by Nicola Lowe
Cassie jumped in before I could speak. “Oh, she’ll be too busy dry humping Zack, never see her at weekends now.”
“Cassie!” I snapped. “That’s not true.”
“The dry humping or the not seeing you at weekends?”
Luke looked flustered as he took his plate and sat down.
“Zack’s busy this weekend, so yes Luke, I would love to come visit the kids.” I stuck my tongue out at Cassie and the three of us attacked the food as though we hadn’t eaten in weeks.
“Luke, I’m now officially the world’s best matchmaker, so shout when you want hooking up.” Bragged Cassie, she was going to revel in this for a long time.
He smiled, but it didn’t seem like a true smile. “I’ll pass, confirmed bachelor. You know me.” We laughed it off, but something felt amiss.
It made my soul happy to have the three of us back together again. Luke’s tales from Uganda were incredible and I was so in awe of what he did, I could never be brave enough to go so far away, alone, to help people, but that was Luke all over.
Cassie teased me about Zack, but Luke’s words resonated with me a little, I tried to move the conversation on. My mind was busy as Luke walked me the few minutes home, wanting to make sure I was safe.
“Are you sure that you’re OK?” he asked as we neared my flat.
I looked up at him. “Yeah, I’m good. I was dreading the date you know? I did it to shut Cassie up, but then it felt like it was working.” There was an awkward silence.
“No sexy lawyer ladies in Uganda then?” I asked.
He laughed. “No. Honest, like I said to Cassie. Not interested. Got enough going on.”
“Well, I’m crazy glad you’re back. Doesn’t feel right when you’re not here.”
I raised up onto my tiptoes as I hugged him, he was about the only person who made me feel short. I knew he’d linger until he saw my light come on upstairs. “I’ll call you tomorrow, thanks for seeing me back.”
“Anytime Lily-flower. Night.”
“Night Luke.”
Six
It was Friday at last! I lived for Fridays now. It took more time than normal to get ready for work, to make sure I looked as good as possible. Once a month, the whole team went for a meal and drinks, and tonight was that night. People often brought partners, I’d never been able to join in like that before, so earlier in the week I’d invited Zack.
He would be at mine early, as we went out straight from work to allow more drinking time, hence I wanted to look my best. I settled on a black jumpsuit with strappy black heels and a smart jacket over the top for work which could be removed later. My dilemma now though was that as Luke was back, he’d be coming along too, and I desperately wanted the two men in my life to be friends. I had a dreadful feeling they weren’t going click. I worried all morning and, in the end, sent Luke a message at lunchtime.
Lily: Hey Mr Jetlag. Feeling all good now? x
Luke: Yeah, all back to normal. Was great to see you and Cassie, feels like too long since the three of us were together xx
Lily: Definitely! But you were the one who left the continent x
Luke: You have a point! Guess I’ll see you tonight anyway, won’t I? Aren’t we trying that Moroccan place? xx
Lily: Yep, we are. I’m really worried though x
Luke: Why?? Just eat Hummus if you don’t like anything else xx
Lily: I already invited Zack. I so badly want you both to like each other but I feel like you don’t already? x
Luke: Don’t be silly. I haven’t met him so I can’t judge. I know he’s important to you, I’m looking out for you, that’s all xx
Lily: OK. Thanks Luke. You better sit next to me! x
Luke: Deal. See you later Lily-flower xx
I bounded up the stairs to my flat after work, checked my makeup and just about had time to put perfume on before I heard the buzzer. I smiled as I opened the door to Zack, trying to mask how nervous I was.
“I missed you,” he said as he walked in. He smelled amazing again and I loved how looking at him made me feel, the way I wanted to soak in every detail of him each time we met. He’d come straight from work too and looked so good in a grey tailored suit over a black shirt.
“I missed you too,” I replied with a smile as he pulled me close. He kissed me, his hands ran around my waist and pulled me tightly to him. Luke’s words of caution vanished from my mind now that Zack was here.
“Quick drink before we go? Shots or wine?” I asked as I grabbed the bottles from the side. I needed Dutch courage.
