Running Rings

by Ruth G Juliano

  “Why would I need that when I could have a real person?” Adrian asked, moving his hand into the back pocket of her jeans.

  Verity smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, “Thank you for helping me out, yet again. I think this is a great idea.”

  “So, he thinks he’s in love with you, does he?”

  “He wants me to move into his mansion and sit on his face while he masturbates, and in return he’ll buy me whatever I want,” Verity shrugged.

  “You do realise that a lot of women would do that, don’t you? They would absolutely do that. The guy is loaded. He’d provide clothes, expenses, even surgery to keep them attractive, and all they have to do is assist him to masturbate his giant knob by providing sexual stimulation to him.”

  “Yes, Adrian, I know exactly what it is, and maybe for some people it’s the offer of a lifetime, but I want more than that out of my life. I want a deep connection to the man I love and to be genuinely happy with my life. I’m worth more than a superficial role for a superficial man with an oversized penis and an overinflated ego. He’s interesting, and I’ve learned a lot from him, but I can’t continue to work for him.”

  Chapter 25

  Verity had done all of Jake’s scheduled work for the next week. She couldn’t be any fairer than that. She had updated all of the reports, balance sheets, work sheets, and drafted responses for all of the letters of offer.

  “It’s almost clock-off time. I’d like my weekly report please.”

  Verity nodded and stood up from her desk. She picked up the box and opened Jake’s door. She put the box down and closed his door then walked to his desk. “Afternoon, Sir. My weekly report is –”

  “I don’t really want to hear it. I wanted to invite you to my house for the weekend and the only answer is yes.”

  “No, thank you, Mr Horton. I’ve said no every time you’ve asked me, and I’m not changing my mind.”

  “I think you want to engage in something sexual with me. I want that too. I told you how much better I think afterwards. There is no need for it right now as the day is almost done, but for the weekend I could accomplish much if you were there.”

  Verity sighed, “I haven’t wanted to engage in anything sexual with you since you did it the first time. Before that I thought you were attractive and interesting, and since then I’ve found you controlling and manipulative, and I also think you’re a rapist.”

  “I beg your pardon? Do you want to be fired?”

  Verity put her hand up, “You can’t fire me, Jake. I tendered my resignation already and my employment here ends in fifteen minutes. If you have special needs in the sexual department, instead of throwing money at your assistant and forcing them to do what you want with threats, I suggest you find a sex worker who can accommodate your needs.”

  “You called me a rapist.”

  “You inserted a dildo in me, while I was cleaning semen from under your desk. Is there another way to see it?”

  “I took you out to dinner afterwards and gave you a dress to keep.”

  “And while dropping me home you insisted that I sit on your face instead of on the seat of the limousine.”

  “A lot of women would be grateful for that kind of attention, Verity.”

  “I’m not a lot of women, Jake. I came here to play with numbers, not your sexual issues. I have a brain, and I have skills, and you’re wasting my time.”

  Jake smiled, “All of my previous assistants left because I said so. This is a first for me. I don’t think I like it, but I do like you.”

  Verity smiled, “What a shame, because I don’t think I like you right now. I think you’re a gorgeous nut job.” Jake laughed, and Verity tilted her head. She had never heard him laugh like that before. “I meant it.”

  “Perhaps you are my Cinderella. Would you like to see if you can fit my penis in you, like Cinderella and the glass slipper?”

  “I like my glass slipper how it is, thank you. But I brought you a parting gift.” Verity said. She went and retrieved the box she left near the door and put it on his desk.

  “What is it?”

  “Her name is Flora. She has malleable breasts, comes with refillable lubrication and adjustable pubic hair, and she has a vagina that will expand to fit over your head. I don’t recommend it though, you might suffocate and what a shame that’d be.”

  “It’s a blow up doll?”

  “No, it’s more than a blow up doll. It’s not made from inflatable toy material. It’s state of the art in terms of realism. Ever had one?” Verity asked, folding her arms.

