by K. S. Thomas
I suddenly feel like a really shitty friend. Not that I could have known. I mean, it’s been less than two weeks. Granted, Nat’s probably the fastest friend I’ve ever made, but still, we haven’t covered things like birthdays yet.
I elbow her in the side playfully. “You suck! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me today was your birthday.”
“I told you, I hate birthdays. I’d rather it not come up at all.”
Dr. Blake definitely feels differently judging by the way he’s beaming at her. Two seconds later when the delivery guy shows up with the gigantic edible bouquet for Nat it becomes clear to all of us why.
When I finally get home I’m super bummed to find the house empty with no sign of Penn returning anytime soon. I try not to be disappointed about his absence or the fact that he didn’t bother to even text and let me know he was heading out. I mean, he really doesn’t owe me any explanations. As nice as the week has been, we’re still just friends. Friends who admittedly have feelings most friends don’t, but who as of yet are on the fence about fully committing to said feelings.
With nothing better to look forward to, I try to get myself contented with the idea of a hot shower and crawling into bed with a pizza from Julian’s which I can have delivered straight to my front door where I can pick it up in my pajamas, mismatched socks and all.
I spend a solid twenty minutes under the hot water and by the time I come out I’ve created so much steam, the writing on the mirror is almost too fogged over to be legible.
I lean over the counter, squinting to make out the words.
Save me some pizza.
For a moment I’m not sure if he’s psychic or leaving me a clue with his little note. Still in my towel, I hurry from the bathroom down the hall to the kitchen. As soon as I walk in I see the light on in the oven. I open it and the scent of a fully loaded veggie delight on thin crust with extra garlic butter wafts toward me. The oven is off but still toasty warm and so is the pizza. It couldn’t have been in here long. Disappointment hits when I realize I barely missed him. But then the smell of pizza entices me once more and I can’t help but start grinning again.
Penn
“What’s up with you? I don’t think you’ve said two words since you showed up for work.” Tony closes his locker and gives me one of his standard stare downs. He’s a big dude so I guess that shit works on other people. It doesn’t do much for me other than annoy me.
“Talking to you hasn’t paid off much lately,” I grunt slamming the door on my gear and starting toward the door. It’s been a long twenty-four hours and after our last call I’m beyond ready to get out of here and decompress. Accidental drownings rarely go well. By the time we get there, the victim is usually past the point of returning. Even if we do get a heartbeat, lack of oxygen for long periods of time does things to people no doctor can undo.
“Hey, wait up.” His hand lands on my shoulder just as I reach the door. “Seriously, man. What’s going on?”
“Not that this will come as a shock to you, but Trix and I are kind of exploring the possibility of being more than friends.” I wait and watch how he handles the news. I’m really not in the mood to hear his thoughts on this subject, but he’s my buddy, and being a dick to him for no reason doesn’t make sense. Even to me.
“And what? You’re freaking out already?” He frowns disapprovingly. Tony may be my friend, but if I fuck this up with Trix he’ll be the first one to beat the shit out of me.
“No. That’s the whole thing. I’m in this. For real. I’ve spent all week taking it slower than slow so I don’t spook her, but now I think that course of action might be backfiring and I don’t know what to do about it.” I throw my hands up in frustration. I spent two hours punching the shit out of the punching bag down in the gym before my shift started but it did nothing to ease the tension in the pit of my stomach. Neither did the hours I spent on Pop’s couch channel surfing until my eyes were blurry just so I could get through the night without going home or thinking about the stuff I didn’t want to be thinking about. Like Dr. Douche making a move on Trix.
“What the hell are you talking about? How can taking it slow backfire?” Tony’s eyeing me suspiciously, like maybe I’m holding out on him about the stupid way I screwed up already. Only I haven’t screwed up. Not yet anyway.