“Shots,” he smiled and came closer. “Seems like the train was a good plan. Are you going to try to seduce me again?”
My eyes rolled as I handed him the shot glass with a smile. “Me? Seduce you? I think you have that the wrong way round.”
“I think it was me stopped it going further last week, wasn’t it? You were about to jump me, I could tell.”
My face flushed red again at the memory. “Well, you were doing such lovely things to me.”
“One, two, three…” We downed the shots of French vodka. He looked good as he licked the remnants from his lips, then moved to my own lips and kissed them, setting off every synapse.
“If last week was hands… does that make this week mouths? That’s my absolute favourite.” He ran his thumb across my lips slowly. “And your mouth Lily, is beautiful.”
I kissed the tip of his thumb and smiled. “Not sure we have time sorry, need to leave now.”
‘You don’t have time for me to re-trace everywhere my fingers went last week? Except this time with my mouth?” He raised an eyebrow at me. Who was I kidding? To hell with punctuality.
My lips navigated towards his, as if drawn by magnets. Zack undressed me, we bypassed the bedroom as he pushed me down onto the large couch. A fiery heat rose through me again.
He sighed as his kisses travelled down my chest, then moved past my bellybutton. I tipped my head back, my teeth bit at my bottom lip as I felt his warm breath on my thighs.
“I didn’t tell you did I, that this is my favourite? Nothing turns me on like this, Lily…” The most incredible heat in the world descended on my core. His tongue, lips and mouth explored every single bit of me, it was the most delicious torture. He dipped in and out and set every single nerve ending on fire. I couldn’t tell how long it went on for, it could’ve been a minute or an hour, I was lost in it as my fingers tangled in his hair and my thighs pressed him deeper into me.
“Don’t hold back, honestly, I’ve been desperate to do this to you. I want to know what you taste like so bad.” I couldn’t respond, his hands held my thighs down, reminding me how strong he was as his mouth grew firmer and more insistent on me. He was so in tune with me, responding to every appreciative sigh or moan that escaped my lips, giving me more of what I liked.
It was so intense, almost like a panic rising within me, as I exploded into orgasm. My teeth bit into the couch cushion next to me, wanting to find an outlet for the sensations which overtook me.
I lay gasping and hot, trying to catch my breath and wondering when the world would stop reeling as he moved back up my body. “You are so amazing,” he whispered. ”That wasn’t too far, was it?” I shook my head, unable to speak and kissed him fiercely. Was it wrong that I loved the taste of myself on his damp lips? “You get better and better.” He whispered.
I blew out a long breath, it was like an out-of- body experience had occurred. Zack grinned, as he headed to the bathroom, the sound of running water followed.
“We better go, proper late now,” he shouted through. I was a little confused as I grabbed my clothes and followed him. “Can you speak yet?” he asked with a smug smile.
“Just about.” I couldn’t stop grinning, despite noticing my flushed reflection and messy hair in the mirror. “Think you forgot your turn?”
“I don’t want to stress you out by being even later. I can wait, maybe find an excuse to leave early?”
“It’s a dat
e,” I smiled.
We walked into the restaurant a good forty minutes late, still with that warm glow. It was a small place and the glorious smells of cinnamon and paprika emanated from the kitchen and made me lick my lips with hunger. Zack had given me an appetite.
My colleagues looked around with eager faces as we entered, it was pretty intimidating. I instantly began to think how it was too early to have invited Zack, and what an idiot I was for putting myself under this pressure.
“Everyone, this is Zack.” I gestured to him with my free hand, as he held the other close to him. “Zack, you probably won’t remember these but… Simon, Laura, James, Bea, Petra, Stuart, Fi, Lucy and Luke.”
There were two seats left, opposite each other, one next to Luke and one next to Bea. I pointed Zack towards Bea as I sat next to Luke. This was such an awkward moment, and I really didn’t fancy Hummus anymore. I felt like I had a big flashing sign over my head letting everyone know what had just happened.
Luke elbowed me. “Thought you’d got lost. Come on then, you going to introduce me properly?”