  “No. I hadn’t considered this as an option.”

  “Well, maybe you have a very fixed view of fun. You should work on that.”

  Jake laughed again and came around the desk. He took Verity in his arms and kissed her, using only the tip of his tongue around the inside of her lips. He closed his lips over hers four times and let her go. “I might like you a lot, Verity Sharpe. Would you like to watch me acquaint myself with Flora and see if she’s the first woman who can take me in?”

  “No, I’d like to wash your saliva off my face and go home.”

  Jake unzipped his pants, “I want you to see it.”

  Verity turned her back to him, “I don’t want to see your penis, Jake.”

  “I think you really do. You don’t have to touch it, just look at it.”

  Verity huffed and turned around. Jake’s pants and underpants were around his ankles, and his penis was hanging between his legs. His penis was around nine inches long and three inches wide, and still growing. She wanted to look away as it grew but she was fascinated. It was like watching the self-inflating doll at the sex shop. Verity shook her head. There was no way he could even have oral sex with a penis like that. It now almost looked like three normal slim penises were stacked in a triangle shape sharing one massive head. Verity felt sorry for him and his grotesque penis. She walked around his desk and opened the box. She took Flora from the box and laid her on the floor to attach the foot pump to Flora’s nipple. She pumped her foot and watched Flora expand, trying not to laugh at what she was currently doing. When Flora was ready, Verity attached the flexible nipple cap to stop the air leaking out and laid her on the desk. “She’s surprisingly heavy, do you want to come and try her out?” Verity asked, gesturing Jake to Flora.

  Jake pulled his pants up and held them together at his waist. He moved his hands on Flora’s legs that were flopped over his desk. “They don’t feel too bad.”

  “She’s ready to use, and the instructions and lubricant refills are in the box,” Verity said, and headed for the door.

  “You really think I can do this?” Jake asked.

  “Yes, then you won’t have to share your money or your personal issues with anyone but Flora, and you’ll be able keep your personal assistants for longer, and maybe even try a male assistant. Maybe you could keep her in the bathroom, and don’t share your bathroom with anyone but her.”

  “Okay, I’ll do this for you, Verity. I’m going to miss you. I think we should have dinner together soon.”

  “Sure, have fun,” Verity said, putting her hand on the door handle.

  Jake let out a long moan, “Verity! I’m in a pussy and it feels so good.”

  Verity couldn’t turn around. She didn’t want anything more to do with this situation. “I’ll lock this on my way out. All the best, Mr Jake Horton.”

  “Oh yeah, I’m doing it, I’m doing it and it feels so good.”

  Verity put her hand over her mouth as she walked out the door, ensuring the button was pressed in. When she got out to her desk she burst into laughter. She took her mobile phone off her desk and sent Adrian a text message to advise that Jake was in love.

  Chapter 26

  Verity watched Adrian drying the dishes thoroughly and smiled. It had been almost twelve months since the wedding and they were still friends with benefits. They’d done a lot of wonderful things together, things they’d never done before. He’d seen her into her
third job and was always happy to hear about her day, as she was about his. He exercised with her, on top of her sometimes to motivate her, and he took her for runs in the park and walks on the beach and swims in the ocean. They went dancing together occasionally, pretending not to know each other and seeing if they could convince each other to come back to their place. She was a terrible dancer, but in his arms she looked good by allowing him to lead. She had to remind herself that technically they weren’t a couple. She thought about her lost love daily and Adrian frequently commented that there were always three of them in the room.

  She was very aware of how Adrian felt about love. He didn’t believe in it. She knew how she felt about Adrian and she was very comfortable with it, but she knew Adrian wouldn’t be. She’d resisted the urge to tell him many times because she knew he’d run away from her.