“I don’t fucking know, man. I thought everything was going perfectly. It was just me and her all week. It was...it was fucking amazing, that’s what it was. Then, Wednesday night, I go swing by her work at the end of her shift to surprise her with dinner at Julian’s only to overhear her boss making some grand announcement about taking her out to the nicest restaurant in town. Even makes a comment about how he doesn’t give two fucks about how inappropriate it is.”
Tony looks about as confused as I’m feeling. “What did Trix say?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t stick around long enough to find out. I just saw her face for a second. She was smiling from ear to ear. She definitely liked the idea, I can tell you that much.” I groan painfully. “Fuck me, man. I really thought the stupid doctor thing was just another distraction. I didn’t think she’d really go for him. Especially not now.”
I feel a heavy pat on my shoulder. “Man up, dude. This is Trix. You’re telling me, after everything, this girl isn’t even worth the fight? You know damn well she is. So get a grip, go home and make that woman yours for good. Playtime is over. You’ve been dicking around with this for long enough. Time to get serious.”
He’s right. And that’s not usually a conclusion I come to after talking to Tony.
“Thanks, man. I needed that.”
He nods. “I know you did. Now go.” He points at the door and I don’t argue. In fact, I practically run out of here.
The whole drive home a million and one scenarios run through my mind about what I’m going to say when I see her this evening after work. He could show up. The doctor. It’s a Friday night. For all I know, dinner could have gone so well Wednesday, they could be up to date three already. Or, worse she could skip coming home all together and be staying at his place. So they can carpool to work together.
If she does spend the evening home – alone – do I just act the same as I’ve done all week? Pretend I don’t know? Or do I go in, all balls to the walls demanding she stop wasting time with the doctor?
Out of the million and one scenarios I spend the day preparing myself for, the one I’m not expecting is the one I actually find when I come wandering in after a long run which did annoyingly little to ease my tension.
The music is blasting so loud I can hear it before I even walk inside. It’s all instrumental, and the beat is so intense it’s overwhelming. It takes me a minute to track her down and when I do, she’s bent over, head first in the dryer, placing the last of her wet laundry inside.
I just stand here, watching while she slams the door shut and turns it on. She spins around and falls back, startled at the sight of me standing here.
She’s dressed in the t-shirt I wore around the house all day Wednesday and a pair of cut off denim shorts that are so worn I can see her skin through the material. Her feet are covered in two of the most ridiculous socks I’ve ever laid eyes on and I don’t think she’s ever looked more beautiful.
Before I can stop myself, my hands are moving through her soft blonde hair, pulling the thick waves of curls out of her face and away from her neck where I kiss her, softly at first. Then her head leans in toward mine and she moans into my ear and all bets are off.
In a whirlwind of motions, I’ve got her on top of the dryer and out of her clothes. My lips are moving over her body, hungry for every last part of her. I’ve tasted them all before, but never like this. Never for pleasure. All the times we’ve been together in the past, it’s never been about pleasure. Just escaping pain. Not now. Now I’m going to do things to her I’ve only ever dreamed of. And I’m going to take my sweet ass time doing it. When I’m through with her, she won’t even remember what the good doctor
looks like.
Chapter Thirteen
Trix
Penn’s face is buried in the curve of my neck, his mouth and tongue doing things to my hot skin I don’t think they’ve ever done before. The way he’s swirling and sucking, and occasionally biting, sensations of insane proportions are surging through my body all at once.
I knew something was up the second I saw him standing there, but I wasn’t expecting it to be this. Frankly, I’m still a bit in shock over the whole thing. Especially the way his hands continue to roam over my body like they’re on some grand exploration of new territory. Which they most definitely are not. And it’s not like Penn to approach sex with me aimlessly. It’s always with intent and straight to business. Because it’s not meant to be personal. This...this feels personal.
I should panic about this very important detail, and I totally would, if I was capable of panicking right now. I’m not. I’m barely capable of not falling off of the dryer, and I’m pretty sure that’s mostly due to Penn’s rock hard body pressing into mine and holding me in place while his hands continue to do what they’re doing.