I sensed a certain tension as I looked up at Luke, then across to Zack. “Luke, this is Zack. Zack this is Luke. Please don’t tell each other embarrassing stories about me.”
They shook hands before Zack replied, smiling at me. “Not sure I have any yet. Give me time though.”
“I’m just choosing which to start with,” Luke teased. “There was that time we shared a tent… or that time you nearly wrecked my car?”
“Oh, not the car again. It was one scratch! You are such an idiot sometimes.” I shook my head at him in resignation.
“Well, what’s embarrassing to one person, could be endearing to another,” said Zack as he stretched his arm out over the table and laced his fingers together with mine. “What type of car did she scratch then?” he asked with a smile as he looked towards Luke.
“It was a Lexus, I hadn’t had it long. Worst thing was, she was in an empty car park.” Luke smiled across at me, all innocent eyes.
“Maybe I’ll keep the car keys hidden then. I upgraded a couple of months back.”
That was the two of them discussing cars for the next half hour. I’d never even bothered to buy a car; everything was close by. No wonder I wasn’t used to parking when Luke let me have a drive! It was a relief to see they were getting on. I drank more wine and fanned myself, it was so hot in here.
Slowly but surely, I relaxed, everyone was welcoming to Zack, making him feel involved. Petra was positively salivating over him, she was in her forties and happily married but it was common knowledge she loved a good, harmless flirt. Simon and James, my bosses, were making me sound like the best employee in the northern hemisphere, with jokes about how Zack had better not steal me away. I’d been drinking much faster than normal to calm my nerves, but it was catching up with me. On top of the vodka shots there’d been gin cocktails when we arrived. The wine on the table just kept getting emptied and replaced with new bottles. The staff had given us shots of a Moroccan delicacy to compliment the meal. The restaurant was so hot and loud, the food spicy, and I was not feeling good. The sparkling lanterns that looked so pretty earlier now made me feel as if the room was spinning.
Luke noticed and took hold of my hand. I saw Zack’s eyes snap to the movement instantaneously, even though he was mid conversation with James.
“You OK, Lily? You look pale.” Luke asked with concern as I tried to focus on his eyes.
“Perhaps went a bit eager with the booze.” I bit my lip.
“You are daft,” he said. “You know you have to drink slow, always been a lightweight.” He pinched my cheek with his gentle touch.
“I need air, sorry.”
At this point Zack stood up, his chair scraped across the floor, the sharp noise making me close my eyes. “I’ll come with you,” Zack said tersely, as he moved round to me and helped me up, his arm around me as we walked outside.
I leaned against the outside of the building, dizzier still as the fresh air hit me. “I’m so sorry,” I mumbled. “Shouldn’t have been mixing drinks.”
“It’s fine, don’t worry,” the sentiment didn’t quite reach his voice though. “Do you think you’re going to be sick?”
I shook my head. “I’ll get water in a minute, I’ll be fine.”
“So, what’s the tale about the tent?” Zack asked, his voice serious and low.
“Huh?”
“Luke said he had an embarrassing story about you two in a tent?”
“Oh, it was last summer, at a festival. I got so drunk I passed out across both of our sleeping bags and was blocking the zip to get in. He had to sleep outside because he couldn’t wake me up. It was like a mud bath out there, he said he was never sharing with me again, and that I snored all night which is obviously a lie.” I giggled and poked his chest, the cold air making me feel more drunk. “Didn’t snore when you stayed over did I?”
Zack seemed to relax and smiled. “Nope, no snoring. Maybe a bit of dribble.”
“I do not dribble!”
Zack wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into him. “Maybe you should invite me to stay over again so I can double check.”
I stood on my tiptoes and whispered to him, “You can stay over whenever you like. I think I owe you the image of my lips around something, don’t I?” I thought I was acting flirtatious and sultry as I nipped his earlobe, pulling his face towards mine for a kiss. It just came across as drunk and clumsy when I stumbled to the side and Zack had to put his arm out to steady me.