  They knew a lot about each other, but not everything. He had things he didn’t want to talk about, like his family. He just said he was an only child and didn’t have a relationship with his father. He talked fondly of his cousin and his cousin’s sons that he called his nephews. Verity really understood being an only child to busy parents, but Adrian always wanted things kept light. He didn’t want to tell her everything there was to know about him because he wanted it reserved for his wife. She was never going to be his wife, so she respected his wishes. She didn’t want anything heavy either. He never made her feel weighed down. They always lifted each other and made each other laugh and kept a level of indifference towards each other, enjoying each other’s laughter and craziness on a daily basis.

  Verity put the dishes away as Adrian handed them to her. “That was a good deal,” she said, as Adrian sat down.

  “What, you wash and I dry?” he asked, patting his thighs, “That’s the standard.”

  She sat on Adrian’s knee, put her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. “When was the last time a woman cooked for you?”

  “Before you did? When I was twelve.”

  Verity laughed, “Really?”

  Adrian nodded, “Good thing I can cook for myself. Now that we’ve had dinner and dessert and watched a movie and done the dishes, what would you like to do?”

  Verity got off Adrian’s lap and then straddled him. She kissed him and rubbed his shoulders. He kissed her neck and felt her breasts and went back to kissing her mouth. Verity moved from the chair and knelt down in front of him. She undid his belt and unzipped his pants.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Shh,” she replied. She looked into his eyes and put her mouth over him.

  Adrian let out a deep breath and touched her hair.

  Verity moved her mouth and hands lovingly. She wanted it to feel as good for him as he always made her feel.

  “I should be doing something for you,” he whispered.

  Verity shook her head and continued. This was so much nicer than Brad shoving his penis down her throat. It was pleasurable for her mouth and it was arousing her a lot. This is something she could definitely do again.

  “Let me do something for you,” Adrian whispered.

  Verity shook her head. She moved her mouth and hand faster and slower, harder and softer and Adrian calmly announced that he couldn’t wait any longer. As he exploded into her mouth, Verity swallowed and sucked and licked and swallowed, as if it were a gift. When he’d stopped, she kissed the tip and looked into his eyes. He touched her face and she smiled at him.

  Adrian furrowed him brow, “What was that?” he asked.

  Verity realised what he’d seen in her eyes. She put her hand to her mouth and stood up as tears formed in her eyes. She shook her head and hurried to her bedroom where she threw herself face down on the bed.

  Adrian sat next to her on the bed and put his hand on her back. “I’ve never had a blow job in my life. That’s the first one and it will always be the first one. I’ve never engaged in sexual contact without a condom either, that’s a first too. We’ve had a lot of firsts. I know why you’re crying.”

  “Do you?” Verity asked into the bed.

  “You’re in love with me, aren’t you?”

  Verity nodded into the bed, “I have been for a long time. I just usually hide it better than that.”

  “That wasn’t supposed to happen,” Adrian said, rubbing her back, “You know I can’t. You said you wouldn’t fall for me, and you know I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Verity turned over and looked at Adrian, “I don’t want to lose your friendship. I don’t care how many women you sleep with, or if you don’t want to see me for a while if that suits you. I’ve loved you a long time and it doesn’t make any difference. Please don’t say goodbye forever, please?”

  Adrian lied down next to Verity and moved his hand over her abdomen. “You made me say ‘I love you’ the first time we met. It’s not something I should have said so freely, even if it was what you needed to hear to feel comfortable that night. I can’t do this.”

  “I know you can’t love me, Adrian, I know that. I’m not asking you to love me. I can’t help how you make me feel. I wish I could but I can’t.”

  “You and I have had so much fun together, so much fun, but I’m not going to let you love me because you’re just going to get hurt. I don’t want to see you hurt, so I can’t see you anymore, Verity. It’s over now. It’s run its course.”

  More tears ran down Verity’s face as she nodded, “Okay.”

  “This is the part where you realise that I’m a selfish, unlovable bastard, and you’re happy to be rid of me then everyone is happy again,” Adrian said, rubbing her abdomen again.