Fingertips glide over my skin, caressing my most sensitive parts until I want to scream out. My body begins to squirm and spasm involuntarily in his care and I haven’t a clue on how to get it back under control, nor do I want to. His touch becomes more rapid and rougher as his mouth continues to work his way down from my neck until he finds my breasts and begins to work each one over until I’m so wound up my fingers are clawing at his back desperate to bring him closer to me. Much closer.
I can feel both of us breathing heavy, our chests heaving into one another as he lifts me off of the dryer and carries me out into the living room. There’s nothing gentle about the way he throws me into the sofa cushions and I’m a little shocked at myself, because it seems to turn me on even more. The wild look on his face. The way his hands are doing all the things his eyes are promising.
His gaze locks onto mine, forcing me to keep my own lids from closing. Forcing me to watch. To see everything he’s feeling. Thinking. Wanting. And I know I want to give it to him. Because I want it too.
Lifting my hips I grind into him, his already rock hard erection twitching against my skin. I don’t think I’ve ever been so desperate to feel him inside of me. And for the life of me, I can’t figure out what he’s waiting for. It’s not like we need to stop and track down a condom. After all, I’ve been on the pill since I got my first period, compliments of my paranoid mother, and we both agreed from the start, we’d only ever go bare with each other. Between both of our chosen professions, we get checkups often enough to know we are both free and clear and in perfect health.
He’s still staring straight at me when he positions himself to line up all the most important parts between us. Then, eyes piercing mine, he watches while I start to react to him moving inside of me. It’s like he’s feeding off of the pleasure he’s giving me and that in turn brings the level of intensity up even after I thought I couldn’t go any higher.
It doesn’t take long before an earth shattering orgasm comes barreling through my entire being, waves of pleasure continuously sweeping over me long after we’ve both stopped moving and my body lies limp and completely spent in his arms.
Slowly he lifts himself up and shifts onto his side, careful not to fall off of the couch when he does so. He’s grinning from ear to ear at the sight of me and I’m still not entirely sure what just transpired between us. Now that the sex buzz is wearing off and my thoughts are forming more clearly again, the previous notion to panic returns. Not as vengeful as it might have had the sex not been so out of this world, but it’s there none the less.
“What the hell was that?”
He shrugs, a finger sweeping over my bare shoulder in circles.
“Did you have a bad night? Something happen at work?” I don’t usually request a play by play of whatever triggers our sexcapades, but given the circumstances, I feel like I need to inquire just a bit.
“Nope. Work was just work.” Unlike before, now he seems to be purposely avoiding my gaze.
“So we just had sex...for...?”
“Fun.”
I don’t actually have a response to that.
When Penn realizes this, his eyes travel upward again, something new sparkling in their deep blue depths, and he grins. “We’ve never done that before. And, I just wanted to see what it would be like.”
I can suddenly see where I might have started something with that stupid little line I didn’t fully think through. Of course, this could also work to my advantage. I’ve made a mental list over the years of all the places and ways I wouldn’t mind seeing Penn get naked. I just didn’t anticipate ever having the chance to check any of them off.
“That was a pretty bold move, my friend.” I’m trying to appear at least slightly stern, but at this point I don’t think I’m physically capable of doing anything other than smiling.
“I’m glad you brought that up.” He shifts upward into a sitting position and more or less takes me with him. “I’m really not feeling that term anymore. Friend. It’s gotta go, Trix. Words like ‘friend’ and dates with doctors should definitely be out from this point on.”
I actually scramble at bit to sit up straighter as well after that one. “I’m sorry, what now?”
“I’m serious. Let’s stop tiptoeing around what we’re starting here and just fucking jump in already. I want to be with you. I want to be the only one to be with you.”
But I’m still hung up on what he said before. “What does any of that have to do with dating doctors? Are you dating a doctor?”
He does a sort of double take mixed with a shaking head before he answers. “No, dipshit. You’re dating the doctor.”