“Yeah, I think you might be a little too drunk for that,” he sighed.
“Nope, I’m good to go!” I grinned.
“Lily, two drunk people together is one thing. A sober guy and a drunk girl is not my scene. I’m not going to take advantage of you being wasted.”
“Aww.” I put my head back against the wall and closed my eyes for a moment. As I looked up, Luke’s eyes were on us, he looked away swiftly.
“I think we should head off now, you look like you need to lie down.” Zack said.
“OK,” I agreed. “I’ll go pay the bill.”
“You stay here in the fresh air, I’ll go. I don’t mind.” Zack headed inside without waiting for an answer. He seemed annoyed at me, but it could’ve been the drink clouding my mind, I couldn’t tell. My head hurt too much to think about it in any depth.
Zack wrapped his arm around me as we headed home, not before I noticed Luke watching us once more. I waved with a sad smile.
My eye opened cautiously. Why was it hard to swallow? My mouth felt like the desert and my head was full of banging drums. A quick glance under the duvet told me I was still fully clothed. Zack was in the bed too. I needed to get to the bathroom before he woke up.
I sat on the toilet with my head in my hands, why hadn’t I been more sensible? Teeth cleaned, face washed, I climbed back into my bed and wrapped Zack in a huge cuddle. He had that delicious, sexy stubble look going on again.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I ruined the whole night.”
Zack blinked his eyes open. “It’s fine, don’t worry. Not the night I imagined but, I still get to wake up here,” he kissed my forehead. “I didn’t know what to do about your clothes, I didn’t want you to think I took advantage of you or anything, so I left them on.”
“I know you wouldn’t, even though I seem to recall I was encouraging you to,” I closed my eyes and enjoyed the movement of his warm chest rising up and down. “I feel like death.”
“I was going to get the last train,” he explained. “But I was worried about you. You don’t mind that I stayed over?”
“Of course not.” I snuggled closer. “That’s so sweet of you, thank you.”
“Was there anything wrong? You seemed tense. I thought we worked all your tension out before we left?” I blushed at the memory.
“I’ve never introduced anyone to them all like that before. I felt pressure that everyone should get on. I was worried about yo
u and Luke, I want my boyfriend and my best friend to like each other,” I explained, then buried my head in the pillow with embarrassment. “Crap, sorry.”
“What are you doing?” Zack laughed as he pulled the pillow away. “Sorry for what?”
“I didn’t mean to say the b word, I’m sorry, I don’t want you to think I’m assuming anything, I don’t know how serious you want this to be-” my words were cut off as Zack kissed me.
“You don’t realise how special you are,” Zack said. “I definitely want to be your boyfriend, sort of hoped I already was to be honest. I just didn’t want to put any more pressure on.”
I kissed him again, the feel of his minty breath on mine telling me that he must’ve sneaked out of bed to brush his teeth too. “I feel like I should write you a note, like we’re at school,” I smiled. “Zack, do you want to be my boyfriend?” I couldn’t help but giggle.
“You’re crazy… answer is yes by the way.” He slid his hand around me and squeezed my bottom for a second. “I want to undress you right now, but I have to get the train at eleven. I need to get to that stag do, remember?” he asked. “Am I OK to get a shower? Let you rest a few more minutes?”
“Sure,” I said sleepily as I snuggled back under the duvet. “So, me and you, this is like official then?”
“Yep, you’re stuck with me.” He kissed me once more before he went into the bathroom. Just in time for me to remember I was in debt to the tune of one blow job!
“I’m the worst girlfriend in the world.” I blurted out as he headed back into the bedroom ten minutes later, wrapped in a towel. “I didn’t mean to neglect you.”
“You didn’t, stop worrying.” He sat next to me, his skin hot and damp, as he stroked my cheek. “You got drunk; it doesn’t matter. It’s one night. We have lots of nights to come, don’t we?”
I nodded. “I hope so.”
“I know so. I enjoyed what happened as much as you did, so relax.”
I threw on jeans and an off the shoulder jumper and tied my hair into a messy bun as we sat at the table with coffee.