  Verity nodded and folded her arms under her breasts, “That’s never going to happen, Dray. I’m always going to love you. I wish my eyes could lie.”

  “That’s a look I’ve never seen before in person, but I know what it means. I know it’s the look of love. It’s beautiful, it really is, but it’s not for me. I hate seeing you cry.” He kissed her bare abdomen, “Don’t cry, Butterfly. I’m sorry. This really sucks.”

  Verity nodded, “And blows.”

  Adrian unfolded Verity’s arms and put his lips to hers. He kissed her deeply and ran his hand down her arm. “You understand why I have to let you go before it goes any further. I can’t do this to you. It’ll only get harder, and I’m going to be cast aside when Mr Perfect comes back into your life, I know I am, and you’re going to be upset when that happens the more attached you become to me. It makes no difference to me, because I’m incapable of love. I can’t do love, but you can, and you’ll have guilt for feeling love for me. You probably already do.”

  “I don’t want to be without you, and I don’t feel guilty about that, but I’m being selfish, I know I am. I knew this was going to happen I just didn’t want it to ever happen.”

  “You know where you’re going to end up, Verity, and it’s not with me.”

  “I know, and I’m going to make a stellar effort to find out where he is and what he’s doing. I’m going to miss you so much, and I hope you don’t miss me. I only ever wanted to make you as happy as you make me.”

  “I know.”

  Verity kissed him on the lips and put her arms around him. “You were supposed to be a one-night stand. My first and only one. Now you’ve been many, many one-night stands and the best friend I’ve had in a long time. I know it’s just going to get harder to give you up the longer it goes for. I know that. It’s been almost two years, though, and … okay… go get your phone.”

  Adrian stood up and left the room. He came back with his phone in his hand and held it out to her. Verity stood up and scrolled through his contacts. She found her name and deleted her contact details. She handed the phone back to Adrian.

  “I wouldn’t have been able to do that,” Adrian said, “Thank you.”

  Verity put her arms around his neck. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him. He held her close, spun her around and held her tight. She moved her face to his neck and kissed him. She held
him tight around the shoulders then pulled back with her hands locked on the back of his neck. “Gorgeous, strong, funny, polite, caring,” she swallowed as tears came to her eyes, “Protective, kind, passionate, educational, masculine, sweet,” the tears were running down her face, “Practically perfect in every way. That’s how I would describe you. Don’t settle for second best, Dray. When you’re ready to settle down, you’ll do a hell of a lot better than me and you know it.”

  Adrian kissed her gently on the lips and stood her on her feet. He turned and walked out of her bedroom and Verity heard the front door close seconds later. That was hard. He was an incredible human being but she never, ever wanted to hurt him. If they kept going he could end up hurt, very hurt, and that’s the last thing she wanted. She cried for a few more minutes and then washed her face. She decided she need to phone a friend and scrolled through her list of contacts.

  “Hi, Verity, what’s new?”

  “Where do I start, Nicole?”

  “Try at the beginning. Have you found your man yet?”

  “No. Not yet. I know that you’ve had more experience with relationships than I have and I wanted to know if you’ve had feelings for two men at the same time before.”

  “Yes. I have. Malcolm, remember Malcolm? He’s the man who reported Tyson for raping me. He’s a really good friend of mine, and we’ve had sex a few times and we used to hang out together a lot, but then he met someone else, someone his parents would want him to marry and so have I, but I still love him.”

  “That’s what’s happening with me. I love this man, but he doesn’t want me to love him. And even if by some crazy chance he loved me too, I can’t end up with him. I just can’t imagine not having in my life. I’m being selfish. I know that. But is it possible to be friends with someone you’re in love with and be in love with someone else?”

  “Love is messy. I love him, but I can’t tell my fiancé that I love someone else because some people don’t tend to understand that. They think that you can only love one person at a time and the other is just lust. I guess it depends on the men you’re with too. If they can understand that you really love the other person too and you want them in your life and they can do that without feeling insecure then why not?”