“I’m pretty sure I’d know if that were a thing. It’s not. I haven’t been on a date in ages. And the last doctor I saw was a chick who gave me my annual pap and breast exam.”
His frustration is changing into something else now. Something that looks like a cross between hurt and angry. “Trix, I came by the office Wednesday. I was going to take you to dinner...I heard your boss make his grand announcement about taking you out for the best of the best.”
And now a multitude of thoughts are rushing through my mind. In a perfect world, I’d be able to take the next five hours to thoroughly examine them all, but this isn’t a perfect world, this is a world with Penn. And he’s not a fan of my overanalyzing things so we’re both just going to have to settle for me blurting shit out.
“You were staking your claim on me!”
“What?”
“You were. In the laundry room, and in here. The sex. It was jealous sex. I’m gonna make her mine - sex. That’s why it was so fucking amazing. You were serving up your best moves!”
The anger is quickly fading from his eyes and he’s slightly amused at being called out for his efforts. “Fine. So what if it was? All I need to know is if it worked or not.”
“Did you manage to steal me away from the doctor with your mind-blowing abilities in the sack?”
He nods, a sheepish grin sweeping over his face to try and disguise the aggravation my drawing out this conversation is causing him.
“No.”
His face drops, wiping his expression clean. “What?”
“No, you didn’t manage to steal me away from the doctor because you can’t steal something from someone that they don’t have, any more than you can steal what already belongs to you.” I reach up and softly run my fingers through his messy hair until they come back around to his face, where I trace his strong jaw and gently tap his perfect lips. “You should have stuck around and taken me to dinner, Penn. If you had, I would have told you all about how it was Nat’s birthday and how Dr. Blake insisted on taking her out to celebrate because he knows she won’t do it on her own.”
It’s a rare occasion that Penn has nothing to say. And I’m guessing this is no such occasion either. It’s likely he’s merely delayed. So I wait. And
watch while my words slowly catch up to every racing thought he’s had since walking into my job and hearing what he thought were the words that could take me away from him. No such words exist.
“Would you like to go to dinner with me? And I don’t just mean to grab a slice at Julian’s. I mean a real dinner. A romantic dinner. A date. You and me. For real. I drive. I pay. I do all the gentlemanly shit along the way I do anyway because I pretend like I have to but we both know I live for and at the end, I kiss you good night. A real kiss. On the mouth.”
“With tongue?”
“Hell yeah.”
“Then I’d love to.”
Penn
The icy cold water running over my body is doing nothing for me. I practically bolted for the shower two seconds after Trix agreed to dinner. And us. If I hadn’t I would have devoured her all over again, and this time, I would have started at her mouth. It’s stupid, but I feel like this will be our first real kiss. It’s significant. Both of us making the conscious decision to change a relationship we’ve been in for years. Depended on for years. And I want to do it right. Starting with dinner.
I eye the mirror automatically when I step out of the shower, but since it was lacking in heat and steam, my own reflection is the only thing looking back at me. I’m smiling. No. Smiling isn’t even the word for it. I’m something beyond smiling. I’m that fucking happy right now.
With a towel wrapped around my waist, I march out of the bathroom and straight down the hall to my bedroom. I hurry just in case Trix is on the loose. And still naked.
Standing in front of my dresser and searching the fairly vacant drawers, it occurs to me that I should have thrown in a load of laundry sometime before or after I was mauling Trix on top of the dryer. Too late now. I check the closet and luck is on my side. The blue button up pinstripe shirt Trix got me for my last birthday is hanging there ready to go. Now I just need to dig up a pair of jeans and I’ll be all set.
Truth is, I’ve known where to take Trix for the perfect date for a long time. Since I was sixteen to be specific. Even if I didn’t want to admit at the time that I was going to be the one taking her. I’d told myself I’d just sit on the idea until the right guy came along. A guy good enough for her. A guy I liked. It was an easy bargain to make with myself when I knew no such guy existed for me where Trix was concerned.