been a day, and I was so thankful that it happened to fall on a Monday, which meant I got to meet the girls for drinks.
I’d arrived early, since my school got out before most of their work schedules; that’s the way things usually went. So to kill the time, I decided to scroll through my texts with Corbin from earlier. I couldn’t believe we’d hooked up last night. And to make matters worse, I hoped it would happen again.
Me: Hi. Sorry I left this morning without saying goodbye. I’m also sorry that it took me so long to text. It’s been a hectic day.
Corbin: Are you wearing panties?
Even though I’d read through these texts numerous times, flames still licked up my neck, arriving as red-hot heat in my cheeks. I couldn’t believe he asked me that. The truth was, I’d had to go home sans panties because mine had disappeared sometime after Corbin had taken them off me last night.
Me: Um, yeah. Now I am. LOL
Corbin: That was a pleasant surprise to wake up to this morning…you were gone, but left your panties behind.
Me: Yeah. It was a cold ride home. Are you still at work?
Corbin: Yup. All work and no play for me. When are you going to claim your panties?
I had to put my reminiscing to rest when Julie showed up. After the last time we all met up, I’d learned to keep my phone at the bottom of my purs
e for fear something else would happen to it. I doubted it’d be another drink; just my luck, Mady would chuck it across the room.
Somehow, I managed to remain normal while exchanging pleasantries with Julie and Mady. But when Nellie showed up, it was a game-changer; guilt ate me from the inside out. She knew me better than anyone, and I’d convinced myself that she’d know I’d slept with her brother within ten seconds of sitting down.
After going around the table, greeting the other two, she leaned into me, kissed my cheek, and said, “Hey, girl.” So far, so good. But the second her bottom met the barstool, I began to count.
Ten.
“Has Dandy come to take our order yet?” She glanced around the bar, looking for our usual waitress, whose real name was Dandelion.
“Yeah,” Julie answered for the rest of us. “She should bring them over any minute now.”
“Thank God, because I need it. I’ve had quite the day.” As long as Nellie kept her nose in the menu, she might not catch the scarlet letter gleaming on my forehead. “I’m thinking it’s a fries-and-ranch kind of night. What do you all think?”
Nine.
“After all the drinks last night? Hell, yes,” Mady chimed in.
Julie rolled her eyes. “I’d agree, except someone limited the number I had.”
“Hey, don’t blame me. The jerk deserved it for grabbing my butt.”
The girls laughed—I didn’t, because I remained frozen in fear.
Eight.
“Mady…he didn’t actually touch you.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s right.” She shrugged, causing more giggles to erupt around me. More giggles that I couldn’t participate in. My attention remained glued to the saltshaker in the center of the high-top while the impending doom hung over my head and threatened to suffocate me at any moment.
Just then, Dandy stopped by with our drinks and took our order for a basket of fries and bowl of ranch, offering me a momentary reprieve from my anxiety. And then I gulped half the glass of wine, needing another moment to compose myself before my life fell apart. My hope was that the more I drank, the better I’d be able to conceal my guilt.
“Slow down, girl.” Julie moved my glass away from me. “Keep that up and you won’t be able to drive home.”
“I took an Uber here. My car still isn’t working.”
“Oh, yeah.” Nellie turned to face me, and my stomach flipped. “How’d you get to work?”
Seven.
“One of the other teachers picked me up and then took me home.”
Her eyes narrowed.
This was it. My life was over.
Six.
But just as quickly as she’d brought the conversation to me, she moved on. “Mady, do you mind if I borrow that little black dress? I have a date tomorrow night, and I want to impress him. Nothing says my legs would look amazing around your neck better than a classy yet sexy black dress.”
That was enough to make me choke…on thin air. It would’ve been better had I been drinking at the time, but I wasn’t. I didn’t even have anything in my mouth, other than a giant ball of betrayal, caused by the memory of my legs around Corbin’s neck the night before in his kitchen.
Nellie patted my back and studied me with concerned eyes. “Are you okay?”
Five.
I couldn’t do anything other than nod, my ability to speak gone.
Luckily, Mady saved me by saying, “I’d totally let you borrow it, but I’m taking it with me on my trip. I leave in the morning for that work retreat, remember?”
“Aren’t you going to some dude ranch?” Julie asked, brows arched high on her forehead. “What the hell do you need a black dress for in the middle of the woods?”
“You never know who might be there. It’s always best to be prepared in any situation. That’s what my mom always said, at least. She’d tell me, ‘Mady, you need to make sure you’re taking your birth control every day on time. You don’t want to learn the hard way like I did and wait until the asshole forgets to pull out before realizing you weren’t prepared.’”
Julie snickered. “Um, Mady, I think she was talking about being protected, not prepared.”
“No, that’s not what she meant. She specifically told me what a major lesson that was to learn, because it taught her just how unprepared she was to be mom. She didn’t need to explain the importance of protecting myself; in this day and age, with all the different hook-up sites like Tinder, every woman should be using something, or at least have condoms in their purses.”
“Well, that’s true. We’re all on birth control, right?” Julie asked, glancing around the table. Then she flicked her wrist in my direction. “Not like you need it. You’re not having sex.”
Four.
Again, I started to choke. But this time, I was able to blame it on the mouthful of wine I’d been in the middle of swallowing. Nellie started to pat my back, but I shrugged her off and glared at my friend on my left. “In case you’ve forgotten, I was in a very long-term relationship not that long ago. I didn’t stop taking it just because he broke up with me.”
Julie held up her hands in apologetic surrender at the same time our fries were brought to the table. Dandy pointed to my nearly empty glass, and I nodded, silently asking for another. But when she pointed to the other’s, Julie shook her head, saying, “No more for me, thanks.”
Nellie was surprised. “Just one glass? That’s it?”
“I picked up an extra shift at the hospital, so I’ll be working twenty-four hours straight, which means tonight will be an early one for me,” Julie stated with a half-shrug.
“So…it looks like you might get bent over a haystack at a dude ranch this week.” Nellie pointed at Mady with a gleam in her eye, and then pressed the tip of her finger to her chest. “If all things go well, I’ll have beard-burn between my legs tomorrow night, and”—she pointed at Julie across from her—“you’ll be sucking off some hot doctor in the supply closet.”
“How many times do I have to tell you…Grey’s Anatomy isn’t real!”
Apparently, I’d spaced out—and lost my mind—because the next words out of my mouth didn’t only surprise me, they shocked the hell out of the other girls. “How does one give a good blowjob?”
Three.
“Whose dick are you planning on sucking?” Nellie asked with wide, incredulous eyes.
Two.
My cheeks flamed with heat, but I answered her anyway. “I’m single now; who knows when I might meet someone and want to give it another go. And like Mady’s mom said, I should always be prepared. I mean, it’s not my fault I hate blowjobs.” I sighed and picked up my drink to polish it off.
“Don’t feel bad, Brooke,” Julie said while giving me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “There are lots of women out there who can’t do it.”
“Or won’t do it,” Mady chimed in.
I pointed to myself and joined in on the teasing. “Or don’t know how to do it.”
We all laughed again.
When Dandy came back with our second rounds—minus Julie—I leaned in and got serious. “So give me some tips.”
“Look who’s putting herself back into the dating pool.” Nellie shoulder bumped me before stealing another fry.
“I wouldn’t say that. I’m more or less dipping my pinky toe in.” That was fair to say. Even though I’d dipped far more than that, they didn’t need to know the specifics.
“Oh, yeah?” Nellie appeared very interested. “With who?”
And one.
I held my breath, waiting for the lightbulb above her head to flick on.
When it didn’t, I exhaled and pushed my luck. “No one in particular.”
Thankfully, Mady came to my rescue, saving my life for at least another minute. She swatted at Nellie and said, “Leave her alone. When she’s ready to tell us, she will. Right now, the girl needs tips on…well, the tip.” She wagged her brows, easing my tension a little more. “My advice, Brooke, is it’s best to practice with a pops
icle.”
“Nah, that’s too frickin’ cold. A banana is better,” Julie suggested.
“You’re both wrong. A dildo is best. It doesn’t turn to mush, and it’s not cold. Plus, it’s the most realistic size-wise.” Nellie would know. She had the most experience. She wasn’t easy, per se, but she had a healthy appetite where sex was concerned.
“That’s all nice and everything, but how do you do it?” I asked again.
The girls took turns giving actual advice.
“I think it’s best to twirl your tongue around it, kind of figure out where your boundaries are.”
“Yeah, and you can watch his face to see which places he likes best. Once you get him going, you’ll totally get into it and won’t want to stop. It’s all about being in control. I bet you’ll really like doing it once you find someone whose pleasure turns you on.”
I just sat back and listened, taking mental notes on the subject. At least it kept me from counting down again. As long as I had Nellie talking about sex, I could enjoy the rest of my evening with the girls without worrying about her suspecting anything.
* * *
“Miss Brooklyn, watch me!”
I was on recess duty, which meant it was the end of the day. Thank God! I was dead on my feet after staying up late texting Corbin. I just wanted to be in bed, texting him again. Only one more hour until I could do that—as long as I could stop daydreaming about our steamy conversation long enough to keep these kids alive.
“Slow it down, Garrison,” I warned, walking closer to the monkey bars.
“I can do it, Miss Brooklyn! I can go high like Superman!” He began to swing his legs and leap from bar to bar.
Oh shit! He’s going to fall and break his neck.
I held on to the main pole and reached out to steady him. Then, out of nowhere, whack! Stars danced above my head, and I heard voices. Maybe angels were singing?
The unEXpected Plan Page 18